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Psalm 55

1  Hear my prayer, O God; ♦︎
   hide not yourself from my petition.
2  Give heed to me and answer me; ♦︎
   I am restless in my complaining.
3  I am alarmed at the voice of the enemy ♦︎
   and at the clamour of the wicked;
4  For they would bring down evil upon me ♦︎
   and are set against me in fury.
5  My heart is disquieted within me, ♦︎
   and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
6  Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, ♦︎
   and a horrible dread has overwhelmed me.
7  And I said: ‘O that I had wings like a dove, ♦︎
   for then would I fly away and be at rest.
8  ‘Then would I flee far away ♦︎
   and make my lodging in the wilderness.
9  ‘I would make haste to escape ♦︎
   from the stormy wind and tempest.’
10  Confuse their tongues, O Lord, and divide them, ♦︎
   for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
11  Day and night they go about on her walls; ♦︎
   mischief and trouble are in her midst.
12  Wickedness walks in her streets; ♦︎
   oppression and guile never leave her squares.
13  For it was not an open enemy that reviled me, ♦︎
   for then I could have borne it;
14  Nor was it my adversary that puffed himself up against me, ♦︎
   for then I would have hid myself from him.
15  But it was even you, one like myself, ♦︎
   my companion and my own familiar friend.
16  We took sweet counsel together ♦︎
   and walked with the multitude in the house of God.
17  Let death come suddenly upon them;
      let them go down alive to the Pit; ♦︎
   for wickedness inhabits their dwellings, their very hearts.

Zophar Speaks: Job’s Guilt Deserves Punishment

11Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:
² ‘Should a multitude of words go unanswered,
   and should one full of talk be vindicated?
³ Should your babble put others to silence,
   and when you mock, shall no one shame you?
⁴ For you say, “My conduct^* is pure,
   and I am clean in God’s^* sight.”
⁵ But O that God would speak,
   and open his lips to you,
⁶ and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom!
   For wisdom is many-sided.^*
Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.

⁷ ‘Can you find out the deep things of God?
   Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?^*
8 It is higher than heaven^*—what can you do?
   Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
⁹ Its measure is longer than the earth,
   and broader than the sea.
¹⁰ If he passes through, and imprisons,
   and assembles for judgement, who can hinder him?
¹¹ For he knows those who are worthless;
   when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?
¹² But a stupid person will get understanding,
   when a wild ass is born human.^*

¹³ ‘If you direct your heart rightly,
   you will stretch out your hands towards him.
¹⁴ If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
   and do not let wickedness reside in your tents.
¹⁵ Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish;
   you will be secure, and will not fear.
¹⁶ You will forget your misery;
   you will remember it as waters that have passed away.
¹⁷ And your life will be brighter than the noonday;
   its darkness will be like the morning.
¹⁸ And you will have confidence, because there is hope;
   you will be protected^* and take your rest in safety.
¹⁹ You will lie down, and no one will make you afraid;
   many will entreat your favour.
²⁰ But the eyes of the wicked will fail;
   all way of escape will be lost to them,
   and their hope is to breathe their last.’

10 To the married I give this command—not I but the Lord—that the wife should not separate from her husband ¹¹(but if she does separate, let her remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife.

12 To the rest I say—I and not the Lord—that if any believer^* has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. ¹³And if any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. ¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. ¹⁵But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. It is to peace that God has called you.^{* 16}Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband. Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife.