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Futility of boastful wickedness.

For the Chief Musician. Maschil of David; when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.

52 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man?
The lovingkindness of God endureth continually.
Thy tongue deviseth very wickedness,
Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
Thou lovest evil more than good,
And lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah
Thou lovest all devouring words,
[a]O thou deceitful tongue.
God will likewise [b]destroy thee for ever;
He will take thee up, and pluck thee out of thy tent,
And root thee out of the land of the living. Selah
The righteous also shall see it, and fear,
And shall laugh at him, saying,
Lo, this is the man that made not God his [c]strength,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
And strengthened himself in his wickedness.
But as for me, I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God:
I trust in the lovingkindness of God for ever and ever.
I will give thee thanks for ever, because thou hast done it;
And I will hope in thy name, for it is good, in the presence of thy saints.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 52:4 Or, And the deceitful tongue
  2. Psalm 52:5 Or, break thee down
  3. Psalm 52:7 Or, stronghold

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”

And Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him: now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree [a]in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. And Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me, and [b]there is none that discloseth to me when my son maketh a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or discloseth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who [c]stood by the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 And he inquired of Jehovah 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 inquired 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 among all thy servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and is taken into thy council, and is honorable in thy house? 15 Have I to-day begun to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for thy servant knoweth 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 [d]guard that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of Jehovah; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of Jehovah. 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 he 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.

20 And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Jehovah’s priests. 22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house. 23 Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 22:6 Or, on the height
  2. 1 Samuel 22:8 Or, there was none that disclosed it to me when my son made etc.
  3. 1 Samuel 22:9 Or, was set over
  4. 1 Samuel 22:17 Hebrew runners.

Now Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been located. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree at Ramah. Now his spear was in his hand and all his servants were stationed around him. Then Saul said to the servants who were standing around him, “Please listen, Benjaminites![a] Will the son of Jesse give you all fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? For all of you have conspired against me, and no one discloses to me[b] the making[c] of an agreement between my son and the son of Jesse! None of you have had sympathy for me or disclosed to me[d] that my son commissioned my servant against me to ambush me[e] as has been done this day!”

But Doeg the Edomite, who was stationed among the servants of Saul, answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 And he inquired of Yahweh for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” 11 So the king sent to summon Ahimelech the son of Ahitub the priest, and all his father’s household, the priests who were at Nob. So all of them came to the king. 12 Saul said, “Listen please, son of Ahitub.” He said, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 Then Saul said to him, “Why did you conspire against me, you and the son of Jesse, when you gave to him bread and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him so that he might arise against me to ambush me as has been done this day?” 14 But Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the son-in-law of the king who moves quickly to safeguard you and is honored in your house. 15 Only today I began to inquire of God for him. Far be it from me that the king should impute anything against his servant[f] or against my father’s household, for your servant has not known any of this matter, little or much.” 16 Then the king said, “You must certainly die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!” 17 So the king said to the runners who were stationed around him, “Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh, because they also support David[g] and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not disclose it to me.”[h] But the servants of the king were not willing to raise their hand to attack the priests of Yahweh. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests himself, and on that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19 And he put to the sword[i] Nob, the city of the priests, from man to woman, from child to infant, and ox and donkey and sheep;[j] all to the sword.[k]

20 But, one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, whose name was Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of Yahweh. 22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day that Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I am responsible for the deaths of all your father’s household![l] 23 Stay with me! Do not fear, because he who seeks my life seeks your life. You are in good care with me.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 22:7 Literally “children of Benjamin”
  2. 1 Samuel 22:8 Literally “there is no one revealing to my ear”
  3. 1 Samuel 22:8 Literally “cutting”
  4. 1 Samuel 22:8 Literally “revealing to my ear”
  5. 1 Samuel 22:8 Literally “my son has raised my servant against me to an ambush”
  6. 1 Samuel 22:15 Literally “the king will not put against his servant a matter”
  7. 1 Samuel 22:17 Literally “also their hand is with David”
  8. 1 Samuel 22:17 Literally “did not reveal it to his ear”; the Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “his,” but the reading tradition (Qere) has “my”
  9. 1 Samuel 22:19 Literally “he killed with the mouth of the sword”
  10. 1 Samuel 22:19 Or “goats”; literally, “small livestock animals”
  11. 1 Samuel 22:19 Literally “with the mouth of the sword”
  12. 1 Samuel 22:22 Literally “I have turned against all the life of your father’s house”