Psalm 34-36

English Standard Version

⁴ I ^(G)sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are ^(H)radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.
^6 (I)This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
    and ^(J)saved him out of all his troubles.
^7 (K)The angel of the Lord ^(L)encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.

⁸ Oh, ^(M)taste and see that ^(N)the Lord is good!
    ^(O)Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
⁹ Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
^10 (P)The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who ^(Q)seek the Lord lack no good thing.

^11 (R)Come, O children, listen to me;
    ^(S)I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
^12 (T)What man is there who desires life
    and loves many days, that he may ^(U)see good?
^13 (V)Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from ^(W)speaking deceit.
^14 (X)Turn away from evil and do good;
    seek peace and ^(Y)pursue it.

^15 (Z)The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
    ^(AA)and his ears toward their cry.
^16 (AB)The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to ^(AC)cut off the memory of them from the earth.
^17 (AD)When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to ^(AE)the brokenhearted
    and saves ^(AF)the crushed in spirit.

^19 (AG)Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    ^(AH)but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰ He keeps all his bones;
    ^(AI)not one of them is broken.
^21 (AJ)Affliction will slay the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
²² The Lord ^(AK)redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be ^(AL)condemned.

^4 (AP)Let them be ^(AQ)put to shame and dishonor
    who seek after my life!
Let them be ^(AR)turned back and disappointed
    who devise evil against me!
⁵ Let them be like ^(AS)chaff before the wind,
    with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
⁶ Let their way be dark and ^(AT)slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!

⁷ For ^(AU)without cause ^(AV)they hid their net for me;
    without cause they dug ^(AW)a pit for my life.^[c]
8 Let ^(AX)destruction come upon him ^(AY)when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
    let him fall into it—to his destruction!

⁹ Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord,
    ^(AZ)exulting in his salvation.
¹⁰ All my ^(BA)bones shall say,
    “O Lord, ^(BB)who is like you,
delivering the poor
    from him who is too strong for him,
    the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

^11 (BC)Malicious^[d] witnesses rise up;
    they ask me of things that I do not know.
^12 (BD)They repay me evil for good;
    my soul is bereft.^[e]
13 But I, ^(BE)when they were sick—
    I ^(BF)wore sackcloth;
    I ^(BG)afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed ^(BH)with head bowed^[f] on my chest.
¹⁴     I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
    I ^(BI)bowed down in mourning.

¹⁵ But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
    they gathered together against me;
^(BJ)wretches whom I did not know
    tore at me without ceasing;
¹⁶ like profane mockers at a feast,^[g]
    they ^(BK)gnash at me with their teeth.

¹⁷ How long, O Lord, will you ^(BL)look on?
    Rescue me from their destruction,
    ^(BM)my precious life from the lions!
¹⁸ I will thank you in ^(BN)the great congregation;
    in the mighty throng I will praise you.

^19 (BO)Let not those rejoice over me
    who are ^(BP)wrongfully my foes,
and let not those ^(BQ)wink the eye
    who ^(BR)hate me ^(BS)without cause.
²⁰ For they do not speak peace,
    but against those who are quiet in the land
    they devise words of deceit.
²¹ They ^(BT)open wide their mouths against me;
    they say, ^(BU)“Aha, Aha!
    Our eyes have seen it!”

^22 (BV)You have seen, O Lord; ^(BW)be not silent!
    O Lord, ^(BX)be not far from me!
²³ Awake and ^(BY)rouse yourself for ^(BZ)my vindication,
    for my cause, my God and my Lord!
^24 (CA)Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
    according to your righteousness,
    and ^(CB)let them not rejoice over me!
²⁵ Let them not say in their hearts,
    ^(CC)“Aha, our heart's desire!”
Let them not say, ^(CD)“We have swallowed him up.”

²⁶ Let them be ^(CE)put to shame and disappointed altogether
    who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be ^(CF)clothed with shame and dishonor
    who ^(CG)magnify themselves against me!

²⁷ Let those who delight in my righteousness
    shout for joy and be glad
    ^(CH)and say evermore,
^(CI)“Great is the Lord,
    who ^(CJ)delights in the welfare of his servant!”
²⁸ Then my ^(CK)tongue shall tell of your righteousness
    and of your praise all the day long.

⁵ Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
^6 (CU)Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
    ^(CV)your judgments are like the great deep;
    man and beast you ^(CW)save, O Lord.

^7 (CX)How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    The children of mankind take refuge ^(CY)in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ They feast on ^(CZ)the abundance of your house,
    and you give them drink from ^(DA)the river of ^(DB)your delights.
⁹ For with you is ^(DC)the fountain of life;
    ^(DD)in your light do we see light.

¹⁰ Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who ^(DE)know you,
    and your righteousness to ^(DF)the upright of heart!
¹¹ Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
    nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹² There ^(DG)the evildoers lie fallen;
    they are thrust down, ^(DH)unable to rise.