Psalm 52–54

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.”

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

The ^blovingkindness of God endures all day long.

²Your tongue devises ^adestruction,

Like a ^bsharp razor, ^cO worker of deceit.

³You ^alove evil more than good,

^bFalsehood more than speaking what is right.

¹Selah.

⁴You love all words that devour,

O ^adeceitful tongue.

⁵¹But 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.

⁶The 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.”

⁸But 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.

⁹I 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.

^1aThe 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.

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

To see if there is ^aanyone who ¹understands,

Who ^bseeks after God.

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

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

⁴Have the workers of wickedness ^ano knowledge,

Who eat up My people as though they ate bread

And have not called upon God?

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

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

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

⁶Oh, 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?”

¹Save me, O God, by ^aYour name,

And ¹vindicate me by ^bYour power.

^2aHear my prayer, O God;

^bGive ear to the words of my mouth.

³For strangers have ^arisen against me

And ^bviolent men have ^csought my ¹life;

They have ^dnot set God before them.

²Selah.

⁴Behold, ^aGod is my helper;

The Lord is ¹the ^bsustainer of my soul.

⁵¹He will ^arecompense the evil to ²my foes;

^3bDestroy them ^cin Your ⁴faithfulness.

^61aWillingly I will sacrifice to You;

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

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

And my eye has ^blooked with satisfaction upon my enemies.