Psalm 34-36
American Standard Version
Jehovah a provider and deliverer.
A Psalm of David; [a]when he [b]changed his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
34 I will bless Jehovah at all times:
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in Jehovah:
The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 Oh magnify Jehovah with me,
And let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought Jehovah, and he answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were radiant;
And their faces shall never be confounded.
6 This poor man cried, and Jehovah heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him,
And delivereth them.
8 Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good:
Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him.
9 Oh fear Jehovah, ye his saints;
For there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger;
But they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good thing.
11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me:
I will teach you the fear of Jehovah.
12 What man is he that desireth life,
And loveth many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep thy tongue from evil,
And thy lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
Seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous,
And his ears are open unto their cry.
16 The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cried, and Jehovah heard,
And delivered them out of all their troubles.
18 Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart,
And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous;
But Jehovah delivereth him out of them all.
20 He keepeth all his bones:
Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked;
And they that hate the righteous shall be [c]condemned.
22 Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants;
And none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned.
Prayer for rescue from enemies.
A Psalm of David.
35 Strive thou, O Jehovah, with them that strive with me:
Fight thou against them that fight against me.
2 Take hold of shield and buckler,
And stand up for my help.
3 Draw out also the spear, [d]and stop the way against them that pursue me:
Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4 Let them be put to shame and brought to dishonor that seek after my soul:
Let them be turned back and confounded that devise my hurt.
5 Let them be as chaff before the wind,
And the angel of Jehovah driving them on.
6 Let their way be [e]dark and slippery,
And the angel of Jehovah pursuing them.
7 For without cause have they hid for me [f]their net in a pit;
Without cause have they digged a pit for my soul.
8 Let destruction come upon him unawares;
And let his net that he hath hid catch himself:
[g]With destruction let him fall therein.
9 And my soul shall be joyful in Jehovah:
It shall rejoice in his salvation.
10 All my bones shall say, Jehovah, who is like unto thee,
Who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him,
Yea, the poor and the needy from him that robbeth him?
11 [h]Unrighteous witnesses rise up;
They ask me of things that I know not.
12 They reward me evil for good,
To the bereaving of my soul.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth:
I afflicted my soul with fasting;
And my prayer [i]returned into mine own bosom.
14 I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother:
I bowed down mourning, as one that bewaileth his mother.
15 But in [j]mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together:
The [k]abjects gathered themselves together against me, and [l]I knew it not;
They did tear me, and ceased not:
16 [m]Like the profane mockers in feasts,
They gnashed upon me with their teeth.
17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on?
Rescue my soul from their destructions,
My [n]darling from the lions.
18 I will give thee thanks in the great assembly:
I will praise thee among [o]much people.
19 Let not them that are mine enemies [p]wrongfully rejoice over me;
Neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
20 For they speak not peace;
But they devise deceitful words against them that are quiet in the land.
21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me;
They said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
22 Thou hast seen it, O Jehovah; keep not silence:
O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Stir up thyself, and awake to the justice due unto me,
Even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me, O Jehovah my God, according to thy righteousness;
And let them not rejoice over me.
25 Let them not say in their heart, [q]Aha, so would we have it:
Let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
26 Let them be put to shame and confounded together that rejoice at my hurt:
Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor that magnify themselves against me.
27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that [r]favor my righteous cause:
Yea, let them say continually, Jehovah be magnified,
Who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
28 And my tongue shall talk of thy righteousness
And of thy praise all the day long.
Wickedness of men and lovingkindness of God.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of Jehovah.
[s]36 The transgression of the wicked [t]saith within my heart,
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For [u]he flattereth himself in his own eyes,
[v]That his iniquity will not be found out and be hated.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit:
He hath ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He deviseth iniquity upon his bed;
He setteth himself in a way that is not good;
He abhorreth not evil.
5 Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, is in the heavens;
Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the skies.
6 Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God;
Thy judgments are a great deep:
O Jehovah, thou preservest man and beast.
7 How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.
8 They shall be [w]abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house;
And thou wilt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
9 For with thee is the fountain of life:
In thy light shall we see light.
10 Oh continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee,
And thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There are the workers of iniquity fallen:
They are thrust down, and shall not be able to rise.
Footnotes
- Psalm 34:1 See 1 Sam. 21:10–15.
- Psalm 34:1 Or, feigned madness
- Psalm 34:21 Or, held guilty
- Psalm 35:3 Or, and the battle axe against etc.
- Psalm 35:6 Hebrew darkness and slippery places.
- Psalm 35:7 Or, the pit of their net
- Psalm 35:8 Or, Into that very destruction let him fall
- Psalm 35:11 Or, Malicious. See Ex. 23:1.
- Psalm 35:13 Or, shall return
- Psalm 35:15 Hebrew my limping.
- Psalm 35:15 Or, smiters
- Psalm 35:15 Or, those whom I knew not
- Psalm 35:16 Or, Among
- Psalm 35:17 Or, dear life Hebrew only one.
- Psalm 35:18 Or, a mighty people
- Psalm 35:19 Hebrew falsely.
- Psalm 35:25 Hebrew Aha, our desire.
- Psalm 35:27 Hebrew have pleasure in my righteousness.
- Psalm 36:1 Or, Transgression saith to the wicked
- Psalm 36:1 Or, uttereth its oracle
- Psalm 36:2 Or, it (or he) flattereth him in his eyes
- Psalm 36:2 Or, Until his iniquity be found and be hated. Hebrew Concerning the finding out of his iniquity and hating it.
- Psalm 36:8 Hebrew watered.
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)