Psalm 52

For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.” ^[a]

¹ Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

² Your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor,
you who practice deceit.

³ You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
Selah

⁴ You love every harmful word,
O you deceitful tongue!

⁵ Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
Selah

⁶ The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at him, saying,

⁷ “Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”

⁸ But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.

⁹ I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Psalm 53

For the director of music. According to mahalath. A maskil of David. ^[b][c]

¹ The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.

² God looks down from heaven
on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.

³ Everyone has turned away,
they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.

⁴ Will the evildoers never learn—
those who devour my people as men eat bread
and who do not call on God?

⁵ There they were, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.
God scattered the bones of those who attacked you;
you put them to shame, for God despised them.

⁶ Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Psalm 54

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Amaskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?” ^[d]

¹ Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.

² Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.

³ Strangers are attacking me;
ruthless men seek my life—
men without regard for God.
Selah

⁴ Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.

⁵ Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.

⁶ I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, O LORD,
for it is good.

⁷ For he has delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.