Psalm 52–55

Psalm 52

For the Chief Musician. Maschil of David; when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.

¹Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man?

The lovingkindness of God endureth continually.

²Thy tongue deviseth very wickedness,

Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

³Thou lovest evil more than good,

And lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah

⁴Thou lovest all devouring words,

O thou deceitful tongue.

⁵God will likewise destroy thee for ever;

He will take thee up, and pluck thee out of thy tent,

And root thee out of the land of the living. Selah

⁶The righteous also shall see it, and fear,

And shall laugh at him, saying,

⁷Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength,

But trusted in the abundance of his riches,

And strengthened himself in his wickedness.

⁸But as for me, I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God:

I trust in the lovingkindness of God for ever and ever.

⁹I will give thee thanks for ever, because thou hast done it;

And I will hope in thy name, for it is good, in the presence of thy saints.

Psalm 53

For the Chief Musician; set to Mahalath. Maschil of David.

¹The fool hath said in his heart,

There is no God.

Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity;

There is none that doeth good.

²God looked down from heaven upon the children of men,

To see if there were any that did understand,

That did seek after God.

³Every one of them is gone back; they are together become filthy;

There is none that doeth good, no, not one.

⁴Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge,

Who eat up my people as they eat bread,

And call not upon God?

⁵There were they in great fear, where no fear was;

For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee:

Thou hast put them to shame, because God hath rejected them.

⁶Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!

When God bringeth back the captivity of his people,

Then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Psalm 54

For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. Maschil of David; when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?

¹Save me, O God, by thy name,

And judge me in thy might.

²Hear my prayer, O God;

Give ear to the words of my mouth.

³For strangers are risen up against me,

And violent men have sought after my soul:

They have not set God before them. Selah

⁴Behold, God is my helper:

The Lord is of them that uphold my soul.

⁵He will requite the evil unto mine enemies:

Destroy thou them in thy truth.

⁶With a freewill-offering will I sacrifice unto thee:

I will give thanks unto thy name, O Jehovah, for it is good.

⁷For he hath delivered me out of all trouble;

And mine eye hath seen my desire upon mine enemies.

Psalm 55

For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. Maschil of David.

¹Give ear to my prayer, O God;

And hide not thyself from my supplication.

²Attend unto me, and answer me:

I am restless in my complaint, and moan,

³Because of the voice of the enemy,

Because of the oppression of the wicked;

For they cast iniquity upon me,

And in anger they persecute me.

⁴My heart is sore pained within me:

And the terrors of death are fallen upon me.

⁵Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me,

And horror hath overwhelmed me.

⁶And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove!

Then would I fly away, and be at rest.

⁷Lo, then would I wander far off,

I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah

⁸I would haste me to a shelter

From the stormy wind and tempest.

⁹Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongue;

For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof:

Iniquity also and mischief are in the midst of it.

¹¹Wickedness is in the midst thereof:

Oppression and guile depart not from its streets.

¹²For it was not an enemy that reproached me;

Then I could have borne it:

Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me;

Then I would have hid myself from him:

¹³But it was thou, a man mine equal,

My companion, and my familiar friend.

¹⁴We took sweet counsel together;

We walked in the house of God with the throng.

¹⁵Let death come suddenly upon them,

Let them go down alive into Sheol;

For wickedness is in their dwelling, in the midst of them.

¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God;

And Jehovah will save me.

¹⁷Evening, and morning, and at noonday, will I complain, and moan;

And he will hear my voice.

¹⁸He hath redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me;

For they were many that strove with me.

¹⁹God will hear, and answer them,

Even he that abideth of old, Selah

The men who have no changes,

And who fear not God.

²⁰He hath put forth his hands against such as were at peace with him:

He hath profaned his covenant.

²¹His mouth was smooth as butter,

But his heart was war:

His words were softer than oil,

Yet were they drawn swords.

²²Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee:

He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.

²³But thou, O God, wilt bring them down into the pit of destruction:

Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;

But I will trust in thee.