Psalm 33–34

Psalm 33

¹Joyfully sing to the Lord, you righteous people. 

Praising ⸤the Lord⸥ is proper for decent people. 

²Give thanks with a lyre to the Lord. 

Make music for him on a ten-stringed harp. 

³Sing a new song to him. 

Play beautifully and joyfully on stringed instruments. 

⁴The Lord’s word is correct, 

and everything he does is trustworthy. 

⁵The Lord loves righteousness and justice. 

His mercy fills the earth. 

⁶The heavens were made by the Lord’s word 

and all the stars by the breath of his mouth. 

⁷He gathers the water in the sea like a dam 

and puts the oceans in his storehouses. 

⁸Let all the earth fear the Lord. 

Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him. 

⁹He spoke, and it came into being. 

He gave the order, and there it stood. 

¹⁰The Lord blocks the plans of the nations. 

He frustrates the schemes of the people of the world. 

¹¹The Lord’s plan stands firm forever. 

His thoughts stand firm in every generation. 

¹²Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. 

Blessed are the people he has chosen as his own. 

¹³The Lord looks down from heaven. 

He sees all of Adam’s descendants. 

¹⁴From the place where he sits enthroned, 

he looks down upon all who live on earth. 

¹⁵The one who formed their hearts 

understands everything they do. 

¹⁶No king achieves a victory with a large army. 

No warrior rescues himself by his own great strength. 

¹⁷Horses are not a guarantee for victory. 

Their great strength cannot help someone escape. 

¹⁸The Lord’s eyes are on those who fear him, 

on those who wait with hope for his mercy 

¹⁹to rescue their souls from death 

and keep them alive during a famine. 

²⁰We wait for the Lord. 

He is our help and our shield. 

²¹In him our hearts find joy. 

In his holy name we trust. 

²²Let your mercy rest on us, O Lord, 

since we wait with hope for you. 

Psalm 34^a

By David when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech; Abimelech threw him out, so David left. 

¹I will thank the Lord at all times. 

My mouth will always praise him. 

²My soul will boast about the Lord. 

Those who are oppressed will hear it and rejoice. 

³Praise the Lord’s greatness with me. 

Let us highly honor his name together. 

⁴I went to the Lord for help. 

He answered me and rescued me from all my fears. 

⁵All who look to him will be radiant. 

Their faces will never be covered with shame. 

⁶Here is a poor man who called out. 

The Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles. 

⁷The Messenger of the Lord camps around those who fear him, 

and he rescues them. 

⁸Taste and see that the Lord is good. 

Blessed is the person who takes refuge in him. 

⁹Fear the Lord, you holy people who belong to him. 

Those who fear him are never in need. 

¹⁰Young lions go hungry and may starve, 

but those who seek the Lord’s help have all the good things they need. 

¹¹Come, children, listen to me. 

I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 

¹²Which of you wants a full life? 

Who would like to live long enough to enjoy good things? 

¹³Keep your tongue from saying evil things 

and your lips from speaking deceitful things. 

¹⁴Turn away from evil, and do good. 

Seek peace, and pursue it! 

¹⁵The Lord’s eyes are on righteous people. 

His ears hear their cry for help. 

¹⁶The Lord confronts those who do evil 

in order to wipe out all memory of them from the earth. 

¹⁷⸤Righteous people⸥ cry out. 

The Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles. 

¹⁸The Lord is near to those whose hearts are humble. 

He saves those whose spirits are crushed. 

¹⁹The righteous person has many troubles, 

but the Lord rescues him from all of them. 

²⁰The Lord guards all of his bones. 

Not one of them is broken. 

²¹Evil will kill wicked people, 

and those who hate righteous people will be condemned. 

²²The Lord protects the souls of his servants. 

All who take refuge in him will never be condemned.