Psalm 33–34

Psalm 33

¹Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;

it is fitting for the pure to praise him.

²Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;

make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.

³Sing a new song of praise to him;

play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.

⁴For the word of the Lord holds true,

and we can trust everything he does.

⁵He loves whatever is just and good;

the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.

⁶The Lord merely spoke,

and the heavens were created.

He breathed the word,

and all the stars were born.

⁷He assigned the sea its boundaries

and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.

⁸Let the whole world fear the Lord,

and let everyone stand in awe of him.

⁹For when he spoke, the world began!

It appeared at his command.

¹⁰The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations

and thwarts all their schemes.

¹¹But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;

his intentions can never be shaken.

¹²What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,

whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.

¹³The Lord looks down from heaven

and sees the whole human race.

¹⁴From his throne he observes

all who live on the earth.

¹⁵He made their hearts,

so he understands everything they do.

¹⁶The best-equipped army cannot save a king,

nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.

¹⁷Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—

for all its strength, it cannot save you.

¹⁸But the Lord watches over those who fear him,

those who rely on his unfailing love.

¹⁹He rescues them from death

and keeps them alive in times of famine.

²⁰We put our hope in the Lord.

He is our help and our shield.

²¹In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

²²Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,

for our hope is in you alone.

Psalm 34

A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away.

¹I will praise the Lord at all times.

I will constantly speak his praises.

²I will boast only in the Lord;

let all who are helpless take heart.

³Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;

let us exalt his name together.

⁴I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.

He freed me from all my fears.

⁵Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;

no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

⁶In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;

he saved me from all my troubles.

⁷For the angel of the Lord is a guard;

he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

⁸Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

⁹Fear the Lord, you his godly people,

for those who fear him will have all they need.

¹⁰Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,

but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

¹¹Come, my children, and listen to me,

and I will teach you to fear the Lord.

¹²Does anyone want to live a life

that is long and prosperous?

¹³Then keep your tongue from speaking evil

and your lips from telling lies!

¹⁴Turn away from evil and do good.

Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

¹⁵The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;

his ears are open to their cries for help.

¹⁶But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;

he will erase their memory from the earth.

¹⁷The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.

He rescues them from all their troubles.

¹⁸The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;

he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

¹⁹The righteous person faces many troubles,

but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

²⁰For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;

not one of them is broken!

²¹Calamity will surely destroy the wicked,

and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

²²But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.

No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.