Psalm 55

¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

⁶Hear my prayer, O Lord, and attend to my plea for mercy.

¹For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. Of David. Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer.

⁹Hide not Your face from me, nor turn away Your servant in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or forsake me, O God of my salvation.

¹For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

¹For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Hear, O God, my voice of complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy.

¹⁴I chirp like a swallow or crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak as I look upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.”

³I remembered You, O God, and I groaned; I mused and my spirit grew faint. Selah

¹⁹But God has surely heard; He has attended to the sound of my prayer.

¹¹We all growl like bears and moan like doves. We hope for justice, but find none, for salvation, but it is far from us.

¹For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Hear, O God, my voice of complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy.

⁹For I have eaten ashes like bread and mixed my drink with tears

¹⁰because of Your indignation and wrath, for You have picked me up and cast me aside.

⁷And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed!

⁸The Lord has paid you back for all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, you have come to ruin because you are a man of bloodshed!”

¹¹Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about.

¹²Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.

⁸They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.

⁵“For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the Lord. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”

³Absalom would say, “Look, your claims are good and right, but the king has no deputy to hear you.”

³The ropes of death entangled me; the anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.

³³He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed.

³⁴Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.”

⁸We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.

⁹Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.

⁷During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.

⁴The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.

⁵The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

³For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.

¹²⁰My flesh trembles in awe of You; I stand in fear of Your judgments.

⁶When I remember, terror takes hold, and my body trembles in horror.

⁴⁴And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

¹⁵From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.

¹⁶Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me.

²From the ends of the earth I call out to You whenever my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

⁴For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.

¹For the choirmaster. Of David. In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain!

¹⁴But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

⁹If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea,

²If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people.

¹⁴And David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, or we will not escape from Absalom! We must leave quickly, or he will soon overtake us, heap disaster on us, and put the city to the sword.”

¹²Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there among the people.

⁴Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids.

⁵Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

²¹After the men had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed up out of the well and went to inform King David, saying, “Get up and cross over the river at once, for Ahithophel has given this advice against you.”

²²So David and all the people with him got up and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, there was no one left who had not crossed the Jordan.

¹David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”

⁶a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and the rain.

²⁵The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.

²⁶But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

⁴The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.

¹²Alas, the tumult of many peoples; they rage like the roaring seas and clamoring nations; they rumble like the crashing of mighty waters.

¹³The nations rage like the rush of many waters. He rebukes them, and they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweeds before a gale.

⁷As a well gushes its water, so she pours out her evil. Violence and destruction resound in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me.

³¹Now someone told David: “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David pleaded, “O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”

⁷Come, let Us go down and confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

⁸So the Lord scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

⁶Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. It is because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.”

⁷As soon as he had said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

¹Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David.

²I will attack him while he is weak and weary; I will throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will flee; I will strike down only the king

⁴⁵Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Him in?”

⁴⁶“Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.

¹⁴They return in the evening, snarling like dogs and prowling around the city.

¹⁵They scavenge for food, and growl if they are not satisfied.

⁶Their cobwebs cannot be made into clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their deeds are sinful deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.

⁷Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake.

²⁸Then they led Jesus away from Caiaphas into the Praetorium. By now it was early morning, and the Jews did not enter the Praetorium, to avoid being defiled and unable to eat the Passover.

²⁴but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.

⁴“Go throughout the city of Jerusalem,” said the Lord, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed there.”

⁶They return in the evening, snarling like dogs and prowling around the city.

⁷Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake.

⁹For not a word they speak can be trusted; destruction lies within them. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.

²⁶For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men.

²⁷Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich.

⁷His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and violence; trouble and malice are under his tongue.

⁵¹You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.

⁵²Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—

⁴and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.

⁹Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁸I am not speaking about all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the Scripture: ‘The one who shares My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’

²¹And while they were eating, He said to them, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”

²²They were deeply grieved and began to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”

²⁶May those who gloat in my distress be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and reproach.

²Now Judas His betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with His disciples.

³So Judas brought a band of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. They arrived at the garden carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.

¹⁵Does an axe raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff lifting him who is not wood!

⁵Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.

⁴“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.

¹²While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.

⁴⁴Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him and lead Him away securely.”

⁴⁵Going directly to Jesus, he said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

⁹Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

²³Now in those days the advice of Ahithophel was like the consultation of the word of God. Such was the regard that both David and Absalom had for Ahithophel’s advice.

⁴These things come to mind as I pour out my soul: how I walked with the multitude, leading the festive procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and praise.

³¹So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.

³And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

¹A song of ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

¹³Consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, so it may be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah

¹⁷The wicked will return to Sheol—all the nations who forget God.

⁶Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.

⁷When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin.

¹⁸(Now with the reward for his wickedness Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his intestines spilled out.

¹⁹This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so they called that field in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

⁷But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be wounded.

³⁰But if the Lord brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.”

³¹As soon as Moses had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open,

¹⁵Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”

¹¹But the scribes and Pharisees were filled with rage and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

¹²In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.

¹⁵When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.

²⁸But as for me, it is good to draw near to God. I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may proclaim all Your works.

⁴In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.

¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.

¹⁷Pray without ceasing.

²May my prayer be set before You like incense; my uplifted hands, like the evening offering.

⁷During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.

¹One afternoon Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

¹⁴⁷I rise before dawn and cry for help; in Your word I have put my hope.

¹⁴⁸My eyes anticipate the watches of night, that I may meditate on Your word.

³He reaches down from heaven and saves me; He rebukes those who trample me. Selah God sends forth His loving devotion and His truth.

⁵³Are you not aware that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

⁴You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

⁶I will not fear the myriads set against me on every side.

⁷Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.

⁷“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater One with us than with him.

⁸With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” So the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

¹Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?

²When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.

²⁷The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’

¹²And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency, who say to themselves, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’

¹¹When the sentence for a crime is not speedily executed, the hearts of men become fully set on doing evil.

¹⁰And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?”

¹¹Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.

²But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

¹⁷He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

⁴if I have rewarded my ally with evil, if I have plundered my foe without cause,

³⁴I will not violate My covenant or alter the utterance of My lips.

¹About that time, King Herod reached out to harm some who belonged to the church.

⁵They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

⁶Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace.

⁷I am in favor of peace; but when I speak, they want war.

²Keep the king’s command, I say, because of your oath before God.

⁴My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts—with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

³Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,

⁴in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword.

³Do not drag me away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors while malice is in their hearts.

²⁸A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.

²They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.

²⁴A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart.

²⁵When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.

⁷Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

⁵Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will do it.

⁶Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

²⁵Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

⁶He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I will not be shaken.

⁸I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

²⁷The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be cut short.

⁶You destroy those who tell lies; the Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

³²It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not flourish.

¹⁵He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making.

¹⁶His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.

¹⁸Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin.

⁴“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”

⁵So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.