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Psalm 31-35
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 31-35
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 31
Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1 In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.(A)
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.(B)
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me;(C)
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.(D)
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.(E)
6 You hate[a] those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.(F)
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have taken notice of my adversities(G)
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.(H)
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,[b]
and my bones waste away.(I)
11 I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
a horror[c] to my neighbors,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.(J)
12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.(K)
13 For I hear the whispering of many—
terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.(L)
14 But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”(M)
15 My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.(N)
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.(O)
17 Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord,
for I call on you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.(P)
18 Let the lying lips be stilled
that speak insolently against the righteous
with pride and contempt.(Q)
19 O how abundant is your goodness
that you have laid up for those who fear you
and accomplished for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of everyone!(R)
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from human plots;
you hold them safe under your shelter
from contentious tongues.(S)
21 Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was beset as a city under siege.(T)
22 I had said in my alarm,
“I am driven far[d] from your sight.”
But you heard my supplications
when I cried out to you for help.(U)
23 Love the Lord, all you his saints.
The Lord preserves the faithful
but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.(V)
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.(W)
Psalm 32
The Joy of Forgiveness
Of David. A Maskil.
1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.(X)
2 Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.(Y)
3 While I kept silent, my body wasted away
through my groaning all day long.(Z)
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up[e] as by the heat of summer. Selah(AA)
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah(AB)
6 Therefore let all who are faithful
offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress,[f] the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.(AC)
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah(AD)
8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.(AE)
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.(AF)
10 Many are the torments of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.(AG)
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.(AH)
Psalm 33
The Greatness and Goodness of God
1 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.(AI)
2 Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.(AJ)
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.(AK)
4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.(AL)
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.(AM)
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.(AN)
7 He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him,(AO)
9 for he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.(AP)
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.(AQ)
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.(AR)
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.(AS)
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.(AT)
14 From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth—
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.(AU)
16 A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.(AV)
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.(AW)
18 Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,(AX)
19 to deliver their soul from death
and to keep them alive in famine.(AY)
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in him
because we trust in his holy name.(AZ)
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
Psalm 34
Praise for Deliverance from Trouble
Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.(BA)
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.(BB)
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.(BC)
5 Look to him, and be radiant,
so your[g] faces shall never be ashamed.(BD)
6 This poor soul cried and was heard by the Lord
and was saved from every trouble.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him and delivers them.(BE)
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.(BF)
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.(BG)
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.(BH)
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.(BI)
12 Which of you desires life
and covets many days to enjoy good?(BJ)
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.(BK)
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.(BL)
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.(BM)
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.(BN)
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and rescues them from all their troubles.(BO)
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.(BP)
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.(BQ)
20 He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.(BR)
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.(BS)
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.(BT)
Psalm 35
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
Of David.
1 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!(BU)
2 Take hold of shield and buckler,
and rise up to help me!
3 Draw the spear and javelin
against my pursuers;
say to my soul,
“I am your salvation.”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor
who seek after my life.
Let them be turned back and confounded
who devise evil against me.(BV)
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them on.(BW)
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.(BX)
7 For without cause they hid their net[h] for me;
without cause they dug a pit[i] for my life.(BY)
8 Let ruin come on them unawares,
and let the net that they hid ensnare them;
let them fall in it—to their ruin.(BZ)
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord,
exulting in his deliverance.(CA)
10 All my bones shall say,
“O Lord, who is like you?
You deliver the weak
from those too strong for them,
the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”(CB)
11 Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me about things I do not know.(CC)
12 They repay me evil for good;
my soul is forlorn.(CD)
13 But as for me, when they were sick,
I wore sackcloth;
I afflicted myself with fasting.
I prayed with head bowed[j] on my bosom,(CE)
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother;
I went about as one who laments for a mother,
bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee;
they gathered together against me;
ruffians whom I did not know
tore at me without ceasing;(CF)
16 they impiously mocked more and more,[k]
gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my life from the lions!(CG)
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.(CH)
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me
or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.(CI)
20 For they do not speak peace,
but they conceive deceitful words
against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths against me;
they say, “Aha, Aha,
our eyes have seen it.”(CJ)
22 You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent!
O Lord, do not be far from me!(CK)
23 Wake up! Rouse yourself for my defense,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!(CL)
24 Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and do not let them rejoice over me.(CM)
25 Do not let them say to themselves,
“Aha, we have our heart’s desire.”
Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you[l] up.”(CN)
26 Let all those who rejoice at my calamity
be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me
be clothed with shame and dishonor.(CO)
27 Let those who desire my vindication
shout for joy and be glad
and say evermore,
“Great is the Lord,
who delights in the welfare of his servant.”(CP)
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all day long.(CQ)
Footnotes
- 31.6 Heb ms Gk Syr Jerome: MT I hate
- 31.10 Gk Syr: Heb my iniquity
- 31.11 Cn: Heb exceedingly
- 31.22 Heb mss: MT cut off
- 32.4 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 32.6 Cn: Heb at a time of finding only
- 34.5 Gk Syr Jerome: Heb their
- 35.7 Heb a pit, their net
- 35.7 The word pit is transposed from the preceding line
- 35.13 Or My prayer turned back
- 35.16 Cn Compare Gk: Heb like the profanest of mockers of a cake
- 35.25 Heb him
Psalm 31-35
New International Version
Psalm 31-35
New International Version
Psalm 31[a](A)
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;(B)
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.(C)
2 Turn your ear to me,(D)
come quickly to my rescue;(E)
be my rock of refuge,(F)
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,(G)
for the sake of your name(H) lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap(I) that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.(J)
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;(K)
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.(L)
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;(M)
as for me, I trust in the Lord.(N)
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction(O)
and knew the anguish(P) of my soul.
8 You have not given me into the hands(Q) of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.(R)
9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;(S)
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,(T)
my soul and body(U) with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish(V)
and my years by groaning;(W)
my strength fails(X) because of my affliction,[b](Y)
and my bones grow weak.(Z)
11 Because of all my enemies,(AA)
I am the utter contempt(AB) of my neighbors(AC)
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;(AD)
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,(AE)
“Terror on every side!”(AF)
They conspire against me(AG)
and plot to take my life.(AH)
14 But I trust(AI) in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times(AJ) are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine(AK) on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.(AL)
17 Let me not be put to shame,(AM) Lord,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent(AN) in the realm of the dead.
18 Let their lying lips(AO) be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly(AP) against the righteous.
19 How abundant are the good things(AQ)
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,(AR)
on those who take refuge(AS) in you.
20 In the shelter(AT) of your presence you hide(AU) them
from all human intrigues;(AV)
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the Lord,(AW)
for he showed me the wonders of his love(AX)
when I was in a city under siege.(AY)
22 In my alarm(AZ) I said,
“I am cut off(BA) from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry(BB) for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people!(BC)
The Lord preserves those who are true to him,(BD)
but the proud he pays back(BE) in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,(BF)
all you who hope in the Lord.
Psalm 32
Of David. A maskil.[c]
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.(BG)
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them(BH)
and in whose spirit is no deceit.(BI)
3 When I kept silent,(BJ)
my bones wasted away(BK)
through my groaning(BL) all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy(BM) on me;
my strength was sapped(BN)
as in the heat of summer.[d]
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.(BO)
I said, “I will confess(BP)
my transgressions(BQ) to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.(BR)
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;(BS)
surely the rising(BT) of the mighty waters(BU)
will not reach them.(BV)
7 You are my hiding place;(BW)
you will protect me from trouble(BX)
and surround me with songs of deliverance.(BY)
8 I will instruct(BZ) you and teach you(CA) in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on(CB) you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle(CC)
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,(CD)
but the Lord’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts(CE) in him.
11 Rejoice in the Lord(CF) and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Psalm 33
1 Sing joyfully(CG) to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting(CH) for the upright(CI) to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;(CJ)
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.(CK)
3 Sing to him a new song;(CL)
play skillfully, and shout for joy.(CM)
4 For the word of the Lord is right(CN) and true;(CO)
he is faithful(CP) in all he does.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice;(CQ)
the earth is full of his unfailing love.(CR)
6 By the word(CS) of the Lord the heavens were made,(CT)
their starry host(CU) by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters(CV) of the sea into jars[e];(CW)
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;(CX)
let all the people of the world(CY) revere him.(CZ)
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded,(DA) and it stood firm.
10 The Lord foils(DB) the plans(DC) of the nations;(DD)
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm(DE) forever,
the purposes(DF) of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,(DG)
the people he chose(DH) for his inheritance.(DI)
13 From heaven the Lord looks down(DJ)
and sees all mankind;(DK)
14 from his dwelling place(DL) he watches
all who live on earth—
15 he who forms(DM) the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.(DN)
16 No king is saved by the size of his army;(DO)
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse(DP) is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes(DQ) of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,(DR)
19 to deliver them from death(DS)
and keep them alive in famine.(DT)
20 We wait(DU) in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,(DV)
for we trust in his holy name.(DW)
22 May your unfailing love(DX) be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 34[f][g]
Of David. When he pretended to be insane(DY) before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;(DZ)
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory(EA) in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.(EB)
3 Glorify the Lord(EC) with me;
let us exalt(ED) his name together.
4 I sought the Lord,(EE) and he answered me;
he delivered(EF) me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;(EG)
their faces are never covered with shame.(EH)
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.(EI)
7 The angel of the Lord(EJ) encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers(EK) them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;(EL)
blessed is the one who takes refuge(EM) in him.
9 Fear the Lord,(EN) you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.(EO)
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.(EP)
11 Come, my children, listen(EQ) to me;
I will teach you(ER) the fear of the Lord.(ES)
12 Whoever of you loves life(ET)
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue(EU) from evil
and your lips from telling lies.(EV)
14 Turn from evil and do good;(EW)
seek peace(EX) and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord(EY) are on the righteous,(EZ)
and his ears are attentive(FA) to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against(FB) those who do evil,(FC)
to blot out their name(FD) from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears(FE) them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close(FF) to the brokenhearted(FG)
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,(FH)
but the Lord delivers him from them all;(FI)
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.(FJ)
21 Evil will slay the wicked;(FK)
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue(FL) his servants;
no one who takes refuge(FM) in him will be condemned.
Psalm 35
Of David.
1 Contend,(FN) Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight(FO) against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shield(FP) and armor;
arise(FQ) and come to my aid.(FR)
3 Brandish spear(FS) and javelin[h](FT)
against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
“I am your salvation.(FU)”
4 May those who seek my life(FV)
be disgraced(FW) and put to shame;(FX)
may those who plot my ruin
be turned back(FY) in dismay.
5 May they be like chaff(FZ) before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord(GA) driving them away;
6 may their path be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 Since they hid their net(GB) for me without cause(GC)
and without cause dug a pit(GD) for me,
8 may ruin overtake them by surprise—(GE)
may the net they hid entangle them,
may they fall into the pit,(GF) to their ruin.
9 Then my soul will rejoice(GG) in the Lord
and delight in his salvation.(GH)
10 My whole being will exclaim,
“Who is like you,(GI) Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong(GJ) for them,
the poor and needy(GK) from those who rob them.”
11 Ruthless witnesses(GL) come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good(GM)
and leave me like one bereaved.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth(GN)
and humbled myself with fasting.(GO)
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14 I went about mourning(GP)
as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
as though weeping for my mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;(GQ)
assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
They slandered(GR) me without ceasing.
16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;[i](GS)
they gnashed their teeth(GT) at me.
17 How long,(GU) Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my precious life(GV) from these lions.(GW)
18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;(GX)
among the throngs(GY) I will praise you.(GZ)
19 Do not let those gloat over me
who are my enemies(HA) without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason(HB)
maliciously wink the eye.(HC)
20 They do not speak peaceably,
but devise false accusations(HD)
against those who live quietly in the land.
21 They sneer(HE) at me and say, “Aha! Aha!(HF)
With our own eyes we have seen it.”
22 Lord, you have seen(HG) this; do not be silent.
Do not be far(HH) from me, Lord.
23 Awake,(HI) and rise(HJ) to my defense!
Contend(HK) for me, my God and Lord.
24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;
do not let them gloat(HL) over me.
25 Do not let them think, “Aha,(HM) just what we wanted!”
or say, “We have swallowed him up.”(HN)
26 May all who gloat(HO) over my distress(HP)
be put to shame(HQ) and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me(HR)
be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who delight in my vindication(HS)
shout for joy(HT) and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
who delights(HU) in the well-being of his servant.”(HV)
Footnotes
- Psalm 31:1 In Hebrew texts 31:1-24 is numbered 31:2-25.
- Psalm 31:10 Or guilt
- Psalm 32:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 32:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 5 and 7.
- Psalm 33:7 Or sea as into a heap
- Psalm 34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
- Psalm 34:1 In Hebrew texts 34:1-22 is numbered 34:2-23.
- Psalm 35:3 Or and block the way
- Psalm 35:16 Septuagint; Hebrew may mean Like an ungodly circle of mockers,
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