Psalm 52–64
Psalm 52a
For the director of music. A maskilb of David. When Doeg the Edomitex had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”
1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boasty all day long,z
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit,a
your tongue plots destruction;b
it is like a sharpened razor.c
3 You love evild rather than good,
falsehoode rather than speaking the truth.c
4 You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!f
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluckg you from your tent;
he will uprooth you from the land of the living.i
6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laughj at you, saying,
who did not make God his strongholdk
but trusted in his great wealthl
and grew strong by destroying others!”
8 But I am like an olive treem
flourishing in the house of God;
I trustn in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise youo
in the presence of your faithful people.p
And I will hope in your name,q
for your name is good.r
Psalm 53a
For the director of music. According to mahalath.b A maskilc of David.
1 The fools says in his heart,
“There is no God.”t
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heavenu
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,v
any who seek God.w
3 Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.x
4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on God.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.y
God scattered the bonesz of those who attacked you;a
you put them to shame,b for God despised them.c
6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Psalm 54a
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskilb of David. When the Ziphitesd had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”
1 Save mee, O God, by your name;f
vindicate me by your might.g
2 Hear my prayer, O God;h
listen to the words of my mouth.
3 Arrogant foes are attacking me;i
ruthless peoplej are trying to kill mek—
people without regard for God.c l
4 Surely God is my help;m
the Lord is the one who sustains me.n
5 Let evil recoilo on those who slander me;
in your faithfulnessp destroy them.
6 I will sacrifice a freewill offeringq to you;
I will praiser your name, Lord, for it is good.s
7 You have delivered met from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.u
Psalm 55a
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskilb of David.
do not ignore my plea;v
2 hear me and answer me.w
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraughtx
3 because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on mey
and assailz me in their anger.a
4 My heart is in anguishb within me;
the terrorsc of death have fallen on me.
5 Fear and tremblingd have beset me;
horrore has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,g
far from the tempest and storm.h”
9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,i
for I see violence and strifej in the city.k
10 Day and night they prowll about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
11 Destructive forcesm are at work in the city;
threats and liesn never leave its streets.
12 If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
13 But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,o
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowshipp
at the house of God,q
as we walked about
among the worshipers.
15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;r
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,s
for evil finds lodging among them.
and the Lord saves me.
17 Evening,t morningu and noonv
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old,w
who does not change—
he will hearx them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.y
20 My companion attacks his friends;z
he violates his covenant.a
21 His talk is smooth as butter,b
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,c
yet they are drawn swords.d
22 Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;e
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.f
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pitg of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitfulh
will not live out half their days.i
But as for me, I trust in you.j
Psalm 56a
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam.b When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
1 Be merciful to me,k my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;l
all day long they press their attack.m
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long;n
in their pride many are attacking me.o
3 When I am afraid,p I put my trust in you.q
4 In God, whose word I praise—r
in God I trust and am not afraid.s
What can mere mortals do to me?t
5 All day long they twist my words;u
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire,v they lurk,
they watch my steps,w
hoping to take my life.x
7 Because of their wickedness do notc let them escape;y
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.z
list my tears on your scrolld a—
are they not in your record?b
9 Then my enemies will turn backc
when I call for help.d
By this I will know that God is for me.e
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I am under vowsf to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from deathg
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.h
Psalm 57a
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.b When he had fled from Saul into the cave.i
1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.j
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wingsk
until the disaster has passed.l
to God, who vindicates me.m
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,n
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—c o
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.p
4 I am in the midst of lions;q
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.r
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.s
6 They spread a net for my feett—
I was bowed downu in distress.
They dug a pitv in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.w
7 My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;x
I will sing and make music.
Awake, harp and lyre!y
I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.z
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;a
let your glory be over all the earth.b
Psalm 58a
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.b
1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?c
Do you judge people with equity?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,d
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.e
3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,f
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heedg the tune of the charmer,h
however skillful the enchanter may be.
6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;i
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!j
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;k
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.l
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,m
like a stillborn childn that never sees the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thornso—
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.c p
10 The righteous will be gladq when they are avenged,r
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.s
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;t
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”u
Psalm 59a
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.b When Saul had sent men to watch David’s housev in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God;w
be my fortress against those who are attacking me.x
2 Deliver me from evildoersy
and save me from those who are after my blood.z
3 See how they lie in wait for me!
Fierce men conspirea against me
for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.
4 I have done no wrong,b yet they are ready to attack me.c
Arise to help me; look on my plight!d
you who are the God of Israel,e
rouse yourselff to punish all the nations;g
show no mercy to wicked traitors.c h
snarling like dogs,i
and prowl about the city.
7 See what they spew from their mouthsj—
the words from their lips are sharp as swords,k
and they think, “Who can hear us?”l
8 But you laugh at them, Lord;m
you scoff at all those nations.n
9 You are my strength,o I watch for you;
you, God, are my fortress,p
God will go before me
and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
11 But do not kill them, Lord our shield,d q
or my people will forget.r
In your might uproot them
and bring them down.s
12 For the sins of their mouths,t
for the words of their lips,u
let them be caught in their pride.v
For the curses and lies they utter,
13 consume them in your wrath,
consume them till they are no more.w
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over