Psalm 34
1599 Geneva Bible
34 1 After David had escaped Achish, according as it is written in 1 Sam. 2:11, whom in this title he calleth Abimelech (which was a general name to all the Kings of the Philistines) he praiseth God for his deliverance, 3 provoking all others by his example to trust in God, to fear and serve him, 7 who defendeth the godly with his Angels, 16 and utterly destroyeth the wicked in their sins.
A Psalm of David, when he changeth his behavior before Abimelech, who drave him away, and he departed.
1 I will [a]always give thanks unto the Lord: his praise shall be in my mouth continually.
2 My soul shall glory in the Lord: the [b]humble shall hear it and be glad.
3 Praise ye the Lord with me, and let us magnify his Name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me: yea, he delivered me out of all my [c]fear.
5 They [d]shall look unto him, and run to him: and their faces shall not be ashamed, saying,
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The [e]Angel of the Lord pitched round about them, that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 Taste ye and see, how gracious the Lord is: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 Fear the Lord ye his Saints: for nothing wanteth to them that fear him.
10 The [f]lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they which seek the Lord, shall [g]want nothing that is good.
11 Come children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the [h]fear of the Lord.
12 (A)What man is he that desireth life, and loveth long days for to [i]see good?
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips, that they speak no guile.
14 Eschew evil and do good: seek peace and follow after it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
16 But the [j]face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off their remembrance from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth them, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near unto them that are of a [k]contrite heart, and will save such as be afflicted in spirit.
19 Great are the troubles of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
20 [l]He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
21 But malice shall slay the [m]wicked: and they that hate the righteous, shall perish.
22 The Lord [n]redeemeth the souls of his servants: and none that trust in him, shall perish.
Footnotes
- Psalm 34:1 He promised never to become unmindful of God’s great benefit for his deliverance.
- Psalm 34:2 They that are beaten down with the experience of their own evils.
- Psalm 34:4 Which I conceived for the danger wherein I was.
- Psalm 34:5 They shall be bold to flee to thee for succor, when they shall see thy mercies toward me.
- Psalm 34:7 Though God’s power be sufficient to govern us, yet for man’s infirmity he appointeth his Angels to watch over us.
- Psalm 34:10 The godly by their patient obedience profit more than they which ravine and spoil.
- Psalm 34:10 If they abide the last trial.
- Psalm 34:11 That is, the true religion and worship of God.
- Psalm 34:12 Seeing all men naturally desire felicity, he wondereth why they cast themselves willingly into misery.
- Psalm 34:16 The anger of God doth not only destroy the wicked, but also abolisheth their name forever.
- Psalm 34:18 When they seem to be swallowed up with afflictions, then God is at hand to deliver them.
- Psalm 34:20 And as Christ saith, all the hairs of his head.
- Psalm 34:21 Their wicked enterprises shall turn to their own destruction.
- Psalm 34:22 For when they seem to be overcome with great dangers and death itself, then God showeth himself their redeemer.
Psalm 34
Common English Bible
Psalm 34[a]
Of David, when he pretended to be crazy before Abimelech, who banished him so that he left.
34 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be in my mouth.
2 I[b] praise the Lord—
let the suffering listen and rejoice.
3 Magnify the Lord with me!
Together let us lift his name up high!
4 I sought the Lord and he answered me.
He delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to God will shine;
their faces are never ashamed.
6 This suffering person cried out:
the Lord listened and saved him from every trouble.
7 On every side, the Lord’s messenger protects those who honor God; and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see how good the Lord is!
The one who takes refuge in him is truly happy!
9 You who are the Lord’s holy ones, honor him,
because those who honor him don’t lack a thing.
10 Even strong young lions go without and get hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, children, listen to me.
Let me teach you how to honor the Lord:
12 Do you love life;
do you relish the chance to enjoy good things?
13 Then you must keep your tongue from evil
and keep your lips from speaking lies!
14 Turn away from evil! Do good!
Seek peace and go after it!
15 The Lord’s eyes watch the righteous,
his ears listen to their cries for help.
16 But the Lord’s face is set against those who do evil,
to eliminate even the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry out, the Lord listens;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he saves those whose spirits are crushed.
19 The righteous have many problems,
but the Lord delivers them from every one.
20 He protects all their bones;
not even one will be broken.
21 But just one problem will kill the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be held responsible.
22 The Lord saves his servants’ lives;
all those who take refuge in him
won’t be held responsible for anything.
Footnotes
- Psalm 34:1 Ps 34 is an alphabetic acrostic poem; see the note at Pss 9–10.
- Psalm 34:2 Or my soul; also in 34:22
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
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