PSALM THIRTY-THREE
A PAINTING BY RUTH FELDMAN
“I am continually inspired by the words of the psalmist. When we pray, sing, or even say these verses, we can imagine that our words are as holy as those uttered by King David himself. After letting the words of the psalms resonate within me, I add the colors as another pathway leading them beyond. While the Temple stood, harps and trumpets heralded and accompanied the psalms. So, too, may my paintings open the words, raising them aloft, toward their destination.”
THE NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;
it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;
make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
Sing a new song of praise to him;
play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.
The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
He assigned the sea its boundaries
and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Let the whole world fear the Lord,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.
For when he spoke, the world began!
It appeared at his command.
The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations
and thwarts all their schemes.
But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken.
What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,
whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.
The Lord looks down from heaven
and sees the whole human race.
From his throne he observes
all who live on the earth.
He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do.
The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
for all its strength, it cannot save you.
But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.
He rescues them from death
and keeps them alive in times of famine.
We put our hope in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in you alone.
MORE RESOURCES
MUSICAL SETTINGS
A musical setting of Psalm 33 by Albert Keever
A musical setting of Psalm 33 by Poor Bishop Hooper
READINGS
A reading of Psalm 33 (NLT) with urban-style background music
A reading of Psalm 33 (NIV) with background music