Psalm 52

God Judges the Proud

For the choir director. A Maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite went and reported to Saul, telling him, “David went to Ahimelech’s house.”(A)

Why boast about evil, you hero!(B)
God’s faithful love is constant.(C)
Like a sharpened razor,
your tongue devises destruction,
working treachery.(D)
You love evil instead of good,
lying instead of speaking truthfully.(E)Selah
You love any words that destroy,
you treacherous tongue!(F)

This is why God will bring you down forever.
He will take you, ripping you out of your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.(G)Selah
The righteous will see and fear,
and they will derisively say about that hero,[a](H)
“Here is the man
who would not make God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches,
taking refuge in his destructive behavior.”(I)

But I am like a flourishing olive tree
in the house of God;(J)
I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever.(K)
I will praise you forever for what you have done.
In the presence of your faithful people,
I will put my hope in your name, for it is good.(L)

Footnotes

  1. 52:6 Lit about him

The Steadfast Love of God Endures

To the choirmaster. A Maskil[a] of David, when (A)Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

52 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
    The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
Your (B)tongue plots destruction,
    like (C)a sharp razor, you (D)worker of deceit.
You love evil more than good,
    and (E)lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
You love all words that devour,
    O deceitful tongue.

But God will break you down forever;
    he will snatch and (F)tear you from your tent;
    he will uproot you from (G)the land of the living. Selah
The righteous shall (H)see and fear,
    and shall (I)laugh at him, saying,
“See the man who would not make
    God his refuge,
but (J)trusted in the abundance of his riches
    and sought refuge in his own destruction!”[b]

But I am like (K)a green olive tree
    in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
    forever and ever.
I will thank you forever,
    because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, (L)for it is good,
    in the presence of the (M)godly.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 52:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  2. Psalm 52:7 Or in his work of destruction