Psalm 37

INSTRUCTION IN WISDOM

Of David.

1 Do not be agitated by evildoers;

do not envy those who do wrong.v

2 For they wither quickly like grass

and wilt like tender green plants.w

3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good;x

dwell in the land and live securely.A,y

4 Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you your heart’s desires.z

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act,aa

6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn,

your justice like the noonday.ab

7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him;ac

do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,

by the person who carries out evil plans.ad

8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage;

do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.ae

9 For evildoers will be destroyed,

but those who put their hope in the Lord

will inherit the land.af

10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;

though you look for him, he will not be there.a

11 But the humble will inherit the landb

and will enjoy abundant prosperity.c

12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous

and gnashes his teeth at him.d

13 The Lord laughs at hime

because he sees that his day is coming.f

14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung theB bow

to bring down the poor and needy

and to slaughter those whose way is upright.g

15 Their swords will enter their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.h

16 The little that the righteous person has is better

than the abundance of many wicked people.i

17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,j

but the Lord supports the righteous.k

18 The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,

and their inheritance will last forever.l

19 They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;

they will be satisfied in days of hunger.m

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.n

21 The wicked person borrows and does not repay,

but the righteous one is gracious and giving.o

22 Those who are blessed by the Lord will inherit the land,

but those cursed by him will be destroyed.p

23 A person’s steps are established by the Lord,

and he takes pleasure in his way.q

24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,

because the Lord supports him with his hand.r

25 I have been young and now I am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned

or his children begging for bread.s

26 He is always generous, always lending,

and his children are a blessing.t

27 Turn away from evil, do what is good,

and settle permanently.u

28 For the Lord loves justice

and will not abandon his faithful ones.v

They are kept safe forever,

but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.w

29 The righteous will inherit the land

and dwell in it permanently.x

30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;

his tongue speaks what is just.y

31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;

his steps do not falter.z

32 The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous

and intends to kill him;aa

33 the Lord will not leave him

in the power of the wicked one

or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.ab

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.ac

35 I have seen a wicked, violent person

well-rooted,A like a flourishing native tree.ad

36 Then IB passed by and noticed he was gone;

I searched for him, but he could not be found.a

37 Watch the blameless and observe the upright,

for the person of peace will have a future.* b

38 But transgressors will all be eliminated;

the future of the wicked will be destroyed.c

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,

their refuge in a time of distress.d

40 The Lord helps and delivers them;

he will deliver them from the wicked and will save them

because they take refuge in him.e

Psalm 38

PRAYER OF A SUFFERING SINNER

A psalm of David to bring remembrance.f

1 Lord, do not punish me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.g

2 For your arrows have sunk into me,

and your hand has pressed down on me.h

3 There is no soundness in my body

because of your indignation;

there is no healthC in my bones

because of my sin.i

4 For my iniquities have flooded over my head;

they are a burden too heavy for me to bear.j

5 My wounds are foul and festering

because of my foolishness.k

6 I am bent over and brought very low;

all day long I go around in mourning.l

7 For my insides are full of burning pain,

and there is no soundness in my body.m

8 I am faint and severely crushed;

I groan because of the anguish of my heart.n

9 Lord, my every desire is in front of you;

my sighing is not hidden from you.o

10 My heart races, my strength leaves me,

and even the light of my eyes has faded.E,p

11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction,

and my relatives stand at a distance.q

12 Those who intend to kill me set traps,

and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me;

they plot treachery all day long.r

13 I am like a deaf person; I do not hear.

I am like a speechless person

who does not open his mouth.s

14 I am like a man who does not hear

and has no arguments in his mouth.t

15 For I put my hope in you, Lord;

you will answer me, my Lord, my God.u

16 For I said, “Don’t let them rejoice over me—

those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble.”v

17 For I am about to fall,

and my pain is constantly with me.w

18 So I confess my iniquity;

I am anxious because of my sin.x

19 But my enemies are vigorous and powerful;A

many hate me for no reason.y

20 Those who repay evil for good

attack me for pursuing good.z

21 Lord, do not abandon me;

my God, do not be far from me.aa

22 Hurry to help me,

my Lord, my salvation.ab

Psalm 39

THE FLEETING NATURE OF LIFE

For the choir director, for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

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.”ac

2 I was speechless and quiet;

I kept silent, even from speaking good,

and my pain intensified.a

3 My heart grew hot within me;

as I mused, a fire burned.b

I spoke with my tongue:

4 “Lord, make me aware of my end

and the number of my days

so that I will know how short-lived I am.c

5 In fact, you have made my days just inches long,

and my life span is as nothing to you.

Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor.d

Selah

6 Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.

Indeed, they rush around in vain,

gathering possessions

without knowing who will get them.e

7 “Now, Lord, what do I wait for?

My hope is in you.f

8 Rescue me from all my transgressions;

do not make me the taunt of fools.g

9 I am speechless; I do not open my mouth

because of what you have done.h

10 Remove your torment from me.

Because of the force of your hand I am finished.i

11 You discipline a person with punishment for iniquity,

consuming like a moth what is precious to him;j

yes, every human being is only a vapor.k

Selah

12 “Hear my prayer, Lord,

and listen to my cry for help;

do not be silent at my tears.l

For I am here with you as an alien,

a temporary resident like all my ancestors.m

13 Turn your angry gaze from me

so that I may be cheered up

before I die and am gone.”n