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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”

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 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”

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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