Psalm 51–100

Psalm 51

A PRAYER FOR RESTORATION

For the choir director. A psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba.^y

¹Be gracious to me, God,

according to your faithful love;

according to your abundant compassion,

blot out my rebellion.^z

²Completely wash away my guilt

and cleanse me from my sin.^aa

³For I am conscious of my rebellion,

and my sin is always before me.^ab

⁴Against you—you alone—I have sinned

and done this evil in your sight.^ac

So you are right when you pass sentence;

you are blameless when you judge.^ad

⁵Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;

I was sinful when my mother conceived me.^ae

⁶Surely you desire integrity in the inner self,

and you teach me wisdom deep within.^af

⁷Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.^ag

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.^ah

⁹Turn your face away^A from my sins

and blot out all my guilt.^ai

¹⁰God, create a clean heart for me

and renew a steadfast^B spirit within me.^a

¹¹Do not banish me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.^b

¹²Restore the joy of your salvation to me,

and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.^c

¹³Then I will teach the rebellious your ways,

and sinners will return to you.^d

¹⁴Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God^e—

God of my salvation—

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.^f

¹⁵Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.^g

¹⁶You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;

you are not pleased with a burnt offering.^h

¹⁷The sacrifice pleasing to God is^C a broken spirit.

You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.ⁱ

¹⁸In your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;

build the walls of Jerusalem.^j

¹⁹Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices,

whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.^k

Psalm 52

GOD JUDGES THE PROUD

For the choir director. A Maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite went and reported to Saul, telling him, “David went to Ahimelech’s house.”^l

¹Why boast about evil, you hero!^m

God’s faithful love is constant.ⁿ

²Like a sharpened razor,

your tongue devises destruction,

working treachery.^o

³You love evil instead of good,

lying instead of speaking truthfully.^p

Selah

⁴You love any words that destroy,

you treacherous tongue!^q

⁵This is why God will bring you down forever.

He will take you, ripping you out of your tent;

he will uproot you from the land of the living.^r

Selah

⁶The righteous will see and fear,

and they will derisively say about that hero,^As

⁷“Here is the man

who would not make God his refuge,

but trusted in the abundance of his riches,

taking refuge in his destructive behavior.”^t

⁸But I am like a flourishing olive tree

in the house of God;^u

I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever.^v

⁹I will praise you forever for what you have done.

In the presence of your faithful people,

I will put my hope in your name, for it is good.^w

Psalm 53

A PORTRAIT OF SINNERS

For the choir director: on Mahalath.^x A Maskil of David.

¹The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.”

They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds.

There is no one who does good.^y

²God looks down from heaven on the human race^B

to see if there is one who is wise,

one who seeks God.^z

³All have turned away;

all alike have become corrupt.

There is no one who does good,

not even one.^aa

⁴Will evildoers never understand?

They consume my people as they consume bread;^ab

they do not call on God.^ac

⁵Then they will be filled with dread—

dread like no other^ad—

because God will scatter

the bones of those who besiege you.^ae

You will put them to shame,

for God has rejected them.^a

⁶Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion!

When God restores the fortunes of his people,^C

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.^b

Psalm 54

PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. When the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding among us?”^c

¹God, save me by your name,

and vindicate me by your might!^d

²God, hear my prayer;

listen to the words from my mouth.^e

³For strangers rise up against me,

and violent men intend to kill me.

They do not let God guide them.^Af

Selah

⁴God is my helper;

the Lord is the sustainer of my life.^Bg

⁵He will repay my adversaries for their evil.

Because of your faithfulness, annihilate them.^h

⁶I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you.ⁱ

I will praise your name, Lord,

because it is good.^j

⁷For he has rescued me from every trouble,

and my eye has looked down on my enemies.^k

Psalm 55

BETRAYAL BY A FRIEND

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.

¹God, listen to my prayer

and do not hide from my plea for help.^l

²Pay attention to me and answer me.^m

I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint,ⁿ

³because of the enemy’s words,^C

because of the pressure^D of the wicked.

For they bring down disaster on me

and harass me in anger.^o

⁴My heart shudders within me;^p

terrors of death sweep over me.

⁵Fear and trembling grip me;

horror has overwhelmed me.^q

⁶I said, “If only I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and find rest.^r

⁷How far away I would flee;

I would stay in the wilderness.^s

Selah

⁸I would hurry to my shelter

from the raging wind and the storm.”^t

⁹Lord, confuse^E and confound their speech,^Fu

for I see violence and strife in the city;

¹⁰day and night they make the rounds on its walls.

Crime and trouble are within it;^v

¹¹destruction is inside it;

oppression and deceit never leave its marketplace.^w

¹²Now it is not an enemy who insults me—

otherwise I could bear it;

it is not a foe who rises up against me—

otherwise I could hide from him.

¹³But it is you, a man who is my peer,

my companion and good friend!^x

¹⁴We used to have close fellowship;

we walked with the crowd into the house of God.^y

¹⁵Let death take them by surprise;^z

let them go down to Sheol alive,

because evil is in their homes and within them.^aa

¹⁶But I call to God,

and the Lord will save me.^ab

¹⁷I complain and groan morning, noon, and night,^ac

and he hears my voice.^ad

¹⁸Though many are against me,

he will redeem me from my battle unharmed.^ae

¹⁹God, the one enthroned from long ago,^af

will hear and will humiliate them

Selah

because they do not change

and do not fear God.^a

²⁰My friend^b acts violently

against those at peace with him;^c

he violates his covenant.^d

²¹His buttery words are smooth,

but war is in his heart.

His words are softer than oil,

but they are drawn swords.^e

²²Cast your burden on the Lord,

and he will sustain you;^f

he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.^g

²³God, you will bring them down

to the Pit of destruction;^h

men of bloodshed and treachery

will not live out half their days.ⁱ

But I will trust in you.^j

Psalm 56

A CALL FOR GOD’S PROTECTION

For the choir director: according to “A Silent Dove Far Away.” A Miktam of David. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.^k

¹Be gracious to me, God, for a man is trampling me;

he fights and oppresses me all day long.

²My adversaries trample me all day,

for many arrogantly fight against me.^Al

³When I am afraid,

I will trust in you.^m

⁴In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?ⁿ

⁵They twist my words all day long;

all their thoughts against me are evil.^o

⁶They stir up strife,^B they lurk,

they watch my steps

while they wait to take my life.^p

⁷Will they escape in spite of such sin?

God, bring down the nations in wrath.^q

⁸You yourself have recorded my wanderings.^C

Put my tears in your bottle.

Are they not in your book?^r

⁹Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call.^s

This I know: God is for me.^t

¹⁰In God, whose word I praise,

in the Lord, whose word I praise,

¹¹in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can mere humans do to me?^u

¹²I am obligated by vows^A to you, God;

I will make my thanksgiving sacrifices to you.^v

¹³For you rescued me from death,

even my feet from stumbling,

to walk before God in the light of life.^w

Psalm 57

PRAISE FOR GOD’S PROTECTION

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. When he fled before Saul into the cave.^x

¹Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,

for I take refuge in you.

I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings

until danger passes.^y

²I call to God Most High,

to God who fulfills his purpose for me.^Bz

³He reaches down from heaven and saves me,

challenging the one who tramples me.^aa

Selah

God sends his faithful love and truth.^ab

⁴I am surrounded by lions;

I lie down among devouring lions—

people whose teeth are spears and arrows,

whose tongues are sharp swords.^ac

⁵God, be exalted above the heavens;

let your glory be over the whole earth.^ad

⁶They prepared a net for my steps;

I was despondent.

They dug a pit ahead of me,

but they fell into it!^ae

Selah

⁷My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.

I will sing; I will sing praises.^af

⁸Wake up, my soul!

Wake up, harp and lyre!

I will wake up the dawn.^ag

⁹I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.^a

¹⁰For your faithful love is as high as the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches the clouds.^b

¹¹God, be exalted above the heavens;^c

let your glory be over the whole earth.^d

Psalm 58

A CRY AGAINST INJUSTICE

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David.

¹Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?^C

Do you judge people fairly?^e

²No, you practice injustice in your hearts;

with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.^f

³The wicked go astray from the womb;

liars wander about from birth.^g

⁴They have venom like the venom of a snake,

like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,^h

⁵that does not listen to the sound of the charmers

who skillfully weave spells.ⁱ

⁶God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;

Lord, tear out the young lions’ fangs.^j

⁷May they vanish like water that flows by;

may they aim their blunted arrows.^Ak

⁸Like a slug that moves along in slime,

like a woman’s miscarried child,

may they not see the sun.^l

⁹Before…