Chapter 52

1 Why do you boast ^R1574 in evil, O mighty man? The lovingkindness ^R1575 of God endures all day long. 2 Your tongue devises destruction, ^R1576 Like a sharp ^R1577 razor, O ^R1578 worker of deceit. 3 You love ^R1579 evil more than good, Falsehood ^R1580 more than speaking what is right. Selah. ^F475 4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful ^R1581 tongue. 5 But ^F476 God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear ^R1582 you away from your tent, And uproot ^R1583 you from the land ^R1584 of the living. Selah.

6 The righteous will see ^R1585 and fear, And will laugh ^R1586 at him, saying, 7 "Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted ^R1587 in the abundance of his riches And was ^R1588 strong in his ^F477 evil desire." 8 But as for me, I am like a green ^R1589 olive tree in the house of God; I trust ^R1590 in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever. 9 I will give ^R1591 You thanks forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, for ^R1592 it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.

Chapter 53

1 The ^R1593 fool has said in his heart, "There is no God," They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There ^R1594 is no one who does good. 2 God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there is anyone ^R1595 who understands, ^F478 Who seeks ^R1596 after God. 3 Every ^R1597 one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one. 4 Have the workers of wickedness no ^R1598 knowledge, Who eat up My people as though they ate bread And have not called upon God? 5 There they were in great fear ^F479 where ^R1599 no fear ^F479 had been; For God scattered ^R1600 the bones of him ^F480 who encamped against you; You put ^R1601 them to shame, because God ^R1602 had rejected them. 6 Oh, that the ^R1603 salvation of Israel would ^F481 come out of Zion! When God restores ^F482 His captive people, Let ^F483 Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Chapter 54

1 Save me, O God, by Your ^R1604 name, And vindicate ^F484 me by Your ^R1605 power. 2 Hear ^R1606 my prayer, O God; Give ^R1607 ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen ^R1608 against me And violent ^R1609 men have sought ^R1610 my life; ^F485 They have not ^R1611 set God before them. Selah. ^F486

4 Behold, God ^R1612 is my helper; The Lord is the ^F487 sustainer ^R1613 of my soul. 5 He ^F488 will recompense ^R1614 the evil to my ^F489 foes; Destroy ^{R1615 F490} them in ^R1616 Your faithfulness. ^F491 6 Willingly ^{R1617 F492} I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks ^R1618 to Your name, O LORD, for it is good. 7 For He ^F493 has delivered ^R1619 me from all trouble, ^F494 And my eye has looked ^R1620 with satisfaction upon my enemies.

Chapter 55

1 Give ^R1621 ear to my prayer, O God; And do ^R1622 not hide Yourself from my supplication. 2 Give heed ^R1623 to me and answer me; I am restless in my complaint ^R1624 and am ^{R1625 F495} surely distracted, 3 Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the pressure ^R1626 of the wicked; For they bring ^R1627 down trouble ^F496 upon me And in anger they bear ^R1628 a grudge against me. 4 My heart ^R1629 is in anguish within me, And the terrors of death ^R1630 have fallen upon me. 5 Fear and trembling ^R1631 come upon me, And horror ^{R1632 F497} has overwhelmed me. 6 I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be ^{R1633 F498} at rest. 7 "Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge ^R1634 in the wilderness. Selah. ^F499 8 "I would hasten to my place of refuge From the stormy ^R1635 wind and tempest."

9 Confuse, ^F500 O Lord, divide ^R1636 their tongues, For I have seen violence ^R1637 and strife in the city. 10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls, And iniquity and mischief are in her midst. 11 Destruction ^R1638 is in her midst; Oppression ^R1639 and deceit do not depart from her streets. ^F501 12 For it is not ^R1640 an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has ^R1641 exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. 13 But it is you, a man my ^F502 equal, My companion ^R1642 and my familiar ^{R1643 F503} friend; 14 We who had sweet fellowship ^F504 together Walked ^R1644 in the house of God in the throng. 15 Let death ^F505 come deceitfully ^R1645 upon them; Let them go ^R1646 down alive to Sheol, ^F506 For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

16 As for me, I shall call ^R1647 upon God, And the LORD will save me. 17 Evening ^R1648 and morning ^R1649 and at noon, ^R1650 I will complain and murmur, And He will hear my voice. 18 He will redeem ^R1651 my soul in peace from ^F507 the battle which is against me, For they are many ^R1652 who strive with me. 19 God will hear ^R1653 and answer ^F508 them-- Even the one who ^R1654 sits ^F509 enthroned from of old-- Selah. With whom there is ^F510 no change, And who do ^R1655 not fear God. 20 He has put forth his hands against those ^R1656 who were at peace with him; He has violated ^{R1657 F511} his covenant. 21 His speech ^F512 was smoother ^R1658 than butter, But his heart was war; His words were softer ^R1658 than oil, Yet they were drawn swords. ^R1659 22 Cast ^R1660 your ^F513 burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He ^R1661 will never allow the righteous to be ^{R1662 F514} shaken. 23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit ^{R1663 F515} of destruction; Men ^R1664 of bloodshed and deceit will not ^R1665 live out half their days. But I will trust ^R1666 in You.

Chapter 56

1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled ^{R1667 F516} upon me; Fighting ^F517 all day long he oppresses ^R1668 me. 2 My foes have trampled ^{R1669 F518} upon me all day long, For they ^F519 are many who fight ^R1670 proudly against me. 3 When ^F520 I am afraid, ^R1671 I ^F521 will put ^R1672 my trust in You. 4 In ^R1673 God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What ^R1674 can mere man ^F522 do to me? 5 All day long they distort ^{R1675 F523} my words; All their thoughts ^{R1676 F524} are against me for evil. 6 They attack, ^{R1677 F525} they lurk, They watch ^R1678 my steps, ^F526 As they have waited ^R1679 to take my life. ^F527 7 Because of wickedness, cast ^{R1680 F528} them forth, In anger put ^R1681 down the peoples, O God!

8 You have ^R1682 taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears ^R1683 in Your bottle. Are they not in Your ^R1684 book? 9 Then my enemies will turn ^R1685 back in ^R1686 the day when I call; This I know, that ^F529 God ^R1687 is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise, In the LORD, whose word I praise, 11 In God I have put my trust, ^F530 I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12 Your vows ^R1688 are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You. 13 For You have delivered ^R1689 my soul from death, Indeed ^F531 my ^R1690 feet from stumbling, So that I may walk ^R1691 before God In the light ^R1692 of the living. ^F532

Chapter 57

1 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes ^R1693 refuge in You; And in the shadow ^R1694 of Your wings I will take refuge Until destruction passes ^R1695 by. 2 I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes ^R1696 all things for me. 3 He will send ^R1697 from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples ^{R1698 F533} upon me. Selah. ^F534 God will send forth His lovingkindness ^R1699 and His truth. ^F535 4 My soul is among lions; ^R1700 I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, Even the sons of men, whose teeth ^R1701 are spears and arrows And their tongue ^R1702 a sharp sword. 5 Be ^R1703 exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth. 6 They have prepared ^F536 a net ^R1704 for my steps; My soul is bowed ^R1705 down; They dug ^R1706 a pit before me; They themselves have fallen ^R1707 into the midst of it. Selah.

7 My ^R1708 heart ^R1709 is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! 8 Awake, my ^R1710 glory! Awake, harp ^R1711 and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. 9 I ^R1712 will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. ^F537 10 For Your lovingkindness ^R1713 is great to the heavens And Your truth ^F538 to the clouds. 11 Be ^R1714 exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth.

Chapter 58

1 Do you indeed speak ^F539 righteousness, O gods? ^F540 Do you judge ^R1715 uprightly, ^F541 O sons of men? 2 No, in heart you work ^R1716 unrighteousness; On earth you weigh ^R1717 out the violence of your hands. 3 The wicked are estranged from ^R1718 the womb; These who speak lies go ^R1719 astray from birth. ^F542 4 They have venom like the venom ^R1720 of a serpent; Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear, 5 So that it does ^R1721 not hear the voice of charmers, ^{R1722 F543} Or a skillful caster of spells.

6 O God, shatter ^R1723 their teeth in their mouth; Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD. 7 Let them flow ^R1724 away like water that runs off; When he aims ^{R1725 F544} his arrows, let them be as headless ^F545 shafts. 8 Let them be as a snail which melts ^F546 away as it goes along, Like the miscarriages ^R1726 of a woman which never see the sun. 9 Before your pots ^R1727 can feel the fire of thorns He will sweep ^R1728 them away with a whirlwind, the green ^F547 and the burning alike. 10 The righteous ^R1729 will rejoice when he sees ^R1730 the vengeance; He will wash ^R1731 his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 And men will say, "Surely there is a reward ^{R1732 F548} for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges ^R1733 on ^F549 earth!"

Chapter 59

1 Deliver ^R1734 me from my enemies, O my God; Set ^{R1735 F550} me securely on high away from those who rise up against me. 2 Deliver me from those ^R1736 who do iniquity And save me from men ^R1737 of bloodshed. 3 For behold, they have ^R1738 set ^F551 an ambush for my life; ^F552 Fierce ^F553 men launch ^{R1738 F554} an attack against me, Not ^R1739 for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD, 4 For ^{R1740 F555} no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me. Arouse ^R1741 Yourself to help ^F556 me, and see! 5 You, O ^R1742 LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, Awake to punish ^{R1743 F557} all the nations; Do ^R1744 not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity. Selah. ^F558 6 They return ^R1745 at evening, they howl like a dog, ^R1746 And go around the city. 7 Behold, they belch ^R1747 forth with their mouth; Swords ^R1748 are in their lips, For, they say, "Who ^R1749 hears?"

8 But You, O LORD, laugh ^R1750 at them; You scoff ^R1751 at all the nations. 9 Because of his ^F559 strength ^R1752 I will watch for You, For God is my stronghold. ^R1753 10 My ^F560 God in ^R1754 His lovingkindness will meet me; God will let me look ^R1755 triumphantly upon my ^F561 foes. 11 Do not slay them, or ^R1756 my people will forget; Scatter ^{R1757 F562} them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our ^R1758 shield. 12 On ^F563 account of the sin ^R1759 of their mouth and the words of their lips, Let them even be caught ^R1760 in their pride, And on account of curses ^R1761 and lies ^F564 which they utter. 13 Destroy ^{R1762 F565} them in wrath, destroy ^F565 them that they may be no more; That men may know ^R1763 that God rules ^F566 in Jacob To the ends of the earth. Selah. 14 They return ^R1764 at evening, they howl like a dog, And go around the city. 15 They wander ^R1765 about for ^F567 food And growl ^F568 if they are not satisfied. 16 But as for me, I shall sing ^R1766 of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully ^R1767 sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, ^R1768 For You have been my stronghold ^R1769 And a refuge ^R1770 in the day of my distress. 17 O ^R1771 my strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, ^R1772 the God ^F569 who shows me lovingkindness.