1 Til sangmesteren; med strengelek; en læresalme av David.
2 Vend øret, Gud, til min bønn, og skjul dig ikke for min inderlige begjæring!
3 Gi akt på mig og svar mig! Mine sorgfylte tanker farer hit og dit, og jeg må stønne,
4 for fiendens røst, for den ugudeliges undertrykkelse; for de velter elendighet over mig, og i vrede forfølger de mig.
5 Mitt hjerte bever i mitt bryst, og dødens redsler er falt på mig.
6 Frykt og beven kommer over mig, og forferdelse legger sig over mig.
7 Og jeg sier: Gid jeg hadde vinger som duen! Da vilde jeg flyve bort og feste bo.
8 Se, jeg vilde flykte langt bort, jeg vilde ta herberge i ørkenen. Sela.
9 Jeg vilde i hast søke mig et tilfluktssted for den rasende vind, for stormen.
10 Opsluk dem, Herre, kløv deres tungemål! For jeg ser vold og kiv i byen.
11 Dag og natt vandrer de omkring den på dens murer, og elendighet og ulykke er inneni den.
12 Fordervelse er inneni den, og undertrykkelse og svik viker ikke fra dens torv.
13 For ikke er det en fiende som håner mig, ellers vilde jeg bære det; ikke er det min avindsmann som ophøier sig over mig, ellers vilde jeg skjule mig for ham;
14 men det er du, du som var min likemann, min venn og min kjenning -
15 vi som levde sammen i fortrolig omgang, som vandret til Guds hus blandt den glade høitidsskare.
16 Ødeleggelse komme over dem! La dem fare levende ned i dødsriket! For ondskap hersker i deres bolig, i deres hjerte.
17 Jeg vil rope til Gud, og Herren skal frelse mig.
18 Aften og morgen og middag vil jeg klage og sukke, så hører han min røst.
19 Han forløser min sjel fra striden imot mig og gir mig fred; for i mengde er de omkring mig.
20 Gud skal høre og svare* dem - han troner jo fra fordums tid, sela - dem som ikke vil bli anderledes, og som ikke frykter Gud. / {* d.e. straffe.}
21 Han* legger hånd på dem som har fred med ham, han vanhelliger sin pakt. / {* SLM 55, 13. 14.}
22 Hans munns ord er glatte som smør, men hans hjertes tanke er strid; hans ord er bløtere enn olje, og dog er de dragne sverd.
23 Kast på Herren det som tynger dig! Han skal holde dig oppe; han skal i evighet ikke la den rettferdige rokkes.
24 Og du, Gud, skal støte dem ned i gravens dyp; blodgjerrige og falske menn skal ikke nå det halve av sine dager; men jeg setter min lit til dig.
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.