Wickedness of Humanity and Goodness of God.

For the music director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.

36 [a]Wrongdoing speaks to the ungodly within [b]his heart;
There is (A)no fear of God before his eyes.
For it (B)flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his wrongful deed and the hatred of it.
The (C)words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has (D)ceased to [c]be wise and to do good.
He (E)plans wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself on a (F)path that is not good;
He (G)does not reject evil.

Your (H)mercy, Lord, [d]extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Your (I)righteousness is like the [e]mountains of God;
Your (J)judgments are like the great deep.
Lord, You [f](K)protect mankind and animals.
How (L)precious is Your mercy, God!
And the sons of mankind (M)take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
They (N)drink their fill of the [g]abundance of Your house;
And You allow them to drink from the (O)river of Your delights.
For the (P)fountain of life is with You;
In Your light we see light.

10 Prolong Your mercy to (Q)those who know You,
And Your (R)righteousness to the upright of heart.
11 May the foot of pride not come upon me,
And may the hand of the wicked not drive me away.
12 Those who do injustice have fallen there;
They have been thrust down and (S)cannot rise.

Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.

A Psalm of David.

37 (T)Do not get upset because of evildoers,
Do not be (U)envious of wrongdoers.
For they will (V)wither quickly like the grass,
And (W)decay like the green plants.
(X)Trust in the Lord and do good;
(Y)Live in the land and [h](Z)cultivate faithfulness.
(AA)Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will (AB)give you the desires of your heart.
(AC)Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring out (AD)your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment (AE)as the noonday.

[i]Rest in the Lord and (AF)wait [j]patiently for Him;
(AG)Do not get upset because of one who is (AH)successful in his way,
Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and (AI)abandon wrath;
Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing.
For (AJ)evildoers will be eliminated,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will (AK)inherit the land.
10 Yet (AL)a little while and the wicked person will be no more;
And you will look carefully for (AM)his place and he will not be there.
11 But (AN)the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in (AO)abundant prosperity.

12 The wicked (AP)plots against the righteous,
And (AQ)gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord (AR)laughs at him,
For He sees that (AS)his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and (AT)bent their bow
To take down the (AU)afflicted and the needy,
To (AV)kill off those who are upright in conduct.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their (AW)bows will be broken.

16 (AX)Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the (AY)arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the Lord (AZ)sustains the righteous.
18 The Lord (BA)knows the days of the [k]blameless,
And their (BB)inheritance will be forever.
19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And (BC)in the days of famine they will have plenty.
20 But the (BD)wicked will perish;
And the enemies of the Lord will be like the [l]glory of the pastures,
They vanish—(BE)like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous (BF)is gracious and gives.
22 For (BG)those blessed by Him will (BH)inherit the land,
But those (BI)cursed by Him will be eliminated.

23 (BJ)The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He (BK)delights in his way.
24 When (BL)he falls, he will not be hurled down,
Because (BM)the Lord is the One [m]who holds his hand.
25 I have been young and now I am old,
Yet (BN)I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or (BO)his [n]descendants begging for bread.
26 All day long (BP)he is gracious and lends,
And (BQ)his [o]descendants are a blessing.

27 (BR)Turn from evil and do good,
So that you will dwell (BS)forever.
28 For the Lord (BT)loves [p]justice
And (BU)does not abandon His godly ones;
They are (BV)protected forever,
But the [q](BW)descendants of the wicked will be eliminated.
29 The righteous will (BX)inherit the land
And (BY)dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous (BZ)utters wisdom,
And his tongue (CA)speaks justice.
31 The (CB)Law of his God is in his heart;
His (CC)steps do not slip.
32 The (CD)wicked spies upon the righteous
And (CE)seeks to kill him.
33 The Lord will (CF)not leave him in his hand
Or (CG)let him be condemned when he is judged.
34 (CH)Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the (CI)wicked are eliminated, you will see it.

35 I have (CJ)seen a wicked, violent person
Spreading himself like a (CK)luxuriant [r]tree in its native soil.
36 Then he passed away, and behold, he (CL)was no more;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37 Observe the [s](CM)blameless person, and look at the (CN)upright;
For the person of peace will have (CO)a future.
38 But wrongdoers will altogether be (CP)destroyed;
The future of the wicked will be (CQ)eliminated.
39 But the (CR)salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength (CS)in time of trouble.
40 (CT)The Lord helps them and rescues them;
He (CU)rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they (CV)take refuge in Him.

Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.

A Psalm of David, for a memorial.

38 Lord, (CW)do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
And do not punish me in Your burning anger.
For Your (CX)arrows have sunk deep into me,
And (CY)Your hand has pressed down on me.
There is (CZ)no healthy part in my flesh (DA)because of Your indignation;
There is no health (DB)in my bones because of my sin.
For my (DC)guilty deeds have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
My [t]wounds grow foul and fester
Because of (DD)my foolishness.
I am bent over and (DE)greatly bowed down;
I (DF)go in mourning all day long.
For my [u]sides are filled with (DG)burning,
And there is (DH)no healthy part in my flesh.
I feel (DI)faint and [v]badly crushed;
I [w](DJ)groan because of the [x]agitation of my heart.

Lord, all (DK)my desire is [y]before You;
And my (DL)sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart throbs, (DM)my strength fails me;
And the (DN)light of my eyes, even [z]that [aa]has gone from me.
11 My [ab](DO)loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen (DP)stand far away.
12 Those who (DQ)seek my life (DR)lay snares for me;
And those who (DS)seek to injure me have [ac]threatened destruction,
And they (DT)plot deception all day long.

13 But I, like a person who is deaf, do not hear;
And I am like a (DU)person who cannot speak, who does not open his mouth.
14 Yes, I am like a person who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
15 For (DV)I wait for You, Lord;
You (DW)will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, (DX)would exalt themselves over me.”
17 For I am (DY)ready to fall,
And (DZ)my [ad]sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I (EA)admit my guilt;
I am full of (EB)anxiety because of my sin.
19 But my (EC)enemies are vigorous and [ae]strong,
And those who wrongfully (ED)hate me are many.
20 And those who (EE)repay evil for good,
They (EF)become my enemies, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not abandon me, Lord;
My God, (EG)do not be far from me!
22 (EH)Hurry to help me,
Lord, (EI)my salvation!

The Futility of Life.

For the music director, for [af]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

39 I said, “I will (EJ)keep watch over my ways
So that I (EK)do not sin with my tongue;
I will keep watch over (EL)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
I was (EM)mute [ag]and silent,
I [ah]refused to say even something good,
And my pain was stirred up.
My (EN)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
Lord, let me know (EO)my end,
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how (EP)transient I am.
Behold, You have made (EQ)my days like [ai]hand widths,
And my (ER)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Certainly all mankind standing is [aj]a mere (ES)breath. Selah
Certainly every person (ET)walks around as [ak]a fleeting shadow;
They certainly make an (EU)uproar for nothing;
He (EV)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.

“And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My (EW)hope is in You.
(EX)Save me from all my wrongdoings;
Do not make me an object of (EY)reproach for the foolish.
I have become (EZ)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is (FA)You who have done it.
10 (FB)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of (FC)the opposition of Your hand I am [al]perishing.
11 With (FD)rebukes You punish a person for wrongdoing;
You (FE)consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Certainly (FF)all mankind is mere breath! Selah

12 (FG)Hear my prayer, Lord, and listen to my cry for help;
Do not be silent (FH)to my tears;
For I am (FI)a stranger with You,
(FJ)One who lives abroad, like all my fathers.
13 (FK)Turn Your eyes away from me, that I may become cheerful again
Before I depart and am no more.”

God Sustains His Servant.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

40 I (FL)waited [am]patiently for the Lord;
And He reached down to me and (FM)heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the (FN)pit of [an]destruction, out of the mud;
And (FO)He set my feet on a rock, (FP)making my footsteps firm.
He put a (FQ)new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will (FR)see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.

How (FS)blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And (FT)has not turned to the [ao]proud, nor to those who (FU)become involved in falsehood.
Many, Lord my God, are (FV)the wonders which You have done,
And Your (FW)thoughts toward us;
There is no one to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They (FX)would be too numerous to count.

(FY)You have not desired [ap]sacrifice and meal offering;
You have [aq]opened my ears;
You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
It is [ar]written of me in the scroll of the book.
(FZ)I delight to do Your will, my God;
(GA)Your Law is within my [as]heart.”

I have (GB)proclaimed good news of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will (GC)not restrain my lips,
Lord, (GD)You know.
10 I have (GE)not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have (GF)spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your mercy and Your truth from the great congregation.

11 You, Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
[at]Your (GG)mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.
12 For evils beyond number have (GH)surrounded me;
My (GI)guilty deeds have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are (GJ)more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my (GK)heart has [au]failed me.

13 (GL)Be pleased, Lord, to rescue me;
(GM)Hurry, Lord, to help me.
14 May those be (GN)ashamed and humiliated together
Who (GO)seek my [av]life to destroy it;
May those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight [aw]in my hurt.
15 May those (GP)be [ax]appalled because of their shame
Who (GQ)say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 (GR)May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
May those who love Your salvation continually (GS)say,
“The Lord be exalted!”
17 But (GT)I am afflicted and needy;
(GU)May the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my savior;
Do not delay, my God.

The Psalmist in Sickness Complains of Enemies and False Friends.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

41 Blessed is one who (GV)considers the [ay]helpless;
The Lord will save him (GW)on a day of [az]trouble.
The Lord will (GX)protect him and keep him alive,
And he will be called [ba](GY)blessed upon the earth;
And (GZ)do not turn him over to the desire of his enemies.
The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed;
In his illness, You [bb]restore him to health.

As for me, I said, “Lord, be gracious to me;
(HA)Heal my soul, for (HB)I have sinned against You.”
My enemies (HC)speak evil against me,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
And [bc]when he comes to see me, he (HD)speaks [bd]empty words;
His heart gathers wickedness to itself;
When he goes outside, he tells it.
All who hate me whisper together against me;
They (HE)plot my harm against me, saying,
“A wicked thing is poured out [be]upon him,
So that when he lies down, he will (HF)not get up again.”
Even my [bf](HG)close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.

10 But You, Lord, be gracious to me and (HH)raise me up,
That I may repay them.
11 By this I know that (HI)You are pleased with me,
Because (HJ)my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.
12 As for me, (HK)You uphold me in my integrity,
And You place me (HL)in Your presence forever.

13 (HM)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 36:1 Or Rebellion
  2. Psalm 36:1 Another reading is my heart
  3. Psalm 36:3 Or understand to do good
  4. Psalm 36:5 Lit is in
  5. Psalm 36:6 Or mighty mountains
  6. Psalm 36:6 Or help
  7. Psalm 36:8 Lit fatness
  8. Psalm 37:3 Or feed securely; or feed on His faithfulness
  9. Psalm 37:7 Or Be still
  10. Psalm 37:7 Or longingly
  11. Psalm 37:18 Lit complete; or perfect
  12. Psalm 37:20 I.e., flowers
  13. Psalm 37:24 Or who sustains him with His hand
  14. Psalm 37:25 Lit seed
  15. Psalm 37:26 Lit seed
  16. Psalm 37:28 Lit judgment
  17. Psalm 37:28 Lit seed
  18. Psalm 37:35 Lit native; Heb obscure
  19. Psalm 37:37 Lit complete; or perfect
  20. Psalm 38:5 Or stripes
  21. Psalm 38:7 Lit loins
  22. Psalm 38:8 Or greatly
  23. Psalm 38:8 Lit roar
  24. Psalm 38:8 Lit growling
  25. Psalm 38:9 Or known to You
  26. Psalm 38:10 Lit they have
  27. Psalm 38:10 Lit is not with me
  28. Psalm 38:11 Or lovers
  29. Psalm 38:12 Lit spoken
  30. Psalm 38:17 Lit pain
  31. Psalm 38:19 Or numerous
  32. Psalm 39 Title 1 Chr 16:41
  33. Psalm 39:2 Lit with silence
  34. Psalm 39:2 Lit was silent from good
  35. Psalm 39:5 I.e., short
  36. Psalm 39:5 Or altogether breath
  37. Psalm 39:6 Lit an image
  38. Psalm 39:10 Or wasting away
  39. Psalm 40:1 Or intently
  40. Psalm 40:2 Lit wasteland; i.e., the underworld
  41. Psalm 40:4 Or enemies
  42. Psalm 40:6 I.e., blood sacrifice
  43. Psalm 40:6 Lit dug; or possibly pierced
  44. Psalm 40:7 Or prescribed for
  45. Psalm 40:8 Lit inner being
  46. Psalm 40:11 Or May...preserve
  47. Psalm 40:12 Lit forsaken
  48. Psalm 40:14 Or soul
  49. Psalm 40:14 Or to injure me
  50. Psalm 40:15 Or desolated
  51. Psalm 41:1 Or poor
  52. Psalm 41:1 Or evil
  53. Psalm 41:2 Or happy
  54. Psalm 41:3 Lit turn all his bed
  55. Psalm 41:6 Or if he
  56. Psalm 41:6 Lit worthlessness
  57. Psalm 41:8 Or within
  58. Psalm 41:9 Lit man of peace

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