Psalm 33-37
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 33
The Greatness and Goodness of God
1 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.(A)
2 Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.(B)
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.(C)
4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.(D)
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.(E)
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.(F)
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,(G)
9 for he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.(H)
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.(I)
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.(J)
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.(K)
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.(L)
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.(M)
16 A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.(N)
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.(O)
18 Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,(P)
19 to deliver their soul from death
and to keep them alive in famine.(Q)
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.(R)
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.(S)
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.(T)
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.(U)
5 Look to him, and be radiant,
so your[a] faces shall never be ashamed.(V)
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.(W)
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.(X)
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.(Y)
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.(Z)
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.(AA)
12 Which of you desires life
and covets many days to enjoy good?(AB)
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.(AC)
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.(AD)
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.(AE)
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.(AF)
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and rescues them from all their troubles.(AG)
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.(AH)
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.(AI)
20 He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.(AJ)
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.(AK)
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.(AL)
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!(AM)
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.(AN)
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them on.(AO)
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.(AP)
7 For without cause they hid their net[b] for me;
without cause they dug a pit[c] for my life.(AQ)
8 Let ruin come on them unawares,
and let the net that they hid ensnare them;
let them fall in it—to their ruin.(AR)
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord,
exulting in his deliverance.(AS)
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.”(AT)
11 Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me about things I do not know.(AU)
12 They repay me evil for good;
my soul is forlorn.(AV)
13 But as for me, when they were sick,
I wore sackcloth;
I afflicted myself with fasting.
I prayed with head bowed[d] on my bosom,(AW)
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;(AX)
16 they impiously mocked more and more,[e]
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!(AY)
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.(AZ)
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me
or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.(BA)
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.”(BB)
22 You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent!
O Lord, do not be far from me!(BC)
23 Wake up! Rouse yourself for my defense,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!(BD)
24 Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and do not let them rejoice over me.(BE)
25 Do not let them say to themselves,
“Aha, we have our heart’s desire.”
Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you[f] up.”(BF)
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.(BG)
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.”(BH)
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all day long.(BI)
Psalm 36
Human Wickedness and Divine Goodness
To the leader. Of David, the servant of the Lord.
1 Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in their hearts;
there is no fear of God
before their eyes.(BJ)
2 For they flatter themselves in their own eyes
that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;
they have ceased to act wisely and do good.(BK)
4 They plot mischief while on their beds;
they are set on a way that is not good;
they do not reject evil.(BL)
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains;
your judgments are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.(BM)
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.(BN)
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.(BO)
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.(BP)
10 O continue your steadfast love to those who know you
and your salvation to the upright of heart!
11 Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me
or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the evildoers lie prostrate;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.(BQ)
Psalm 37
Exhortation to Patience and Trust
Of David.
1 Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,(BR)
2 for they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.(BS)
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
live in the land and enjoy security.(BT)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.(BU)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.(BV)
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.(BW)
7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.(BX)
8 Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.(BY)
9 For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.(BZ)
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.(CA)
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.(CB)
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them,(CC)
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.(CD)
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;(CE)
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.(CF)
16 Better is a little that the righteous person has
than the abundance of many wicked.(CG)
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.(CH)
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide forever;(CI)
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.(CJ)
20 But the wicked perish,
and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.(CK)
21 The wicked borrow and do not pay back,
but the righteous are generous and keep giving;(CL)
22 surely those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.(CM)
23 Our steps[g] are made firm by the Lord
when he delights in our[h] way;(CN)
24 though we stumble, we[i] shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us[j] by the hand.(CO)
25 I have been young and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.(CP)
26 They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.(CQ)
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide forever.(CR)
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.(CS)
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and live in it forever.(CT)
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak justice.(CU)
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their steps do not slip.(CV)
32 The wicked watch for the righteous
and seek to kill them.(CW)
33 The Lord will not abandon them to their power
or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.(CX)
34 Wait for the Lord and keep to his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the wicked.(CY)
35 I have seen the wicked oppressing
and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.[k](CZ)
36 Again I[l] passed by, and they were no more;
though I sought them, they could not be found.(DA)
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is posterity for the peaceable.(DB)
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.(DC)
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.(DD)
40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked and saves them
because they take refuge in him.(DE)
Footnotes
- 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
- 37.23 Heb A man’s steps
- 37.23 Heb his
- 37.24 Heb he stumbles, he
- 37.24 Heb him
- 37.35 Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 37.36 Gk Syr Jerome: Heb he
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.