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?

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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

52 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.

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17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children(A)

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17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

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BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107

Give thanks to the Lord,(A) for he is good;(B)
    his love endures forever.

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107 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

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They pour out arrogant(A) words;
    all the evildoers are full of boasting.(B)

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How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

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Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg(A) the Edomite,(B) Saul’s chief shepherd.

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Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

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No one calls for justice;(A)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(B) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(C)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(D)

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None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

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18         a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,(A)

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18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

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14     who plots evil(A) with deceit in his heart—
    he always stirs up conflict.(B)

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14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

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Psalm 137

By the rivers of Babylon(A) we sat and wept(B)
    when we remembered Zion.(C)
There on the poplars(D)
    we hung our harps,(E)

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137 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

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The words of their mouths(A) are wicked and deceitful;(B)
    they fail to act wisely(C) or do good.(D)
Even on their beds they plot evil;(E)
    they commit themselves to a sinful course(F)
    and do not reject what is wrong.(G)

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
    your faithfulness(H) to the skies.(I)
Your righteousness(J) is like the highest mountains,(K)
    your justice like the great deep.(L)
    You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.(M)

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The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.

He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.

Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.

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In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,(A)
    who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts(B) about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.(C)

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The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.

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14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
    conceives trouble and gives birth(A) to disillusionment.

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14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

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But Doeg(A) the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub(B) at Nob.(C) 10 Ahimelek inquired(D) of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions(E) and the sword(F) of Goliath the Philistine.”

11 Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. 12 Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.”

“Yes, my lord,” he answered.

13 Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired(G) against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?”

14 Ahimelek answered the king, “Who(H) of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? 15 Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father’s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair.”

16 But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family.(I)

17 Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.”

But the king’s officials were unwilling(J) to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.

18 The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.”(K) So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.(L) 19 He also put to the sword(M) Nob,(N) the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

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Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

10 And he enquired of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

11 Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.

12 And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.

13 And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?

15 Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.

16 And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.

17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord: because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord.

18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.

19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

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