Chapter 55

  To the chief music-maker, on Neginoth. Maschil. Of David.
Give hearing to my prayer, O God; and let not your ear be shut against my request.  

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  Give thought to me, and let my prayer be answered: I have been made low in sorrow;  

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  I am troubled because of the voice of the cruel ones, because of the loud cry of the evil-doers; for they put a weight of evil on me, and they are cruel in their hate for me.  

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  My heart is deeply wounded, and the fear of death has come on me.  

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  Fear and shaking have come over me, with deep fear I am covered.  

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  And I said, If only I had wings like a dove! for then I would go in flight from here and be at rest.  

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  I would go wandering far away, living in the waste land. (Selah.)  

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  I would quickly take cover from the driving storm and from the violent wind.  

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  Send destruction on them, O Lord, make a division of tongues among them: for I have seen fighting and violent acts in the town.  

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  By day and night they go round the town, on the walls; trouble and sorrow are in the heart of it.  

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  Evil is there; cruel rule and deceit are ever in the streets.  

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  For it was not my hater who said evil of me; that would have been no grief to me; it was not one outside the number of my friends who made himself strong against me, or I would have kept myself from him in a secret place;  

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  But it was you, my equal, my guide, my well-loved friend.  

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  We had loving talk together, and went to the house of God in company.  

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  Let the hand of death come on them suddenly, and let them go down living into the underworld; because evil is in their houses and in their hearts.  

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  As for me, I will make my prayer to God, and he will be my saviour.  

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  In the evening and in the morning and in the middle of the day I will make my prayer with sounds of grief; and my voice will come to his ears.  

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  He has taken my soul away from the attack which was made against me, and given it peace; for great numbers were against me.  

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  God will give thought to me; he who from early times is strong will send pain and trouble on them. (Selah.) Because they are unchanged, they have no fear of God.  

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  He has put out his hand against those who were at peace with him; he has not kept his agreement.  

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  The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, but they were sharp swords.  

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  Put your cares on the Lord, and he will be your support; he will not let the upright man be moved.  

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  But you, O God, will send them down into the underworld; the cruel and the false will be cut off before half their days are ended; but I will have faith in you.  

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