Psalms 52

1 For the choirmaster. A Maskil of David. After Doeg the Edomite went to Saul and told him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.” Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The loving devotion of God endures all day long.

For the end, [a Psalm] of instruction by David, when Doec the Idumean came and told Saul, and said to him, David is gone to the house of Abimelech. Why dost thou, O mighty man, boast of iniquity in [thy] mischief? All the day

2 Your tongue devises destruction like a sharpened razor, O worker of deceit.

thy tongue has devised unrighteousness; like a sharpened razor thou hast wrought deceit.

3 You love evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking truth.

Thou hast loved wickedness more than goodness; unrighteousness better than to speak righteousness. (Pause)

4 You love every word that devours, O deceitful tongue.

Thou has loved all words of destruction, [and] a deceitful tongue.

5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living.

Therefore may God destroy thee for ever, may he pluck thee up and utterly remove thee from [thy] dwelling, and thy root from the land of the living. (Pause)

6 The righteous will see and fear; they will mock the evildoer, saying,

And the righteous shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him, and say,

7 “Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction.”

Behold the man who made not God his help; but trusted in the abundance of his wealth, and strengthened himself in his vanity.

8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in the loving devotion of God forever and ever.

But I am as a fruitful olive in the house of God: I have trusted in the mercy of God for ever, even for evermore.

9 I will praise You forever, because You have done it. I will wait on Your name— for it is good— in the presence of Your saints.

I will give thanks to thee for ever, for thou hast done [it]: and I will wait on thy name; for [it is] good before the saints.