Psalm 34

Easy-to-Read Version

^[a] A song of David when he pretended to be crazy so that Abimelech would send him away, which he did.

34 I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will never stop singing his praises.
²Humble people, listen and be happy,
    while I brag about the Lord.
³Praise the Lord with me.
    Let us honor his name.
⁴I went to the Lord for help, and he listened.
    He saved me from all that I fear.
⁵If you look to him for help,
    he will put a smile on your face.
    You will have no need to be ashamed.
⁶As a poor, helpless man I prayed to the Lord,
    and he heard me.
    He saved me from all my troubles.
⁷The Lord’s angel builds a camp around his followers,
    and he protects them.
⁸Give the Lord a chance to show you^[b] how good he is.
    Great blessings belong to those who depend on him!
⁹The Lord’s holy people should fear and respect him.
    Those who respect him will always have what they need.
¹⁰Even strong lions get weak and hungry,
    but those who go to the Lord for help will have every good thing.
¹¹Children, come and listen to me;
    I will teach you to respect the Lord.
¹²Do you want to enjoy life?
    Do you want to have many happy days?
¹³Then avoid saying anything hurtful,
    and never let a lie come out of your mouth.
¹⁴Stop doing anything evil, and do good.
    Look for peace, and do all you can to help people live peacefully.
¹⁵The Lord watches over those who do what is right,
    and he hears their prayers.
¹⁶But the Lord is against those who do evil,
    so they are forgotten soon after they die.

¹⁷Pray to the Lord, and he will hear you.
    He will save you from all your troubles.
¹⁸The Lord is close to those who have suffered disappointment.
    He saves those who are discouraged.
¹⁹Good people might have many problems,
    but the Lord will take them all away.
²⁰He will protect them completely.
    Not one of their bones will be broken.
²¹But troubles will kill the wicked.
    The enemies of those who live right will all be punished.
²²The Lord saves his servants.
    All who go to him for protection will escape punishment.

Footnotes

Psalm 34:1 Psalm 34 In Hebrew, each verse in this psalm begins with the next letter of the alphabet.
Psalm 34:8 Give … show you Literally, “Taste and see.”