Psalm 34
Words: Isaac Watts
Note: Two versions on this page, the first is the Long Metre version
A second, Common
Metre version follows the first version.
The subtitles before each part are Watts'.
Part 1 God's care of the saints; or, Deliverance by prayer.
1 Lord, I will bless thee all my days,
Thy praise shall dwell upon my tongue;
My soul shall glory in thy grace,
While saints rejoice to hear the song.
2 Come, magnify the Lord with me,
Come, let us all exalt his name;
I sought th'eternal God, and he
Has not exposed my hope to shame.
3 I told him all my secret grief,
My secret groaning reached his ears;
He gave my inward pains relief;
And calmed the tumult of my fears.
4 To him the poor lift up their eyes,
Their faces feel the heav'nly shine;
A beam of mercy from the skies
Fills them with light and joy divine.
5 His holy angels pitch their tents
Around the men that serve the Lord;
O fear and love him, all his saints,
Taste of' his grace, and trust his word.
6 The wild young lions, pinched with pain
And hunger, roar through all the wood;
But none shall seek the Lord in vain,
Nor want supplies of real good.
PART 2 v.11--22.
Religious education; or, Instructions of piety.
1 Children, in years and knowledge young,
Your parents' hope, your parents' joy,
Attend the counsels of my tongue,
Let pious thoughts your minds employ.
2 If you desire a length of days,
And peace to crown your mortal state,
Restrain your feet from impious ways,
Your lips from slander and deceit.
3 The eyes of God regard his saints,
His ears are open to their cries;
He sets his frowning face against
The sons of violence anti lies.
4 To humble souls and broken hearts
God with his grace is ever nigh;
Pardon and hope his love imparts,
When men in deep contrition lie.
5 He tells their tears, he counts their groans,
His Son redeems their souls from death;
His Spirit heals their broken bones,
They in his praise employ their breath.
A Second Version:
PART 1. v. 1--10.
Prayer and praise for eminent deliverance.
1 I'll bless the Lord from day to day;
How good are all his ways!
Ye humble souls that use to pray,
Come, help my lips to praise.
2 Sing to the honor of his name,
How a poor suff'rer cried,
Nor was his hope exposed to shame,
Nor was his suit denied.
3 When threat'ning sorrows round me stood,
And endless fears arose,
Like the loud billows of a flood,
Redoubling all my woes;
4 I told the Lord my sore distress,
With heavy groans and tears;
He gave my sharpest torments ease,
And silenced all my fears.
PAUSE. 5 O sinners, come and taste his love,
Come, learn his pleasant ways;
And let your own experience prove
The sweetness of his grace.
6 He bids his angels pitch their tents
Round where his children dwell;
What ills their heav'nly care prevents
No earthly tongue can tell.
7 O love the Lord, ye saints of his;
His eye regards the just:
How richly blessed their portion is
Who make the Lord their trust !
8 Young lions, pinched with hunger, roar
And famish in the wood;
But God supplies his holy poor
With ev'ry needful good.
PART 2. v.11-22.
Exhortations to peace and holiness. 1 Come, children, learn to fear the Lord,
And that your days be long,
Let not a false or spiteful word
Be found upon your tongue.
2 Depart from mischief, practice love,
Pursue the works of peace;
So shall the Lord your ways approve,
And set your souls at ease.
3 His eyes awake to guard the just,
His ears attend their cry;
When broken spirits dwell in dust,
The God of grace is nigh.
4 What though the sorrows here they taste
Are sharp and tedious too,
The Lord, who saves them all at last,
Is their supporter now.
5 Evil shall smite the wicked dead;
But God secures his own,
Prevents the mischief when they slide,
Or heals thc broken bone.
6 When desolation, like a flood,
O'er the proud sinner rolls,
Saints find a refuge in their God,
For he redeemed their souls.
