PSALM 51

A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when †Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

1 aBe gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;

According to the greatness of bYour compassion cblot out my transgressions.

2 aWash me thoroughly from my iniquity

And bcleanse me from my sin.

3 For 1I aknow my transgressions,

And my sin is ever before me.

4 aAgainst You, You only, I have sinned

And done what is bevil in Your sight,

So that cYou 1are justified 2when You speak

And 3blameless when You judge.

5 Behold, I was abrought forth in iniquity,

And in sin my mother conceived me.

6 Behold, You desire atruth in the 1innermost being,

And in the hidden part You will bmake me know wisdom.

7 1Purify me awith hyssop, and I shall be clean;

2Wash me, and I shall be bwhiter than snow.

8 1Make me to hear ajoy and gladness,

Let the bbones which You have broken rejoice.

9 aHide Your face from my sins

And blot out all my iniquities.

10 aCreate 1in me a bclean heart, O God,

And renew 2a csteadfast spirit within me.

11 aDo not cast me away from Your presence

And do not take Your bHoly Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the ajoy of Your salvation

And sustain me with a bwilling spirit.

13 Then I will ateach transgressors Your ways,

And sinners will 1be bconverted to You.

14 Deliver me from abloodguiltiness, O God, bthe God of my salvation;

Then my ctongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

15 O Lord, 1aopen my lips,

That my mouth may bdeclare Your praise.

16 For You ado not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;

You are not pleased with burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a abroken spirit;

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

18 aBy Your favor do good to Zion;

1bBuild the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then You will delight in 1arighteous sacrifices,

In bburnt offering and whole burnt offering;

Then 2young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

PSALM 52

Futility of Boastful Wickedness.

For the choir director. A †Maskil of David, •when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

1 Why do you aboast in evil, O mighty man?

The blovingkindness of God endures all day long.

2 Your tongue devises adestruction,

Like a bsharp razor, cO worker of deceit.

3 You alove evil more than good,

bFalsehood more than speaking what is right.

1Selah.

4 You love all words that devour,

O adeceitful tongue.

5 1But God will break you down forever;

He will snatch you up and atear you away from your tent,

And buproot you from the cland of the living.

Selah.

6 The righteous will asee and fear,

And will blaugh at him, saying,

7 “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,

But atrusted in the abundance of his riches

And bwas strong in 1his evil desire.”

8 But as for me, I am like a agreen olive tree in the house of God;

I btrust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.

9 I will agive You thanks forever, because You have done it,

And I will wait on Your name, bfor it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.

PSALM 53

Folly and Wickedness of Men.

For the choir director; according to †Mahalath. A •Maskil of David.

1 aThe fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,”

They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice;

bThere is no one who does good.

2 God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men

To see if there is aanyone who 1understands,

Who bseeks after God.

3 aEvery one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt;

There is no one who does good, not even one.

4 Have the workers of wickedness ano knowledge,

Who eat up My people as though they ate bread

And have not called upon God?

5 There they were in great 1fear awhere no 1fear had been;

For God bscattered the bones of 2him who encamped against you;

You cput them to shame, because dGod had rejected them.

6 Oh, that athe salvation of Israel 1would come out of Zion!

When God 2restores His captive people,

3Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

PSALM 54

Prayer for Defense against Enemies.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A †Maskil of David, •when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is not David hiding himself among us?”

1 Save me, O God, by aYour name,

And 1vindicate me by bYour power.

2 aHear my prayer, O God;

bGive ear to the words of my mouth.

3 For strangers have arisen against me

And bviolent men have csought my 1life;

They have dnot set God before them.

2Selah.

4 Behold, aGod is my helper;

The Lord is 1the bsustainer of my soul.

5 1He will arecompense the evil to 2my foes;

3bDestroy them cin Your 4faithfulness.

6 1aWillingly I will sacrifice to You;

I will give bthanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good.

7 For 1He has adelivered me from all 2trouble,

And my eye has blooked with satisfaction upon my enemies.

PSALM 55

Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A †Maskil of David.

1 aGive ear to my prayer, O God;

And bdo not hide Yourself from my supplication.

2 Give aheed to me and answer me;

I am restless in my bcomplaint and 1cam surely distracted,

3 Because of the voice of the enemy,

Because of the apressure of the wicked;

For they bbring down 1trouble upon me

And in anger they cbear a grudge against me.

4 My aheart is in anguish within me,

And the terrors of bdeath have fallen upon me.

5 Fear and atrembling come upon me,

And 1bhorror has overwhelmed me.

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

I would fly away and 1abe at rest.

7 “Behold, I would wander far away,

I would alodge in the wilderness.

1Selah.

8 “I would hasten to my place of refuge

From the astormy wind and tempest.”

9 1Confuse, O Lord, adivide their tongues,

For I have seen bviolence and strife in the city.

10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,

And iniquity and mischief are in her midst.

11 aDestruction is in her midst;

bOppression and deceit do not depart from her 1streets.

12 For it is anot an enemy who reproaches me,

Then I could bear it;

Nor is it one who hates me who bhas exalted himself against me,

Then I could hide myself from him.

13 But it is you, a man 1my equal,

My acompanion and my 2bfamiliar friend;

14 We who had sweet 1fellowship together

aWalked in the house of God in the throng.

15 Let 1death come adeceitfully upon them;

Let them bgo down alive to 2Sheol,

For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

16 As for me, I shall acall upon God,

And the Lord will save me.

17 aEvening and bmorning and at cnoon, I will complain and murmur,

And He will hear my voice.

18 He will aredeem my soul in peace 1from the battle which is against me,

For they are bmany who strive with me.

19 God will ahear and 1answer them—

Even the one bwho 2sits enthroned from of old—

Selah.

With whom there 3is no change,

And who cdo not fear God.

20 He has put forth his hands against athose who were at peace with him;

He has 1bviolated his covenant.

21 His 1speech was asmoother than butter,

But his heart was war;

His words were asofter than oil,

Yet they were drawn bswords.

22 aCast 1your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;

bHe will never allow the righteous to 2cbe shaken.

23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the 1apit of destruction;

bMen of bloodshed and deceit will cnot live out half their days.

But I will dtrust in You.

PSALM 56

Supplication for Deliverance and Grateful Trust in God.

For the choir director; according to †Jonath elem rehokim. A •Mikhtam of David, ^when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has 1atrampled upon me;

2Fighting all day long he boppresses me.

2 My foes have 1atrampled upon me all day long,

For 2they are many who bfight proudly against me.

3 1When I am aafraid,

2I will bput my trust in You.

4 aIn God, whose word I praise,

In God I have put my trust;

I shall not be afraid.

bWhat can mere 1man do to me?

5 All day long they 1adistort my words;

All their 2bthoughts are against me for evil.

6 They 1aattack, they lurk,

They bwatch my 2steps,

As they have cwaited to take my 3life.

7 Because of wickedness, 1acast them forth,

In anger bput down the peoples, O God!

8 You ahave taken account of my wanderings;

Put my btears in Your bottle.

Are they not in cYour book?

9 Then my enemies will aturn back bin the day when I call;

This I know, 1that cGod is for me.

10 In God, whose word I praise,

In the Lord, whose word I praise,

11 In God I have put my 1trust, I shall not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

12 Your avows are binding upon me, O God;

I will render thank offerings to You.

13 For You have adelivered my soul from death,

1Indeed bmy feet from stumbling,

So that I may cwalk before God

In the dlight of the 2living.

PSALM 57

Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.

For the choir director; set to †Al-tashheth. A •Mikhtam of David, ^when he fled from Saul in the cave.

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

For my soul atakes refuge in You;

And in the bshadow of Your wings I will take refuge

Until destruction cpasses by.

2 I will cry to God Most High,

To God who aaccomplishes all things for me.

3 He will asend from heaven and save me;

He reproaches him who 1btramples upon me.

2Selah.

God will send forth His clovingkindness and His 3truth.

4 My soul is among alions;

I must lie among those who breathe forth fire,

Even the sons of men, whose bteeth are spears and arrows

And their ctongue a sharp sword.

5 aBe exalted above the heavens, O God;

Let Your glory be above all the earth.

6 They have 1prepared a anet for my steps;

My soul is bbowed down;

They cdug a pit before me;

They themselves have dfallen into the midst of it.

Selah.

7 aMy bheart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!

8 Awake, amy glory!

Awake, bharp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

9 aI will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to You among the 1nations.

10 For Your alovingkindness is great to the heavens

And Your 1truth to the clouds.

11 aBe exalted above the heavens, O God;

Let Your glory be above all the earth.

PSALM 58

Prayer for the Punishment of the…