Psalm 51–100

Psalm 51a

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.c

1 Have mercyd on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;e

according to your great compassionf

blot outg my transgressions.h

2 Wash awayi all my iniquity

and cleansej me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.k

4 Against you, you only, have I sinnedl

and done what is evil in your sight;m

so you are right in your verdict

and justified when you judge.n

5 Surely I was sinfulo at birth,p

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

you taught me wisdomq in that secret place.r

7 Cleanses me with hyssop,t and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.u

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;v

let the bonesw you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sinsx

and blot outy all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart,z O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.a

11 Do not cast meb from your presencec

or take your Holy Spiritd from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvatione

and grant me a willing spirit,f to sustain me.g

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,h

so that sinnersi will turn back to you.j

14 Deliver mek from the guilt of bloodshed,l O God,

you who are God my Savior,m

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.n

15 Open my lips, Lord,o

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice,p or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice,q O God, isb a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heartr

you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,s

to build up the walls of Jerusalem.t

19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,u

in burnt offeringsv offered whole;

then bullsw will be offered on your altar.

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,

7 “Here now is the man

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

53:1–6pp—Ps 14:1–7

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.

1 Listen to my prayer, O God,

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.

7 I would flee far away

and stay in the desert;c f

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.

16 As for me, I call to God,

and the Lord saves me.

17 Evening,t morningu and noonv

I cry out in distress,

and he hears my voice.

18 He rescues me unharmed

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

8 Record my misery;

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

57:7–11pp—Ps 108:1–5

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

2 I cry out to God Most High,

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.

8 Awake, my soul!

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 …