Psalm 37:title–39:13

God Will Reward Fairly

Of David.

37Don’t be upset because of evil people.

Don’t be jealous of those who do wrong,

²because like the grass, they will soon dry up.

Like green plants, they will soon die away.

³Trust the Lord and do good.

Live in the land and feed on truth.

⁴Enjoy serving the Lord,

and he will give you what you want.

⁵Depend on the Lord;

trust him, and he will take care of you.

⁶Then your goodness will shine like the sun,

and your fairness like the noonday sun.

⁷Wait and trust the Lord.

Don’t be upset when others get rich

or when someone else’s plans succeed.

⁸Don’t get angry.

Don’t be upset; it only leads to trouble.

⁹Evil people will be sent away,

but those who trust the Lord will inherit the land.

¹⁰In a little while the wicked will be no more.

You may look for them, but they will be gone.

¹¹People who are not proud will inherit the land

and will enjoy complete peace.

¹²The wicked make evil plans against good people.

They grind their teeth at them in anger.

¹³But the Lord laughs at the wicked,

because he sees that their day is coming.

¹⁴The wicked draw their swords

and bend their bows

to kill the poor and helpless,

to kill those who are honest.

¹⁵But their swords will stab their own hearts,

and their bows will break.

¹⁶It is better to have little and be right

than to have much and be wrong.

¹⁷The power of the wicked will be broken,

but the Lord supports those who do right.

¹⁸The Lord watches over the lives of the innocent,

and their reward will last forever.

¹⁹They will not be ashamed when trouble comes.

They will be full in times of hunger.

²⁰But the wicked will die.

The Lord’s enemies will be like the flowers of the fields;

they will disappear like smoke.

²¹The wicked borrow and don’t pay back,

but those who do right give freely to others.

²²Those whom the Lord blesses will inherit the land,

but those he curses will be sent away.

²³When people’s steps follow the Lord,

God is pleased with their ways.

²⁴If they stumble, they will not fall,

because the Lord holds their hand.

²⁵I was young, and now I am old,

but I have never seen good people left helpless

or their children begging for food.

²⁶Good people always lend freely to others,

and their children are a blessing.

²⁷Stop doing evil and do good,

so you will live forever.

²⁸The Lord loves justice

and will not leave those who worship him.

He will always protect them,

but the children of the wicked will die.

²⁹Good people will inherit the land

and will live in it forever.

³⁰Good people speak with wisdom,

and they say what is fair.

³¹The teachings of their God are in their heart,

so they do not fail to keep them.

³²The wicked watch for good people

so that they may kill them.

³³But the Lord will not take away his protection

or let good people be judged guilty.

³⁴Wait for the Lord’s help

and follow him.

He will honor you and give you the land,

and you will see the wicked sent away.

³⁵I saw a wicked and cruel man

who looked strong like a healthy tree in good soil.

³⁶But he died and was gone;

I looked for him, but he couldn’t be found.

³⁷Think of the innocent person,

and watch the honest one.

The man who has peace

will have children to live after him.

³⁸But sinners will be destroyed;

in the end the wicked will die.

³⁹The Lord saves good people;

he is their strength in times of trouble.

⁴⁰The Lord helps them and saves them;

he saves them from the wicked,

because they trust in him for protection.

A Prayer in Time of Sickness

A psalm of David to remember.

38Lord, don’t correct me when you are angry.

Don’t punish me when you are furious.

²Your arrows have wounded me,

and your hand has come down on me.

³My body is sick from your punishment.

Even my bones are not healthy because of my sin.

⁴My guilt has overwhelmed me;

like a load it weighs me down.

⁵My sores stink and become infected

because I was foolish.

⁶I am bent over and bowed down;

I am sad all day long.

⁷I am burning with fever,

and my whole body is sore.

⁸I am weak and faint.

I moan from the pain I feel.

⁹Lord, you know everything I want;

my cries are not hidden from you.

¹⁰My heart pounds, and my strength is gone.

I am losing my sight.

¹¹Because of my wounds, my friends and neighbors avoid me,

and my relatives stay far away.

¹²Some people set traps to kill me.

Those who want to hurt me plan trouble;

all day long they think up lies.

¹³I am like the deaf; I cannot hear.

Like the mute, I cannot speak.

¹⁴I am like those who do not hear,

who have no answer to give.

¹⁵I trust you, Lord.

You will answer, my Lord and God.

¹⁶I said, “Don’t let them laugh at me

or brag when I am defeated.”

¹⁷I am about to die,

and I cannot forget my pain.

¹⁸I confess my guilt;

I am troubled by my sin.

¹⁹My enemies are strong and healthy,

and many hate me for no reason.

²⁰They repay me with evil for the good I did.

They lie about me because I try to do good.

²¹Lord, don’t leave me;

my God, don’t go away.

²²Quickly come and help me,

my Lord and Savior.

Life Is Short

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

39I said, “I will be careful how I act

and will not sin by what I say.

I will be careful what I say

around wicked people.”

²So I kept very quiet.

I didn’t even say anything good,

but I became even more upset.

³I became very angry inside,

and as I thought about it, my anger burned.

So I spoke:

⁴“Lord, tell me when the end will come

and how long I will live.

Let me know how long I have.

⁵You have given me only a short life;

my lifetime is like nothing to you.

Everyone’s life is only a breath.

Selah

⁶People are like shadows moving about.

All their work is for nothing;

they collect things but don’t know who will get them.

⁷“So, Lord, what hope do I have?

You are my hope.

⁸Save me from all my sins.

Don’t let wicked fools make fun of me.

⁹I am quiet; I do not open my mouth,

because you are the one who has done this.

¹⁰Quit punishing me;

your beating is about to kill me.

¹¹You correct and punish people for their sins;

like a moth, you destroy what they love.

Everyone’s life is only a breath.

Selah

¹²“Lord, hear my prayer,

and listen to my cry.

Do not ignore my tears.

I am like a visitor with you.

Like my ancestors, I’m only here a short time.

¹³Leave me alone so I can be happy

before I leave and am no more.”