Psalm 63
Expanded Bible
Wishing to Be Near God
A psalm of David when he was in the ·desert [wilderness] of Judah [C fleeing from a jealous Saul; 1 Sam. 21–31].
63 God, you are my God.
I ·search for [am intent on] you.
I thirst for you [42:1–2]
·like someone [or my flesh yearns for you] in a dry, ·empty [exhausted; weary] land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in ·the Temple [L the Holy Place; or holiness]
and have seen your strength and glory.
3 Because your ·love [loyalty] is better than life,
·I [L My lips] will praise you.
4 I will ·praise [bless] you ·as long as I live [L with my life].
I will lift up my hands in your name [C in prayer].
5 I will be ·content as if I had eaten the best foods [L satisfied as with fat and fatness].
My lips will sing, and my mouth will praise you.
6 I remember you while I’m lying in bed;
I ·think about [meditate on] you through the watches of the night [C the night was divided into four watches of three hours each].
7 You are my help.
·Because of your protection [L In the shadow of your wings; C an image of compassion or perhaps a reference to the cherubim whose wings covered the Ark of the Covenant; Ex. 25:20], I sing.
8 I ·stay close [cling] to you;
·you support me with your right hand [L your right hand sustains me].
9 ·Some people are trying to kill me [L They seek my life for ruin],
but they will go down to the ·grave [L underbelly of the earth].
10 They will be ·killed with swords [L handed over to the sword]
and ·eaten by wild dogs [L be the prey of jackals].
11 But the king will rejoice in his God.
All who ·make promises in his name [L swear by him] will praise him,
but the mouths of liars will be shut.
Psalm 63
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 63
Praise God Who Satisfies
A Davidic psalm. When he was in the Wilderness of Judah.(A)
1 God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You.
I thirst for You;
my body faints for You
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.(B)
2 So I gaze on You in the sanctuary
to see Your strength and Your glory.(C)
3 My lips will glorify You
because Your faithful love is better than life.(D)
4 So I will praise You as long as I live;
at Your name, I will lift up my hands.(E)
5 You satisfy me as with rich food;[a](F)
my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.(G)
6 When I think of You as I lie on my bed,
I meditate on You during the night watches(H)
7 because You are my helper;(I)
I will rejoice in the shadow of Your wings.(J)
8 I follow close to You;
Your right hand holds on to me.(K)
9 But those who seek to destroy my life
will go into the depths of the earth.(L)
10 They will be given over to the power of the sword;(M)
they will become the jackals’ prey.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;(N)
all who swear by Him[b] will boast,
for the mouths of liars will be shut.(O)
Footnotes
- Psalm 63:5 Lit with fat and fatness
- Psalm 63:11 Or him
Psalm 63
King James Version
63 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.
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