Psalm 63-67

Common English Bible

Psalm 63

A psalm of David, when he was in the Judean desert.

63 God! My God! It’s you—
    I search for you!
    My whole being^[a] thirsts for you!
    My body desires you
        in a dry and tired land,
        no water anywhere.
²Yes, I’ve seen you in the sanctuary;
    I’ve seen your power and glory.
³My lips praise you
    because your faithful love
    is better than life itself!
⁴So I will bless you as long as I’m alive;
    I will lift up my hands in your name.

⁵I’m fully satisfied—
    as with a rich dinner.
My mouth speaks praise with joy on my lips—
⁶    whenever I ponder you on my bed,
    whenever I meditate on you
        in the middle of the night—
⁷    because you’ve been a help to me and I shout for joy in the protection of your wings.
⁸My whole being clings to you;
    your strong hand upholds me.

⁹But what about those people who want to destroy me?
    Let them go into the bowels of the earth!
¹⁰    Let their blood flow by the sword!
    Let them be food for wild jackals!
¹¹But the king should rejoice in God;
    everyone who swears by God should give praise
        when the mouths of liars are shut for good.

Psalm 64

For the music leader. A psalm of David.

64 Listen to me when I complain, God!
    Protect my life from the enemy’s terror!
²Hide me from the secret plots of wicked people;
    hide me from the schemes of evildoers
³        who sharpen their tongues like swords.
They aim their arrow—a cruel word—
⁴    from their hiding places
    so as to shoot an innocent person.
    They shoot without warning and without fear.
⁵They encourage themselves with evil words.
    They plan on laying traps in secret.
        “Who will be able to see them?” they ask.
⁶        “Let someone try to expose our crimes!
        We’ve devised a perfect plot!
        It’s deep within the human mind and heart.”^[b]

⁷But God will shoot them with an arrow!
    Without warning, they will be wounded!
⁸The Lord will make them trip over their own tongues;
    everyone who sees them will just shake their heads.
⁹Then all people will honor God,
    will announce the act of God,
    will understand it was God’s work.
¹⁰Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord;
    let them take refuge in him;
    let everyone whose heart is in the right place give praise!

Psalm 65

For the music leader. A psalm of David. A song.

65 God of Zion, to you even silence is praise.
    Promises made to you are kept—
²    you listen to prayer—
    and all living things come to you.
³When wrongdoings become too much for me,
    you forgive our sins.
⁴How happy is the one you choose to bring close,
    the one who lives in your courtyards!
We are filled full by the goodness of your house,
    by the holiness of your temple.

⁵In righteousness you answer us,
    by your awesome deeds,
    God of our salvation—
    you, who are the security
        of all the far edges of the earth,
        even the distant seas.
⁶    You establish the mountains by your strength;
    you are dressed in raw power.
⁷    You calm the roaring seas;
        calm the roaring waves,
        calm the noise of the nations.
⁸Those who dwell on the far edges
        stand in awe of your acts.
    You make the gateways
        of morning and evening sing for joy.
⁹You visit the earth and make it abundant,
    enriching it greatly
        by God’s stream, full of water.
You provide people with grain
    because that is what you’ve decided.
¹⁰Drenching the earth’s furrows,
        leveling its ridges,
    you soften it with rain showers;
        you bless its growth.
¹¹You crown the year with your goodness;
    your paths overflow with rich food.
¹²Even the desert pastures drip with it,
    and the hills are dressed in pure joy.
¹³The meadowlands are covered with flocks,
    the valleys decked out in grain—
        they shout for joy;
        they break out in song!

Psalm 66

For the music leader. A song. A psalm.

66 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth!
²    Sing praises to the glory of God’s name!
        Make glorious his praise!
³Say to God:
“How awesome are your works!
    Because of your great strength,
        your enemies cringe before you.
⁴All the earth worships you,
    sings praises to you,
        sings praises to your name!” Selah

⁵Come and see God’s deeds;
    his works for human beings are awesome:
⁶He turned the sea into dry land
    so they could cross the river on foot.
        Right there we rejoiced in him!
⁷God rules with power forever;
    keeps a good eye on the nations.
        So don’t let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

⁸All you nations, bless our God!
Let the sound of his praise be heard!
⁹God preserved us among the living;
he didn’t let our feet slip a bit.

¹⁰But you, God, have tested us—
    you’ve refined us like silver,
¹¹    trapped us in a net,
    laid burdens on our backs,
¹²    let other people run right over our heads—
    we’ve been through fire and water.

But you brought us out to freedom!
¹³    So I’ll enter your house
        with entirely burned offerings.
    I’ll keep the promises I made to you,
¹⁴        the ones my lips uttered,
        the ones my mouth spoke when I was in deep trouble.
¹⁵I will offer the best burned offerings to you
    along with the smoke of sacrificed rams.
    I will offer both bulls and goats. Selah

¹⁶Come close and listen,
    all you who honor God;
    I will tell you what God has done for me:
¹⁷My mouth cried out to him
    with praise on my tongue.
¹⁸If I had cherished evil in my heart,
    my Lord would not have listened.
¹⁹But God definitely listened.
    He heard the sound of my prayer.
²⁰Bless God! He didn’t reject my prayer;
    he didn’t withhold his faithful love from me.

Psalm 67

For the music leader, with stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

67 Let God grant us grace and bless us;
    let God make his face shine on us, Selah
²    so that your way becomes known on earth,
    so that your salvation becomes known among all the nations.

³Let the people thank you, God!
    Let all the people thank you!
⁴    Let the people celebrate
        and shout with joy
        because you judge the nations fairly
        and guide all nations on the earth. Selah
⁵    Let the people thank you, God!
    Let all the people thank you!