The Steadfast Love of God Endures

To the choirmaster. A Maskil1 of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

¹Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?

The steadfast love of God endures all the day.

²Your tongue plots destruction,

like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.

³You love evil more than good,

and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah

⁴You love all words that devour,

O deceitful tongue.

⁵But God will break you down forever;

he will snatch and tear you from your tent;

he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

⁶The righteous shall see and fear,

and shall laugh at him, saying,

⁷“See the man who would not make

God his refuge,

but trusted in the abundance of his riches

and sought refuge in his own destruction!”2

⁸But I am like a green olive tree

in the house of God.

I trust in the steadfast love of God

forever and ever.

⁹I will thank you forever,

because you have done it.

I will wait for your name, for it is good,

in the presence of the godly.

There Is None Who Does Good

To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil1 of David.

¹The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;

there is none who does good.

²God looks down from heaven

on the children of man

to see if there are any who understand,2

who seek after God.

³They have all fallen away;

together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

⁴Have those who work evil no knowledge,

who eat up my people as they eat bread,

and do not call upon God?

⁵There they are, in great terror,

where there is no terror!

For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;

you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

⁶Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When God restores the fortunes of his people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

The Lord Upholds My Life

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil1 of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

¹O God, save me by your name,

and vindicate me by your might.

²O God, hear my prayer;

give ear to the words of my mouth.

³For strangers2 have risen against me;

ruthless men seek my life;

they do not set God before themselves. Selah

⁴Behold, God is my helper;

the Lord is the upholder of my life.

⁵He will return the evil to my enemies;

in your faithfulness put an end to them.

⁶With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;

I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.

⁷For he has delivered me from every trouble,

and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.