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Psalm 35-37
New American Standard Bible
Psalm 35-37
New American Standard Bible
Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.
A Psalm of David.
35 Contend, Lord, with those who (A)contend with me;
Fight against those who (B)fight against me.
2 Take hold of [a](C)buckler and shield
And rise up as (D)my help.
3 Draw also the spear and [b]the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, “I am (E)your salvation.”
4 Let those be (F)ashamed and dishonored who seek my [c]life;
Let those be (G)turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be (H)like chaff before the wind,
With the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and (I)slippery,
With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 For (J)they (K)hid their net for me without cause;
Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.
8 Let (L)destruction come upon him when he is unaware,
And (M)let the net which he hid catch him;
Let him fall into that very (N)destruction.
9 So my soul shall (O)rejoice in the Lord;
It shall (P)rejoice in His salvation.
10 All my (Q)bones will say, “Lord, (R)who is like You,
Who rescues the afflicted from one (S)who is too strong for him,
And (T)the afflicted and the poor from one who robs him?”
11 (U)Malicious witnesses rise up;
They ask me things that I do not know.
12 They (V)repay me evil for good,
To the bereavement of my soul.
13 But as for me, (W)when they were sick, my (X)clothing was sackcloth;
I (Y)humbled my soul with fasting,
But my (Z)prayer kept returning to [d]me.
14 I went about as though it were my friend or brother;
I (AA)bowed down [e]in mourning, like one who mourns for a mother.
15 But (AB)at my [f]stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together;
The [g](AC)afflicted people whom I did not know gathered together against me,
They [h](AD)slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like godless jesters at a feast,
They (AE)gnashed at me with their teeth.
17 Lord, (AF)how long will You look on?
Rescue my soul (AG)from their ravages,
My (AH)only life from the lions.
18 I will (AI)give You thanks in the great congregation;
I will (AJ)praise You among a mighty people.
19 (AK)Do not let those who are wrongfully (AL)my enemies rejoice over me;
Nor let those (AM)who hate me for no reason [i](AN)wink maliciously.
20 For they do not speak peace,
But they devise (AO)deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They (AP)opened their mouth wide against me;
They said, “(AQ)Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it!”
22 (AR)You have seen it, Lord, (AS)do not keep silent;
Lord, (AT)do not be far from me.
23 (AU)Stir Yourself, and awake to my right
And to my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 (AV)Judge me, Lord my God, according to Your righteousness,
And (AW)do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say in their heart, “(AX)Aha, our desire!”
Do not let them say, “We have (AY)swallowed him up!”
26 May (AZ)those be ashamed and altogether humiliated who rejoice at my distress;
May those who (BA)exalt themselves over me be (BB)clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 May those (BC)shout for joy and rejoice, who take delight in (BD)my vindication;
And (BE)may they say continually, “The Lord be exalted,
Who (BF)delights in the prosperity of His servant.”
28 And (BG)my tongue shall proclaim Your righteousness
And Your praise all day long.
Wickedness of Humanity and Goodness of God.
For the music director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
36 [j]Wrongdoing speaks to the ungodly within [k]his heart;
There is (BH)no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For it (BI)flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his wrongful deed and the hatred of it.
3 The (BJ)words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has (BK)ceased to [l]be wise and to do good.
4 He (BL)plans wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself on a (BM)path that is not good;
He (BN)does not reject evil.
5 Your (BO)mercy, Lord, [m]extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6 Your (BP)righteousness is like the [n]mountains of God;
Your (BQ)judgments are like the great deep.
Lord, You [o](BR)protect mankind and animals.
7 How (BS)precious is Your mercy, God!
And the sons of mankind (BT)take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They (BU)drink their fill of the [p]abundance of Your house;
And You allow them to drink from the (BV)river of Your delights.
9 For the (BW)fountain of life is with You;
In Your light we see light.
10 Prolong Your mercy to (BX)those who know You,
And Your (BY)righteousness to the upright of heart.
11 May the foot of pride not come upon me,
And may the hand of the wicked not drive me away.
12 Those who do injustice have fallen there;
They have been thrust down and (BZ)cannot rise.
Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.
A Psalm of David.
37 (CA)Do not get upset because of evildoers,
Do not be (CB)envious of wrongdoers.
2 For they will (CC)wither quickly like the grass,
And (CD)decay like the green plants.
3 (CE)Trust in the Lord and do good;
(CF)Live in the land and [q](CG)cultivate faithfulness.
4 (CH)Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will (CI)give you the desires of your heart.
5 (CJ)Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring out (CK)your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment (CL)as the noonday.
7 [r]Rest in the Lord and (CM)wait [s]patiently for Him;
(CN)Do not get upset because of one who is (CO)successful in his way,
Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and (CP)abandon wrath;
Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For (CQ)evildoers will be eliminated,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will (CR)inherit the land.
10 Yet (CS)a little while and the wicked person will be no more;
And you will look carefully for (CT)his place and he will not be there.
11 But (CU)the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in (CV)abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked (CW)plots against the righteous,
And (CX)gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord (CY)laughs at him,
For He sees that (CZ)his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and (DA)bent their bow
To take down the (DB)afflicted and the needy,
To (DC)kill off those who are upright in conduct.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their (DD)bows will be broken.
16 (DE)Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the (DF)arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the Lord (DG)sustains the righteous.
18 The Lord (DH)knows the days of the [t]blameless,
And their (DI)inheritance will be forever.
19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And (DJ)in the days of famine they will have plenty.
20 But the (DK)wicked will perish;
And the enemies of the Lord will be like the [u]glory of the pastures,
They vanish—(DL)like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous (DM)is gracious and gives.
22 For (DN)those blessed by Him will (DO)inherit the land,
But those (DP)cursed by Him will be eliminated.
23 (DQ)The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He (DR)delights in his way.
24 When (DS)he falls, he will not be hurled down,
Because (DT)the Lord is the One [v]who holds his hand.
25 I have been young and now I am old,
Yet (DU)I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or (DV)his [w]descendants begging for bread.
26 All day long (DW)he is gracious and lends,
And (DX)his [x]descendants are a blessing.
27 (DY)Turn from evil and do good,
So that you will dwell (DZ)forever.
28 For the Lord (EA)loves [y]justice
And (EB)does not abandon His godly ones;
They are (EC)protected forever,
But the [z](ED)descendants of the wicked will be eliminated.
29 The righteous will (EE)inherit the land
And (EF)dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous (EG)utters wisdom,
And his tongue (EH)speaks justice.
31 The (EI)Law of his God is in his heart;
His (EJ)steps do not slip.
32 The (EK)wicked spies upon the righteous
And (EL)seeks to kill him.
33 The Lord will (EM)not leave him in his hand
Or (EN)let him be condemned when he is judged.
34 (EO)Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the (EP)wicked are eliminated, you will see it.
35 I have (EQ)seen a wicked, violent person
Spreading himself like a (ER)luxuriant [aa]tree in its native soil.
36 Then he passed away, and behold, he (ES)was no more;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37 Observe the [ab](ET)blameless person, and look at the (EU)upright;
For the person of peace will have (EV)a future.
38 But wrongdoers will altogether be (EW)destroyed;
The future of the wicked will be (EX)eliminated.
39 But the (EY)salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength (EZ)in time of trouble.
40 (FA)The Lord helps them and rescues them;
He (FB)rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they (FC)take refuge in Him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 35:2 I.e., small shield
- Psalm 35:3 Or close up the path against those
- Psalm 35:4 Or soul
- Psalm 35:13 Lit my chest
- Psalm 35:14 Or dressed for mourning
- Psalm 35:15 Or limping
- Psalm 35:15 Or struck ones
- Psalm 35:15 Lit tore
- Psalm 35:19 Or wink the eye
- Psalm 36:1 Or Rebellion
- Psalm 36:1 Another reading is my heart
- Psalm 36:3 Or understand to do good
- Psalm 36:5 Lit is in
- Psalm 36:6 Or mighty mountains
- Psalm 36:6 Or help
- Psalm 36:8 Lit fatness
- Psalm 37:3 Or feed securely; or feed on His faithfulness
- Psalm 37:7 Or Be still
- Psalm 37:7 Or longingly
- Psalm 37:18 Lit complete; or perfect
- Psalm 37:20 I.e., flowers
- Psalm 37:24 Or who sustains him with His hand
- Psalm 37:25 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:26 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:28 Lit judgment
- Psalm 37:28 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:35 Lit native; Heb obscure
- Psalm 37:37 Lit complete; or perfect
Psalm 35-37
New International Version
Psalm 35-37
New International Version
Psalm 35
Of David.
1 Contend,(A) Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight(B) against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shield(C) and armor;
arise(D) and come to my aid.(E)
3 Brandish spear(F) and javelin[a](G)
against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
“I am your salvation.(H)”
4 May those who seek my life(I)
be disgraced(J) and put to shame;(K)
may those who plot my ruin
be turned back(L) in dismay.
5 May they be like chaff(M) before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord(N) driving them away;
6 may their path be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 Since they hid their net(O) for me without cause(P)
and without cause dug a pit(Q) for me,
8 may ruin overtake them by surprise—(R)
may the net they hid entangle them,
may they fall into the pit,(S) to their ruin.
9 Then my soul will rejoice(T) in the Lord
and delight in his salvation.(U)
10 My whole being will exclaim,
“Who is like you,(V) Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong(W) for them,
the poor and needy(X) from those who rob them.”
11 Ruthless witnesses(Y) come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good(Z)
and leave me like one bereaved.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth(AA)
and humbled myself with fasting.(AB)
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14 I went about mourning(AC)
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;(AD)
assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
They slandered(AE) me without ceasing.
16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;[b](AF)
they gnashed their teeth(AG) at me.
17 How long,(AH) Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my precious life(AI) from these lions.(AJ)
18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;(AK)
among the throngs(AL) I will praise you.(AM)
19 Do not let those gloat over me
who are my enemies(AN) without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason(AO)
maliciously wink the eye.(AP)
20 They do not speak peaceably,
but devise false accusations(AQ)
against those who live quietly in the land.
21 They sneer(AR) at me and say, “Aha! Aha!(AS)
With our own eyes we have seen it.”
22 Lord, you have seen(AT) this; do not be silent.
Do not be far(AU) from me, Lord.
23 Awake,(AV) and rise(AW) to my defense!
Contend(AX) for me, my God and Lord.
24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;
do not let them gloat(AY) over me.
25 Do not let them think, “Aha,(AZ) just what we wanted!”
or say, “We have swallowed him up.”(BA)
26 May all who gloat(BB) over my distress(BC)
be put to shame(BD) and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me(BE)
be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who delight in my vindication(BF)
shout for joy(BG) and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
who delights(BH) in the well-being of his servant.”(BI)
Psalm 36[c]
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:[d](BL)
There is no fear(BM) of God
before their eyes.(BN)
2 In their own eyes they flatter themselves
too much to detect or hate their sin.(BO)
3 The words of their mouths(BP) are wicked and deceitful;(BQ)
they fail to act wisely(BR) or do good.(BS)
4 Even on their beds they plot evil;(BT)
they commit themselves to a sinful course(BU)
and do not reject what is wrong.(BV)
5 Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness(BW) to the skies.(BX)
6 Your righteousness(BY) is like the highest mountains,(BZ)
your justice like the great deep.(CA)
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.(CB)
7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!(CC)
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.(CD)
8 They feast on the abundance of your house;(CE)
you give them drink from your river(CF) of delights.(CG)
9 For with you is the fountain of life;(CH)
in your light(CI) we see light.
10 Continue your love(CJ) to those who know you,(CK)
your righteousness to the upright in heart.(CL)
11 May the foot of the proud not come against me,
nor the hand of the wicked(CM) drive me away.
12 See how the evildoers lie fallen—
thrown down, not able to rise!(CN)
Psalm 37[e]
Of David.
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious(CO) of those who do wrong;(CP)
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,(CQ)
like green plants they will soon die away.(CR)
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land(CS) and enjoy safe pasture.(CT)
4 Take delight(CU) in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.(CV)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him(CW) and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward(CX) shine like the dawn,(CY)
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still(CZ) before the Lord
and wait patiently(DA) for him;
do not fret(DB) when people succeed in their ways,(DC)
when they carry out their wicked schemes.(DD)
8 Refrain from anger(DE) and turn from wrath;
do not fret(DF)—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,(DG)
but those who hope(DH) in the Lord will inherit the land.(DI)
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;(DJ)
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land(DK)
and enjoy peace and prosperity.(DL)
12 The wicked plot(DM) against the righteous
and gnash their teeth(DN) at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.(DO)
14 The wicked draw the sword(DP)
and bend the bow(DQ)
to bring down the poor and needy,(DR)
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,(DS)
and their bows will be broken.(DT)
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth(DU) of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,(DV)
but the Lord upholds(DW) the righteous.
18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,(DX)
and their inheritance will endure forever.(DY)
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish:(DZ)
Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.(EA)
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;(EB)
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses(EC) will be destroyed.(ED)
23 The Lord makes firm the steps(EE)
of the one who delights(EF) in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,(EG)
for the Lord upholds(EH) him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken(EI)
or their children begging(EJ) bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;(EK)
their children will be a blessing.[f](EL)
27 Turn from evil and do good;(EM)
then you will dwell in the land forever.(EN)
28 For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.(EO)
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed[g];
the offspring of the wicked will perish.(EP)
29 The righteous will inherit the land(EQ)
and dwell in it forever.(ER)
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,(ES)
and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;(ET)
their feet do not slip.(EU)
32 The wicked lie in wait(EV) for the righteous,(EW)
intent on putting them to death;
33 but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemned(EX) when brought to trial.(EY)
34 Hope in the Lord(EZ)
and keep his way.(FA)
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed,(FB) you will see(FC) it.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing(FD) 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.(FE)
Footnotes
- Psalm 35:3 Or and block the way
- Psalm 35:16 Septuagint; Hebrew may mean Like an ungodly circle of mockers,
- Psalm 36:1 In Hebrew texts 36:1-12 is numbered 36:2-13.
- Psalm 36:1 Or A message from God: The transgression of the wicked / resides in their hearts.
- Psalm 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
- Psalm 37:26 Or freely; / the names of their children will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or freely; / others will see that their children are blessed
- Psalm 37:28 See Septuagint; Hebrew They will be protected forever
- Psalm 37:37 Or upright; / those who seek peace will have posterity
- Psalm 37:38 Or posterity
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