Psalm 63

Praise God Who Satisfies

A psalm of David. When he was in the Wilderness of Judah.(A)

God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you.
I thirst for you;
my body faints for you
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.(B)
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.(C)

My lips will glorify you
because your faithful love is better than life.(D)
So I will bless you as long as I live;
at your name, I will lift up my hands.(E)
You satisfy me as with rich food;[a](F)
my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.(G)

When I think of you as I lie on my bed,
I meditate on you during the night watches(H)
because you are my helper;(I)
I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.(J)
I follow close to you;
your right hand holds on to me.(K)

But those who intend to destroy my life
will go into the depths of the earth.(L)
10 They will be given over to the power of the sword;(M)
they will become a meal for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;(N)
all who swear by him will boast,
for the mouths of liars will be shut.(O)

Footnotes

  1. 63:5 Lit with fat and fatness

Psalm 63

A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.

O God, you are my God;
    I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
    my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
    where there is no water.
I have seen you in your sanctuary
    and gazed upon your power and glory.
Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
    how I praise you!
I will praise you as long as I live,
    lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
    I will praise you with songs of joy.

I lie awake thinking of you,
    meditating on you through the night.
Because you are my helper,
    I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you;
    your strong right hand holds me securely.

But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.
    They will go down into the depths of the earth.
10 They will die by the sword
    and become the food of jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God.
    All who swear to tell the truth will praise him,
    while liars will be silenced.

13 So David and his men, numbering about six hundred,(A) left Keilah at once and moved from place to place.(B) When it was reported to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he called off the expedition. 14 David then stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph.(C) Saul searched for him every day, but God did not hand David over to him.(D)

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David Hides in the Wilderness

13 So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. 14 David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.

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