Joy in the Fellowship of God

A Psalm of David (A)when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

63 O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
(B)My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see (C)Your power and Your glory.

(D)Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will (E)lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with [a]marrow and [b]fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

When (F)I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.

But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall [c]fall by the sword;
They shall be [d]a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
(G)Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Oppressed by the Wicked but Rejoicing in the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

64 Hear my voice, O God, in my [e]meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
(H)And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
(I)They say, “Who will see them?”
They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they shall be wounded.
So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
(J)All who see them shall flee away.
All men shall fear,
And shall (K)declare the work of God;
For they shall wisely consider His doing.

10 (L)The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.

Praise to God for His Salvation and Providence

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.

65 Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the [f]vow shall be performed.
O You who hear prayer,
(M)To You all flesh will come.
Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
You will (N)provide atonement for them.

(O)Blessed is the man You (P)choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
(Q)We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.

By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;
Who established the mountains by His strength,
(R)Being clothed with power;
(S)You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
(T)And the tumult of the peoples.
They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening [g]rejoice.

You [h]visit the earth and (U)water it,
You greatly enrich it;
(V)The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.

11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;
(W)The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 63:5 Lit. fat
  2. Psalm 63:5 Abundance
  3. Psalm 63:10 Lit. pour him out by the hand of the sword
  4. Psalm 63:10 Prey
  5. Psalm 64:1 complaint
  6. Psalm 65:1 A promised deed
  7. Psalm 65:8 shout for joy
  8. Psalm 65:9 give attention to

Psalm 63[a]

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,(A)
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.(B)

I have seen you in the sanctuary(C)
    and beheld your power and your glory.(D)
Because your love is better than life,(E)
    my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,(F)
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.(G)
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;(H)
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.(I)
Because you are my help,(J)
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.(K)
I cling to you;(L)
    your right hand upholds me.(M)

Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;(N)
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.(O)
10 They will be given over to the sword(P)
    and become food for jackals.(Q)

11 But the king will rejoice in God;
    all who swear by God will glory in him,(R)
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.(S)

Psalm 64[b]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;(T)
    protect my life from the threat of the enemy.(U)

Hide me from the conspiracy(V) of the wicked,(W)
    from the plots of evildoers.
They sharpen their tongues like swords(X)
    and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.(Y)
They shoot from ambush at the innocent;(Z)
    they shoot suddenly, without fear.(AA)

They encourage each other in evil plans,
    they talk about hiding their snares;(AB)
    they say, “Who will see it[c]?”(AC)
They plot injustice and say,
    “We have devised a perfect plan!”
    Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

But God will shoot them with his arrows;
    they will suddenly be struck down.
He will turn their own tongues against them(AD)
    and bring them to ruin;
    all who see them will shake their heads(AE) in scorn.(AF)
All people will fear;(AG)
    they will proclaim the works of God
    and ponder what he has done.(AH)

10 The righteous will rejoice in the Lord(AI)
    and take refuge in him;(AJ)
    all the upright in heart will glory in him!(AK)

Psalm 65[d]

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

Praise awaits[e] you, our God, in Zion;(AL)
    to you our vows will be fulfilled.(AM)
You who answer prayer,
    to you all people will come.(AN)
When we were overwhelmed by sins,(AO)
    you forgave[f] our transgressions.(AP)
Blessed are those you choose(AQ)
    and bring near(AR) to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,(AS)
    of your holy temple.

You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,(AT)
    God our Savior,(AU)
the hope of all the ends of the earth(AV)
    and of the farthest seas,(AW)
who formed the mountains(AX) by your power,
    having armed yourself with strength,(AY)
who stilled the roaring of the seas,(AZ)
    the roaring of their waves,
    and the turmoil of the nations.(BA)
The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
    where morning dawns, where evening fades,
    you call forth songs of joy.(BB)

You care for the land and water it;(BC)
    you enrich it abundantly.(BD)
The streams of God are filled with water
    to provide the people with grain,(BE)
    for so you have ordained it.[g]
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
    you soften it with showers(BF) and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,(BG)
    and your carts overflow with abundance.(BH)
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;(BI)
    the hills are clothed with gladness.(BJ)
13 The meadows are covered with flocks(BK)
    and the valleys are mantled with grain;(BL)
    they shout for joy and sing.(BM)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 63:1 In Hebrew texts 63:1-11 is numbered 63:2-12.
  2. Psalm 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1-10 is numbered 64:2-11.
  3. Psalm 64:5 Or us
  4. Psalm 65:1 In Hebrew texts 65:1-13 is numbered 65:2-14.
  5. Psalm 65:1 Or befits; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  6. Psalm 65:3 Or made atonement for
  7. Psalm 65:9 Or for that is how you prepare the land

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;

To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

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.

64 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:

Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.

But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.

So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.

And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.

10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

65 Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.

O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:

Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:

Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.

They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.

10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.

11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.

12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.

13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.