Psalms 34

1 BY DAVID, IN HIS CHANGING HIS BEHAVIOR BEFORE ABIMELECH, AND HE DRIVES HIM AWAY, AND HE GOES. [ALEPH-BET] I bless YHWH at all times, His praise [is] continually in my mouth.

A psalm of David concerning the time he pretended to be mad in front of Abimelech who then sent him away. I will always bless the Lord; my mouth will continually praise him.

2 In YHWH my soul boasts herself, The humble hear and rejoice.

From the bottom of my heart I am proud of the Lord; those who are humble will hear and be happy.

3 Ascribe greatness to YHWH with me, And we exalt His Name together.

Glorify God with me; together let's honor his reputation.

4 I sought YHWH, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.

I asked the Lord for help, and he answered me. He set me free from all my fears.

5 They looked expectingly to Him, And they became bright, And their faces are not ashamed.

The faces of those who look to him will shine with joy; they will never be downcast with shame.

6 This poor [one] called, and YHWH heard, And saved him from all his distresses.

This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard me, and saved me from all my troubles.

7 A messenger of YHWH is encamping, Around those who fear Him, And He arms them.

The angel of the Lord stands guard over all those who honor him, keeping them safe.

8 Taste and see that YHWH [is] good, O the blessedness of the man who trusts in Him.

Taste, and you will see that the Lord is good! How happy are those who trust in his protection!

9 Fear YHWH, you His holy ones, For there is no lack to those fearing Him.

Show your reverence for the Lord, you who are his holy people, for those who respect him have everything they need.

10 Young lions have lacked and been hungry, And those seeking YHWH do not lack any good,

Lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who trust in the Lord have all that is good.

11 Come, children, listen to me, I teach you the fear of YHWH.

Children, listen to me! I will teach you how to respect the Lord.

12 Who [is] the man that is desiring life? Loving days to see good?

Who of you wants to live a long and happy life?

13 Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.

Then don't let your tongue speak evil, or your lips tell lies.

14 Turn aside from evil and do good, Seek peace and pursue it.

Reject what is evil, do what is good. Look for peace, and work to make it a reality.

15 The eyes of YHWH [are] to the righteous, And His ears to their cry.

The Lord watches over those who do right, and he hears when they cry for help.

16 (The face of YHWH [is] on doers of evil, To cut off their memorial from earth.)

The Lord sets himself against those who do evil. He will wipe out even the memory of them from the earth.

17 They cried, and YHWH heard, And delivered them from all their distresses.

But when his people call out for help, he hears them and rescues them from all their troubles.

18 YHWH [is] near to the broken of heart, And He saves the bruised of spirit.

The Lord is close beside those who are broken-hearted; he saves those whose spirits are crushed.

19 Many [are] the afflictions of the righteous, YHWH delivers him out of them all.

Those who do right have many problems, but the Lord solves all of them.

20 He is keeping all his bones, Not one of them has been broken.

He keeps them safe—not a single one of their bones will be broken.

21 Evil puts the wicked to death, And those hating the righteous are desolate.

Evil kills the wicked. Those who hate good people will suffer for their wrongdoing.

22 YHWH redeems the soul of His servants, And none trusting in Him are desolate!

The Lord saves the lives of his servants. Those who trust in his protection will not suffer for their wrongdoings.