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I Trust in the Lovingkindness of God

For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of David. [b]When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

52 Why do you (A)boast in evil, O mighty man?
The (B)lovingkindness of God endures all day long.
Your tongue devises (C)destruction,
Like a (D)sharp razor, (E)O worker of deceit.
You (F)love evil more than good,
(G)Falsehood more than speaking what is right. [c]Selah.
You love all words that devour,
O (H)deceitful tongue.

[d]But God will break you down forever;
He will snatch you up and (I)tear you away from your tent,
And (J)uproot you from the (K)land of the living, Selah.
So that the righteous will (L)see and fear,
And will (M)laugh at him, saying,
“Behold, the man who would not set God as his strength,
But (N)trusted in the abundance of his riches
And (O)was strong in his destruction.”

But as for me, I am like a (P)green olive tree in the house of God;
I (Q)trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.
I will (R)give You thanks forever, because You have done it,
And I will hope on Your name, (S)for it is good, in the presence of Your holy ones.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 52 Title Possibly Contemplative, Didactic, Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 52 Title 1 Sam 22:9
  3. Psalm 52:3 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
  4. Psalm 52:5 Or Also

Psalm 52

For the music leader. A maskil[a] of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, “David has gone to Ahimelech’s house.”

52 Hey, powerful person!
    Why do you brag about evil?
    God’s faithful love lasts all day long.
Your tongue devises destruction:
    it’s like a sharpened razor, causing deception.
You love evil more than good;
    you love lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
You love all destructive words;
    you love the deceiving tongue.

But God will take you down permanently;
    he will snatch you up,
    tear you out of your tent,
    and uproot you from the land of the living! Selah
The righteous will see and be in awe;
    they will laugh at those people:
“Look at them! They didn’t make God their refuge.
    Instead, they trusted in their own great wealth.
        They sought refuge in it—to their own destruction!”

But I am like a green olive tree in God’s house;
    I trust in God’s faithful love forever and always.
I will give thanks to you, God, forever,
    because you have acted.
In the presence of your faithful people,
    I will hope in your name because it’s so good.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 52:1 Perhaps instruction

Saul Puts the Priests at Nob to Death

Then Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now (A)Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. And Saul said to his servants who were standing around him, “Hear now, O Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse also give to all of you fields and vineyards? (B)Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who reveals in my ear (C)when my son cuts a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you (D)who is sorry for me or reveals in my ear that my son has caused my servant to rise up against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day.” Then (E)Doeg the Edomite, who was [a]standing by the servants of Saul, said, “(F)I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to (G)Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 (H)And he asked of Yahweh for him, (I)gave him provisions, and (J)gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

11 Then the king sent someone to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s household, the priests who were in Nob; and all of them came to the king. 12 And Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.” And he [b]answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 Saul then said to him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have asked of God on his behalf, so that he would rise up against me (K)by lying in ambush as it is this day?”

14 (L)Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, even the king’s son-in-law, who [c]is captain over your guard, and is honored in your house? 15 Did I just begin (M)to ask of God on his behalf today? Far be it from me! (N)Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to any of the household of my father, for your servant knows nothing small or great of this whole affair.” 16 But the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!” 17 And (O)the king said to the [d]guards who were standing by him, “Turn around and put the priests of Yahweh to death because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not reveal it in my ears.” But the (P)servants of the king were not willing to send forth their hands to fall upon the priests of Yahweh. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn around and [e]attack the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned around and [f]attacked the priests, and (Q)he put to death that day eighty-five men (R)who wore the linen ephod. 19 So (S)he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, infants and nursing babies; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword.

20 But (T)one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, (U)escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of Yahweh. 22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when (V)Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. It is I who have turned against every person in your father’s household. 23 Stay with me; do not be afraid, for (W)he who seeks my life seeks your life, for you are [g]safe with me.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 22:9 Or set over
  2. 1 Samuel 22:12 Lit said
  3. 1 Samuel 22:14 As in Gr; Heb turns aside to
  4. 1 Samuel 22:17 Lit runners
  5. 1 Samuel 22:18 Lit smite
  6. 1 Samuel 22:18 Lit smote
  7. 1 Samuel 22:23 Lit a charge

Saul kills the priests of Nob

Saul learned that David and his soldiers had been located. Saul was sitting under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, spear in hand, with all his servants waiting on him. He said to them, “Listen up, Benjaminites! Will Jesse’s son give fields and vineyards to each and every one of you? Will he make each one of you commanders of units of one thousand men or commanders of units of one hundred? Is that why all of you have conspired against me? No one informed me when my son made a covenant with Jesse’s son! Not one of you is concerned about me or informs me when my own son sets my servant against me in an ambush—but that’s what has happened today!”

Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s servants, responded, “I saw Jesse’s son go to Ahimelech, Ahitub’s son, at Nob. 10 Ahimelech questioned the Lord for David, and gave him provisions as well as the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

11 The king then sent for the priest Ahimelech, Ahitub’s son, and all his extended family, who were the priests at Nob. All of them came to the king.

12 “Listen here, son of Ahitub,” Saul said.

“Yes sir,” he replied.

13 Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me—you with Jesse’s son—giving him food and a sword and questioning God for him so that he is now against me, waiting in ambush, which is what has happened today?”

14 Ahimelech answered the king, “Out of all your servants, who is as trustworthy as David? He is the king’s son-in-law, does whatever you ask, and is well respected in your house. 15 Was that the first time I questioned God for him? Of course not! But please, the king shouldn’t accuse me, his servant, or anyone in my father’s household of any wrongdoing, because your servant knew nothing whatsoever about this matter.”

16 But the king said, “You will be executed, Ahimelech—you and all of your father’s household!”

17 The king ordered the guards waiting on him: “Go ahead and kill the Lord’s priests because they’ve joined up with David too. They knew he was on the run but didn’t inform me.”

But the king’s servants were unwilling to lift a hand to attack the Lord’s priests.

18 The king then ordered Doeg, “Doeg! You go attack the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite went and attacked the priests, killing eighty-five men who wore the linen priestly vest[a] that day. 19 He put the whole priestly city of Nob to the sword: men and women, children and infants, even oxen, donkeys, and sheep.

20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech, Ahitub’s son, escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he fled to David. 21 Abiathar reported to David that Saul had slaughtered the Lord’s priests.

22 David told Abiathar, “That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew that he would tell Saul everything. I am to blame[b] for the deaths in your father’s family. 23 Stay with me, and don’t be afraid. The one who seeks my life now seeks yours too. But you’ll be safe with me.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 22:18 Heb ephod
  2. 1 Samuel 22:22 LXX, Vulg; Heb uncertain