Psalm 32-37
New King James Version
The Joy of Forgiveness
A Psalm of David. A [a]Contemplation.
32 Blessed is he whose (A)transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord (B)does not [b]impute iniquity,
And (C)in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your (D)hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
(E)I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 (F)For this cause everyone who is godly shall (G)pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
7 (H)You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with (I)songs of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
9 Do not be like the (J)horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.
10 (K)Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But (L)he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
11 (M)Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
The Sovereignty of the Lord in Creation and History
33 Rejoice (N)in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
[c]Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
4 For the word of the Lord is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
6 (O)By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And all the (P)host of them (Q)by the breath of His mouth.
7 (R)He gathers the waters of the sea together [d]as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For (S)He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 (T)The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 (U)The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has (V)chosen as His own inheritance.
13 (W)The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
14 From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
15 He fashions their hearts individually;
(X)He [e]considers all their works.
16 (Y)No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 (Z)A horse is a [f]vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
18 (AA)Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
19 To deliver their soul from death,
And (AB)to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.
The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God
A Psalm of David (AC)when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
34 I will (AD)bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
4 I (AE)sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 (AF)The [g]angel of the Lord (AG)encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.
8 Oh, (AH)taste and see that the Lord is good;
(AI)Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no [h]want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
(AJ)But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me;
(AK)I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 (AL)Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking (AM)deceit.
14 (AN)Depart from evil and do good;
(AO)Seek peace and pursue it.
15 (AP)The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
16 (AQ)The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
(AR)To [i]cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and (AS)the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 (AT)The Lord is near (AU)to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as [j]have a contrite spirit.
19 (AV)Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
(AW)But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He guards all his bones;
(AX)Not one of them is broken.
21 (AY)Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous shall be [k]condemned.
22 The Lord (AZ)redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
The Lord the Avenger of His People
A Psalm of David.
35 Plead[l] my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take hold of shield and [m]buckler,
And stand up for my help.
3 Also draw out the spear,
And stop those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation.”
4 (BA)Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor
Who seek after my life;
Let those be (BB)turned back and brought to confusion
Who plot my hurt.
5 (BC)Let them be like chaff before the wind,
And let the [n]angel of the Lord chase them.
6 Let their way be (BD)dark and slippery,
And let the angel of the Lord pursue them.
7 For without cause they have (BE)hidden their net for me in a pit,
Which they have dug without cause for my life.
8 [o]Let (BF)destruction come upon him unexpectedly,
And let his net that he has hidden catch himself;
Into that very destruction let him fall.
9 And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord;
It shall rejoice in His salvation.
10 (BG)All my bones shall say,
“Lord, (BH)who is like You,
Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him,
Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?”
11 Fierce witnesses rise up;
They ask me things that I do not know.
12 (BI)They reward me evil for good,
To the sorrow of my soul.
13 But as for me, (BJ)when they were sick,
My clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled myself with fasting;
And my prayer would return to my own [p]heart.
14 I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;
I bowed down [q]heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.
15 But in my [r]adversity they rejoiced
And gathered together;
Attackers gathered against me,
And I did not know it;
They tore at me and did not cease;
16 With ungodly mockers at feasts
They gnashed at me with their teeth.
17 Lord, how long will You (BK)look on?
Rescue me from their destructions,
My precious life from the lions.
18 I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You among [s]many people.
19 (BL)Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies;
Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.
20 For they do not speak peace,
But they devise deceitful matters
Against the quiet ones in the land.
21 They also opened their mouth wide against me,
And said, “Aha, aha!
Our eyes have seen it.”
22 This You have seen, O Lord;
Do not keep silence.
O Lord, do not be far from me.
23 Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication,
To my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness;
And let them not rejoice over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, so we would have it!”
Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26 Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who rejoice at my hurt;
Let them be (BM)clothed with shame and dishonor
Who exalt themselves against me.
27 (BN)Let them shout for joy and be glad,
Who favor my righteous cause;
And let them say continually,
“Let the Lord be magnified,
Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”
28 And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness
And of Your praise all the day long.
Man’s Wickedness and God’s Perfections
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
36 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
(BO)There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
(BP)He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 (BQ)He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself (BR)in a way that is not good;
He does not [t]abhor (BS)evil.
5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the [u]great mountains;
(BT)Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men (BU)put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 (BV)They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from (BW)the river of Your pleasures.
9 (BX)For with You is the fountain of life;
(BY)In Your light we see light.
10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not able to rise.
The Heritage of the Righteous and the Calamity of the Wicked
A Psalm of David.
37 Do(BZ) not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down (CA)like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 (CB)Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your (CC)heart.
5 (CD)Commit[v] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 (CE)He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, (CF)and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who (CG)prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 (CH)Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
(CI)Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be [w]cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall (CJ)inherit the earth.
10 For (CK)yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, (CL)you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11 (CM)But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
(CN)And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 (CO)The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that (CP)his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15 Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
16 (CQ)A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But (CR)the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22 (CS)For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be [x]cut off.
23 (CT)The steps of a good man are [y]ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24 (CU)Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 (CV)He is [z]ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28 For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 (CW)The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.
30 (CX)The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall [aa]slide.
32 The wicked (CY)watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33 The Lord (CZ)will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 (DA)Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36 Yet [ab]he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
38 (DB)But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength (DC)in the time of trouble.
40 And (DD)the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
(DE)Because they trust in Him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 32:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 32:2 charge his account with
- Psalm 33:2 Lit. Sing to Him
- Psalm 33:7 LXX, Tg., Vg. in a vessel
- Psalm 33:15 understands
- Psalm 33:17 false
- Psalm 34:7 Or Angel
- Psalm 34:9 lack
- Psalm 34:16 destroy
- Psalm 34:18 are crushed in spirit
- Psalm 34:21 held guilty
- Psalm 35:1 Contend for me
- Psalm 35:2 A small shield
- Psalm 35:5 Or Angel
- Psalm 35:8 Lit. Let destruction he does not know come upon him,
- Psalm 35:13 Lit. bosom
- Psalm 35:14 in mourning
- Psalm 35:15 limping, stumbling
- Psalm 35:18 a mighty
- Psalm 36:4 reject, loathe
- Psalm 36:6 Lit. mountains of God
- Psalm 37:5 Lit. Roll off onto
- Psalm 37:9 destroyed
- Psalm 37:22 destroyed
- Psalm 37:23 established
- Psalm 37:26 Lit. all the day
- Psalm 37:31 slip
- Psalm 37:36 So with MT, LXX, Tg.; Syr., Vg. I passed by
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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