Psalms 55

Berean Standard Bible

Chapter summary

In Psalm 55, the speaker implores God to listen to his desperate prayer while he suffers distress and terror caused by the threats of the wicked and enemies surrounding the city. He expresses a wish to fly away like a dove and find shelter in the wilderness to escape the violence, strife, and deceit filling the streets day and night. The speaker is especially grieved because the betrayal comes not from a stranger, but from a close companion and former friend with whom he once shared sweet fellowship and walked to the house of God. Calling out to God morning, noon, and night, the speaker is confident that the Lord hears him, redeems his soul in peace from the battle, and will bring down the deceitful and unrepentant adversaries into the Pit of destruction. He concludes by advising others to cast their burdens upon the Lord, who sustains the righteous, while he personally maintains his trust in God.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.

Words of Jesus in red

¹Listen to my prayer, O God, and do not ignore my plea. ²Attend to me and answer me. I am restless in my complaint, and distraught ³at the voice of the enemy, at the pressure of the wicked. For they bring down disaster upon me and resent me in their anger. ⁴My heart pounds within me, and the terrors of death assail me. ⁵Fear and trembling grip me, and horror has overwhelmed me. ⁶I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and find rest. ⁷How far away I would flee! In the wilderness I would remain. Selah ⁸I would hurry to my shelter, far from this raging tempest.” ⁹O Lord, confuse and confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city. ¹⁰Day and night they encircle the walls, while malice and trouble lie within. ¹¹Destruction is within; oppression and deceit never leave the streets. ¹²For it is not an enemy who insults me; that I could endure. It is not a foe who rises against me; from him I could hide. ¹³But it is you, a man like myself, my companion and close friend. ¹⁴We shared sweet fellowship together; we walked with the crowd into the house of God. ¹⁵Let death seize them by surprise; let them go down to Sheol alive, for evil is with them in their homes. ¹⁶But I call to God, and the LORD saves me. ¹⁷Morning, noon, and night, I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice. ¹⁸He redeems my soul in peace from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. ¹⁹God will hear and humiliate them— the One enthroned for the ages— Selah because they do not change and they have no fear of God. ²⁰My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant. ²¹His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed. ²²Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken. ²³But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.

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Louis Segond 1910 and Berean Standard Bible: public domain. Cross references: open-cross-ref, Creative Commons BY 4.0.