Psalm 42

New King James Version

BOOK TWO

Psalms 42–72

Yearning for God in the Midst of Distresses

To the Chief Musician. A ^[a]Contemplation of the sons of Korah.

42 As the deer ^[b]pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
²^(A)My soul thirsts for God, for the ^(B)living God.
When shall I come and ^[c]appear before God?
³^(C)My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
^(D)“Where is your God?”

⁴When I remember these things,
^(E)I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
^(F)I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

⁵^(G)Why are you ^[d]cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
^(H)Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
^[e]For the help of His countenance.

⁶^[f]O my God, my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From ^[g]the Hill Mizar.
⁷Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
^(I)All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
⁸The Lord will ^(J)command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And ^(K)in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.

⁹I will say to God my Rock,
^(L)“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰As with a ^[h]breaking of my bones,
My enemies ^[i]reproach me,
^(M)While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

¹¹^(N)Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The ^[j]help of my countenance and my God.

Footnotes

Psalm 42:1 Heb. Maschil
Psalm 42:1 Lit. longs for
Psalm 42:2 So with MT, Vg.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Tg. I see the face of God
Psalm 42:5 Lit. bowed down
Psalm 42:5 So with MT, Tg.; a few Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Vg. The help of my countenance, my God
Psalm 42:6 So with MT, Tg.; a few Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Vg. put my God at the end of v. 5
Psalm 42:6 Or Mount
Psalm 42:10 Lit. shattering
Psalm 42:10 revile
Psalm 42:11 Lit. salvation

Psalm 43

New King James Version

Prayer to God in Time of Trouble

43 Vindicate ^(A)me, O God,
And ^(B)plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
²For You are the God of my strength;
Why do You cast me off?
^(C)Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

³^(D)Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to ^(E)Your holy hill
And to Your ^[a]tabernacle.
⁴Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God.

⁵^(F)Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The ^[b]help of my countenance and my God.

Footnotes

Psalm 43:3 dwelling places
Psalm 43:5 Lit. salvation

Psalm 63

New King James Version

Joy in the Fellowship of God

A Psalm of David ^(A)when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

63 O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
^(B)My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
²So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see ^(C)Your power and Your glory.

³^(D)Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
⁴Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will ^(E)lift up my hands in Your name.
⁵My soul shall be satisfied as with ^[a]marrow and ^[b]fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

⁶When ^(F)I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
⁷Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
⁸My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.

⁹But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
¹⁰They shall ^[c]fall by the sword;
They shall be ^[d]a portion for jackals.

¹¹But the king shall rejoice in God;
^(G)Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.