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Psalm 52-55
Common English Bible
Psalm 52-55
Common English Bible
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.
2 Your tongue devises destruction:
it’s like a sharpened razor, causing deception.
3 You love evil more than good;
you love lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
4 You love all destructive words;
you love the deceiving tongue.
5 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
6 The righteous will see and be in awe;
they will laugh at those people:
7 “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!”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in God’s house;
I trust in God’s faithful love forever and always.
9 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.
Psalm 53
For the music leader, according to the mahalath. A maskil[b] of David.
53 Fools say in their hearts, There’s no God.
They are corrupt and do horrible deeds;
not one of them does anything good.
2 God looks down from heaven on humans
to see if anyone is wise,
to see if anyone seeks God.
3 But all have turned away.
Everyone is corrupt.
No one does good—
not even one person!
4 Are they dumb—these evildoers—
devouring my people like they are eating bread
but never calling on God?
5 There, where there was nothing to fear,
they will be in utter panic
because God will scatter the bones
of those who attacked you.
You will put them to shame
because God has rejected them.
6 Let Israel’s salvation come out of Zion!
When God changes
his people’s circumstances for the better,
Jacob will rejoice;
Israel will celebrate!
Psalm 54
For the music leader. With stringed instruments. A maskil[c] of David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Isn’t David hiding among us?”
54 God! Save me by your name;
defend me by your might!
2 God! Hear my prayer;
listen to the words of my mouth!
3 The proud have come up against me;
violent people want me dead.
They pay no attention to God. Selah
4 But look here: God is my helper;
my Lord sustains my life.
5 He will bring disaster on my opponents.
By your faithfulness, God, destroy them!
6 I will sacrifice to you freely;
I will give thanks to your name, Lord,
because it’s so good,
7 and because God has delivered me
from every distress.
My eyes have seen my enemies’ defeat.[d]
Psalm 55
For the music leader. With stringed instruments. A maskil[e] of David.
55 God, listen to my prayer;
don’t avoid my request!
2 Pay attention! Answer me!
I can’t sit still while complaining.
I’m beside myself
3 over the enemy’s noise,
at the wicked person’s racket,
because they bring disaster on me
and harass me furiously.
4 My heart pounds in my chest
because death’s terrors have reached me.
5 Fear and trembling have come upon me;
I’m shaking all over.
6 I say to myself,
I wish I had wings like a dove!
I’d fly away and rest.
7 I’d run so far away!
I’d live in the desert. Selah
8 I’d hurry to my hideout,
far from the rushing wind and storm.
9 Baffle them, my Lord!
Confuse their language
because I see violence and conflict in the city.
10 Day and night they make their rounds on its walls,
and evil and misery live inside it.
11 Disaster lives inside it;
oppression and fraud never leave the town square.
12 It’s not an enemy that is insulting me—
I could handle that.
It’s not someone who hates me
who is exalted over me—
I could hide from them.
13 No. It’s you, my equal,
my close companion, my good friend!
14 It was so pleasant when
together we entered God’s house with the crowd.
15 Let death devastate my enemies;
let them go to the grave[f] alive
because evil lives with them—
even inside them!
16 But I call out to God,
and the Lord will rescue me.
17 At evening, morning, and midday
I complain and moan
so that God will hear my voice.
18 He saves me,[g] unharmed, from my struggle,
though there are many who are out to get me.
19 God, who is enthroned from ancient days,
will hear and humble them Selah
because they don’t change
and they don’t worship God.
20 My friend attacked his allies,
breaking his covenant.
21 Though his talk is smoother than butter,
war is in his heart;
though his words are more silky than oil,
they are really drawn swords:
22 “Cast your burden on the Lord—
he will support you!
God will never let the righteous be shaken!”
23 But you, God, bring the wicked
down to the deepest pit.
Let bloodthirsty and treacherous people
not live out even half their days.
But me? I trust in you!
Footnotes
- Psalm 52:1 Perhaps instruction
- Psalm 53:1 Perhaps instruction
- Psalm 54:1 Perhaps instruction
- Psalm 54:7 Heb lacks defeat.
- Psalm 55:1 Perhaps instruction
- Psalm 55:15 Heb Sheol
- Psalm 55:18 Or my life or soul
Psalm 52-55
New International Version
Psalm 52-55
New International Version
Psalm 52[a]
For the director of music. A maskil[b] of David. When Doeg the Edomite(A) had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”
1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast(B) all day long,(C)
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit,(D)
your tongue plots destruction;(E)
it is like a sharpened razor.(F)
3 You love evil(G) rather than good,
falsehood(H) rather than speaking the truth.[c]
4 You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!(I)
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck(J) you from your tent;
he will uproot(K) you from the land of the living.(L)
6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh(M) at you, saying,
7 “Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold(N)
but trusted in his great wealth(O)
and grew strong by destroying others!”
8 But I am like an olive tree(P)
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust(Q) in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise you(R)
in the presence of your faithful people.(S)
And I will hope in your name,(T)
for your name is good.(U)
Psalm 53[d](V)
For the director of music. According to mahalath.[e] A maskil[f] of David.
1 The fool(W) says in his heart,
“There is no God.”(X)
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven(Y)
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(Z)
any who seek God.(AA)
3 Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.(AB)
4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on God.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.(AC)
God scattered the bones(AD) of those who attacked you;(AE)
you put them to shame,(AF) for God despised them.(AG)
6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Psalm 54[g]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil[h] of David. When the Ziphites(AH) had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”
1 Save me(AI), O God, by your name;(AJ)
vindicate me by your might.(AK)
2 Hear my prayer, O God;(AL)
listen to the words of my mouth.
3 Arrogant foes are attacking me;(AM)
ruthless people(AN) are trying to kill me(AO)—
people without regard for God.[i](AP)
6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering(AU) to you;
I will praise(AV) your name, Lord, for it is good.(AW)
7 You have delivered me(AX) from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.(AY)
Psalm 55[j]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil[k] of David.
1 Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;(AZ)
2 hear me and answer me.(BA)
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught(BB)
3 because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me(BC)
and assail(BD) me in their anger.(BE)
4 My heart is in anguish(BF) within me;
the terrors(BG) of death have fallen on me.
5 Fear and trembling(BH) have beset me;
horror(BI) has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;[l](BJ)
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,(BK)
far from the tempest and storm.(BL)”
9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,(BM)
for I see violence and strife(BN) in the city.(BO)
10 Day and night they prowl(BP) about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
11 Destructive forces(BQ) are at work in the city;
threats and lies(BR) never leave its streets.
12 If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
13 But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,(BS)
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship(BT)
at the house of God,(BU)
as we walked about
among the worshipers.
15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;(BV)
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,(BW)
for evil finds lodging among them.
16 As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord saves me.
17 Evening,(BX) morning(BY) and noon(BZ)
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
18 He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old,(CA)
who does not change—
he will hear(CB) them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.(CC)
20 My companion attacks his friends;(CD)
he violates his covenant.(CE)
21 His talk is smooth as butter,(CF)
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,(CG)
yet they are drawn swords.(CH)
22 Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;(CI)
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.(CJ)
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit(CK) of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful(CL)
will not live out half their days.(CM)
But as for me, I trust in you.(CN)
Footnotes
- Psalm 52:1 In Hebrew texts 52:1-9 is numbered 52:3-11.
- Psalm 52:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 52:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 5.
- Psalm 53:1 In Hebrew texts 53:1-6 is numbered 53:2-7.
- Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a musical term
- Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 54:1 In Hebrew texts 54:1-7 is numbered 54:3-9.
- Psalm 54:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 54:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 55:1 In Hebrew texts 55:1-23 is numbered 55:2-24.
- Psalm 55:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 55:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and in the middle of verse 19.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.