Psalms 52

1 For the leader. A maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, David went to the house of Ahimelech. I Why do you glory in evil, you scandalous liar? All day long
2 you plot destruction; your tongue is like a sharpened razor, you skillful deceiver.
3 You love evil rather than good, lies rather than honest speech. Selah
4 You love any word that destroys, you deceitful tongue.
5 II Now God will strike you down, leave you crushed forever, Pluck you from your tent, uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous will look on with awe; they will jeer and say:
7 That one did not take God as a refuge, but trusted in great wealth, relied on devious plots. III
8 But I, like an olive tree in the house of God, trust in God's faithful love forever.
9 I will praise you always for what you have done. I will proclaim before the faithful that your name is good.

Psalms 53

1 For the leader; according to Mahalath. A maskil of David. I Fools say in their hearts, There is no God. Their deeds are loathsome and corrupt; not one does what is right.
2 God looks down from heaven upon the human race, To see if even one is wise, if even one seeks God.
3 All have gone astray; all alike are perverse. Not one does what is right, not even one.
4 II Will these evildoers never learn? They devour my people as they devour bread; they do not call upon God.
5 They have good reason to fear, though now they do not fear. For God will certainly scatter the bones of the godless. They will surely be put to shame, for God has rejected them. III
6 Oh, that from Zion might come the deliverance of Israel, That Jacob may rejoice and Israel be glad when God restores the people!

Psalms 54

1 For the leader. On stringed instruments. A maskil of David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, David is hiding among us. I O God, by your name save me. By your strength defend my cause.
2 O God, hear my prayer. Listen to the words of my mouth.
3 The arrogant have risen against me; the ruthless seek my life; they do not keep God before them. Selah
4 II God is present as my helper; the Lord sustains my life.
5 Turn back the evil upon my foes; in your faithfulness, destroy them.
6 Then I will offer you generous sacrifice and praise your gracious name, LORD,
7 Because it has rescued me from every trouble, and my eyes look down on my foes.

Psalms 55

1 For the leader. On stringed instruments. A maskil of David. I Listen, God, to my prayer; do not hide from my pleading;
2 hear me and give answer. I rock with grief; I groan
3 at the uproar of the enemy, the clamor of the wicked. They heap trouble upon me, savagely accuse me.
4 My heart pounds within me; death's terrors fall upon me.
5 Fear and trembling overwhelm me; shuddering sweeps over me.
6 I say, If only I had wings like a dove that I might fly away and find rest.
7 Far away I would flee; I would stay in the desert. Selah
8 I would soon find a shelter from the raging wind and storm.
9 II Lord, check and confuse their scheming. I see violence and strife in the city
10 making rounds on its walls day and night. Within are mischief and evil;
11 treachery is there as well; oppression and fraud never leave its streets.
12 If an enemy had reviled me, that I could bear; If my foe had viewed me with contempt, from that I could hide.
13 But it was you, my other self, my comrade and friend,
14 You, whose company I enjoyed, at whose side I walked in procession in the house of God.
15 III Let death take them by surprise; let them go down alive to Sheol, for evil is in their homes and hearts.
16 But I will call upon God, and the LORD will save me.
17 At dusk, dawn, and noon I will grieve and complain, and my prayer will be heard.
18 God will give me freedom and peace from those who war against me, though there are many who oppose me.
19 God, who sits enthroned forever, will hear me and humble them. For they will not mend their ways; they have no fear of God.
20 They strike out at friends and go back on their promises.
21 Softer than butter is their speech, but war is in their hearts. Smoother than oil are their words, but they are unsheathed swords.
22 Cast your care upon the LORD, who will give you support. God will never allow the righteous to stumble.
23 But you, God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction. These bloodthirsty liars will not live half their days, but I put my trust in you.

Psalms 56

1 For the director. According to Yonath elem rehoqim. A miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him at Gath. I Have mercy on me, God, for I am treated harshly; attackers press me all the day.
2 My foes treat me harshly all the day; yes, many are my attackers. O Most High,
3 when I am afraid, in you I place my trust.
4 God, I praise your promise; in you I trust, I do not fear. What can mere flesh do to me?
5 II All the day they foil my plans; their every thought is of evil against me.
6 They hide together in ambush; they watch my every step; they lie in wait for my life.
7 They are evil; watch them, God! Cast the nations down in your anger!
8 My wanderings you have noted; are my tears not stored in your vial, recorded in your book?
9 My foes turn back when I call on you. This I know: God is on my side.
10 God, I praise your promise;
11 in you I trust, I do not fear. What can mere mortals do to me?
12 III I have made vows to you, God; with offerings I will fulfill them,
13 Once you have snatched me from death, kept my feet from stumbling, That I may walk before God in the light of the living.

Psalms 57

1 For the director. Do not destroy. A miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into a cave. I Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me. In you I seek shelter. In the shadow of your wings I seek shelter till harm pass by.
2 I call to God Most High, to God who provides for me.
3 May God send help from heaven to save me, shame those who trample upon me. May God send fidelity and love. Selah
4 I must lie down in the midst of lions hungry for human prey. Their teeth are spears and arrows; their tongue, a sharpened sword.
5 Show yourself over the heavens, God; may your glory appear above all the earth.
6 II They have set a trap for my feet; my soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me. May they fall into it themselves! Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and chant praise.
8 Awake, my soul; awake, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn.
9 I will praise you among the peoples, Lord; I will chant your praise among the nations.
10 For your love towers to the heavens; your faithfulness, to the skies.
11 Show yourself over the heavens, God; may your glory appear above all the earth.

Psalms 58

1 For the leader. Do not destroy. A miktam of David. I Do you indeed pronounce justice, O gods; do you judge mortals fairly?
2 No, you freely engage in crime; your hands dispense violence to the earth.
3 II The wicked have been corrupt since birth; liars from the womb, they have gone astray.
4 Their poison is like the poison of a snake, like that of a serpent stopping its ears,
5 So as not to hear the voice of the charmer who casts such cunning spells.
6 III O God, smash the teeth in their mouths; break the jaw-teeth of these lions, LORD!
7 Make them vanish like water flowing away; trodden down, let them wither like grass.
8 Let them dissolve like a snail that oozes away, like an untimely birth that never sees the sun.
9 Suddenly, like brambles or thistles, have the whirlwind snatch them away.
10 Then the just shall rejoice to see the vengeance and bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then it will be said: Truly there is a reward for the just; there is a God who is judge on earth!

Psalms 59

1 For the director. Do not destroy. A miktam of David, when Saul sent people to watch his house and kill him. I Rescue me from my enemies, my God; lift me out of reach of my foes.
2 Deliver me from evildoers; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 They have set an ambush for my life; the powerful conspire against me. For no offense or misdeed of mine, LORD,
4 for no fault they hurry to take up arms. Come near and see my plight!
5 You, LORD of hosts, are the God of Israel! Awake! Punish all the nations. Have no mercy on these worthless traitors. Selah
6 Each evening they return, growling like dogs, prowling the city.
7 Their mouths pour out insult; sharp words are on their lips. They say: Who is there to hear?
8 You, LORD, laugh at them; you deride all the nations.
9 My strength, for you I watch; you, God, are my fortress,
10 my loving God.
11 II May God go before me, and show me my fallen foes. Slay them, God, lest they deceive my people. Shake them by your power; Lord, our shield, bring them down.
12 For the sinful words of their mouths and lips let them be caught in their pride. For the lies they have told under oath
13 destroy them in anger, destroy till they are no more. Then people will know God rules over Jacob, yes, even to the ends of the earth. Selah
14 Each evening they return, growling like dogs, prowling the city.
15 They roam about as scavengers; if they are not filled, they howl.
16 III But I shall sing of your strength, extol your love at dawn, For you are my fortress, my refuge in time of trouble.
17 My strength, your praise I will sing; you, God, are my fortress, my loving God.