Psalm 53-54

Easy-to-Read Version

To the director: Use the mahalath.^[a] A maskil of David.

53 Only fools think there is no God.
    People like that are evil and do terrible things.
    They never do what is right.
²God looks down from heaven to see
    if there is anyone who is wise,
    anyone who looks to him for help.
³But everyone has turned away from him.
    Everyone has become evil.
No one does anything good.
    No, not one person!

⁴Those who are evil treat my people like bread to be eaten.
And they never ask for God’s help.
Don’t they understand what they are doing?

⁵They will be filled with fear—
a fear like they have never felt before!
People of Israel, you will defeat those who attacked you,
because God has rejected them.
And he will scatter their bones.

⁶I wish the one who lives on Mount Zion
    would bring victory to Israel!
When God makes Israel successful again,
    the people of Jacob will be very happy;
    the people of Israel will be glad.

To the director: With instruments. A maskil of David written when the Ziphites went to Saul and told him, “We think David is hiding among our people.”

54 God, use your power and save me.
    Use your great power to set me free.^[b]
²God, listen to my prayer.
    Listen to what I say.
³Strangers who don’t even think about God have turned against me.
    Those powerful men are trying to kill me. Selah

⁴Look, my God will help me.
My Lord will support me.
⁵He will punish the people who turned against me.
God, be faithful to me and destroy them.

⁶Lord, I will give freewill offerings to you.
I will praise your good name.
⁷You saved me from all my troubles.
I saw my enemies defeated.

Footnotes

Psalm 53:1 Psalm 53 mahalath Probably a musical term. It might be the name of an instrument or a tune, or it might mean a certain musical style.
Psalm 54:1 Literally, “God, save me with your name, judge me with your might.”