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Psalm 33

The Greatness and Goodness of God

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
    Praise befits the upright.(A)
Praise the Lord with the lyre;
    make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.(B)
Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.(C)

For the word of the Lord is upright,
    and all his work is done in faithfulness.(D)
He loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.(E)

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made
    and all their host by the breath of his mouth.(F)
He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
    he put the deeps in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him,(G)
for he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.(H)

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
    he frustrates the plans of the peoples.(I)
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
    the thoughts of his heart to all generations.(J)
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.(K)

13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
    he sees all humankind.(L)
14 From where he sits enthroned he watches
    all the inhabitants of the earth—
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
    and observes all their deeds.(M)
16 A king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.(N)
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
    and by its great might it cannot save.(O)

18 Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,(P)
19 to deliver their soul from death
    and to keep them alive in famine.(Q)

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
    he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in him
    because we trust in his holy name.(R)
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.

33 Rejoice in Adonai, you righteous!
Praise is well-suited to the upright.
Give thanks to Adonai with the lyre,
sing praises to him with a ten-stringed harp.
Sing to him a new song,
make music at your best among shouts of joy.
For the word of Adonai is true,
and all his work is trustworthy.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the grace of Adonai.

By the word of Adonai the heavens were made,
and their whole host by a breath from his mouth.
He collects the sea waters together in a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear Adonai!
Let all living in the world stand in awe of him.
For he spoke, and there it was;
he commanded, and there it stood.

10 Adonai brings to nothing the plans of nations,
he foils the plans of the peoples.
11 But the counsel of Adonai stands forever,
his heart’s plans are for all generations.
12 How blessed is the nation whose God is Adonai,
the people he chose as his heritage!

13 Adonai looks out from heaven;
he sees every human being;
14 from the place where he lives
he watches everyone living on earth,
15 he who fashioned the hearts of them all
and understands all they do.

16 A king is not saved by the size of his army,
a strong man not delivered by his great strength.
17 To rely on a horse for safety is vain,
nor does its great power assure escape.

18 But Adonai’s eyes watch over those who fear him,
over those who wait for his grace
19 to rescue them from death
and keep them alive in famine.

20 We are waiting for Adonai;
he is our help and shield.
21 For in him our hearts rejoice,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 May your mercy, Adonai, be over us,
because we put our hope in you.

33 1-3 Good people, cheer God!
    Right-living people sound best when praising.
Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs!
    Play his praise on a grand piano!
Compose your own new song to him;
    give him a trumpet fanfare.

4-5 For God’s Word is solid to the core;
    everything he makes is sound inside and out.
He loves it when everything fits,
    when his world is in plumb-line true.
Earth is drenched
    in God’s affectionate satisfaction.

6-7 The skies were made by God’s command;
    he breathed the word and the stars popped out.
He scooped Sea into his jug,
    put Ocean in his keg.

8-9 Earth-creatures, bow before God;
    world-dwellers—down on your knees!
Here’s why: he spoke and there it was,
    in place the moment he said so.

10-12 God takes the wind out of Babel pretense,
    he shoots down the world’s power-schemes.
God’s plan for the world stands up,
    all his designs are made to last.
Blessed is the country with God for God;
    blessed are the people he’s put in his will.

13-15 From high in the skies God looks around,
    he sees all Adam’s brood.
From where he sits
    he overlooks all us earth-dwellers.
He has shaped each person in turn;
    now he watches everything we do.

16-17 No king succeeds with a big army alone,
    no warrior wins by brute strength.
Horsepower is not the answer;
    no one gets by on muscle alone.

18-19 Watch this: God’s eye is on those who respect him,
    the ones who are looking for his love.
He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times;
    in lean times he keeps body and soul together.

20-22 We’re depending on God;
    he’s everything we need.
What’s more, our hearts brim with joy
    since we’ve taken for our own his holy name.
Love us, God, with all you’ve got—
    that’s what we’re depending on.