To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments.¹ Give ear to my prayer, O God,
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
² Attend to me, and hear me;
I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
³ Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression of the wicked;
For they bring down trouble upon me,
And in wrath they hate me.

⁴ My heart is severely pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
⁵ Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
⁶ So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷ Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness.  Selah  
⁸ I would hasten my escape
From the windy storm and tempest.”

⁹ Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues,
For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰ Day and night they go around it on its walls;
Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.
¹¹ Destruction is in its midst;
Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.

¹² For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
¹³ But it was you, a man my equal,
My companion and my acquaintance.
¹⁴ We took sweet counsel together,
And walked to the house of God in the throng.

¹⁵ Let death seize them;
Let them go down alive into hell,
For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.

¹⁶ As for me, I will call upon God,
And the LORD shall save me.
¹⁷ Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
¹⁸ He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
For there were many against me.
¹⁹ God will hear, and afflict them,
Even He who abides from of old.  Selah  
Because they do not change,
Therefore they do not fear God.

²⁰ He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;
He has broken his covenant.
²¹ The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.

²² Cast your burden on the LORD,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

²³ But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 55:1 Hebrew neginoth
2. Psalm 55:1 Hebrew Maschil