Psalm 34
The Lord Delivers the Righteous

Concerning David, when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech, who drove him out, and he departed.

1) will praise the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
2) I will boast in the Lord;
the humble will hear and be glad.
3) Proclaim Yahweh’s greatness with me;
let us exalt His name together.

4) I sought the Lord, and He answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5) Those who look to Him are radiant with joy;
their faces will never be ashamed.
6) This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him from all his troubles.
7) The Angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear Him, and rescues them.

8) Taste and see that the Lord is good.
How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9) You who are His holy ones, fear Yahweh,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
10) Young lions lack food and go hungry,
but those who seek the Lord
will not lack any good thing.

11) Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12) Who is the man who delights in life,
loving a long life to enjoy what is good?
13) Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from deceitful speech.
14) Turn away from evil and do what is good;
seek peace and pursue it.

15) The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and His ears are open to their cry for help.
16) The face of the Lord is set
against those who do what is evil,
to erase all memory of them from the earth.
17) The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
and delivers them from all their troubles.
18) The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
He saves those crushed in spirit.

19) Many adversities come to the one who is righteous,
but the Lord delivers him from them all.
20) He protects all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
21) Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22) The Lord redeems the life of His servants,
and all who take refuge in Him will not be punished.


Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Praise to the Creator
1) Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones;
praise from the upright is beautiful.
2) Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make music to Him with a ten-stringed harp.
3) Sing a new song to Him;
play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.

4) For the word of the Lord is right,
and all His work is trustworthy.
5) He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love.

6) The heavens were made by the word of the Lord,
and all the stars, by the breath of His mouth.
7) He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap;a]">[a]
He puts the depths into storehouses.
8) Let the whole earth tremble before the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9) For He spoke, and it came into being;
He commanded, and it came into existence.

10) The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations;
He thwarts the plans of the peoples.
11) The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of His heart from generation to generation.
12) Happy is the nation whose God is Yahweh--
the people He has chosen to be His own possession!

13) The Lord looks down from heaven;
He observes everyone.
14) He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth
from His dwelling place.
15) He alone shapes their hearts;
He considers all their works.
16) A king is not saved by a large army;
a warrior will not be delivered by great strength.
17) The horse is a false hope for safety;
it provides no escape by its great power.

18) Now the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him--
those who depend on His faithful love
19) to deliver them from death
and to keep them alive in famine.

20) We wait for Yahweh;
He is our help and shield.
21) For our hearts rejoice in Him
because we trust in His holy name.
22) May Your faithful love rest on us, Yahweh,
for we put our hope in You.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
(HCSB) Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Psalm 32

The Joy of Forgiveness
Davidic. A Maskil.

1.) How joyful is the one
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered!
2.) How joyful is the man
the Lord does not charge with sin
and in whose spirit is no deceit!

3.) When I kept silent, my bones became brittle
from my groaning all day long.
4.) For day and night Your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was drained
as in the summer’s heat.Selah
5.) Then I acknowledged my sin to You
and did not conceal my iniquity.
I said,
“I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and You took away the guilt of my sin.Selah

6.) Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to You
at a time that You may be found.
When great floodwaters come,
they will not reach him.
7.) You are my hiding place;
You protect me from trouble.
You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.Selah

8.) I will instruct you and show you the way to go;
with My eye on you, I will give counsel.
9.) Do not be like a horse or mule,
without understanding,
that must be controlled with bit and bridle
or else it will not come near you.

10.) Many pains come to the wicked,
but the one who trusts in the Lord
will have faithful love surrounding him.
11.) Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,
you righteous ones;
shout for joy,
all you upright in heart.



Holman Christian Standard Bible
(HCSB) Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Psalm 31

A Plea for Protection
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

1.) Lord, I seek refuge in You;
let me never be disgraced.
Save me by Your righteousness.
2.) Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mountain fortress to save me.
3.) For You are my rock and my fortress;
You lead and guide me
because of Your name.
4.) You will free me from the net
that is secretly set for me,
for You are my refuge.
5.) Into Your hand I entrust my spirit;
You redeem me, Lord, God of truth.

6.) I hate those who are devoted to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7.) I will rejoice and be glad in Your faithful love
because You have seen my affliction.
You have known the troubles of my life
8.) and have not handed me over to the enemy.
You have set my feet in a spacious place.

9.) Be gracious to me, Lord,
because I am in distress;
my eyes are worn out from angry sorrow--
my whole being as well.
10.) Indeed, my life is consumed with grief
and my years with groaning;
my strength has failed
because of my sinfulness,
and my bones waste away.
11.) I am ridiculed by all my adversaries
and even by my neighbors.
I am dreaded by my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street run from me.
12.) I am forgotten: gone from memory
like a dead person—like broken pottery.
13.) I have heard the gossip of many;
terror is on every side.
When they conspired against me,
they plotted to take my life.

14.) But I trust in You, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15.) The course of my life is in Your power;
deliver me from the power of my enemies
and from my persecutors.
16.) Show Your favor to Your servant;
save me by Your faithful love.
17.) Lord, do not let me be disgraced when I call on You.
Let the wicked be disgraced;
let them be silent in Sheol.
18.) Let lying lips be quieted;
they speak arrogantly against the righteous
with pride and contempt.

19.) How great is Your goodness
that You have stored up for those who fear You
and accomplished in the sight of everyone
for those who take refuge in You.
20.) You hide them in the protection of Your presence;
You conceal them in a shelter
from the schemes of men,
from quarrelsome tongues.
21.) May the Lord be praised,
for He has wonderfully shown His faithful love to me
in a city under siege.
22.) In my alarm I had said,
“I am cut off from Your sight.”
But You heard the sound of my pleading
when I cried to You for help.

23.) Love the Lord, all His faithful ones.
The Lord protects the loyal,
but fully repays the arrogant.
24.) Be strong and courageous,
all you who put your hope in the Lord.


Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.