Psalm 52-54

Easy-to-Read Version

To the director: A maskil of David written when Doeg the Edomite went to Saul and told him, “David is in Ahimelech’s house.”

52 Great warrior, why are you bragging about the evil you did?
    You are a disgrace to God.
²You are nothing but a hired killer,^[a]
    making plans to hurt people and making up lies!
³You love evil more than goodness.
    You love lies more than truth. Selah

⁴You and your lying tongue love to hurt people.
⁵So God will ruin you forever!
He will grab you and pull you from your home,^[b] like someone pulling up a plant by the roots!^[c] Selah

⁶Good people will see this
    and learn to fear and respect God.
They will laugh at you and say,
⁷    “Look what happened to the warrior who did not depend on God.
    That fool thought his wealth and lies would protect him.”

⁸But I am like a green olive tree growing in God’s Temple.
I will trust God’s faithful love forever and ever.
⁹God, I praise you forever for what you have done.
I will speak your name^[d] before your followers because it is so good!

To the director: Use the mahalath.^[e] 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.^[f]
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 52:2 hired killer Literally, “sharpened razor.”
Psalm 52:5 home This means the body. This is a poetic way of saying, “God will end your life here on earth.”
Psalm 52:5 like someone … roots Literally, “He will root you up from the land of the living.” This also means “He will kill you and your descendants.”
Psalm 52:9 speak your name Or “I will trust your name.”
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.”