Psalm 52 (Tehillim 52) in Hebrew and English
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Text (469) 608-9944Psalm 52
David’s Maskil from when Do’eg the Edomi told Shaul about him: God will root out the boastful, lying mighty man, while David, like a green olive tree, trusts in God’s mercy.
Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, where the heading is verses 1–2. In most English Bibles the heading has no number, so each verse here is two higher than there (verse 3 here is verse 1 there).
52:1To the chief Musician, Maskil, A Psalm of David,
אלַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מַשְׂכִּ֥יל לְדָוִֽד׃
52:2when Do’eg (Doeg) the Edomi (Edomite) came and told Shaul (Saul), and said unto him, “David is come to the house of Achimelech (Ahimelech).”
בבְּב֤וֹא ׀ דּוֹאֵ֣ג הָאֲדֹמִי֮ וַיַּגֵּ֪ד לְשָׁ֫א֥וּל וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ל֑וֹ בָּ֥א דָ֝וִ֗ד אֶל־בֵּ֥ית אֲחִימֶֽלֶךְ׃
52:3Why boast you yourself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endures continually.
גמַה־תִּתְהַלֵּ֣ל בְּ֭רָעָה הַגִּבּ֑וֹר חֶ֥סֶד אֵ֝֗ל כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃
52:4Your tongue devises mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
דהַ֭וּוֹת תַּחְשֹׁ֣ב לְשׁוֹנֶ֑ךָ כְּתַ֥עַר מְ֝לֻטָּ֗שׁ עֹשֵׂ֥ה רְמִיָּֽה׃
52:5You love evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
האָהַ֣בְתָּ רָּ֣ע מִטּ֑וֹב שֶׁ֓קֶר ׀ מִדַּבֵּ֖ר צֶ֣דֶק סֶֽלָה׃
52:6You love all devouring words, O you deceitful tongue.
ואָהַ֥בְתָּ כָֽל־דִּבְרֵי־בָ֗לַע לְשׁ֣וֹן מִרְמָֽה׃
52:7God shall likewise destroy you for ever, He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, and root you out of the land of the living. Selah.
זגַּם־אֵל֮ יִתָּצְךָ֪ לָ֫נֶ֥צַח יַחְתְּךָ֣ וְיִסָּחֲךָ֣ מֵאֹ֑הֶל וְשֵֽׁרֶשְׁךָ֨ מֵאֶ֖רֶץ חַיִּ֣ים סֶֽלָה׃
52:8The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
חוְיִרְא֖וּ צַדִּיקִ֥ים וְיִירָ֗אוּ וְעָלָ֥יו יִשְׂחָֽקוּ׃
52:9“Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.”
טהִנֵּ֤ה הַגֶּ֗בֶר לֹ֤א יָשִׂ֥ים אֱלֹהִ֗ים מָֽע֫וּזּ֥וֹ וַ֭יִּבְטַח בְּרֹ֣ב עָשְׁר֑וֹ יָ֝עֹ֗ז בְּהַוָּתֽוֹ׃
52:10But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
יוַאֲנִ֤י ׀ כְּזַ֣יִת רַ֭עֲנָן בְּבֵ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֑ים בָּטַ֥חְתִּי בְחֶֽסֶד־אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים עוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃
52:11I will praise You for ever, because You have done it: and I will wait on Your name; for it is good before Your saints.
יאאוֹדְךָ֣ לְ֭עוֹלָם כִּ֣י עָשִׂ֑יתָ וַאֲקַוֶּ֖ה שִׁמְךָ֥ כִֽי־ט֝֗וֹב נֶ֣גֶד חֲסִידֶֽיךָ׃
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Sources & method
- Hebrew text
- The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. The Divine Name is printed as it appears in the codex.
- English translation
- The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the familiar English name in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Tziyon (Zion)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem,” the short form יָהּ is “Yah,” and הַלְלוּ־יָהּ is “Hallelujah”; “God” (Elohim) and “Lord” (Adonai) are unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
- Verse numbers
- Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew a psalm’s heading (“A Psalm of David…”) is part of the text and is counted as verse 1, or verses 1–2, so in psalms with a heading the verse numbers are often one or two higher than in English Bibles. Where that happens, a note under the summary says so.
- Quiz
- Written by Benei Avraham for young readers (about 11 and up). Every answer is in the psalm on this page. Answers and scores are kept only in this browser (local storage) and can be cleared with Start over.
- Hebrew font
- SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.