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Trust in God’s Love

52 Why do you take pride in wrong-doing, O powerful man? The loving-kindness of God lasts all day long. Your tongue makes plans to destroy like a sharp knife, you who lie. You love what is bad more than what is good, and you speak lies more than you speak the truth. You love all words that destroy, O lying tongue.

But God will destroy you forever. He will pick you up and pull you away from your tent. He will pull up your roots from the land of the living. And those who are right will see and be afraid. They will laugh at him, saying, “Look, the man who would not make God his safe place, but trusted in his many riches and was strong in his sinful desire.”

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the loving-kindness of God forever and ever. I will give You thanks forever because of what You have done. And I will hope in Your name, for it is good to be where those who belong to You are.

Psalm 52[a]

For the director of music. A maskil[b] of David. When Doeg the Edomite(A) had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”

Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
    Why do you boast(B) all day long,(C)
    you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
You who practice deceit,(D)
    your tongue plots destruction;(E)
    it is like a sharpened razor.(F)
You love evil(G) rather than good,
    falsehood(H) rather than speaking the truth.[c]
You love every harmful word,
    you deceitful tongue!(I)

Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
    He will snatch you up and pluck(J) you from your tent;
    he will uproot(K) you from the land of the living.(L)
The righteous will see and fear;
    they will laugh(M) at you, saying,
“Here now is the man
    who did not make God his stronghold(N)
but trusted in his great wealth(O)
    and grew strong by destroying others!”

But I am like an olive tree(P)
    flourishing in the house of God;
I trust(Q) in God’s unfailing love
    for ever and ever.
For what you have done I will always praise you(R)
    in the presence of your faithful people.(S)
And I will hope in your name,(T)
    for your name is good.(U)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 52:1 In Hebrew texts 52:1-9 is numbered 52:3-11.
  2. Psalm 52:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 52:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 5.