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

God’s Judgment on the Wicked and Love for the Faithful

For the music director. A maskil of David.

When Doeg the Edomite came and informed Saul.

And he said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”[a]

52 Why do you boast about evil, O mighty man?
The loyal love of God endures continually.[b]
Your tongue plans destruction,
like a sharp razor, working deceit.
You love evil more than good,
a lie more than speaking what is right.[c] Selah
You love all devouring words,
O deceitful tongue,
but God will pull you down forever.
He will snatch you and tear you away from your tent,
and he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
And the righteous will see and fear,
and will laugh at him, saying,
“Look, the man who would not make God his refuge,
but he trusted in the greatness of his wealth;
he took refuge in his destructiveness.”
But I am like an olive tree flourishing
in the house[d] of God.
I trust the loyal love of God forever and ever.
I will give thanks to you forever, because of what you have done,
and I will wait on your name, because it is good,
in the presence of your faithful ones.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 52:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first two verses of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by two
  2. Psalm 52:1 Literally “all the day”
  3. Psalm 52:3 Literally “righteousness”
  4. Psalm 52:8 Or “temple”