Psalms — Chapter 34
Of David, when he feigned madness in the presence of Abimelech, who turned him out, and he left.awhen he feigned madness … and he left Cf. 1 Sam. 21.14ff.
א I bless GOD at all times;praise is ever in my mouth.
ב I glory in GOD;let the lowly hear it and rejoice.
ג Exalt GOD with me;let us extol the divine name together.
ד I turned to GOD, and I was answered;I was saved from all my terrors.
ה People look to [God] and are radiant;ו let their faces not be downcast.
ז Here was a lowly man who called—GOD listened,and delivered him from all his troubles.
ח The angel of GOD camps around those who show awe,and rescues them.
ט Taste and see how good GOD is;happy the onebone Or “virile man.” who takes refuge in the divine!
י Fear the ETERNAL, you consecrated ones,for those who fear [God] lack nothing.
כ Lions have been reduced to starvation,but those who turn to GOD shall not lack any good.
ל Come, my children, listen to me;I will teach you what it is to fear GOD.
מ Which of you are eager for lifeand desire years of good fortune?
נ Guard your tongue from evil,your lips from deceitful speech.
ס Shun evil and do good,seek amitycamity Or “integrity.” and pursue it.
ע GOD’s eyes are on the righteous,the ears, attentive to their cry.
פ GOD’s face is set against evildoers,to erase their names from the earth.
צ TheydThey Namely, the righteous of v. 16. cry out, and GOD hears,and saves them from all their troubles.
ק GOD is close to the brokenhearted;those crushed in spirit are delivered.
ר Though their misfortunes be many, GOD will save the righteous from them all,
ש Keeping all his bones intact,not one of them being broken.
ת One misfortune is the deathblow of the wicked;the foes of the righteous shall be ruined.
GOD redeems the life of those who render service;no one who takes refuge in [God] shall be ruined.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
Impermanence & Letting Go
Dhammapada 20:277
“All conditioned things are impermanent. When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.”
Tao Te Ching 76
“A man is born gentle and weak. At his death he is hard and stiff. The soft and yielding is the disciple of life.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”
Bhagavad Gita 2:22
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.”
Good vs Evil / Light vs Darkness
Yasna 30:3
“Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action.”
John 1:5
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Dhammapada 1:1-2
“Mind is the forerunner of all actions. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shadow.”
Bhagavad Gita 16:21
“There are three gates to self-destructive hell: lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, one must learn to give these up.”