Psalms 37-41

Psalm 37

¹A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness.

²For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

³Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and follow after faithfulness.

⁴Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

⁵Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.

⁶Add he shall make thy righteousness to go forth as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

⁷Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

⁸Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing.

⁹For evil-doers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the land.

¹⁰For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be.

¹¹But the meek shall inherit the land; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

¹²The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

¹³The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

¹⁴The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow; to cast down the poor and needy, to slay such as be upright in the way:

¹⁵Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶Better is a little that the righteous hath than the abundance of many wicked.

¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.

¹⁸The LORD knoweth the days of the perfect: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

¹⁹They shall not be ashamed in the time of evil: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

²⁰But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the excellency of the pastures: they shall consume; in smoke shall they consume away.

²¹The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth.

²²For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the land; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

²³A man’s goings are established of the LORD; and he delighteth in his way.

²⁴Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

²⁵I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread.

²⁶All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

²⁷Depart from evil, and do good; dwell for evermore.

²⁸For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous talketh of wisdom, and his tongue speaketh judgment.

³¹The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

³²The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

³³The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

³⁴Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

³⁵I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.

³⁶But one passed by, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

³⁷Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the latter end of that man is peace.

³⁸As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together: the latter end of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strong hold in the time of trouble.

⁴⁰And the LORD helpeth them, and rescueth them: he rescueth them from the wicked, and saveth them, because they have taken refuge in him.

Psalm 38

¹A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

²For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.

³There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine indignation; neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin.

⁴For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

⁵My wounds stink and are corrupt, because of my foolishness.

⁶I am pained and bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.

⁷For my loins are filled with burning; and there is no soundness in my flesh.

⁸I am faint and sore bruised: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.

⁹Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.

¹⁰My heart throbbeth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.

¹¹My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my kinsmen stand afar off.

¹²They also that seek after my life lay snares for me; and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.

¹³But I, as a deaf man, hear not; and I am as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.

¹⁴Yea, I am as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.

¹⁵For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt answer, O Lord my God.

¹⁶For I said, Lest they rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.

¹⁷For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.

¹⁸For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

¹⁹But mine enemies are lively, and are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.

²⁰They also that render evil for good are adversaries unto me, because I follow the thing that is good.

²¹Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me.

²²Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.

Psalm 39

¹For the Chief Musician, for Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

²I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

³My heart was hot within me; while I was musing the fire kindled: then spake I with my tongue:

⁴LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; let me know how frail I am.

⁵Behold, thou hast made my days as handbreadths; and mine age is as nothing before thee: surely every man at his best estate is altogether vanity. Selah

⁶Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

⁷And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

⁸Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

⁹I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.

¹⁰Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.

¹¹When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah

¹²Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

¹³O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

Psalm 40

¹For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

²He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay; and he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

³And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

⁴Blessed is the man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

⁵Many, O LORD my God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be set in order unto thee; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

⁶Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

⁷Then said I, Lo, I am come; in the roll of the book it is written of me:

⁸I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.

⁹I have published righteousness in the great congregation; lo, I will not refrain my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.

¹⁰I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

¹¹Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

¹²For innumerable evils have compassed me about, mine iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head, and my heart hath failed me.

¹³Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: make haste to help me, O LORD.

¹⁴Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it: let them be turned backward and brought to dishonour that delight in my hurt.

¹⁵Let them be desolate by reason of their shame that say unto me, Aha, Aha.

¹⁶Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.

¹⁷But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

Psalm 41

¹For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in the day of evil.

²The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive, and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and deliver not thou him unto the will of his enemies.

³The LORD will support him upon the couch of languishing: thou makest all his bed in his sickness.

⁴I said, O LORD, have mercy upon me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

⁵Mine enemies speak evil against me, saying, When shall he die, and his name perish?

⁶And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity; his heart gathereth iniquity to itself: when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.

⁷All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.

⁸An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.

⁹Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰But thou, O LORD, have mercy upon me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.

¹¹By this I know that thou delightest in me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.

¹²And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.

¹³Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.