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Psalm 52

For the Music Director. A Contemplative Maskil. A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelek.”

Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
    The goodness of God endures continually.
Your tongue devises calamities,
    like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery.
You love evil more than good,
    and lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah
You love all devouring words,
    O you deceitful tongue.

God will likewise break you down forever;
    He will snatch you away and pluck you from your home,
    and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
The righteous also will see and fear,
    and will laugh in contempt,
“See, this is the man
    who did not make God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of riches,
    and grew strong in his own wickedness.”

But I am like a green olive tree
    in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God
    forever and ever.
I will give thanks to You forever, because You have acted;
    and I will wait on Your name,
    for it is good before Your saints.

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”