Psalms 36; Psalms 37; Psalms 38; Psalms 39

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Psalms 36

1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no dread of God before his eyes,

2 for in his own eyes he flatters himself [too much] to discover and hate his sin.

3 The words of his mouth are malicious and deceptive; he has stopped acting wisely and doing good.

4 Even on his bed he makes malicious plans. He sets himself on a path that is not good and does not reject evil.

5 Lord, Your faithful love [reaches] to heaven, Your faithfulness to the skies.

6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountain; Your judgments, like the deepest sea. Lord, You preserve man and beast.

7 God, Your faithful love is so valuable that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

8 They are filled from the abundance of Your house; You let them drink from Your refreshing stream,

9 for with You is life's fountain. In Your light we will see light.

10 Spread Your faithful love over those who know You, and Your righteousness over the upright in heart.

11 Do not let the foot of the arrogant come near me or the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 There the evildoers fall; they have been thrown down and cannot rise.

Psalms 37

1 Do not be agitated by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong.

2 For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants.

3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely.

4 Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desires.

5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act,

6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.

7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the man who carries out evil plans.

8 Refrain from anger and give up [your] rage; do not be agitated-it can only bring harm.

9 For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for him, he will not be there.

11 But the humble will inherit the land and will enjoy abundant prosperity.

12 The wicked schemes against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him.

13 The Lord laughs at him because He sees that his day is coming.

14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the bow to bring down the afflicted and needy and to slaughter those whose way is upright.

15 Their swords will enter their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous man has than the abundance of many wicked people.

17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous.

18 The Lord watches over the blameless all their days, and their inheritance will last forever.

19 They will not be disgraced in times of adversity; they will be satisfied in days of hunger.

20 But the wicked will perish; the Lord's enemies, like the glory of the pastures, will fade away- they will fade away like smoke.

21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous is gracious and giving.

22 Those who are blessed by Him will inherit the land, but those cursed by Him will be destroyed.

23 A man's steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way.

24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the Lord holds his hand.

25 I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging bread.

26 He is always generous, always lending, and his children are a blessing.

27 Turn away from evil and do what is good, and dwell there forever.

28 For the Lord loves justice and will not abandon His faithful ones. They are kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.

29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it permanently.

30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom; his tongue speaks what is just.

31 The instruction of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.

32 The wicked lies in wait for the righteous and seeks to kill him;

33 the Lord will not leave him in his hand or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.

34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land. You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.

35 I have seen a wicked, violent man well-rooted like a flourishing native tree.

36 Then I passed by and noticed he was gone; I searched for him, but he could not be found.

37 Watch the blameless and observe the upright, for the man of peace will have a future.

38 But transgressors will all be eliminated; the future of the wicked will be destroyed.

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, their refuge in a time of distress.

40 The Lord helps and delivers them; He will deliver them from the wicked and will save them because they take refuge in Him.

Psalms 38

1 Lord, do not punish me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.

2 For Your arrows have sunk into me, and Your hand has pressed down on me.

3 There is no soundness in my body because of Your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.

4 For my sins have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear.

5 My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.

6 I am bent over and brought low; all day long I go around in mourning.

7 For my loins are full of burning pain, and there is no health in my body.

8 I am faint and severely crushed; I groan because of the anguish of my heart.

9 Lord, my every desire is known to You; my sighing is not hidden from You.

10 My heart races, my strength leaves me, and even the light of my eyes has faded.

11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction, and my relatives stand at a distance.

12 Those who seek my life set traps, and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me; they plot treachery all day long.

13 I am like a deaf person; I do not hear. I am like a speechless person who does not open his mouth.

14 I am like a man who does not hear and has no arguments in his mouth.

15 I put my hope in You, Lord; You will answer, Lord my God.

16 For I said, "Don't let them rejoice over me- those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble."

17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is constantly with me.

18 So I confess my guilt; I am anxious because of my sin.

19 But my enemies are vigorous and powerful; many hate me for no reason.

20 Those who repay evil for good attack me for pursuing good.

21 Lord, do not abandon me; my God, do not be far from me.

22 Hurry to help me, Lord, my Savior.

Psalms 39

1 I said, "I will guard my ways so that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are in my presence."

2 I was speechless and quiet; I kept silent, even from [speaking] good, and my pain intensified.

3 My heart grew hot within me; as I mused, a fire burned. I spoke with my tongue:

4 "Lord, reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how transitory I am.

5 You, indeed, have made my days short in length, and my life span as nothing in Your sight. Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor. Selah

6 Certainly, man walks about like a mere shadow. Indeed, they frantically rush around in vain, gathering possessions without knowing who will get them.

7 "Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.

8 Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the taunt of fools.

9 I am speechless; I do not open my mouth because of what You have done.

10 Remove Your torment from me; I fade away because of the force of Your hand.

11 You discipline a man with punishment for sin, consuming like a moth what is precious to him; every man is a mere vapor. Selah

12 "Hear my prayer, Lord, and listen to my cry for help; do not be silent at my tears. For I am a foreigner residing with You, a sojourner like all my fathers.

13 Turn Your angry gaze from me so that I may be cheered up before I die and am gone."