Psalm 53-55
Evangelical Heritage Version
Psalm 53
The Fool
(Psalm 14)
Heading
For the choir director. According to mahalath.[a] A maskil by David.
A Description of the Fool
1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt. They commit horrible evil.
There is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven on all the children of Adam
to see if there is anyone who understands,
anyone who seeks God.
3 Every single one has turned back.
Altogether they have become rotten.
There is no one who does good.
There is not even one.
The Final Fate of the Fool
4 Don’t they know, all those evildoers,
who devour my people as if they were eating bread?
They do not call on God.
5 There they are, terrified, where there was nothing to fear.
For God scattered the bones of those who camped against you.
You put them to shame, because God despised them.
Closing Prayer
6 Who will provide salvation for Israel from Zion?[b]
When God restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Psalm 54
Ruthless Men Seek My Life
Heading
For the choir director. With stringed instruments.
A maskil by David. When the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Isn’t David hiding himself with us?”[c]
The Plea
1 God, save me by your name.
By your power judge me justly.
2 God, hear my prayer.
Turn your ear to the words of my mouth.
The Problem
3 For strangers have risen up against me.
Ruthless men seek my life. Interlude
They pay no attention to God.
The Solution
4 Indeed, God is my helper.
The Lord is the one who preserves my life.
5 Let evil return on those who oppress me.
In your faithfulness destroy them.
The Outcome
6 I will sacrifice willingly to you.
I will praise your name, O Lord, because it is good.
7 Surely, from all my distress he has delivered me.
My eyes have looked down on my enemies.
Psalm 55
My Friend Betrays Me
Heading
For the choir director. With stringed instruments. A maskil by David.
Opening Plea
1 Turn your ear to my prayer, O God.
Do not hide from my plea for mercy.
2 Pay attention to me and answer me.
The Problem
I am troubled in my thoughts and I groan
3 because of talk from the enemy,
because of oppression from the wicked,
because they dump evil on me,
and in anger they hold a grudge against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me.
The terrors of death fall on me.
5 Fear and trembling come over me.
Horror covers me.
6 So I say, “I wish I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and find a place to rest.
7 Yes, I would flee far away. Interlude
I would stay in the wilderness.
8 I would hurry to find shelter,
far from the violent wind, far from the storm.”
9 Swallow them up, O Lord.
Confuse their speech,
for I see violence and contention in the city.
10 Day and night they sneak around on its walls.
Evil and trouble are in the city.
11 Destruction lurks within it.
Treachery and deceit never leave its streets.
12 For it is not an enemy who insults me—
I could bear that.
It is not someone who hated me who rises up against me—
I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man who served with me,
my colleague and my associate,
14 with whom I shared pleasant discussions
as we walked with the excited crowd at God’s house.
Plea for Judgment
15 Let deadly destruction come on them.
Let them go down to the grave alive,
because evil is at home in their hearts.
Confidence in Judgment
16 As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord saves me.
17 Evening, morning, and noon I cry out and I sigh,
and he hears my voice.
18 In peace he redeems my life from the assault against me,
even when many are against me.
19 God will hear, and he will punish them— Interlude
yes, he is seated on his throne from eternity!
—because they never change, and they do not fear God.
The Traitor’s Treachery
20 The traitor reaches out his hand against those at peace with him.
He breaks his agreement.[d]
21 His flattery is as smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart.
His words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn daggers.
God’s Solution
22 Place your burden on the Lord,
and he will support you.
He will never allow the righteous to fall.
23 But you, O God, will bring them down into the pit of destruction.
Bloody and deceitful men will not live half their days.
But as for me, I will trust in you.
Footnotes
- Psalm 53:1 A musical term of uncertain meaning, most likely a melody
- Psalm 53:6 Or O that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
- Psalm 54:1 See 1 Samuel 23 and 26.
- Psalm 55:20 Or violates his treaty or violates his covenant
Psalm 53-55
English Standard Version
There Is None Who Does Good
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Mahalath. A Maskil[a] of David.
53 (B)The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,[b]
who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4 Have those who work evil no knowledge,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?
5 There they are, in great terror,
(C)where there is no terror!
For God (D)scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
6 Oh, 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 (E)stringed instruments. A Maskil[c] of David, (F)when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”
54 O God, save me by your (G)name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2 O God, (H)hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 (I)For (J)strangers[d] have risen against me;
ruthless men (K)seek my life;
they do not set God before themselves. Selah
4 Behold, (L)God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your (M)faithfulness (N)put an end to them.
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, (O)for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has (P)looked in triumph on my enemies.
Cast Your Burden on the Lord
To the choirmaster: with (Q)stringed instruments. A Maskil[e] of David.
55 (R)Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
2 Attend to me, and answer me;
I am restless (S)in my complaint and I (T)moan,
3 because of the noise of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they (U)drop trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me;
(V)the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
and (W)horror (X)overwhelms me.
6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7 (Y)yes, I would wander far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter
from (Z)the raging wind and tempest.”
9 Destroy, O Lord, (AA)divide their tongues;
for I see (AB)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and (AC)iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst;
(AD)oppression and fraud
do not depart from its marketplace.
12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who (AE)deals insolently with me—
then I could hide from him.
13 (AF)But it is you, a man, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend.
14 We used to take sweet counsel together;
within God's house we walked in (AG)the throng.
15 Let death steal over them;
let them go down to Sheol (AH)alive;
for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
16 But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
17 (AI)Evening and (AJ)morning and at (AK)noon
I (AL)utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
for (AM)many are arrayed against me.
19 God will give ear and humble them,
he who is (AN)enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not (AO)change
and do not fear God.
20 My companion[f] (AP)stretched out his hand against his friends;
he violated his covenant.
21 His (AQ)speech was (AR)smooth as butter,
yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
yet they were (AS)drawn swords.
22 (AT)Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
(AU)he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
23 But you, O God, (AV)will cast them down
into (AW)the pit of destruction;
men of (AX)blood and treachery
shall not (AY)live out half their days.
But I will (AZ)trust in you.
Footnotes
- Psalm 53:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms
- Psalm 53:2 Or who act wisely
- Psalm 54:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 54:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Targum insolent men (compare Psalm 86:14)
- Psalm 55:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 55:20 Hebrew He
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
