NAS - Psalms 52 to 56

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 boast in evil, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of God endures all day long. ² Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit. ³ You love evil more than good, Falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah. ⁴ You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.

⁵But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah. ⁶ The righteous will see and fear, And will laugh at him, saying, ⁷ "Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire."

⁸But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever. ⁹ I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, for 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.

¹The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God," They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good. ² God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God. ³Every 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 no knowledge, Who eat up My people as though they ate bread And have not called upon God? ⁵ There they were in great fear where no fear had been; For God scattered the bones of him who encamped against you; You put them to shame, because God had rejected them. ⁶Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores His captive people, Let 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 Your name, And vindicate me by Your power. ²Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth. ³ For strangers have risen against me And violent men have sought my life; They have not set God before them. Selah.

⁴Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. ⁵He will recompense the evil to my foes; Destroy them in Your faithfulness.

⁶Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O LORD, for it is good. ⁷ For He has delivered me from all trouble, And my eye has looked 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.

¹Give ear to my prayer, O God; And do not hide Yourself from my supplication. ²Give heed to me and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted, ³ Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the pressure of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me And in anger they bear a grudge against me.

⁴My heart is in anguish within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. ⁵ Fear and trembling come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me. ⁶I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. ⁷ "Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah. ⁸ "I would hasten to my place of refuge From the stormy wind and tempest."

⁹Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues, For I have seen violence 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 Destruction is in her midst; Oppression and deceit do not depart from her streets.

¹²For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. ¹³ But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; ¹⁴We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng. ¹⁵ Let death come deceitfully upon them; Let them go down alive to Sheol, For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

¹⁶As for me, I shall call upon God, And the LORD will save me. ¹⁷Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, And He will hear my voice. ¹⁸He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me, For they are many who strive with me. ¹⁹ God will hear and answer them-- Even the one who sits enthroned from of old-- Selah. With whom there is no change, And who do not fear God. ²⁰ He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; He has violated his covenant. ²¹ His speech was smoother than butter, But his heart was war; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.

²²Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. ²³ But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust 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.

¹Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me. ² My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me. ³ When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. ⁴In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? ⁵All day long they distort my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil. ⁶ They attack, they lurk, They watch my steps, As they have waited to take my life. ⁷ Because of wickedness, cast them forth, In anger put down the peoples, O God!

⁸You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book? ⁹Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me. ¹⁰In God, whose word I praise, In the LORD, whose word I praise, ¹¹ In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? ¹² Your vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You. ¹³ For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.