He Will Never Allow the Righteous to Be Shaken

¹Give ear to my prayer, O God;

And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.

²Give heed to me and answer me;

I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted,

³Because of the voice of the enemy,

Because of the pressure of the wicked;

For they shake wickedness down upon me

And in anger they bear a grudge against me.

⁴¶My heart is in anguish within me,

And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

⁵Fear and trembling come upon me,

And horror has covered me.

⁶I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest.

⁷“Behold, I would wander far away,

I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.

⁸“I would hasten to my place of refuge

From the stormy wind and tempest.”

⁹¶Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues,[#55:9 Lit Swallow up]

For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰Day and night they go around her upon her walls,

And wickedness and mischief are in her midst.

¹¹Destruction is in her midst;

Oppression and deceit do not depart from her 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 magnified himself against me,

Then I could hide myself from him.

¹³But it is you, a man my equal,[#55:13 Lit according to my valuation]

My close companion and my familiar friend;

¹⁴We who had sweet counsel together

Walked in the house of God in the throng.

¹⁵Let death come deceitfully upon them;[#55:15 Or desolations be upon them]

Let them go down alive to Sheol,

For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

¹⁶¶As for me, I shall call upon God,

And Yahweh will save me.

¹⁷Evening and morning and at noon, I will bring my complaint and moan,

And He will hear my voice.

¹⁸He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me,[#55:18 Or so that none may approach me]

For they are many who strive with me.

¹⁹God will hear and answer them—[#55:19 Or afflict]

Even the one who sits enthroned from of old— Selah.

Because they do not change,

And do not fear God.

²⁰My companion has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;[#55:20 Lit He]

He has violated his covenant.

²¹His speech was smoother than butter,[#55:21 Lit mouth]

But his heart was war;

His words were softer than oil,

Yet they were drawn swords.

²²¶Cast your burden upon Yahweh and He will sustain you;[#55:22 Or what He has given you]

He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

²³But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of corruption;[#55:23 Or lowest pit]

Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days.

But I will trust in You.