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A Davidic Psalm, while he was in the Judean wilderness.

Joyful Trust in God

63 God, you are my God!
    I will fervently seek you.
My soul thirsts for you;
    my flesh longs for you in a dry, weary, and parched land.
So I have looked for you in the sanctuary,
    to behold your power and glory.
Because your gracious love is better than life itself,
    my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
    I will lift up my hands in your name.

Just as I am satisfied with the choicest of foods,[a]
    so my lips will praise you joyfully.
When I think of you in bed,
    I will meditate on you in the night watches.
For you have been my strength,
    and in the shadow of your wings I will shout for joy.

My soul clings to you,
    even as your right hand supports me.

But as for those who seek to destroy me,
    they will go down to the depths of the earth;
10 May they be given over to the power of[b] the sword;
    may they become carrion for jackals.

11 But as for the king,
    he will rejoice in God.
Indeed, everyone who swears by God[c] will exult,
    because the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 63:5 Lit. with marrow and fatness
  2. Psalm 63:10 The Heb. lacks to the power of
  3. Psalm 63:11 Lit. him

Longing for God

A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.[a]

63 O God, you are my God;
I will seek you diligently.
My soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you
as in a dry and weary land without water.
Thus I have seen you in the sanctuary,
beholding your strength and glory.
Because your loyal love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you while I live.
I will lift up my hands[b] in your name.
My soul will be satisfied as with the best and richest food,
and with joyful lips my mouth will praise.
When I remember you on my bed,
I meditate on you in the night watches.
Because you have been my help,
therefore[c] in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to[d] you;
your right hand upholds me.
But as for them who seek my life for ruin,
they will go into the depths of the earth.
10 They who would deliver him to the sword[e]
will become a portion for jackals.
11 However, the king will rejoice in God.
Everyone who swears an oath by him will boast,
because the mouth of the liars will be stopped.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 63:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  2. Psalm 63:4 Hebrew “palms”
  3. Psalm 63:7 Hebrew “and”
  4. Psalm 63:8 Or “follows hard after”
  5. Psalm 63:10 Literally “pour him out to the hands of the sword”

13 David and his men, about 600 strong, got up and left Keilah. They moved around wherever they could go. Saul was advised that David had escaped from Keilah, so he stopped the campaign.[a]

Jonathan Visits David

14 David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and he lived in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not let David[b] slip into Saul’s[c] control.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 23:13 Lit. stopped going out
  2. 1 Samuel 23:14 Lit. him
  3. 1 Samuel 23:14 Lit. his

13 So David and his men got up, about six hundred men, and went out from Keilah and wandered wherever they could go. When it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he stopped his pursuit.[a]

David Eludes Saul’s Pursuit

14 David remained in the wilderness, in the strongholds, and in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him continually,[b] but God did not give him into his hand.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 23:13 Literally “he ceased to go out”
  2. 1 Samuel 23:14 Literally “all the days”