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1I will praise the Lord at all times;[#tn Heb “bless.”]
my mouth will continually praise him.
2I will boast in the Lord ;[#tn Heb “my soul will boast”; or better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.]
let the oppressed hear and rejoice!
3Magnify the Lord with me!
Let’s praise his name together!
4I sought the Lord ’s help and he answered me;[#tn Heb “I sought the Lord.”]
he delivered me from all my fears.
5Those who look to him for help are happy;
their faces are not ashamed.
6This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him from all his troubles.
7The Lord ’s angel camps around
the Lord ’s loyal followers and delivers them.
8Taste and see that the Lord is good![#tn This verb is normally used of tasting or savoring food. The metaphor here appears to compare the Lord to a tasty meal.]
How blessed is the onewho takes shelter in him!
9Remain loyal to the Lord , you chosen people of his,[#tn Heb “fear.”; #tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”]
for his loyal followers lack nothing!
10Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11Come children! Listen to me!
I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord .
12Do you want to really live?[#tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.]
Would you love to live a long, happy life?
13Then make sure you don’t speak evil words[#tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”]
or use deceptive speech!
14Turn away from evil and do what is right![#tn Or “do good.”]
Strive for peace and promote it!
15The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help.
16But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth.
17The godly cry out and the Lord hears;[#tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).]
he saves them from all their troubles.
18The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers those who are discouraged.
19The godly face many dangers,[#tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.; #tn Or “trials.”]
but the Lord saves them from each one of them.
20He protects all his bones;[#tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.; #tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.]
not one of them is broken.
21Evil people self-destruct;[#tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.]
those who hate the godly are punished.
22The Lord rescues his servants;[#tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.]
all who take shelter in him escape punishment.