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Psalm 52-56
New Life Version
Psalm 52-56
New Life Version
Trust in God’s Love
52 Why do you take pride in wrong-doing, O powerful man? The loving-kindness of God lasts all day long. 2 Your tongue makes plans to destroy like a sharp knife, you who lie. 3 You love what is bad more than what is good, and you speak lies more than you speak the truth. 4 You love all words that destroy, O lying tongue.
5 But God will destroy you forever. He will pick you up and pull you away from your tent. He will pull up your roots from the land of the living. 6 And those who are right will see and be afraid. They will laugh at him, saying, 7 “Look, the man who would not make God his safe place, but trusted in his many riches and was strong in his sinful desire.”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the loving-kindness of God forever and ever. 9 I will give You thanks forever because of what You have done. And I will hope in Your name, for it is good to be where those who belong to You are.
Foolish Men
53 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are sinful and have done bad things. There is no one who does good. 2 God has looked down from heaven at the children of men to see if there is anyone who understands and looks for God. 3 They have all turned back. They have all turned to sin. There is no one who does good, not even one. 4 Have those who do wrong no understanding? They eat up My people like they eat bread. They have not called upon God. 5 There they were, in much fear, where there was nothing to be afraid of. For God has spread out the bones of those who come against you. You put them to shame, because God has turned away from them. 6 O, that the saving of Israel would come out of Zion! Jacob will be full of joy and Israel will be glad when God returns His people to their land.
Prayer for a Safe Place
54 Save me by Your name, O God. And stand with me by Your power. 2 Hear my prayer, O God. Listen to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen against me. And men who hurt others want to take my life. They do not think about God.
4 See, God is my Helper. The Lord is the One Who keeps my soul alive. 5 He will punish those who hate me, for the wrong they have done. He will destroy them because He is faithful.
6 I will be glad to give You a gift on the altar. I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7 For He has taken me out of all trouble. And my eyes have looked without fear upon those who hate me.
Prayer of a Man Hurt by a Friend
55 Listen to my prayer, O God. Do not hide Yourself from what I ask. 2 Hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I have no peace, 3 because of the voice of those who hate me and the power of the sinful. For they bring trouble upon me, and in anger they keep on having bad thoughts against me.
4 My heart is in pain within me. The fears of death have come upon me. 5 I have begun shaking with fear. Fear has power over me. 6 And I say, “If only I had wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest. 7 Yes, I would go far away. I would live in the desert. 8 I would hurry to my safe place, away from the wild wind and storm.”
9 Mix them up, O Lord. Divide their tongues. For I have seen fighting and trouble in the city. 10 They go around on its walls day and night. Sin and wrong-doing are within it. 11 Destroying powers are in the city. Trouble and lies never leave its streets.
12 I would be able to take it if one who hates me were putting me to shame. I could hide from him. It is not one who hates me who has put himself up against me. 13 But it is you, a man like myself, one who has gone with me, my close friend. 14 We shared together. And we walked with the people in the house of God. 15 Let death take them by surprise. Let them go down alive to the grave. For sin is with them where they live. 16 As for me, I will call on God and the Lord will save me. 17 I will cry out and complain in the evening and morning and noon, and He will hear my voice. 18 He will save my soul in peace from those who make war against me. For there are many who fight me. 19 God sits on His throne forever. And He will hear them and bring trouble upon them, because there has been no change in them. They do not fear God. 20 He goes against those who were at peace with him. He has broken his agreement. 21 What he says is smoother than butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are raised swords.
22 Give all your cares to the Lord and He will give you strength. He will never let those who are right with Him be shaken. 23 But You, O God, will bring the sinful down into the hole that destroys. Men who kill and lie will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
Prayer of Trust in God
56 Show me Your loving-kindness, O God, for man has walked on me. All day long the one who tries to keep me down fights with me. 2 All day long those who hate me have walked on me. For there are many who fight against me with pride. 3 When I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4 I praise the Word of God. I have put my trust in God. I will not be afraid. What can only a man do to me? 5 All day long they change my words to say what I did not say. They are always thinking of ways to hurt me. 6 They go after me as in a fight. They hide themselves. They watch my steps, as they have waited to take my life. 7 Because they are bad, do not let them get away. Bring down the people in Your anger, O God.
8 You have seen how many places I have gone. Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book? 9 Then those who hate me will turn back when I call. I know that God is for me. 10 I praise the Word of God. I praise the Word of the Lord. 11 In God I have put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12 I am under an agreement with You, O God. I will give You gifts of thanks. 13 For You have set my soul free from death. You have kept my feet from falling, so I may walk with God in the light of life.
Psalm 52-56
New International Version
Psalm 52-56
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)
Psalm 56[m]
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam.[n] When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
1 Be merciful to me,(CO) my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;(CP)
all day long they press their attack.(CQ)
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long;(CR)
in their pride many are attacking me.(CS)
3 When I am afraid,(CT) I put my trust in you.(CU)
4 In God, whose word I praise—(CV)
in God I trust and am not afraid.(CW)
What can mere mortals do to me?(CX)
5 All day long they twist my words;(CY)
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire,(CZ) they lurk,
they watch my steps,(DA)
hoping to take my life.(DB)
7 Because of their wickedness do not[o] let them escape;(DC)
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.(DD)
8 Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll[p](DE)—
are they not in your record?(DF)
9 Then my enemies will turn back(DG)
when I call for help.(DH)
By this I will know that God is for me.(DI)
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?
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.
- Psalm 56:1 In Hebrew texts 56:1-13 is numbered 56:2-14.
- Psalm 56:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 56:7 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text does not have do not.
- Psalm 56:8 Or misery; / put my tears in your wineskin
New Life Version (NLV)
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.