1 To the chief music-maker, on Neginoth. Maschil. Of David.

2 \55:1\Give hearing to my prayer, O God; and let not your ear be shut against my request.

3 \55:2\Give thought to me, and let my prayer be answered: I have been made low in sorrow;

4 \55:3\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.

5 \55:4\My heart is deeply wounded, and the fear of death has come on me.

6 \55:5\Fear and shaking have come over me, with deep fear I am covered.

7 \55:6\And I said, If only I had wings like a dove! for then I would go in flight from here and be at rest.

8 \55:7\I would go wandering far away, living in the waste land. (Selah.)

9 \55:8\I would quickly take cover from the driving storm and from the violent wind.

10 \55:9\Send destruction on them, O Lord, make a division of tongues among them: for I have seen fighting and violent acts in the town.

11 \55:10\By day and night they go round the town, on the walls; trouble and sorrow are in the heart of it.

12 \55:11\Evil is there; cruel rule and deceit are ever in the streets.

13 \55:12\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;

14 \55:13\But it was you, my equal, my guide, my well-loved friend.

15 \55:14\We had loving talk together, and went to the house of God in company.

16 \55:15\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.

17 \55:16\As for me, I will make my prayer to God, and he will be my saviour.

18 \55:17\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.

19 \55:18\He has taken my soul away from the attack which was made against me, and given it peace; for great numbers were against me.

20 \55:19\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.

21 \55:20\He has put out his hand against those who were at peace with him; he has not kept his agreement.

22 \55:21\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.

23 \55:22\Put your cares on the Lord, and he will be your support; he will not let the upright man be moved.

24 \55:23\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.

1 Ki te tino kaiwhakatangi Nekinoto. He Makiri, na Rawiri. E te Atua, tahuri mai tou taringa ki taku inoi: kei whakangaro atu koe, ina tangi ahau.

2 Anga mai ki ahau, whakahokia mai he kupu ki ahau: pokaikaha noa iho ahau i ahau e tangi nei, e hamama nei;

3 I te reo hoki o te hoariri, i te tukino a te tangata kino: no te mea e utaina ana e ratou he hara ki runga ki ahau, a e kino ana ki ahau, e riri ana.

4 Mamae pu toku ngakau i roto i ahau: kua taka ki runga ki ahau nga wehi whakamate.

5 Kua pa ki ahau te wehi me te wiri: a pokia iho ahau e te whakamataku.

6 Na ko taku meatanga, Aue, te whai pakau ahau me he kukupa; penei ka rere atu ahau, a ka whai okiokinga.

7 Katahi ahau ka rere ki tawhiti; a noho rawa atu i te koraha. (Hera.

8 Ka hohoro toku rere atu i te hau, i te awha.

9 Whakangaromia, e te Ariki, wehia o ratou arero; kua kitea hoki e ahau te tukino me te tutu o roto o te pa.

10 Haereere ana ratou i te ao, i te po, i runga i ona taiepa, a tawhio noa: he kino kei roto, he hianga.

11 He hara kei waenganui ona: kahore ona ara e mahue i te tinihanga, i te hianga.

12 Ehara hoki i te hoariri nana ahau i tawai; penei e taea e ahau te whakaririka: ehara hoki i te hoa whawhai noku i whakakake ki ahau; penei kua piri ahau, kei kitea e ia.

13 Nau ia, na te tangata i rite ki ahau, na toku takahoa, na taku i mohio ai.

14 Ahuareka tonu ta taua korerorero; haere tahi ana hoki taua i roto i te ropu ki te whare o te Atua.

15 Kia mau ohorere ratou i te mate, kia heke ora ki te reinga: he hara hoki kei o ratou nohoanga, kei waenganui i a ratou.

16 Ko ahau, ka karanga ahau ki te Atua: a ma Ihowa ahau e whakaora.

17 I te ahiahi, i te ata, i te poutumarotanga, ka inoi ahau, ka tangi: a ka whakarongo ia ki toku reo.

18 Whakaorangia ana e ia toku wairua i runga i te rangimarie i ahau e whakaekea ana: he tokomaha hoki oku hoa whawhai.

19 Ka whakarongo te Atua, no tua iho nei tona nohoanga, a ka whakahoki i ta ratou. (Hera.) Ko te hunga kahore o ratou whakawhitiwhitinga, a kahore o ratou wehi ki te Atua.

20 Kua totoro ona ringa ki te hunga kua mau nei ta ratou rongo ki a ia; kua whakataka e ia tana kawenata.

21 Maeneene atu tona mangai i te pata, he whawhai ia kei roto i tona ngakau: ngawari atu ana kupu i te hinu, kahore, he hoari kua oti te unu.

22 Maka ki runga ki a Ihowa tau pikaunga, a mana koe e whakau ake: e kore e tukua e ia te hunga tika kia whakangaueuetia ake ake.

23 Mau ia ratou e mea, e te Atua, kia heke ki te poka o te pirau: e kore nga tangata toto, nga tangata hianga e tutuki ki te hawhe o o ratou ra; ko ahau ia, ka whakawhirinaki ki a koe.