Psa 34 | HCSB | STEP | Concerning David , when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech , who drove him out , and he departed . I . will praise the Lord at all times ; His praise will always be on my lips .

Psalms 34

The Lord Delivers the Righteous

1 Concerning David, when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech, ^{▼▼Probably Achish, king of Gath
,} ^b who drove him out, and he departed.

I ^{▼▼The lines of this poem form an acrostic}. will praise the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips. ^d
2 I will boast in the Lord; ^e
the humble will hear and be glad. ^f
3 Proclaim ^{▼▼Yahweh/Yah: Or The Lord; the personal name of God in Hebrew; "Yah" is the shortened form of the name.}Yahweh’s greatness with me; ^h
let us exalt His name together. ⁱ

4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me
and delivered me from all my fears. ^j
5 Those who look to Him are ^{▼▼Some Hb mss, LXX, Aq, Syr, Jer read Look to Him and be} radiant with joy; ^l
their faces will never be ashamed. ^m
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him from all his troubles. ⁿ
7 The Angel of the Lord encamps
around those who ^{▼▼fear(s) God or the Lord/ the fear of the Lord: No single English word conveys every aspect of the word fear in this phrase. The meaning includes worshipful submission, reverential awe, and obedient respect to the covenant-keeping God of Israel.}fear Him, and rescues them. ^p

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. ^q
How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him! ^r
9 You who are His holy ones, fear Yahweh,
for those who fear Him lack nothing. ^s
10 Young lions ^{▼▼LXX, Syr, Vg read The rich} lack food and go hungry, ^u
but those who seek the Lord
will not lack any good thing. ^v

11 Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord. ^w
12 Who is the man who delights in life,
loving a long life to enjoy what is good? ^x
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from deceitful speech. ^y
14 Turn away from evil and do what is good; ^z
seek peace and pursue it. ^aa

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and His ears are open to their cry for help. ^ab
16 The face of the Lord is set
against those who do what is evil, ^ac
to erase ^{▼▼Or cut off} all memory of them from the earth. ^ae
17 The righteous ^{▼▼Lit They} cry out, and the Lord hears,
and delivers them from all their troubles. ^ag
18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
He saves those crushed in spirit. ^ah

19 Many adversities come to the one who is righteous,
but the Lord delivers him from them all. ^ai
20 He protects all his bones;
not one of them is broken. ^aj
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be punished. ^ak
22 The Lord redeems the life of His servants,
and all who take refuge in Him will not be punished. ^al