Font Size
Psalm 31-35
New Life Version
Psalm 31-35
New Life Version
Prayer of Trust in God
31 O Lord, in You I have found a safe place. Let me never be ashamed. Set me free, because You do what is right and good. 2 Turn Your ear to me, and be quick to save me. Be my rock of strength, a strong place to keep me safe. 3 For You are my rock and my safe place. For the honor of Your name, lead me and show me the way. 4 You will free me from the net that they have hidden for me. For You are my strength. 5 I give my spirit into Your hands. You have made me free, O Lord, God of truth.
6 I hate those who worship false gods. But I trust in the Lord. 7 I will be glad and full of joy in Your loving-kindness. For You have seen my suffering. You have known the troubles of my soul. 8 You have not given me into the hand of those who hate me. You have set my feet in a large place.
9 Show me loving-kindness, O Lord, for I am in trouble. My eyes, my soul and my body are becoming weak from being sad. 10 For my life gets weaker with sorrow, and my years with crying inside myself. My strength has left me because of my sin. And my bones waste away. 11 Because of all those who hate me, I have become a shame to my neighbors. Even my friends do not want to be with me. Those who see me on the street run from me. 12 I am forgotten like a dead man and they do not think about me. I am like a broken pot. 13 For I have heard many say things to hurt me. Fear is on every side. They planned together against me. They thought of ways to take away my life.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord. I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in Your hands. Free me from the hands of those who hate me, and from those who try to hurt me. 16 Make Your face shine upon Your servant. Save me in Your loving-kindness. 17 Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord. For I call to You. Let the sinful be put to shame. Let them be quiet in the grave. 18 Let the lying lips be quiet. For they speak with pride and hate those who do right and good.
19 How great is Your loving-kindness! You have stored it up for those who fear You. You show it to those who trust in You in front of the sons of men. 20 You will hide them with You in secret from the sinful plans of men. You keep them in Your tent in secret from those who fight with tongues. 21 Honor and thanks be to the Lord. For He has shown His great loving-favor to me when I was in a city with armies all around. 22 In my fear I said, “You have closed Your eyes to me!” But You heard my cry for loving-kindness when I called to You.
23 Love the Lord, all you who belong to Him! The Lord keeps the faithful safe. But He gives the proud their pay in full. 24 Be strong. Be strong in heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
Joy of Being Forgiven
32 How happy he is whose wrong-doing is forgiven, and whose sin is covered! 2 How happy is the man whose sin the Lord does not hold against him, and in whose spirit there is nothing false.
3 When I kept quiet about my sin, my bones wasted away from crying all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was dried up as in the hot summer. 5 I told my sin to You. I did not hide my wrong-doing. I said, “I will tell my sins to the Lord.” And You forgave the guilt of my sin. 6 So let all who are God-like pray to You while You may be found, because in the floods of much water, they will not touch him. 7 You are my hiding place. You keep me safe from trouble. All around me are your songs of being made free.
8 I will show you and teach you in the way you should go. I will tell you what to do with My eye upon you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the donkey which have no understanding. They must be made to work by using bits and leather ropes or they will not come to you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the sinful. But loving-kindness will be all around the man who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord and be full of joy, you who are right with God! Sing for joy all you who are pure in heart!
Song of Praise
33 Sing for joy in the Lord, you who are right with Him. It is right for the pure in heart to praise Him. 2 Give thanks to the Lord with harps. Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. 3 Sing to Him a new song. Play well with loud sounds of joy. 4 For the Word of the Lord is right. He is faithful in all He does. 5 He loves what is right and good and what is fair. The earth is full of the loving-kindness of the Lord.
6 The heavens were made by the Word of the Lord. All the stars were made by the breath of His mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as in a bag. He places the waters in store-houses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the people of the world honor Him. 9 For He spoke, and it was done. He spoke with strong words, and it stood strong. 10 The Lord brings the plans of nations to nothing. He wrecks the plans of the people. 11 The plans of the Lord stand forever. The plans of His heart stand through the future of all people. 12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord. Happy are the people He has chosen for His own.
13 The Lord looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men. 14 From where He sits He looks upon all who live on the earth. 15 He made the hearts of them all. And He understands whatever they do. 16 No king is saved by the power of his strong army. A soldier is not saved by great strength. 17 A horse cannot be trusted to win a battle. Its great strength cannot save anyone.
18 See, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, and on those who hope for His loving-kindness, 19 to save their soul from death, and to keep them alive when there is nothing to eat. 20 Our soul waits for the Lord. He is our help and our safe cover. 21 For our heart is full of joy in Him, because we trust in His holy name. 22 O Lord, let Your loving-kindness be upon us as we put our hope in You.
Those Who Trust in God Are Happy
34 I will honor the Lord at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth. 2 My soul will be proud to tell about the Lord. Let those who suffer hear it and be filled with joy. 3 Give great honor to the Lord with me. Let us praise His name together.
4 I looked for the Lord, and He answered me. And He took away all my fears. 5 They looked to Him and their faces shined with joy. Their faces will never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him. And He saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord stays close around those who fear Him, and He takes them out of trouble.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who trusts in Him! 9 O fear the Lord, all you who belong to Him. For those who fear Him never want for anything. 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger. But they who look for the Lord will not be without any good thing. 11 Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Who is the man who has a desire for life, and wants to live long so that he may see good things? 13 Keep your tongue from sin and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn away from what is sinful. Do what is good. Look for peace and follow it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on those who do what is right and good. His ears are open to their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against those who sin. He will keep the people of the earth from remembering them. 17 Those who are right with the Lord cry, and He hears them. And He takes them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. And He saves those who are broken in spirit.
19 A man who does what is right and good may have many troubles. But the Lord takes him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones safe. Not one of them is broken. 21 Sin will kill the sinful. And those who hate God’s people will be held guilty and punished forever. 22 The Lord saves the soul of those who work for Him. None of those who trust in Him will be held guilty.
Prayer for Help
35 O Lord, stand against those who stand against me. Fight those who fight me. 2 Take hold of a safe-covering and rise up to help me. 3 Take a spear and battle-ax against those who come to get me. Say to my soul, “I am the One Who saves you.” 4 Let the people be ashamed and without honor who want to take my life. Let those be turned away and brought to shame who plan to hurt me. 5 Let them be like straw in the wind. May the angel of the Lord drive them away. 6 Let their way be dark and dangerous, with the angel of the Lord going to get them. 7 For without a reason they hid their net for me. Without a reason, they dug a hole for my soul. 8 Let them be destroyed before they know it. And let them be caught in their own net. May they destroy themselves as they fall into their own hole.
9 My soul will be happy in the Lord. It will be full of joy because He saves. 10 All my bones will say, “Lord, who is like You? Who saves the weak from those too strong for them? Who saves the poor from those who would rob them?” 11 People come telling lies. They ask me of things that I do not know. 12 They pay me what is bad in return for what is good. My soul is sad. 13 But when they were sick, I put on clothes made from hair. With no pride in my soul, I would not eat. And I prayed with my head on my chest. 14 I went about as if it were my friend or brother. I put my head down in sorrow, like one crying for his mother. 15 But when I would fall, they would gather together in joy. Those who say things to hurt people would gather against me. I did not know them. They spoke against me without stopping. 16 They ground their teeth at me like bad people making fun of others at a special supper.
17 Lord, how long will You look on? Save me from being destroyed by them. Save my life from the lions. 18 I will give You thanks in the big meeting. I will praise You among many people. 19 Do not let those who hate me for no reason stand over me with joy. Do not let those who hate me for no reason wink their eye. 20 They do not speak peace. But they make up lies against those who are quiet in the land. 21 And they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, “O, O, our eyes have seen it.”
22 You have seen it, O Lord. Do not keep quiet. O Lord, do not be far from me. 23 Awake Yourself. Come and help me. Fight for me, my God and my Lord. 24 Say what is right or wrong with me, O Lord my God, because You are right and good. Do not let them have joy over me. 25 Do not let them say in their heart, “O, just what we wanted!” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up!” 26 Let all who are happy because of my trouble be ashamed and without honor. Let those who think they are better than I, be covered with shame and without honor.
27 Let them call out for joy and be glad, who want to see the right thing done for me. Let them always say, “May the Lord be honored. He is pleased when all is going well for His servant.” 28 And my tongue will tell about how right and good You are, and about Your praise all day long.
Psalm 31-35
New International Version
Psalm 31-35
New International Version
Psalm 31[a](A)
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;(B)
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.(C)
2 Turn your ear to me,(D)
come quickly to my rescue;(E)
be my rock of refuge,(F)
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,(G)
for the sake of your name(H) lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap(I) that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.(J)
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;(K)
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.(L)
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;(M)
as for me, I trust in the Lord.(N)
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction(O)
and knew the anguish(P) of my soul.
8 You have not given me into the hands(Q) of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.(R)
9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;(S)
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,(T)
my soul and body(U) with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish(V)
and my years by groaning;(W)
my strength fails(X) because of my affliction,[b](Y)
and my bones grow weak.(Z)
11 Because of all my enemies,(AA)
I am the utter contempt(AB) of my neighbors(AC)
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;(AD)
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,(AE)
“Terror on every side!”(AF)
They conspire against me(AG)
and plot to take my life.(AH)
14 But I trust(AI) in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times(AJ) are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine(AK) on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.(AL)
17 Let me not be put to shame,(AM) Lord,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent(AN) in the realm of the dead.
18 Let their lying lips(AO) be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly(AP) against the righteous.
19 How abundant are the good things(AQ)
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,(AR)
on those who take refuge(AS) in you.
20 In the shelter(AT) of your presence you hide(AU) them
from all human intrigues;(AV)
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the Lord,(AW)
for he showed me the wonders of his love(AX)
when I was in a city under siege.(AY)
22 In my alarm(AZ) I said,
“I am cut off(BA) from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry(BB) for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people!(BC)
The Lord preserves those who are true to him,(BD)
but the proud he pays back(BE) in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,(BF)
all you who hope in the Lord.
Psalm 32
Of David. A maskil.[c]
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.(BG)
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them(BH)
and in whose spirit is no deceit.(BI)
3 When I kept silent,(BJ)
my bones wasted away(BK)
through my groaning(BL) all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy(BM) on me;
my strength was sapped(BN)
as in the heat of summer.[d]
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.(BO)
I said, “I will confess(BP)
my transgressions(BQ) to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.(BR)
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;(BS)
surely the rising(BT) of the mighty waters(BU)
will not reach them.(BV)
7 You are my hiding place;(BW)
you will protect me from trouble(BX)
and surround me with songs of deliverance.(BY)
8 I will instruct(BZ) you and teach you(CA) in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on(CB) you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle(CC)
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,(CD)
but the Lord’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts(CE) in him.
11 Rejoice in the Lord(CF) and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Psalm 33
1 Sing joyfully(CG) to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting(CH) for the upright(CI) to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;(CJ)
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.(CK)
3 Sing to him a new song;(CL)
play skillfully, and shout for joy.(CM)
4 For the word of the Lord is right(CN) and true;(CO)
he is faithful(CP) in all he does.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice;(CQ)
the earth is full of his unfailing love.(CR)
6 By the word(CS) of the Lord the heavens were made,(CT)
their starry host(CU) by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters(CV) of the sea into jars[e];(CW)
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;(CX)
let all the people of the world(CY) revere him.(CZ)
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded,(DA) and it stood firm.
10 The Lord foils(DB) the plans(DC) of the nations;(DD)
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm(DE) forever,
the purposes(DF) of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,(DG)
the people he chose(DH) for his inheritance.(DI)
13 From heaven the Lord looks down(DJ)
and sees all mankind;(DK)
14 from his dwelling place(DL) he watches
all who live on earth—
15 he who forms(DM) the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.(DN)
16 No king is saved by the size of his army;(DO)
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse(DP) is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes(DQ) of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,(DR)
19 to deliver them from death(DS)
and keep them alive in famine.(DT)
20 We wait(DU) in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,(DV)
for we trust in his holy name.(DW)
22 May your unfailing love(DX) be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 34[f][g]
Of David. When he pretended to be insane(DY) before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;(DZ)
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory(EA) in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.(EB)
3 Glorify the Lord(EC) with me;
let us exalt(ED) his name together.
4 I sought the Lord,(EE) and he answered me;
he delivered(EF) me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;(EG)
their faces are never covered with shame.(EH)
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.(EI)
7 The angel of the Lord(EJ) encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers(EK) them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;(EL)
blessed is the one who takes refuge(EM) in him.
9 Fear the Lord,(EN) you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.(EO)
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.(EP)
11 Come, my children, listen(EQ) to me;
I will teach you(ER) the fear of the Lord.(ES)
12 Whoever of you loves life(ET)
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue(EU) from evil
and your lips from telling lies.(EV)
14 Turn from evil and do good;(EW)
seek peace(EX) and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord(EY) are on the righteous,(EZ)
and his ears are attentive(FA) to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against(FB) those who do evil,(FC)
to blot out their name(FD) from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears(FE) them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close(FF) to the brokenhearted(FG)
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,(FH)
but the Lord delivers him from them all;(FI)
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.(FJ)
21 Evil will slay the wicked;(FK)
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue(FL) his servants;
no one who takes refuge(FM) in him will be condemned.
Psalm 35
Of David.
1 Contend,(FN) Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight(FO) against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shield(FP) and armor;
arise(FQ) and come to my aid.(FR)
3 Brandish spear(FS) and javelin[h](FT)
against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
“I am your salvation.(FU)”
4 May those who seek my life(FV)
be disgraced(FW) and put to shame;(FX)
may those who plot my ruin
be turned back(FY) in dismay.
5 May they be like chaff(FZ) before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord(GA) 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(GB) for me without cause(GC)
and without cause dug a pit(GD) for me,
8 may ruin overtake them by surprise—(GE)
may the net they hid entangle them,
may they fall into the pit,(GF) to their ruin.
9 Then my soul will rejoice(GG) in the Lord
and delight in his salvation.(GH)
10 My whole being will exclaim,
“Who is like you,(GI) Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong(GJ) for them,
the poor and needy(GK) from those who rob them.”
11 Ruthless witnesses(GL) come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good(GM)
and leave me like one bereaved.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth(GN)
and humbled myself with fasting.(GO)
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14 I went about mourning(GP)
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;(GQ)
assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
They slandered(GR) me without ceasing.
16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;[i](GS)
they gnashed their teeth(GT) at me.
17 How long,(GU) Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my precious life(GV) from these lions.(GW)
18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;(GX)
among the throngs(GY) I will praise you.(GZ)
19 Do not let those gloat over me
who are my enemies(HA) without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason(HB)
maliciously wink the eye.(HC)
20 They do not speak peaceably,
but devise false accusations(HD)
against those who live quietly in the land.
21 They sneer(HE) at me and say, “Aha! Aha!(HF)
With our own eyes we have seen it.”
22 Lord, you have seen(HG) this; do not be silent.
Do not be far(HH) from me, Lord.
23 Awake,(HI) and rise(HJ) to my defense!
Contend(HK) for me, my God and Lord.
24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;
do not let them gloat(HL) over me.
25 Do not let them think, “Aha,(HM) just what we wanted!”
or say, “We have swallowed him up.”(HN)
26 May all who gloat(HO) over my distress(HP)
be put to shame(HQ) and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me(HR)
be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who delight in my vindication(HS)
shout for joy(HT) and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
who delights(HU) in the well-being of his servant.”(HV)
Footnotes
- Psalm 31:1 In Hebrew texts 31:1-24 is numbered 31:2-25.
- Psalm 31:10 Or guilt
- Psalm 32:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 32:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 5 and 7.
- Psalm 33:7 Or sea as into a heap
- 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,
New Life Version (NLV)
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.
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.