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Those Who Trust in God Are Happy

34 I will honor the Lord at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth. My soul will be proud to tell about the Lord. Let those who suffer hear it and be filled with joy. Give great honor to the Lord with me. Let us praise His name together.

I looked for the Lord, and He answered me. And He took away all my fears. They looked to Him and their faces shined with joy. Their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him. And He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord stays close around those who fear Him, and He takes them out of trouble.

O taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who trusts in Him! O fear the Lord, all you who belong to Him. For those who fear Him never want for anything. 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger. But they who look for the Lord will not be without any good thing. 11 Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Who is the man who has a desire for life, and wants to live long so that he may see good things? 13 Keep your tongue from sin and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn away from what is sinful. Do what is good. Look for peace and follow it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on those who do what is right and good. His ears are open to their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against those who sin. He will keep the people of the earth from remembering them. 17 Those who are right with the Lord cry, and He hears them. And He takes them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. And He saves those who are broken in spirit.

19 A man who does what is right and good may have many troubles. But the Lord takes him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones safe. Not one of them is broken. 21 Sin will kill the sinful. And those who hate God’s people will be held guilty and punished forever. 22 The Lord saves the soul of those who work for Him. None of those who trust in Him will be held guilty.

Prayer for Help

35 O Lord, stand against those who stand against me. Fight those who fight me. Take hold of a safe-covering and rise up to help me. Take a spear and battle-ax against those who come to get me. Say to my soul, “I am the One Who saves you.” Let the people be ashamed and without honor who want to take my life. Let those be turned away and brought to shame who plan to hurt me. Let them be like straw in the wind. May the angel of the Lord drive them away. Let their way be dark and dangerous, with the angel of the Lord going to get them. For without a reason they hid their net for me. Without a reason, they dug a hole for my soul. Let them be destroyed before they know it. And let them be caught in their own net. May they destroy themselves as they fall into their own hole.

My soul will be happy in the Lord. It will be full of joy because He saves. 10 All my bones will say, “Lord, who is like You? Who saves the weak from those too strong for them? Who saves the poor from those who would rob them?” 11 People come telling lies. They ask me of things that I do not know. 12 They pay me what is bad in return for what is good. My soul is sad. 13 But when they were sick, I put on clothes made from hair. With no pride in my soul, I would not eat. And I prayed with my head on my chest. 14 I went about as if it were my friend or brother. I put my head down in sorrow, like one crying for his mother. 15 But when I would fall, they would gather together in joy. Those who say things to hurt people would gather against me. I did not know them. They spoke against me without stopping. 16 They ground their teeth at me like bad people making fun of others at a special supper.

17 Lord, how long will You look on? Save me from being destroyed by them. Save my life from the lions. 18 I will give You thanks in the big meeting. I will praise You among many people. 19 Do not let those who hate me for no reason stand over me with joy. Do not let those who hate me for no reason wink their eye. 20 They do not speak peace. But they make up lies against those who are quiet in the land. 21 And they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, “O, O, our eyes have seen it.”

22 You have seen it, O Lord. Do not keep quiet. O Lord, do not be far from me. 23 Awake Yourself. Come and help me. Fight for me, my God and my Lord. 24 Say what is right or wrong with me, O Lord my God, because You are right and good. Do not let them have joy over me. 25 Do not let them say in their heart, “O, just what we wanted!” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up!” 26 Let all who are happy because of my trouble be ashamed and without honor. Let those who think they are better than I, be covered with shame and without honor.

27 Let them call out for joy and be glad, who want to see the right thing done for me. Let them always say, “May the Lord be honored. He is pleased when all is going well for His servant.” 28 And my tongue will tell about how right and good You are, and about Your praise all day long.

Sinful Men—Loving God

36 Sin speaks to the sinful man within his heart. There is no fear of God in his eyes. For he makes much of himself in his own eyes. So his sin is not known and hated. The words of his mouth are sinful and false. He has stopped being wise and doing good. He plans wrong-doing upon his bed. He sets himself on a path that is not good. He does not hate what is bad.

O Lord, Your loving-kindness goes to the heavens. You are as faithful as the sky is high. You are as right and good as mountains are big. You are as fair when You judge as a sea is deep. O Lord, You keep safe both man and animal. Of what great worth is Your loving-kindness, O God! The children of men come and are safe in the shadow of Your wings. They are filled with the riches of Your house. And You give them a drink from Your river of joy. All life came from You. In Your light we see light.

10 Keep on giving Your loving-kindness to those who know You. Keep on being right and good to the pure in heart. 11 Do not let the foot of pride come near me. Do not let the hand of the sinful push me away. 12 There have the wrong-doers fallen. They have been thrown down, and cannot rise.