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Psalm 34-35
English Standard Version
Psalm 34-35
English Standard Version
Taste and See That the Lord Is Good
[a] Of David, when he (A)changed his behavior before (B)Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
34 I will bless the Lord (C)at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul (D)makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and (E)be glad.
3 Oh, (F)magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4 I (G)sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are (H)radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 (I)This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and (J)saved him out of all his troubles.
7 (K)The angel of the Lord (L)encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, (M)taste and see that (N)the Lord is good!
(O)Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 (P)The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who (Q)seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 (R)Come, O children, listen to me;
(S)I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 (T)What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may (U)see good?
13 (V)Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from (W)speaking deceit.
14 (X)Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and (Y)pursue it.
15 (Z)The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
(AA)and his ears toward their cry.
16 (AB)The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to (AC)cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 (AD)When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to (AE)the brokenhearted
and saves (AF)the crushed in spirit.
19 (AG)Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
(AH)but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
(AI)not one of them is broken.
21 (AJ)Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord (AK)redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be (AL)condemned.
Great Is the Lord
Of David.
35 Contend, O Lord, with those who (AM)contend with me;
(AN)fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of (AO)shield and buckler
and rise for my help!
3 Draw the spear and javelin[b]
against my pursuers!
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation!”
4 (AP)Let them be (AQ)put to shame and dishonor
who seek after my life!
Let them be (AR)turned back and disappointed
who devise evil against me!
5 Let them be like (AS)chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
6 Let their way be dark and (AT)slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!
7 For (AU)without cause (AV)they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug (AW)a pit for my life.[c]
8 Let (AX)destruction come upon him (AY)when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it—to his destruction!
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord,
(AZ)exulting in his salvation.
10 All my (BA)bones shall say,
“O Lord, (BB)who is like you,
delivering the poor
from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
11 (BC)Malicious[d] witnesses rise up;
they ask me of things that I do not know.
12 (BD)They repay me evil for good;
my soul is bereft.[e]
13 But I, (BE)when they were sick—
I (BF)wore sackcloth;
I (BG)afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed (BH)with head bowed[f] on my chest.
14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
I (BI)bowed down in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
they gathered together against me;
(BJ)wretches whom I did not know
tore at me without ceasing;
16 like profane mockers at a feast,[g]
they (BK)gnash at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O Lord, will you (BL)look on?
Rescue me from their destruction,
(BM)my precious life from the lions!
18 I will thank you in (BN)the great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 (BO)Let not those rejoice over me
who are (BP)wrongfully my foes,
and let not those (BQ)wink the eye
who (BR)hate me (BS)without cause.
20 For they do not speak peace,
but against those who are quiet in the land
they devise words of deceit.
21 They (BT)open wide their mouths against me;
they say, (BU)“Aha, Aha!
Our eyes have seen it!”
22 (BV)You have seen, O Lord; (BW)be not silent!
O Lord, (BX)be not far from me!
23 Awake and (BY)rouse yourself for (BZ)my vindication,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 (CA)Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and (CB)let them not rejoice over me!
25 Let them not say in their hearts,
(CC)“Aha, our heart's desire!”
Let them not say, (CD)“We have swallowed him up.”
26 Let them be (CE)put to shame and disappointed altogether
who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be (CF)clothed with shame and dishonor
who (CG)magnify themselves against me!
27 Let those who delight in my righteousness
shout for joy and be glad
(CH)and say evermore,
(CI)“Great is the Lord,
who (CJ)delights in the welfare of his servant!”
28 Then my (CK)tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all the day long.
Footnotes
- Psalm 34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
- Psalm 35:3 Or and close the way
- Psalm 35:7 The word pit is transposed from the preceding line; Hebrew For without cause they hid the pit of their net for me; without cause they dug for my life
- Psalm 35:11 Or Violent
- Psalm 35:12 Hebrew it is bereavement to my soul
- Psalm 35:13 Or my prayer shall turn back
- Psalm 35:16 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
Psalm 34-35
New International Version
Psalm 34-35
New International Version
Psalm 34[a][b]
Of David. When he pretended to be insane(A) before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;(B)
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory(C) in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.(D)
3 Glorify the Lord(E) with me;
let us exalt(F) his name together.
4 I sought the Lord,(G) and he answered me;
he delivered(H) me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;(I)
their faces are never covered with shame.(J)
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.(K)
7 The angel of the Lord(L) encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers(M) them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;(N)
blessed is the one who takes refuge(O) in him.
9 Fear the Lord,(P) you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.(Q)
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.(R)
11 Come, my children, listen(S) to me;
I will teach you(T) the fear of the Lord.(U)
12 Whoever of you loves life(V)
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue(W) from evil
and your lips from telling lies.(X)
14 Turn from evil and do good;(Y)
seek peace(Z) and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord(AA) are on the righteous,(AB)
and his ears are attentive(AC) to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against(AD) those who do evil,(AE)
to blot out their name(AF) from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears(AG) them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close(AH) to the brokenhearted(AI)
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,(AJ)
but the Lord delivers him from them all;(AK)
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.(AL)
21 Evil will slay the wicked;(AM)
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue(AN) his servants;
no one who takes refuge(AO) in him will be condemned.
Psalm 35
Of David.
1 Contend,(AP) Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight(AQ) against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shield(AR) and armor;
arise(AS) and come to my aid.(AT)
3 Brandish spear(AU) and javelin[c](AV)
against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
“I am your salvation.(AW)”
4 May those who seek my life(AX)
be disgraced(AY) and put to shame;(AZ)
may those who plot my ruin
be turned back(BA) in dismay.
5 May they be like chaff(BB) before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord(BC) 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(BD) for me without cause(BE)
and without cause dug a pit(BF) for me,
8 may ruin overtake them by surprise—(BG)
may the net they hid entangle them,
may they fall into the pit,(BH) to their ruin.
9 Then my soul will rejoice(BI) in the Lord
and delight in his salvation.(BJ)
10 My whole being will exclaim,
“Who is like you,(BK) Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong(BL) for them,
the poor and needy(BM) from those who rob them.”
11 Ruthless witnesses(BN) come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good(BO)
and leave me like one bereaved.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth(BP)
and humbled myself with fasting.(BQ)
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14 I went about mourning(BR)
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;(BS)
assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
They slandered(BT) me without ceasing.
16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;[d](BU)
they gnashed their teeth(BV) at me.
17 How long,(BW) Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my precious life(BX) from these lions.(BY)
18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;(BZ)
among the throngs(CA) I will praise you.(CB)
19 Do not let those gloat over me
who are my enemies(CC) without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason(CD)
maliciously wink the eye.(CE)
20 They do not speak peaceably,
but devise false accusations(CF)
against those who live quietly in the land.
21 They sneer(CG) at me and say, “Aha! Aha!(CH)
With our own eyes we have seen it.”
22 Lord, you have seen(CI) this; do not be silent.
Do not be far(CJ) from me, Lord.
23 Awake,(CK) and rise(CL) to my defense!
Contend(CM) for me, my God and Lord.
24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;
do not let them gloat(CN) over me.
25 Do not let them think, “Aha,(CO) just what we wanted!”
or say, “We have swallowed him up.”(CP)
26 May all who gloat(CQ) over my distress(CR)
be put to shame(CS) and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me(CT)
be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who delight in my vindication(CU)
shout for joy(CV) and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
who delights(CW) in the well-being of his servant.”(CX)
Footnotes
- 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,
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.