The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV
Page 261
aA strong tower from the enemy.
4I will abide in Your 2tabernacle forever;
bI will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
5For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
6You will prolong the king’s life,
His years as many generations.
7He shall abide before God forever.
Oh, prepare mercy cand truth, which may 3preserve him!
8So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may daily perform my vows.
Psalm 62
A Calm Resolve to Wait for the Salvation of God
To the Chief Musician. To aJeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1Truly bmy soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
2He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my 1defense;
I shall not be greatly cmoved.2
3How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of you,
dLike a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
4They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They edelight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah
5My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my 3expectation is from Him.
6He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be 4moved.
7fIn God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
8Trust in Him at all times, you people;
gPour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
9hSurely men of low degree are 5a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales,
They are altogether lighter than vapor.
10Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
iIf riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.
11God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
12Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For jYou 6render to each one according to his work.
Psalm 63
Joy in the Fellowship of God
A Psalm of David awhen he was in the wilderness of Judah.
1O GOD, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
bMy soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see cYour power and Your glory.
3dBecause Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will elift up my hands in Your name.
5My soul shall be satisfied as with 1marrow and 2fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
6When fI remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
9But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10They shall 3fall by the sword;
They shall be 4a portion for jackals.
11But the king shall rejoice in God;
gEveryone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
Psalm 64
Oppressed by the Wicked but Rejoicing in the LORD
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1Hear my voice, O God, in my 1meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
3Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
aAnd bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
4That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
5They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
bThey say, “Who will see them?”
6They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.
7But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they shall be wounded.
8So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
cAll who see them shall flee away.
9All men shall fear,
And shall ddeclare the work of God;
For they shall wisely consider His doing.
10eThe righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.
Psalm 65
Praise to God for His Salvation and Providence
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the 1vow shall be performed.
2O You who hear prayer,
aTo You all flesh will come.
3Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
You will bprovide atonement for them.
4cBlessed is the man You dchoose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
eWe shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.
5By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;
6Who established the mountains by His strength,
fBeing clothed with power;
7gYou who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
hAnd the tumult of the peoples.
8They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening 2rejoice.
9You 3visit the earth and iwater it,
You greatly enrich it;
jThe river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
10You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.
11You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
12They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
13The pastures are clothed with flocks;
kThe valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.
Psalm 66
Praise to God for His Awesome Works
To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm.
1Make aa joyful shout to God, all the earth!
2Sing out the honor of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
3Say to God,
“How bawesome are Your works!
cThrough the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
4dAll the earth shall worship You
And sing praises to You;
They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah
5Come and see the works of God;
He is awesom
e in His doing toward the sons of men.
6eHe turned the sea into dry land;
fThey went through the river on foot.
There we will rejoice in Him.
7He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations;
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah
8Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
9Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to 1be moved.
10For gYou, O God, have tested us;
hYou have refined us as silver is refined.
11iYou brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
12jYou have caused men to ride over our heads;
kWe went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to 2rich fulfillment.
13lI will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
mI will pay You my 3vows,
14Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
15I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats. Selah
16Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
17I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was 4extolled with my tongue.
18nIf I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
19But certainly God ohas heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!
Psalm 67
An Invocation and a Doxology
To the Chief Musician. On 1stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1God be merciful to us and bless us,
And acause His face to shine upon us, Selah
2That bYour way may be known on earth,
cYour salvation among all nations.
3Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
4Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!
For dYou shall judge the people righteously,
And govern the nations on earth. Selah
5Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
6eThen the earth shall 2yield her increase;
God, our own God, shall bless us.
7God shall bless us,
And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
Psalm 68
The Glory of God in His Goodness to Israel
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1Let aGod arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
2bAs smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
cAs wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3But dlet the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
4Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
eExtol1 Him who rides on the 2clouds,
fBy His name 3YAH,
And rejoice before Him.
5gA father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
6hGod sets the solitary in families;
iHe brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But jthe rebellious dwell in a dry land.
7O God, kwhen You went out before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, Selah
8The earth shook;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9lYou, O God, sent a plentiful rain,
Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,
When it was weary.
10Your congregation dwelt in it;
mYou, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.
11The Lord gave the word;
Great was the 4company of those who proclaimed it:
12“Kingsn of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home divides the 5spoil.
13oThough you lie down among the 6sheepfolds,
pYou will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And her feathers with yellow gold.”
14qWhen the Almighty scattered kings in it,
It was white as snow in Zalmon.
15A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16Why do you 7fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks?
rThis is the mountain which God desires to dwell in;
Yes, the LORD will dwell in it forever.
17sThe chariots of God are twenty thousand,
Even thousands of thousands;
The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.
18tYou have ascended on high,
uYou have led captivity captive;
vYou have received gifts among men,
Even from wthe rebellious,
xThat the LORD God might dwell there.
19Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation! Selah
20Our God is the God of salvation;
And yto GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.
21But zGod will wound the head of His enemies,
aThe hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.
22The Lord said, “I will bring bback from Bashan,
I will bring them back cfrom the depths of the sea,
23dThat 8your foot may crush them in blood,
eAnd the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.”
24They have seen Your 9procession, O God,
The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.
25fThe singers went before, the players on instruments followed after;
Among them were the maidens playing timbrels.
26Bless God in the congregations,
The Lord, from gthe fountain of Israel.
27hThere is little Benjamin, their leader,
The princes of Judah and their 10company,
The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
2811Your God has icommanded your strength;
Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.
29Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
jKings will bring presents to You.
30Rebuke the beasts of the reeds,
kThe herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Till everyone lsubmits himself with pieces of silver.
Scatter the peoples who delight in war.
31mEnvoys will come out of Egypt;
nEthiopia will quickly ostretch out her hands to God.
32Sing to God, you pkingdoms of the earth;
Oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33To Him qwho rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old!
Indeed, He sends out His voice, a rmighty voice.
34sAscribe strength to God;
His excellence is over Israel,
And His strength is in the clouds.
35O God, tYou are more awesome than Your holy places.
The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.
Blessed be God!
Psalm 69
An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble
To the Chief Musician. Set to 1“The Lilies.” A Psalm of David.
1Save me, O God!
For athe waters have come up to my 2neck.
2bI sink in deep mire,
&nb
sp; Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
3cI am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
dMy eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4Those who ehate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.
5O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
6Let not those who 3wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek You be 4confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
7Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
8fI have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
9gBecause zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
hAnd the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
That became my reproach.
11I also 5made sackcloth my garment;
I became a byword to them.
12Those who 6sit in the gate speak against me,
And I am the song of the idrunkards.
13But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O LORD, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
14Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters.
15Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
16Hear me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
17And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.
18Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.
19You know jmy reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
My adversaries are all before You.
20Reproach has broken my heart,
And I am full of 7heaviness;
kI looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
And for lcomforters, but I found none.
21They also gave me gall for my food,
mAnd for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22nLet their table become a snare before them,
And their well-being a trap.