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Psalm 35-37
New King James Version
Psalm 35-37
New King James Version
The Lord the Avenger of His People
A Psalm of David.
35 Plead[a] my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take hold of shield and [b]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 (A)Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor
Who seek after my life;
Let those be (B)turned back and brought to confusion
Who plot my hurt.
5 (C)Let them be like chaff before the wind,
And let the [c]angel of the Lord chase them.
6 Let their way be (D)dark and slippery,
And let the angel of the Lord pursue them.
7 For without cause they have (E)hidden their net for me in a pit,
Which they have dug without cause for my life.
8 [d]Let (F)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 (G)All my bones shall say,
“Lord, (H)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 (I)They reward me evil for good,
To the sorrow of my soul.
13 But as for me, (J)when they were sick,
My clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled myself with fasting;
And my prayer would return to my own [e]heart.
14 I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;
I bowed down [f]heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.
15 But in my [g]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 (K)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 [h]many people.
19 (L)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 (M)clothed with shame and dishonor
Who exalt themselves against me.
27 (N)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:
(O)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;
(P)He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 (Q)He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself (R)in a way that is not good;
He does not [i]abhor (S)evil.
5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the [j]great mountains;
(T)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 (U)put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 (V)They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from (W)the river of Your pleasures.
9 (X)For with You is the fountain of life;
(Y)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(Z) not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down (AA)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 (AB)Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your (AC)heart.
5 (AD)Commit[k] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 (AE)He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, (AF)and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who (AG)prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 (AH)Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
(AI)Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be [l]cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall (AJ)inherit the earth.
10 For (AK)yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, (AL)you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11 (AM)But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
(AN)And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 (AO)The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that (AP)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 (AQ)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 (AR)the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22 (AS)For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be [m]cut off.
23 (AT)The steps of a good man are [n]ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24 (AU)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 (AV)He is [o]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 (AW)The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.
30 (AX)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 [p]slide.
32 The wicked (AY)watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33 The Lord (AZ)will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 (BA)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 [q]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 (BB)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 (BC)in the time of trouble.
40 And (BD)the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
(BE)Because they trust in Him.
Footnotes
- 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
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
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.