Psalm 63-65

New King James Version

Joy in the Fellowship of God

A Psalm of David ^(A)when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

63 O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
^(B)My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
²So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see ^(C)Your power and Your glory.

³^(D)Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
⁴Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will ^(E)lift up my hands in Your name.
⁵My soul shall be satisfied as with ^[a]marrow and ^[b]fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

⁶When ^(F)I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
⁷Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
⁸My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.

⁹But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
¹⁰They shall ^[c]fall by the sword;
They shall be ^[d]a portion for jackals.

¹¹But the king shall rejoice in God;
^(G)Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Oppressed by the Wicked but Rejoicing in the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

64 Hear my voice, O God, in my ^[e]meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
²Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
³Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
^(H)And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
⁴That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

⁵They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
^(I)They say, “Who will see them?”
⁶They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

⁷But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they shall be wounded.
⁸So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
^(J)All who see them shall flee away.
⁹All men shall fear,
And shall ^(K)declare the work of God;
For they shall wisely consider His doing.

¹⁰^(L)The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.

Praise to God for His Salvation and Providence

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.

65 Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the ^[f]vow shall be performed.
²O You who hear prayer,
^(M)To You all flesh will come.
³Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
You will ^(N)provide atonement for them.

⁴^(O)Blessed is the man You ^(P)choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
^(Q)We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.

⁵By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;
⁶Who established the mountains by His strength,
^(R)Being clothed with power;
⁷^(S)You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
^(T)And the tumult of the peoples.
⁸They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening ^[g]rejoice.

⁹You ^[h]visit the earth and ^(U)water it,
You greatly enrich it;
^(V)The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
¹⁰You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.

¹¹You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
¹²They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
¹³The pastures are clothed with flocks;
^(W)The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.