Psalm 35

Of David.

1 Contend,h Lord, with those who contend with me;

fighti against those who fight against me.

2 Take up shieldj and armor;

arisek and come to my aid.l

3 Brandish spearm and javelina n

against those who pursue me.

Say to me,

“I am your salvation.o”

4 May those who seek my lifep

be disgracedq and put to shame;r

may those who plot my ruin

be turned backs in dismay.

5 May they be like chafft before the wind,

with the angel of the Lordu driving them away;

6 may their path be dark and slippery,

with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

7 Since they hid their netv for me without causew

and without cause dug a pitx for me,

8 may ruin overtake them by surprise—y

may the net they hid entangle them,

may they fall into the pit,z to their ruin.

9 Then my soul will rejoicea in the Lord

and delight in his salvation.b

10 My whole being will exclaim,

“Who is like you,c Lord?

You rescue the poor from those too strongd for them,

the poor and needye from those who rob them.”

11 Ruthless witnessesf come forward;

they question me on things I know nothing about.

12 They repay me evil for goodg

and leave me like one bereaved.

13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackclothh

and humbled myself with fasting.i

When my prayers returned to me unanswered,

14 I went about mourningj

as though for my friend or brother.

I bowed my head in grief

as though weeping for my mother.

15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;k

assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.

They slanderedl me without ceasing.

16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;b m

they gnashed their teethn at me.

17 How long,o Lord, will you look on?

Rescue me from their ravages,

my precious lifep from these lions.q

18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;r

among the throngss I will praise you.t

19 Do not let those gloat over me

who are my enemiesu without cause;

do not let those who hate me without reasonv

maliciously wink the eye.w

20 They do not speak peaceably,

but devise false accusationsx

against those who live quietly in the land.

21 They sneery at me and say, “Aha! Aha!z

With our own eyes we have seen it.”

22 Lord, you have seena this; do not be silent.

Do not be farb from me, Lord.

23 Awake,c and rised to my defense!

Contende for me, my God and Lord.

24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;

do not let them gloatf over me.

25 Do not let them think, “Aha,g just what we wanted!”

or say, “We have swallowed him up.”h

26 May all who gloati over my distressj

be put to shamek and confusion;

may all who exalt themselves over mel

be clothed with shame and disgrace.

27 May those who delight in my vindicationm

shout for joyn and gladness;

may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,

who delightso in the well-being of his servant.”p

28 My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,q

your praises all day long.r

Psalm 36a

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord.

1 I have a message from God in my heart

concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:b s

There is no feart of God

before their eyes.u

2 In their own eyes they flatter themselves

too much to detect or hate their sin.v

3 The words of their mouthsw are wicked and deceitful;x

they fail to act wiselyy or do good.z

4 Even on their beds they plot evil;a

they commit themselves to a sinful courseb

and do not reject what is wrong.c

5 Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,

your faithfulnessd to the skies.e

6 Your righteousnessf is like the highest mountains,g

your justice like the great deep.h

You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.i

7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!j

People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.k

8 They feast on the abundance of your house;l

you give them drink from your riverm of delights.n

9 For with you is the fountain of life;o

in your lightp we see light.

10 Continue your loveq to those who know you,r

your righteousness to the upright in heart.s

11 May the foot of the proud not come against me,

nor the hand of the wickedt drive me away.

12 See how the evildoers lie fallen—

thrown down, not able to rise!u

Psalm 37a

Of David.

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil

or be enviousv of those who do wrong;w

2 for like the grass they will soon wither,x

like green plants they will soon die away.y

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the landz and enjoy safe pasture.a

4 Take delightb in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.c

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in himd and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteous rewarde shine like the dawn,f

your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be stillg before the Lord

and wait patientlyh for him;

do not freti when people succeed in their ways,j

when they carry out their wicked schemes.k

8 Refrain from angerl and turn from wrath;

do not fretm—it leads only to evil.

9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,n

but those who hopeo in the Lord will inherit the land.p

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

though you look for them, they will not be found.

11 But the meek will inherit the landr

and enjoy peace and prosperity.s

12 The wicked plott against the righteous

and gnash their teethu at them;

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

for he knows their day is coming.v

14 The wicked draw the swordw

and bend the bowx

to bring down the poor and needy,y

to slay those whose ways are upright.

15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,z

and their bows will be broken.a

16 Better the little that the righteous have

than the wealthb of many wicked;

17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,c

but the Lord upholdsd the righteous.

18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,e

and their inheritance will endure forever.f

19 In times of disaster they will not wither;

in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:g

Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,

they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.h

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,

but the righteous give generously;i

22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,

but those he cursesj will be destroyed.k

23 The Lord makes firm the stepsl

of the one who delightsm in him;

24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,n

for the Lord upholdso him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsakenp

or their children beggingq bread.

26 They are always generous and lend freely;r

their children will be a blessing.b s

27 Turn from evil and do good;t

then you will dwell in the land forever.u

28 For the Lord loves the just

and will not forsake his faithful ones.v

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyedc;

the offspring of the wicked will perish.w

29 The righteous will inherit the landx

and dwell in it forever.y

30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,z

and their tongues speak what is just.

31 The law of their God is in their hearts;a

their feet do not slip.b

32 The wicked lie in waitc for the righteous,d

intent on putting them to death;

33 but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked

or let them be condemnede when brought to trial.f

34 Hope in the Lordg

and keep his way.h

He will exalt you to inherit the land;

when the wicked are destroyed,i you will seej it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man

flourishingk like a luxuriant native tree,

36 but he soon passed away and was no more;

though I looked for him, he could not be found.l

37 Consider the blameless,m observe the upright;n

a future awaits those who seek peace.d o

38 But all sinnersp will be destroyed;q

there will be no futuree for the wicked.r

39 The salvations of the righteous comes from the Lord;

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.t

40 The Lord helpsu them and deliversv them;

he delivers them from the wicked and savesw them,

because they take refugex in him.