Psalm 36-41

New Living Translation

¹ Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.^[a]
    They have no fear of God at all.
² In their blind conceit,
    they cannot see how wicked they really are.
³ Everything they say is crooked and deceitful.
    They refuse to act wisely or do good.
⁴ They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots.
    Their actions are never good.
    They make no attempt to turn from evil.

⁵ Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
    your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.
⁷     How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
    in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
    letting them drink from your river of delights.
⁹ For you are the fountain of life,
    the light by which we see.

¹⁰ Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;
    give justice to those with honest hearts.
¹¹ Don’t let the proud trample me
    or the wicked push me around.
¹² Look! Those who do evil have fallen!
    They are thrown down, never to rise again.

¹ Don’t worry about the wicked
    or envy those who do wrong.
² For like grass, they soon fade away.
    Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good.
    Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you your heart’s desires.

⁵ Commit everything you do to the Lord.
    Trust him, and he will help you.
⁶ He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
    and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still in the presence of the Lord,
    and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
    or fret about their wicked schemes.

⁸ Stop being angry!
    Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
    it only leads to harm.
⁹ For the wicked will be destroyed,
    but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

¹⁰ Soon the wicked will disappear.
    Though you look for them, they will be gone.
¹¹ The lowly will possess the land
    and will live in peace and prosperity.

¹² The wicked plot against the godly;
    they snarl at them in defiance.
¹³ But the Lord just laughs,
    for he sees their day of judgment coming.

¹⁴ The wicked draw their swords
    and string their bows
to kill the poor and the oppressed,
    to slaughter those who do right.
¹⁵ But their swords will stab their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶ It is better to be godly and have little
    than to be evil and rich.
¹⁷ For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
    but the Lord takes care of the godly.

¹⁸ Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,
    and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
¹⁹ They will not be disgraced in hard times;
    even in famine they will have more than enough.

²⁰ But the wicked will die.
    The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—
    they will disappear like smoke.

²¹ The wicked borrow and never repay,
    but the godly are generous givers.
²² Those the Lord blesses will possess the land,
    but those he curses will die.

²³ The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.
²⁴ Though they stumble, they will never fall,
    for the Lord holds them by the hand.

²⁵ Once I was young, and now I am old.
    Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
    or their children begging for bread.
²⁶ The godly always give generous loans to others,
    and their children are a blessing.

²⁷ Turn from evil and do good,
    and you will live in the land forever.
²⁸ For the Lord loves justice,
    and he will never abandon the godly.

He will keep them safe forever,
    but the children of the wicked will die.
²⁹ The godly will possess the land
    and will live there forever.

³⁰ The godly offer good counsel;
    they teach right from wrong.
³¹ They have made God’s law their own,
    so they will never slip from his path.

³² The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
    looking for an excuse to kill them.
³³ But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed
    or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

³⁴ Put your hope in the Lord.
    Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
    You will see the wicked destroyed.

³⁵ I have seen wicked and ruthless people
    flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
³⁶ But when I looked again, they were gone!
    Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

³⁷ Look at those who are honest and good,
    for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
³⁸ But the rebellious will be destroyed;
    they have no future.

³⁹ The Lord rescues the godly;
    he is their fortress in times of trouble.
⁴⁰ The Lord helps them,
    rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
    and they find shelter in him.

¹ O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your rage!
² Your arrows have struck deep,
    and your blows are crushing me.
³ Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;
    my health is broken because of my sins.
⁴ My guilt overwhelms me—
    it is a burden too heavy to bear.
⁵ My wounds fester and stink
    because of my foolish sins.
⁶ I am bent over and racked with pain.
    All day long I walk around filled with grief.
⁷ A raging fever burns within me,
    and my health is broken.
⁸ I am exhausted and completely crushed.
    My groans come from an anguished heart.

⁹ You know what I long for, Lord;
    you hear my every sigh.
¹⁰ My heart beats wildly, my strength fails,
    and I am going blind.
¹¹ My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease.
    Even my own family stands at a distance.
¹² Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me.
    Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me.
    All day long they plan their treachery.

¹³ But I am deaf to all their threats.
    I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.
¹⁴ I choose to hear nothing,
    and I make no reply.
¹⁵ For I am waiting for you, O Lord.
    You must answer for me, O Lord my God.
¹⁶ I prayed, “Don’t let my enemies gloat over me
    or rejoice at my downfall.”

¹⁷ I am on the verge of collapse,
    facing constant pain.
¹⁸ But I confess my sins;
    I am deeply sorry for what I have done.
¹⁹ I have many aggressive enemies;
    they hate me without reason.
²⁰ They repay me evil for good
    and oppose me for pursuing good.
²¹ Do not abandon me, O Lord.
    Do not stand at a distance, my God.
²² Come quickly to help me,
    O Lord my savior.

¹ I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
    and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue
    when the ungodly are around me.”
² But as I stood there in silence—
    not even speaking of good things—
    the turmoil within me grew worse.
³ The more I thought about it,
    the hotter I got,
    igniting a fire of words:
⁴ “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
    Remind me that my days are numbered—
    how fleeting my life is.
⁵ You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
    My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
    at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude

⁶ We are merely moving shadows,
    and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
    not knowing who will spend it.
⁷ And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
    My only hope is in you.
⁸ Rescue me from my rebellion.
    Do not let fools mock me.
⁹ I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,
    for my punishment is from you.
¹⁰ But please stop striking me!
    I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.
¹¹ When you discipline us for our sins,
    you consume like a moth what is precious to us.
    Each of us is but a breath. Interlude

¹² Hear my prayer, O Lord!
    Listen to my cries for help!
    Don’t ignore my tears.
For I am your guest—
    a traveler passing through,
    as my ancestors were before me.
¹³ Leave me alone so I can smile again
    before I am gone and exist no more.

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
    and he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
    out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
    and steadied me as I walked along.
³ He has given me a new song to sing,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the Lord.

⁴ Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
    who have no confidence in the proud
    or in those who worship idols.
⁵ O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
    Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
    You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
    I would never come to the end of them.

⁶ You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
    Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand^[c]—
    you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
⁷ Then I said, “Look, I have come.
    As is written about me in the Scriptures:
⁸ I take joy in doing your will, my God,
    for your instructions are written on my heart.”

⁹ I have told all your people about your justice.
    I have not been afraid to speak out,
    as you, O Lord, well know.
¹⁰ I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
    I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
    of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

¹¹ Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
    Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
¹² For troubles surround me—
    too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
    I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
    I have lost all courage.

¹³ Please, Lord, rescue me!
    Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
¹⁴ May those who try to destroy me
    be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who take delight in my trouble
    be turned back in disgrace.
¹⁵ Let them be horrified by their shame,
    for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

¹⁶ But may all who search for you
    be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
    repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
¹⁷ As for me, since I am poor and needy,
    let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
    O my God, do not delay.

¹ Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!
    The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.
² The Lord protects them
    and keeps them alive.
He gives them prosperity in the land
    and rescues them from their enemies.
³ The Lord nurses them when they are sick
    and restores them to health.

⁴ “O Lord,” I prayed, “have mercy on me.
    Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
⁵ But my enemies say nothing but evil about me.
    “How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.
⁶ They visit me as if they were my friends,
    but all the while they gather gossip,
    and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.
⁷ All who hate me whisper about me,
    imagining the worst.
⁸ “He has some fatal disease,” they say.
    “He will never get out of that bed!”
⁹ Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,
    the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

¹⁰ Lord, have mercy on me.
    Make me well again, so I can pay them back!
¹¹ I know you are pleased with me,
    for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.
¹² You have preserved my life because I am innocent;
    you have brought me into your presence forever.

¹³ Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who lives from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and amen!