Psalm 34

A Psalm of David, when he changed his countenance before Abimelech; and he let him go, and he departed.

¹ I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall be continually in my mouth. ² My soul shall ¹boast herself in the Lord: let the meek hear, and rejoice. ³ Magnify ye the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord diligently, and he hearkened to me, and delivered me from all my ²sojournings. ⁵ Draw near to him, and be enlightened: and your faces shall not by any means be ashamed. ⁶ This poor man cried, and the Lord hearkened to him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions. ⁷ The angel of the Lord will encamp round about them that fear him, and will deliver them. ⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man who hopes in him. ⁹ Fear the Lord, all ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. ¹⁰ The rich have become poor and hungry: but they that seek the Lord diligently shall not want any good thing. Pause.

¹¹ Come, ye children, hear me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. ^{12 3}What man is there that desires life, loving to see good days? ¹³ Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. ¹⁴ Turn away from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

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¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer: ¹⁶ but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to destroy their memorial from the earth. The righteous cried, and the Lord hearkened to them, ¹⁷ and delivered them out of all their afflictions. ¹⁸ The Lord is near to ⁴them that are of a contrite heart; and will save the lowly in spirit. ¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but out of them all Lord will deliver them. ²⁰ He keeps all their bones: not one of them shall be broken. ²¹ The death of sinners is evil: and they that hate righteousness will go wrong. ²² The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants: and none of those that hope in him shall go wrong.

Psalm 35

A Psalm of David.

¹ Judge thou, O Lord, them that injure me, fight against them that fight against me. ² Take hold of shield and buckler, and arise for my help. ³ Bring forth a sword, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say to my soul, I am thy salvation. ⁴ Let them that seek my soul be ashamed and confounded: let them that devise evils against me be turned back and put to shame. ⁵ Let them be as dust before the wind, and an angel of the Lord afflicting them. ⁶ Let their way be dark and slippery, and an angel of the Lord persecuting them. ⁷ For without cause they have hid for me their destructive snare: without a cause they have reproached my soul.

⁸ Let a snare which they know not come upon them; and the gin which they hid take them; and let them fall into the very same snare. ⁹ But my soul shall exult in the Lord: it shall delight in his salvation. ¹⁰ All my bones shall say, O Lord, who is like to thee? delivering the poor out of the hand of them that are stronger than he, yea, the poor and needy one from them that spoil him.

¹¹ Unjust witnesses arose, and asked me of things I new not. ¹² They rewarded me evil for good, and bereavement to my soul. ¹³ But I, when they troubled me, put on sackcloth, and humbled my soul with fasting: and my prayer shall return to my own bosom. ¹⁴ I behaved agreeably towards them as if it had been our neighbour or brother: I humbled myself as one mourning and sad of countenance. ¹⁵ Yet they rejoiced against me, and plagues were ⁵plentifully brought against me, and I knew it not: they were scattered, but ⁶repented not. ¹⁶ They tempted me, they sneered at me most contemptuously, they gnashed their teeth upon me.

¹⁷ O Lord, when wilt thou look upon me? Deliver my soul from their mischief, mine only-begotten one from the lions. ¹⁸ I will give thanks to thee even in a great congregation: in an abundant people I will praise thee. ¹⁹ Let not them that are mine enemies without a cause rejoice against me; who hate me for nothing, and wink with their eyes. ²⁰ For to me they spoke peaceably, but imagined deceits in their anger. ²¹ And

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they opened wide their mouth upon me; they said Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it.

²² Thou hast seen it, O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord, withdraw not thyself from me. ²³ Awake, O Lord, and attend to my judgment, even to my cause, my God and my Lord. ²⁴ Judge me, O Lord, according to thy righteousness, O Lord my God; and let them not rejoice against me. ²⁵ Let them not say in their hearts, Aha, aha, it is pleasing to our soul: neither let them say, We have devoured him. ²⁶ Let them be confounded and ashamed together that rejoice at my afflictions: let them be clothed with shame and confusion that speak great swelling words against me. ²⁷ Let them that rejoice in my righteousness exult and be glad: and let them say continually, The Lord be magnified, who desire the peace of his servant. ²⁸ And my tongue shall meditate on thy righteousness, and on thy praise all the day.