Psalms 36-38

Psalm 36

¹To the chief Musician. [A Psalm] of the servant of Jehovah; of David. The transgression of the wicked uttereth within my heart, There is no fear of God before his eyes.

²For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, [even] when his iniquity is found to be hateful.

³The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, to do good.

⁴He deviseth wickedness up on his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good: he abhorreth not evil.

⁵Jehovah, thy loving-kindness is in the heavens, and thy faithfulness [reacheth] unto the clouds.

⁶Thy righteousness is like the high mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: thou, Jehovah, preservest man and beast.

⁷How precious is thy loving-kindness, O God! So the sons of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.

⁸They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou wilt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

⁹For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

¹⁰Continue thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee, and thy righteousness to the upright in heart;

¹¹Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

¹²There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and are not able to rise.

Psalm 37

¹[A Psalm] of David. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, and be not envious of them that work unrighteousness;

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

³Confide in Jehovah, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on faithfulness;

⁴and delight thyself in Jehovah, and he will give thee the desires of thy heart.

⁵Commit thy way unto Jehovah, and rely upon him: he will bring [it] to pass;

⁶and he will bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

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

⁸Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; fret not thyself: it [would be] only to do evil.

⁹For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait on Jehovah, they shall possess the land.

¹⁰For yet a little while, and the wicked is not; and thou considerest his place, but he is not.

¹¹But the meek shall possess the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of prosperity.

¹²The wicked plotteth against the righteous, and gnasheth his teeth against him.

¹³The Lord laugheth 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 afflicted and needy, to slay those that are upright in [the] way:

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

¹⁶The little that the righteous hath is better than the abundance of many wicked;

¹⁷for the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Jehovah upholdeth the righteous.

¹⁸Jehovah 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.

²⁰For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume, like smoke shall they consume away.

²¹The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; but the righteous is gracious and giveth:

²²for those blessed of him shall possess the land, and they that are cursed of him shall be cut off.

²³The steps of a man are established by Jehovah, and he delighteth in his way:

²⁴though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for Jehovah upholdeth his hand.

²⁵I have been young, and now am old, and I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread:

²⁶all the day he is gracious and lendeth, and his seed shall be a blessing.

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

²⁸for Jehovah loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints: They are preserved for ever; but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

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

³⁰The mouth of the righteous proffereth wisdom, and his tongue speaketh judgment;

³¹the law of his God is in his heart; his goings shall not slide.

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

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

³⁴Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, and he will exalt thee to possess the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see [it].

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

³⁶but he passed away, and behold, he was not; and I sought him, but he was not found.

³⁷Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, for the end of [that] man is peace;

³⁸but the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

⁴⁰And Jehovah will help them and deliver them: he will deliver them from the wicked, and save them; for they trust in him.

Psalm 38

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

²For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand cometh down upon me.

³There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine indignation; no peace in my bones, because of my sin.

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

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

⁶I am depressed; I am bowed down beyond measure; I go mourning all the day.

⁷For my loins are full of burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.

⁸I am faint and broken beyond measure; I roar by reason of the agitation of my heart.

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

¹⁰My heart throbbeth, my strength hath left me; and the light of mine eyes, it also is no more with me.

¹¹My lovers and mine associates stand aloof from my stroke; and my kinsmen stand afar off.

¹²And they that seek after my life lay snares [for me]; and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and meditate deceits all the day long.

¹³But I, as a deaf [man], hear not; and 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, Jehovah, do I hope: *thou* wilt answer, O Lord my God.

¹⁶For I said, Let them not rejoice over me! When my foot slipped, they magnified [themselves] against me.

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

¹⁸For I will declare mine iniquity, I am grieved for my sin.

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

²⁰And they that render evil for good are adversaries unto me; because I pursue what is good.

²¹Forsake me not, Jehovah; O my God, be not far from me.

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