Psalm 34
34
1 Of David himself. O Lord, judge those who harm me; assail those who attack me.
2 Take hold of weapons and a shield, and rise up in assistance to me.
3 Bring forth the spear, and close in on those who persecute me. Say to my soul, "I am your salvation."
4 Let them be confounded and in awe, who pursue my soul. Let them be turned back and be confounded, who think up evil against me.
5 May they become like dust before the face of the wind, and let the Angel of the Lord hem them in.
6 May their way become dark and slippery, and may the Angel of the Lord pursue them.
7 For, without cause, they have concealed their snare for me unto destruction. Over nothing, they have rebuked my soul.
8 Let the snare, of which he is ignorant, come upon him, and let the deception, which he has hidden, take hold of him: and may he fall into that very snare.
9 But my soul will exult in the Lord and delight over his salvation.
10 All my bones will say, "Lord, who is like you?" He rescues the needy from the hand of the stronger one, the indigent and the poor from those who plunder him.
11 Unfair witnesses have risen up, interrogating me about things of which I am ignorant.
12 They repaid me evil for good, to the deprivation of my soul.
13 But as for me, when they were harassing me, I was clothed with haircloth. I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer will become my sinews.
14 Like a neighbor, and like our brother, so did I please; like one mourning and contrite, so was I humbled.
15 And they have been joyful against me, and they joined together. Scourges have been gathered over me, and I was ignorant of it.
16 They have been scattered, yet they were unremorseful. They have tested me. They scoffed at me with scorn. They gnashed their teeth over me.
17 Lord, when will you look down upon me? Restore my soul from before their malice, my only one from before the lions.
18 I will confess to you in a great Church. I will praise you among a weighty people.
19 May those who are my unjust adversaries not be glad over me: those who have hated me without cause, and who nod agreement with their eyes.
20 For indeed, they spoke peacefully to me; and speaking with passion to the earth, they intended deceit.
21 And they opened their mouth wide over me. They said, "Well, well, our eyes have seen."
22 You have seen, O Lord, do not be silent. Lord, do not depart from me.
23 Rise up and be attentive to my judgment, to my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me according to your justice, O Lord, my God, and do not let them be glad over me.
25 Do not let them say in their hearts, "Well, well, to our soul." Neither let them say, "We have devoured him."
26 Let them blush and be in awe together, those who congratulate at my misfortunes. Let them be clothed with confusion and awe, who speak great things against me.
27 Let them exult and rejoice, who wish my justice, and let them ever say, "The Lord be magnified," who will the peace of his servant.
28 And so my tongue will express your justice: your praise all day long.
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Psalm 34: CPDV
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Psalm 34
34
Taste and See That the Lord Is Good
# 34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet Of David, when he #1 Sam. 21:13 changed his behavior before #[1 Sam. 21:10, 11, 12, 14]Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
1I will bless the Lord #[Eph. 5:20; 1 Thess. 5:18]at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2My soul #Ps. 44:8; 1 Sam. 2:1; Jer. 9:24 makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and #Ps. 119:74be glad.
3Oh, #Ps. 35:27; 40:16; 69:30; 70:4; Luke 1:46magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4I #2 Chr. 15:2; [Matt. 7:7]sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5Those who look to him are #Isa. 60:5; [Ps. 4:6]radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 # ver. 15, 17 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and #ver. 17, 19; 2 Sam. 22:1saved him out of all his troubles.
7 #
Dan. 6:22; Heb. 1:14 The angel of the Lord #[Gen. 32:1, 2; 2 Kgs. 6:17]encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8Oh, #Heb. 6:5; 1 Pet. 2:3 taste and see that #Ps. 100:5 the Lord is good!
# See Ps. 2:12 Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 #
Job 4:10, 11 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who #[Ps. 84:11]seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 #
Ps. 66:16 Come, O children, listen to me;
# [Ps. 32:8] I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 # Cited 1 Pet. 3:10-12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may #Eccles. 3:13; 6:6see good?
13 #
Ps. 15:3; 39:1; 141:3; Prov. 13:3; 21:23; James 1:26; 3:2; 1 Pet. 2:1, 22 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from #John 1:47; Rev. 14:5speaking deceit.
14 #
Ps. 37:27; Isa. 1:16, 17; [Job 28:28] Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and #Rom. 14:19; Heb. 12:14; [Rom. 12:18]pursue it.
15 # See Ps. 33:18 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
# ver. 6, 8; Ps. 145:18; [John 9:31] and his ears toward their cry.
16 #
Jer. 44:11; Amos 9:4 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to #See Ps. 21:10cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 # [See ver. 15 above] When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18The Lord is near to #Ps. 51:17; 147:3; Isa. 61:1 the brokenhearted
and saves #Isa. 57:15; 66:2; See Luke 15:17-24the crushed in spirit.
19 #
2 Tim. 3:11, 12 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
# ver. 6, 17, 22; [Acts 12:11] but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20He keeps all his bones;
#
John 19:36
not one of them is broken.
21 #
Ps. 94:23; Prov. 24:16; [Ps. 7:15, 16] Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22The Lord #See Ps. 25:22 redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be #[Rom. 8:33, 34]condemned.
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