Psalm 34
New American Standard Bible
The Lord, a Provider and the One Who Rescues Me.
A Psalm of David, when he pretended to be insane before [a]Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
34 I will (A)bless the Lord at all times;
His (B)praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will (C)make its boast in the Lord;
The (D)humble will hear it and rejoice.
3 (E)Exalt the Lord with me,
And let’s (F)exalt His name together.
4 I (G)sought the Lord and He answered me,
And (H)rescued me from all my fears.
5 They (I)looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will (J)never be ashamed.
6 This wretched man cried out, and (K)the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The (L)angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
8 (M)Taste and see that the Lord is good;
How (N)blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9 Fear the Lord, you (O)His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is (P)no lack of anything.
10 The young lions do without and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord will (Q)not lack any good thing.
11 (R)Come, you children, listen to me;
(S)I will teach you (T)the fear of the Lord.
12 (U)Who is the person who desires life
And loves length of days, that he may (V)see good?
13 Keep (W)your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking (X)deceit.
14 (Y)Turn from evil and do good;
Seek peace and (Z)pursue it.
15 The (AA)eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears are toward their cry for help.
16 The (AB)face of the Lord is against evildoers,
To (AC)eliminate the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous (AD)cry out, and the Lord hears
And rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord (AE)is near to the (AF)brokenhearted
And saves those who are [b](AG)crushed in spirit.
19 (AH)The (AI)afflictions of the righteous are many,
But the Lord (AJ)rescues him from them all.
20 He protects all his bones,
(AK)Not one of them is broken.
21 (AL)Evil will bring death to the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will suffer for their guilt.
22 The Lord (AM)redeems the souls of His servants,
And none of those who (AN)take refuge in Him will suffer for their guilt.
Footnotes
- Psalm 34 Title Possibly a title of King Achish of Gath, see 1 Sam 21:10-15
- Psalm 34:18 Or contrite
Psalm 34
The Message
34 I bless God every chance I get;
my lungs expand with his praise.
2 I live and breathe God;
if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy:
3 Join me in spreading the news;
together let’s get the word out.
4 God met me more than halfway,
he freed me from my anxious fears.
5 Look at him; give him your warmest smile.
Never hide your feelings from him.
6 When I was desperate, I called out,
and God got me out of a tight spot.
7 God’s angel sets up a circle
of protection around us while we pray.
8 Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him.
9 Worship God if you want the best;
worship opens doors to all his goodness.
10 Young lions on the prowl get hungry,
but God-seekers are full of God.
11 Come, children, listen closely;
I’ll give you a lesson in God worship.
12 Who out there has a lust for life?
Can’t wait each day to come upon beauty?
13 Guard your tongue from profanity,
and no more lying through your teeth.
14 Turn your back on sin; do something good.
Embrace peace—don’t let it get away!
15 God keeps an eye on his friends,
his ears pick up every moan and groan.
16 God won’t put up with rebels;
he’ll cull them from the pack.
17 Is anyone crying for help? God is listening,
ready to rescue you.
18 If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there;
if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.
19 Disciples so often get into trouble;
still, God is there every time.
20 He’s your bodyguard, shielding every bone;
not even a finger gets broken.
21 The wicked commit slow suicide;
they waste their lives hating the good.
22 God pays for each slave’s freedom;
no one who runs to him loses out.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson