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(A)In Praise of God's Goodness[a]

34 I will always thank the Lord;
    I will never stop praising him.
I will praise him for what he has done;
    may all who are oppressed listen and be glad!
Proclaim with me the Lord's greatness;
    let us praise his name together!

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me;
    he freed me from all my fears.
The oppressed look to him and are glad;
    they will never be disappointed.
The helpless call to him, and he answers;
    he saves them from all their troubles.
His angel guards those who honor the Lord
    and rescues them from danger.

(B)Find out for yourself how good the Lord is.
    Happy are those who find safety with him.
Honor the Lord, all his people;
    those who obey him have all they need.
10 Even lions go hungry for lack of food,
    but those who obey the Lord lack nothing good.

11 Come, my young friends, and listen to me,
    and I will teach you to honor the Lord.
12 (C)Would you like to enjoy life?
    Do you want long life and happiness?
13 Then keep from speaking evil
    and from telling lies.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
    strive for peace with all your heart.

15 The Lord watches over the righteous
    and listens to their cries;
16 but he opposes those who do evil,
    so that when they die, they are soon forgotten.
17 The righteous call to the Lord, and he listens;
    he rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to those who are discouraged;
    he saves those who have lost all hope.

19 Good people suffer many troubles,
    but the Lord saves them from them all;
20 (D)the Lord preserves them completely;
    not one of their bones is broken.
21 Evil will kill the wicked;
    those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22 The Lord will save his people;
    those who go to him for protection will be spared.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 34:1 HEBREW TITLE: By David, who left the presence of Abimelech after pretending to be crazy and being sent away by him.

Psalm 34

Praise for Deliverance from Trouble

Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.

I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.(A)
O magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together.(B)

I sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.(C)
Look to him, and be radiant,
    so your[a] faces shall never be ashamed.(D)
This poor soul cried and was heard by the Lord
    and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
    around those who fear him and delivers them.(E)
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
    happy are those who take refuge in him.(F)
O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
    for those who fear him have no want.(G)
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.(H)

11 Come, O children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.(I)
12 Which of you desires life
    and covets many days to enjoy good?(J)
13 Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from speaking deceit.(K)
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
    seek peace, and pursue it.(L)

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their cry.(M)
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
    to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.(N)
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and rescues them from all their troubles.(O)
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.(P)

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    but the Lord rescues them from them all.(Q)
20 He keeps all their bones;
    not one of them will be broken.(R)
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.(S)
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.(T)

Footnotes

  1. 34.5 Gk Syr Jerome: Heb their

34 (0) By David, when he pretended to be insane before Avimelekh, who then drove him away; so he left:

(1) I will bless Adonai at all times;
his praise will always be in my mouth.
(2) When I boast, it will be about Adonai;
the humble will hear of it and be glad.

(3) Proclaim with me the greatness of Adonai;
let us exalt his name together.
(4) I sought Adonai, and he answered me;
he rescued me from everything I feared.

(5) They looked to him and grew radiant;
their faces will never blush for shame.
(6) This poor man cried; Adonai heard
and saved him from all his troubles.
(7) The angel of Adonai, who encamps
around those who fear him, delivers them.

(8) Taste, and see that Adonai is good.
How blessed are those who take refuge in him!
10 (9) Fear Adonai, you holy ones of his,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
11 (10) Young lions can be needy, they can go hungry,
but those who seek Adonai lack nothing good.

12 (11) Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of Adonai.
13 (12) Which of you takes pleasure in living?
Who wants a long life to see good things?
14 (13) [If you do,] keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from deceiving talk;
15 (14) turn from evil, and do good;
seek peace, go after it!

16 (15) The eyes of Adonai watch over the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
17 (16) But the face of Adonai opposes those who do evil,
to cut off all memory of them from the earth.

18 (17) [The righteous] cried out, and Adonai heard,
and he saved them from all their troubles.
19 (18) Adonai is near those with broken hearts;
he saves those whose spirit is crushed.
20 (19) The righteous person suffers many evils,
but Adonai rescues him out of them all.
21 (20) He protects all his bones;
not one of them gets broken.

22 (21) Evil will kill the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
23 (22) But Adonai redeems his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

34 I bless God every chance I get;
my lungs expand with his praise.

I live and breathe God;
if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy:

Join me in spreading the news;
together let’s get the word out.

God met me more than halfway,
he freed me from my anxious fears.

Look at him; give him your warmest smile.
Never hide your feelings from him.

When I was desperate, I called out,
and God got me out of a tight spot.

God’s angel sets up a circle
of protection around us while we pray.

Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
    how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him.

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.