Psalms 33-36

Psalm 33

¹Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright.

²Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings.

³Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy!

⁴For the LORD’s word is right. All his work is done in faithfulness.

⁵He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the loving kindness of the LORD.

⁶By the LORD’s word, the heavens were made: all their army by the breath of his mouth.

⁷He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses.

⁸Let all the earth fear the LORD. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

⁹For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm.

¹⁰The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.

¹¹The counsel of the LORD stands fast forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

¹²Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.

¹³The LORD looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.

¹⁴From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

¹⁵he who fashions all of their hearts; and he considers all of their works.

¹⁶There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

¹⁷A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power.

¹⁸Behold, the LORD’s eye is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his loving kindness,

¹⁹to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine.

²⁰Our soul has waited for the LORD. He is our help and our shield.

²¹For our heart rejoices in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.

²²Let your loving kindness be on us, LORD, since we have hoped in you.

Psalm 34

¹By David; when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth.

²My soul shall boast in the LORD. The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

³Oh magnify the LORD with me. Let’s exalt his name together.

⁴I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

⁵They looked to him, and were radiant. Their faces shall never be covered with shame.

⁶This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷The LORD’s angel encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

⁸Oh taste and see that the LORD is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

⁹Oh fear the LORD, you his saints, for there is no lack with those who fear him.

¹⁰The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

¹¹Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

¹²Who is someone who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?

¹³Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies.

¹⁴Depart from evil, and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it.

¹⁵The LORD’s eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen to their cry.

¹⁶The LORD’s face is against those who do evil, to cut off their memory from the earth.

¹⁷The righteous cry, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

²⁰He protects all of his bones. Not one of them is broken.

²¹Evil shall kill the wicked. Those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

²²The LORD redeems the soul of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned.

Psalm 35

¹By David. Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me.

²Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.

³Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me. Tell my soul, “I am your salvation.”

⁴Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor. Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.

⁵Let them be as chaff before the wind, the LORD’s angel driving them on.

⁶Let their way be dark and slippery, the LORD’s angel pursuing them.

⁷For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me. Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul.

⁸Let destruction come on him unawares. Let his net that he has hidden catch himself. Let him fall into that destruction.

⁹My soul shall be joyful in the LORD. It shall rejoice in his salvation.

¹⁰All my bones shall say, “LORD, who is like you, who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him; yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?”

¹¹Unrighteous witnesses rise up. They ask me about things that I don’t know about.

¹²They reward me evil for good, to the bereaving of my soul.

¹³But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting. My prayer returned into my own bosom.

¹⁴I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother. I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother.

¹⁵But in my adversity, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together. The attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I didn’t know it. They tore at me, and didn’t cease.

¹⁶Like the profane mockers in feasts, they gnashed their teeth at me.

¹⁷Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destruction, my precious life from the lions.

¹⁸I will give you thanks in the great assembly. I will praise you among many people.

¹⁹Don’t let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let those who hate me without a cause wink their eyes.

²⁰For they don’t speak peace, but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

²¹Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!”

²²You have seen it, LORD. Don’t keep silent. Lord, don’t be far from me.

²³Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God! My Lord, contend for me!

²⁴Vindicate me, LORD my God, according to your righteousness. Don’t let them gloat over me.

²⁵Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!” Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

²⁶Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me.

²⁷Let those who favor my righteous cause shout for joy and be glad. Yes, let them say continually, “May the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!”

²⁸My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long.

Psalm 36

¹For the Chief Musician. By David, the servant of the LORD. A revelation is within my heart about the disobedience of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.

²For he flatters himself in his own eyes, too much to detect and hate his sin.

³The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. He has ceased to be wise and to do good.

⁴He plots iniquity on his bed. He sets himself in a way that is not good. He doesn’t abhor evil.

⁵Your loving kindness, LORD, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

⁶Your righteousness is like the mountains of God. Your judgments are like a great deep. LORD, you preserve man and animal.

⁷How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.

⁸They shall be abundantly satisfied with the abundance of your house. You will make them drink of the river of your pleasures.

⁹For with you is the spring of life. In your light we will see light.

¹⁰Oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.

¹¹Don’t let the foot of pride come against me. Don’t let the hand of the wicked drive me away.

¹²There the workers of iniquity are fallen. They are thrust down, and shall not be able to rise.