To the Director: A Davidic instructiona about Doeg, the Edomite, when he went to Saul and told him, “David went to the house of Abimelech.”

A Rebuke to the Deceitful

1Why do you make evil

the foundation of your boasting, mighty one?b

God’s gracious love never ceases.c

2Your tongue, like a sharp razor, devises wicked things

and crafts treachery.

3You love evil rather than good,

falsehood rather than speaking uprightly.

Interlude

4You love all words that destroy, you deceitful tongue!

5But God will tear you down forever;

he will take you away,

even snatching you out of your tent!

He will uproot you from the land of the living.

Interlude

6The righteous will fear when they see this,

but then they will laugh at him, saying,

7“Look, here is a young man who refused to make God his strength;

instead, he trusted in his great wealth

and made his wickedness his strength.

8But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;

I trust in the gracious love of God forever and ever.

9Therefore I will praise you forever

because of what you did;

I will proclaim that your name is good

in the midst of your faithful ones.