Psalm 37–39

Psalm 37

Exhortation to Patience and Trust

Of David.

¹Do not fret because of the wicked;

do not be envious of wrongdoers,^*

²for they will soon fade like the grass

and wither like the green herb.^*

³Trust in the Lord and do good;

live in the land and enjoy security.^*

⁴Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.^*

⁵Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.^*

⁶He will make your vindication shine like the light

and the justice of your cause like the noonday.^*

⁷Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;

do not fret over those who prosper in their way,

over those who carry out evil devices.^*

⁸Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.

Do not fret—it leads only to evil.^*

⁹For the wicked shall be cut off,

but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.^*

¹⁰Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.^*

¹¹But the meek shall inherit the land

and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.^*

¹²The wicked plot against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them,^*

¹³but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

for he sees that their day is coming.^*

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows

to bring down the poor and needy,

to kill those who walk uprightly;^*

¹⁵their sword shall enter their own heart,

and their bows shall be broken.^*

¹⁶Better is a little that the righteous person has

than the abundance of many wicked.^*

¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,

but the Lord upholds the righteous.^*

¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the blameless,

and their heritage will abide forever;^*

¹⁹they are not put to shame in evil times;

in the days of famine they have abundance.^*

²⁰But the wicked perish,

and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;

they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.^*

²¹The wicked borrow and do not pay back,

but the righteous are generous and keep giving;^*

²²surely those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,

but those cursed by him shall be cut off.^*

²³Our steps^p are made firm by the Lord

when he delights in our^q way;^*

²⁴though we stumble, we^r shall not fall headlong,

for the Lord holds us^s by the hand.^*

²⁵I have been young and now am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.^*

²⁶They are ever giving liberally and lending,

and their children become a blessing.^*

²⁷Depart from evil, and do good;

so you shall abide forever.^*

²⁸For the Lord loves justice;

he will not forsake his faithful ones.

The righteous shall be kept safe forever,

but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.^*

²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land

and live in it forever.^*

³⁰The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,

and their tongues speak justice.^*

³¹The law of their God is in their hearts;

their steps do not slip.^*

³²The wicked watch for the righteous

and seek to kill them.^*

³³The Lord will not abandon them to their power

or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.^*

³⁴Wait for the Lord and keep to his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land;

you will look on the destruction of the wicked.^*

³⁵I have seen the wicked oppressing

and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.^t*

³⁶Again I^u passed by, and they were no more;

though I sought them, they could not be found.^*

³⁷Mark the blameless and behold the upright,

for there is posterity for the peaceable.^*

³⁸But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;

the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.^*

³⁹The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

he is their refuge in the time of trouble.^*

⁴⁰The Lord helps them and rescues them;

he rescues them from the wicked and saves them

because they take refuge in him.^*

Psalm 38

A Penitent Sufferer’s Plea for Healing

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.

¹O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.^*

²For your arrows have sunk into me,

and your hand has come down on me.^*

³There is no soundness in my flesh

because of your indignation;

there is no health in my bones

because of my sin.^*

⁴For my iniquities have gone over my head;

they weigh like a burden too heavy for me.^*

⁵My wounds grow foul and fester

because of my foolishness;^*

⁶I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;

all day long I go around mourning.^*

⁷For my loins are filled with burning,

and there is no soundness in my flesh.^*

⁸I am utterly spent and crushed;

I groan because of the tumult of my heart.^*

⁹O Lord, all my longing is known to you;

my sighing is not hidden from you.^*

¹⁰My heart throbs; my strength fails me;

as for the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.

¹¹My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction,

and my neighbors stand far off.^*

¹²Those who seek my life lay their snares;

those who seek to hurt me speak of ruin

and meditate on treachery all day long.^*

¹³But I am like the deaf; I do not hear;

like the mute, who cannot speak.^*

¹⁴Truly, I am like one who does not hear

and in whose mouth is no retort.

¹⁵But it is for you, O Lord, that I wait;

it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.^*

¹⁶For I pray, “Only do not let them rejoice over me,

those who boast against me when my foot slips.”^*

¹⁷For I am ready to fall,

and my pain is ever with me.^*

¹⁸I confess my iniquity;

I am sorry for my sin.^*

¹⁹Those who are my foes without cause^v are mighty,

and many are those who hate me wrongfully.^*

²⁰Those who render me evil for good

are my adversaries because I follow after good.^*

²¹Do not forsake me, O Lord;

O my God, do not be far from me;^*

²²make haste to help me,

O Lord, my salvation.^*

Psalm 39

Prayer for Wisdom and Forgiveness

To the leader: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

¹I said, “I will guard my ways

that I may not sin with my tongue;

I will keep a muzzle on my mouth

as long as the wicked are in my presence.”^*

²I was silent and still;

I held my peace to no avail;

my distress grew worse;^*

³my heart became hot within me.

While I mused, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue:

⁴“Lord, let me know my end

and what is the measure of my days;

let me know how fleeting my life is.^*

⁵You have made my days a few handbreadths,

and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.

Surely everyone stands as a mere breath.   Selah^*

⁶Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.

Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;

they heap up and do not know who will gather.^*

⁷“And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?

My hope is in you.^*

⁸Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Do not make me the scorn of the fool.^*

⁹I am silent; I do not open my mouth,

for it is you who have done it.^*

¹⁰Remove your stroke from me;

I am worn down by the blows^w of your hand.^*

¹¹“You chastise mortals

in punishment for sin,

consuming like a moth what is dear to them;

surely everyone is a mere breath.   Selah^*

¹²“Hear my prayer, O Lord,

and give ear to my cry;

do not hold your peace at my tears.

For I am your passing guest,

an alien, like all my forebears.^*

¹³Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again,

before I depart and am no more.”^*