Psalm 33-34

Contemporary English Version

⁴ The Lord is truthful;
    he can be trusted.
⁵ He loves justice and fairness,
and he is kind to everyone
    everywhere on earth.

⁶ The Lord made the heavens
and everything in them
    by his word.
⁷ He scooped up the ocean
    and stored the water.
⁸ Everyone in this world
should worship and honor
    the Lord!
⁹ As soon as he spoke
    the world was created;
at his command,
    the earth was formed.

¹⁰ The Lord destroys the plans
and spoils the schemes
    of the nations.
¹¹ But what the Lord has planned
will stand forever.
    His thoughts never change.
¹² The Lord blesses each nation
that worships only him.
    He blesses his chosen ones.
¹³ The Lord looks at the world
¹⁴ from his throne in heaven,
    and he watches us all.
¹⁵ The Lord gave us each a mind,
and nothing we do
    can be hidden from him.

^16 (A) Mighty armies alone
    cannot win wars for a king;
great strength by itself
    cannot keep a soldier safe.
¹⁷ In war the strength of a horse
cannot be trusted
    to take you to safety.
¹⁸ But the Lord watches over
all
    who honor him
    and trust his kindness.
¹⁹ He protects them from death
    and starvation.

²⁰ We depend on you, Lord,
    to help and protect us.
²¹ You make our hearts glad
because we trust you,
    the only God.
²² Be kind and bless us!
    We depend on you.

⁴ I asked the Lord for help,
and he saved me
    from all my fears.
⁵ Keep your eyes on the Lord!
You will shine like the sun
    and never blush with shame.
⁶ I was a nobody, but I prayed,
and the Lord saved me
    from all my troubles.

⁷ If you honor the Lord,
    his angel will protect you.
^8 (C) Discover for yourself
    that the Lord is kind.
Come to him for protection,
    and you will be glad.

⁹ Honor the Lord!
    You are his special people.
No one who honors the Lord
    will ever be in need.
¹⁰ Young lions^[a] may go hungry
    or even starve,
but if you trust the Lord,
you will never miss out
    on anything good.

¹¹ Come, my children, listen
as I teach you
    to respect the Lord.
^12 (D) Do you want to live
    and enjoy a long life?
¹³ Then don't say cruel things
    and don't tell lies.
¹⁴ Do good instead of evil
    and try to live at peace.

¹⁵ If you obey the Lord,
he will watch over you
    and answer your prayers.
¹⁶ But God despises evil people,
    and he will wipe them all
from the earth,
    till they are forgotten.
¹⁷ When his people pray for help,
he listens and rescues them
    from their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is there to rescue
all
    who are discouraged
    and have given up hope.

¹⁹ The Lord's people
    may suffer a lot,
but he will always
    bring them safely through.
^20 (E) Not one of their bones
    will ever be broken.

²¹ Wicked people are killed
    by their own evil deeds,
and if you hate God's people
    you will be punished.
²² The Lord saves the lives
    of his servants.
Run to him for protection,
    and you won't be punished.