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Psalm 53-56
New American Standard Bible 1995

Folly and Wickedness of Men.

For the choir director; according to [a]Mahalath. A [b]Maskil of David.

53 (A)The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,”
They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice;
(B)There is no one who does good.
2 God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there is (C)anyone who [c]understands,
Who (D)seeks after God.
3 (E)Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.

4 Have the workers of wickedness (F)no knowledge,
Who eat up My people as though they ate bread
And have not called upon God?
5 There they were in great [d]fear (G)where no [e]fear had been;
For God (H)scattered the bones of [f]him who encamped against you;
You (I)put them to shame, because (J)God had rejected them.
6 Oh, that (K)the salvation of Israel [g]would come out of Zion!
When God [h]restores His captive people,
[i]Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Prayer for Defense against Enemies.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A [j]Maskil of David, [k]when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is not David hiding himself among us?”

54 Save me, O God, by (L)Your name,
And [l]vindicate me by (M)Your power.
2 (N)Hear my prayer, O God;
(O)Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have (P)risen against me
And (Q)violent men have (R)sought my [m]life;
They have (S)not set God before them. [n]Selah.

4 Behold, (T)God is my helper;
The Lord is [o]the (U)sustainer of my soul.
5 [p]He will (V)recompense the evil to [q]my foes;
[r](W)Destroy them (X)in Your [s]faithfulness.

6 [t](Y)Willingly I will sacrifice to You;
I will give (Z)thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For [u]He has (AA)delivered me from all [v]trouble,
And my eye has (AB)looked with satisfaction upon my enemies.

Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A [w]Maskil of David.

55 (AC)Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And (AD)do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Give (AE)heed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my (AF)complaint and [x](AG)am surely distracted,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the (AH)pressure of the wicked;
For they (AI)bring down [y]trouble upon me
And in anger they (AJ)bear a grudge against me.

4 My (AK)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of (AL)death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and (AM)trembling come upon me,
And [z](AN)horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and [aa](AO)be at rest.
7 “Behold, I would wander far away,
I would (AP)lodge in the wilderness. [ab]Selah.
8 “I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the (AQ)stormy wind and tempest.”

9 [ac]Confuse, O Lord, (AR)divide their tongues,
For I have seen (AS)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And iniquity and mischief are in her midst.
11 (AT)Destruction is in her midst;
(AU)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her [ad]streets.

12 For it is (AV)not an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who (AW)has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man [ae]my equal,
My (AX)companion and my [af](AY)familiar friend;
14 We who had sweet [ag]fellowship together
(AZ)Walked in the house of God in the throng.
15 Let [ah]death come (BA)deceitfully upon them;
Let them (BB)go down alive to [ai]Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

16 As for me, I shall (BC)call upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
17 (BD)Evening and (BE)morning and at (BF)noon, I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will (BG)redeem my soul in peace [aj]from the battle which is against me,
For they are (BH)many who strive with me.
19 God will (BI)hear and [ak]answer them—
Even the one (BJ)who [al]sits enthroned from of old— Selah.
With whom there [am]is no change,
And who (BK)do not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against (BL)those who were at peace with him;
He has [an](BM)violated his covenant.
21 His [ao]speech was (BN)smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were (BO)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn (BP)swords.

22 (BQ)Cast [ap]your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
(BR)He will never allow the righteous to [aq](BS)be shaken.
23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the [ar](BT)pit of destruction;
(BU)Men of bloodshed and deceit will (BV)not live out half their days.
But I will (BW)trust in You.

Supplication for Deliverance and Grateful Trust in God.

For the choir director; according to [as]Jonath elem rehokim. A [at]Mikhtam of David, [au]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

56 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has [av](BX)trampled upon me;
[aw]Fighting all day long he (BY)oppresses me.
2 My foes have [ax](BZ)trampled upon me all day long,
For [ay]they are many who (CA)fight proudly against me.
3 [az]When I am (CB)afraid,
[ba]I will (CC)put my trust in You.
4 (CD)In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
(CE)What can mere [bb]man do to me?
5 All day long they [bc](CF)distort my words;
All their [bd](CG)thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They [be](CH)attack, they lurk,
They (CI)watch my [bf]steps,
As they have (CJ)waited to take my [bg]life.
7 Because of wickedness, [bh](CK)cast them forth,
In anger (CL)put down the peoples, O God!

8 You (CM)have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my (CN)tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in (CO)Your book?
9 Then my enemies will (CP)turn back (CQ)in the day when I call;
This I know, [bi]that (CR)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 In God I have put my [bj]trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Your (CS)vows are binding upon me, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.
13 For You have (CT)delivered my soul from death,
[bk]Indeed (CU)my feet from stumbling,
So that I may (CV)walk before God
In the (CW)light of the [bl]living.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 53:1 I.e. sickness, a sad tone
  2. Psalm 53:1 Possibly Contemplative, or Didactic, or Skillful Psalm
  3. Psalm 53:2 Or acts wisely
  4. Psalm 53:5 Or dread
  5. Psalm 53:5 Or dread
  6. Psalm 53:5 Or possibly those
  7. Psalm 53:6 Lit would be
  8. Psalm 53:6 Or restores the fortunes of His people
  9. Psalm 53:6 Or Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad
  10. Psalm 54:1 Possibly Contemplative, or Didactic, or Skillful Psalm
  11. Psalm 54:1 1 Sam 23:19; 26:1
  12. Psalm 54:1 Lit judge
  13. Psalm 54:3 Or soul
  14. Psalm 54:3 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
  15. Psalm 54:4 Lit as those who sustain
  16. Psalm 54:5 Lit The evil will return
  17. Psalm 54:5 Or those who lie in wait for me
  18. Psalm 54:5 Or Put to silence
  19. Psalm 54:5 Or truth
  20. Psalm 54:6 Or With a freewill offering
  21. Psalm 54:7 Or it; i.e. His name
  22. Psalm 54:7 Or distress
  23. Psalm 55:1 Possibly Contemplative, or Didactic, or Skillful Psalm
  24. Psalm 55:2 Or I must moan
  25. Psalm 55:3 Or wickedness
  26. Psalm 55:5 Lit shuddering
  27. Psalm 55:6 Lit settle down
  28. Psalm 55:7 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
  29. Psalm 55:9 Lit Swallow up
  30. Psalm 55:11 Or plaza
  31. Psalm 55:13 Lit according to my valuation
  32. Psalm 55:13 Or acquaintance
  33. Psalm 55:14 Lit counsel; or intimacy
  34. Psalm 55:15 Another reading is desolations be upon them
  35. Psalm 55:15 I.e. the nether world
  36. Psalm 55:18 Or so that none may approach me
  37. Psalm 55:19 Or afflict
  38. Psalm 55:19 Or abides from
  39. Psalm 55:19 Lit are no changes
  40. Psalm 55:20 Lit profaned
  41. Psalm 55:21 Lit mouth
  42. Psalm 55:22 Or what He has given you
  43. Psalm 55:22 Or totter
  44. Psalm 55:23 Or lowest pit
  45. Psalm 56:1 Or The silent dove of those who are far off, or, The dove of the distant terebinths
  46. Psalm 56:1 Possibly Epigrammatic Poem, or Atonement Psalm
  47. Psalm 56:1 1 Sam 21:10, 11
  48. Psalm 56:1 Or snapped at
  49. Psalm 56:1 Or A fighting man
  50. Psalm 56:2 Or snapped at
  51. Psalm 56:2 Or many are fighting
  52. Psalm 56:3 Lit In the day
  53. Psalm 56:3 Or I am one who puts
  54. Psalm 56:4 Lit flesh
  55. Psalm 56:5 Or trouble my affairs
  56. Psalm 56:5 Or purposes
  57. Psalm 56:6 Or stir up strife
  58. Psalm 56:6 Lit heels
  59. Psalm 56:6 Lit soul
  60. Psalm 56:7 Or will they have escape?
  61. Psalm 56:9 Or because
  62. Psalm 56:11 Or trust without fear
  63. Psalm 56:13 Or have You not delivered
  64. Psalm 56:13 Or life
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Psalm 52
Psalm 57
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New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation