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Psalm 52

Your Tongue Is a Razor

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For the choir director. A maskil[a] by David.
When Doeg the Edomite went and informed Saul
and said to him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”[b]

Doeg’s Sin

Why do you boast about evil, you hero?
The mercy of God endures all day long.
Your tongue plans destruction.
It is like a sharpened razor, you scheming liar.
You love evil rather than good. Interlude
You love lying rather than speaking what is right.
You lying tongue, you love every word that devours!

Doeg’s Judgment

But God will tear you down forever.
He will grab you and pull you out of your tent. Interlude
He will uproot you from the land of the living.
Then the righteous will see and fear.
Then they will laugh at him:
“Look, here is the man who did not make God his stronghold,
but trusted in the greatness of his wealth.
He grew strong by his destructive deeds!”

David’s Delivery

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
I will thank you forever because you have done this.
I will hope in your name in the presence of your favored ones
    because it is good.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 52:1 A maskil is a type of hymn. It means a song that makes one wise or a skillful song. Other maskils include Psalms 53–55.
  2. Psalm 52:1 See 1 Samuel 21 and 22.