For the director of music. A maskil of David when Doeg, who was from Edom, had gone to Saul. Doeg had told Saul, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”

¹You think you are such a big, strong man!

Why do you brag about the evil things you’ve done?

You are a dishonor to God all the time.

²You plan ways to destroy others.

Your tongue is like a blade that has a sharp edge.

You are always telling lies.

³You love evil instead of good.

You would rather lie than tell the truth. Selah

⁴You love to harm others with your words, you liar!

⁵So God will destroy you forever.

He will grab hold of you and throw you out of your tent.

He will remove you from this life. Selah

⁶Those who do what is right will see it and learn a lesson from it.

They will laugh at you and say,

⁷“Just look at this fellow!

He didn’t depend on God for his safety.

He put his trust in all his wealth.

He grew strong by destroying others!”

⁸But I am like a healthy olive tree.

My roots are deep in the house of God.

I trust in your faithful love

for ever and ever.

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

I will put my hope in you because you are good.

I will praise you when I’m with your faithful people.

Psalm 53

For the director of music. For mahalath. A maskil of David.

¹Foolish people say in their hearts,

“There is no God.”

They do all kinds of horrible and evil things.

No one does anything good.

²God looks down from heaven

on all people.

He wants to see if there are any who understand.

He wants to see if there are any who trust in God.

³All of them have turned away.

They have all become evil.

No one does anything good,

no one at all.

⁴Won’t those who do evil ever learn?

They eat up my people as if they were eating bread.

They don’t call out to God for help.

⁵Just look at them! They are filled with terror

even when there is nothing to be afraid of!

People of Israel, God will scatter the bones of those who attack you.

You will put them to shame, because God hates them.

⁶How I pray that the One who saves Israel will come out of Zion!

God will bless his people with great success again.

So let the people of Jacob be filled with joy! Let Israel be glad!

Psalm 54

For the director of music. To be played on stringed instruments. A maskil of David when the men from Ziph had gone to Saul. They had said, “Isn’t David hiding among us?”

¹God, save me by your power.

Set me free by your might.

²God, hear my prayer.

Listen to what I’m saying.

³Strangers are attacking me.

Mean people are trying to kill me.

They don’t care about God. Selah

⁴But I know that God helps me.

The Lord is the one who keeps me going.

⁵My enemies tell lies about me.

Do to them the evil things they planned against me.

God, be faithful and destroy them.

⁶I will sacrifice an offering to you

just because I choose to.

Lord, I will praise your name

because it is good.

⁷You have saved me from all of my troubles.

With my own eyes I have seen you win the battle over my enemies.

Psalm 55

For the director of music. A maskil of David to be played on stringed instruments.

¹God, listen to my prayer.

Pay attention to my cry for help.

²Hear me and answer me.

My thoughts upset me. I’m very troubled.

³I’m troubled by what my enemies say about me.

I’m upset because sinful people stare at me.

They cause me all kinds of suffering.

When they are angry, they attack me with their words.

⁴I feel great pain deep down inside me.

The terrors of death are crushing me.

⁵Fear and trembling have taken hold of me.

Panic has overpowered me.

⁶I said, “I wish I had wings like a dove!

Then I would fly away and be at rest.

⁷I would escape to a place far away.

I would stay out in the desert. Selah

⁸I would hurry to my place of safety.

It would be far away from the winds and storms I’m facing.”

⁹Lord, destroy the plans of sinners. Keep them from understanding one another.

I see people destroying things and fighting in the city.

¹⁰Day and night they prowl around on top of its walls.

The city is full of crime and trouble.

¹¹Forces that destroy are at work inside it.

Its streets are full of people who cheat others and take advantage of them.

¹²If an enemy were making fun of me,

I could stand it.

If he were looking down on me,

I could hide from him.

¹³But it’s you, someone like myself.

It’s my companion, my close friend.

¹⁴We used to enjoy good friendship

as we walked with the crowds at the house of God.

¹⁵Let death take my enemies by surprise.

Let them be buried alive,

because their hearts and homes are full of evil.

¹⁶But I call out to God.

And the Lord saves me.

¹⁷Evening, morning and noon

I groan and cry out.

And he hears my voice.

¹⁸Even though many enemies are fighting against me,

he brings me safely back from the battle.

¹⁹God sits on his throne forever.

He hears my prayers and makes my enemies suffer. Selah

They never change their ways.

They don’t have any respect for God.

²⁰My companion attacks his friends.

He breaks his promise.

²¹His talk is as smooth as butter.

But he has war in his heart.

His words flow like olive oil.

But they are like swords ready for battle.

²²Turn your worries over to the Lord.

He will keep you going.

He will never let godly people fall.

²³God, you will bring sinners

down to the grave.

Murderers and liars

won’t live out even half of their lives.

But I trust in you.

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