Psalm 51[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.(A)

Have mercy(B) on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;(C)
according to your great compassion(D)
    blot out(E) my transgressions.(F)
Wash away(G) all my iniquity
    and cleanse(H) me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.(I)
Against you, you only, have I sinned(J)
    and done what is evil in your sight;(K)
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.(L)
Surely I was sinful(M) at birth,(N)
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom(O) in that secret place.(P)

Cleanse(Q) me with hyssop,(R) and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.(S)
Let me hear joy and gladness;(T)
    let the bones(U) you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins(V)
    and blot out(W) all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart,(X) O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.(Y)
11 Do not cast me(Z) from your presence(AA)
    or take your Holy Spirit(AB) from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation(AC)
    and grant me a willing spirit,(AD) to sustain me.(AE)

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,(AF)
    so that sinners(AG) will turn back to you.(AH)
14 Deliver me(AI) from the guilt of bloodshed,(AJ) O God,
    you who are God my Savior,(AK)
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.(AL)
15 Open my lips, Lord,(AM)
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice,(AN) or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice,(AO) O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart(AP)
    you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,(AQ)
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.(AR)
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,(AS)
    in burnt offerings(AT) offered whole;
    then bulls(AU) will be offered on your altar.

Psalm 52[c]

For the director of music. A maskil[d] of David. When Doeg the Edomite(AV) had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”

Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
    Why do you boast(AW) all day long,(AX)
    you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
You who practice deceit,(AY)
    your tongue plots destruction;(AZ)
    it is like a sharpened razor.(BA)
You love evil(BB) rather than good,
    falsehood(BC) rather than speaking the truth.[e]
You love every harmful word,
    you deceitful tongue!(BD)

Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
    He will snatch you up and pluck(BE) you from your tent;
    he will uproot(BF) you from the land of the living.(BG)
The righteous will see and fear;
    they will laugh(BH) at you, saying,
“Here now is the man
    who did not make God his stronghold(BI)
but trusted in his great wealth(BJ)
    and grew strong by destroying others!”

But I am like an olive tree(BK)
    flourishing in the house of God;
I trust(BL) in God’s unfailing love
    for ever and ever.
For what you have done I will always praise you(BM)
    in the presence of your faithful people.(BN)
And I will hope in your name,(BO)
    for your name is good.(BP)

Psalm 53[f](BQ)

For the director of music. According to mahalath.[g] A maskil[h] of David.

The fool(BR) says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”(BS)
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

God looks down from heaven(BT)
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(BU)
    any who seek God.(BV)
Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.(BW)

Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on God.
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    where there was nothing to dread.(BX)
God scattered the bones(BY) of those who attacked you;(BZ)
    you put them to shame,(CA) for God despised them.(CB)

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When God restores his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Psalm 54[i]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil[j] of David. When the Ziphites(CC) had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”

Save me(CD), O God, by your name;(CE)
    vindicate me by your might.(CF)
Hear my prayer, O God;(CG)
    listen to the words of my mouth.

Arrogant foes are attacking me;(CH)
    ruthless people(CI) are trying to kill me(CJ)
    people without regard for God.[k](CK)

Surely God is my help;(CL)
    the Lord is the one who sustains me.(CM)

Let evil recoil(CN) on those who slander me;
    in your faithfulness(CO) destroy them.

I will sacrifice a freewill offering(CP) to you;
    I will praise(CQ) your name, Lord, for it is good.(CR)
You have delivered me(CS) from all my troubles,
    and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.(CT)

Psalm 55[l]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil[m] of David.

Listen to my prayer, O God,
    do not ignore my plea;(CU)
    hear me and answer me.(CV)
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught(CW)
    because of what my enemy is saying,
    because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me(CX)
    and assail(CY) me in their anger.(CZ)

My heart is in anguish(DA) within me;
    the terrors(DB) of death have fallen on me.
Fear and trembling(DC) have beset me;
    horror(DD) has overwhelmed me.
I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest.
I would flee far away
    and stay in the desert;[n](DE)
I would hurry to my place of shelter,(DF)
    far from the tempest and storm.(DG)

Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,(DH)
    for I see violence and strife(DI) in the city.(DJ)
10 Day and night they prowl(DK) about on its walls;
    malice and abuse are within it.
11 Destructive forces(DL) are at work in the city;
    threats and lies(DM) 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,(DN)
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship(DO)
    at the house of God,(DP)
as we walked about
    among the worshipers.

15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;(DQ)
    let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,(DR)
    for evil finds lodging among them.

16 As for me, I call to God,
    and the Lord saves me.
17 Evening,(DS) morning(DT) and noon(DU)
    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,(DV)
    who does not change—
he will hear(DW) them and humble them,
    because they have no fear of God.(DX)

20 My companion attacks his friends;(DY)
    he violates his covenant.(DZ)
21 His talk is smooth as butter,(EA)
    yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,(EB)
    yet they are drawn swords.(EC)

22 Cast your cares on the Lord
    and he will sustain you;(ED)
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.(EE)
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
    into the pit(EF) of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful(EG)
    will not live out half their days.(EH)

But as for me, I trust in you.(EI)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 51:1 In Hebrew texts 51:1-19 is numbered 51:3-21.
  2. Psalm 51:17 Or The sacrifices of God are
  3. Psalm 52:1 In Hebrew texts 52:1-9 is numbered 52:3-11.
  4. Psalm 52:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  5. Psalm 52:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 5.
  6. Psalm 53:1 In Hebrew texts 53:1-6 is numbered 53:2-7.
  7. Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a musical term
  8. Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  9. Psalm 54:1 In Hebrew texts 54:1-7 is numbered 54:3-9.
  10. Psalm 54:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  11. Psalm 54:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
  12. Psalm 55:1 In Hebrew texts 55:1-23 is numbered 55:2-24.
  13. Psalm 55:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  14. Psalm 55:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and in the middle of verse 19.

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