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Psalm 52

1  Why do you glory in evil, you tyrant, ♦︎
   while the goodness of God endures continually?
2  You plot destruction, you deceiver; ♦︎
   your tongue is like a sharpened razor.
3  You love evil rather than good, ♦︎
   falsehood rather than the word of truth.
4  You love all words that hurt, ♦︎
   O you deceitful tongue.
5  Therefore God shall utterly bring you down; ♦︎
   he shall take you and pluck you out of your tent
      and root you out of the land of the living.
6  The righteous shall see this and tremble; ♦︎
   they shall laugh you to scorn, and say:
7  ‘This is the one who did not take God for a refuge, ♦︎
   but trusted in great riches and relied upon wickedness.’
8  But I am like a spreading olive tree in the house of God; ♦︎
   I trust in the goodness of God for ever and ever.
9  I will always give thanks to you for what you have done; ♦︎
   I will hope in your name,
      for your faithful ones delight in it.

Psalm 53

1  The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ ♦︎
   Corrupt are they, and abominable in their wickedness;
      there is no one that does good.
2  God has looked down from heaven upon the children of earth, ♦︎
   to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks after God.
3  They are all gone out of the way;
      all alike have become corrupt; ♦︎
   there is no one that does good, no not one.
4  Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, ♦︎
   who eat up my people as if they ate bread,
      and do not call upon God?
5  There shall they be in great fear,
      such fear as never was; ♦︎
   for God will scatter the bones of the ungodly.
6  They will be put to shame, ♦︎
   because God has rejected them.
7  O that Israel’s salvation would come out of Zion! ♦︎
   When God restores the fortunes of his people
      then will Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

Suffering for Doing Right

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. ⁹Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. ¹⁰For
‘Those who desire life
   and desire to see good days,
let them keep their tongues from evil
   and their lips from speaking deceit;
¹¹ let them turn away from evil and do good;
   let them seek peace and pursue it.
¹² For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
   and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’