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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:
(A)There is no fear of God before his eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
(B)He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
(C)He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself (D)in a way that is not good;
He does not [a]abhor (E)evil.

Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the [b]great mountains;
(F)Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men (G)put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
(H)They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from (I)the river of Your pleasures.
(J)For with You is the fountain of life;
(K)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.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 36:4 reject, loathe
  2. Psalm 36:6 Lit. mountains of God

Wickedness of Men and Lovingkindness of God.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.

36 Transgression speaks [like an oracle] to the wicked (godless) [deep] within his heart;
There is no fear (dread) of God before his eyes.(A)

For he flatters and deceives himself in his own eyes
Thinking that his sinfulness will not be discovered and hated [by God].

The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.

He plans wrongdoing on his bed;
He sets himself on a path that is not good;
He does not reject or despise evil.


Your lovingkindness and graciousness, O Lord, extend to the skies,
Your faithfulness [reaches] to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God,
Your judgments are like the great deep.
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;
And You allow them to drink from the river of Your delights.

For with You is the fountain of life [the fountain of life-giving water];
In Your light we see light.(B)

10 
O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness (salvation) to the upright in heart.
11 
Do not let the foot of the proud [person] overtake me,
And do not let the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 
There those who [are perverse and] do evil have fallen;
They have been thrust down and cannot rise.

Psalm 36

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.

The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart,
that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
For he flattereth himself in his own eyes,
until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit:
he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.
He deviseth mischief upon his bed;
he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.

Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
Thy righteousness is like the great mountains;
thy judgments are a great deep:
O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!
therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house;
and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
For with thee is the fountain of life:
in thy light shall we see light.
10 O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee;
and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

11 Let not the foot of pride come against me,
and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.
12 There are the workers of iniquity fallen:
they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.

36 1 The Prophet grievously vexed by the wicked, doth complain of their malicious wickedness. 6 Then he turneth to consider the unspeakable goodness of God toward all creatures. 9 But specially towards his children, that by the faith thereof he may be comforted and assured of his deliverance by this ordinary course of God’s work. 12 Who in the end destroyeth the wicked, and saveth the just.

To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord.

Wickedness saith to the wicked man, [a]even in mine heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

For he [b]flattereth himself in his own eyes, while his iniquity is found worthy to be hated.

The words of his mouth are iniquity and [c]deceit: he hath left off to understand and to do good.

He [d]imagineth mischief upon his bed: he setteth himself upon a way, that is not good, and doth not abhor evil.

Thy [e]mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the heavens, and thy faithfulness unto the clouds.

Thy righteousness is like the [f]mighty mountains: thy judgments are like a great [g]deep: thou Lord, dost save man and beast.

How excellent is thy mercy, O God! therefore the children of men trust under the shadow of thy wings.

They shall be [h]satisfied with the fatness of thine house, and thou shalt give them drink out of the river of thy pleasures.

For with thee is the well of life, and in thy light shall we see light.

10 Extend thy loving-kindness unto them that [i]know thee, and thy righteousness unto them that are upright in heart.

11 Let not the [j]foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked men move me.

12 [k]There they are fallen that work iniquity: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 36:1 I see evidently by his deeds, that sin pusheth forward the reprobate from wickedness to wickedness, albeit he go about to cover his impiety.
  2. Psalm 36:2 Though all others detest his vile sin, yet he himself seeth it not.
  3. Psalm 36:3 The reprobate mock at wholesome doctrine, and put not difference between good and evil.
  4. Psalm 36:4 By describing at large the nature of the reprobate, he admonisheth the godly to beware of these vices.
  5. Psalm 36:5 Though wickedness seemeth to overflow all the world, yet by thine heavenly providence thou governest heaven and earth.
  6. Psalm 36:6 Hebrew, the mountains of God: for whatsoever is excellent, is thus called.
  7. Psalm 36:6 The depth of thy providence governeth all things, and disposeth them, albeit the wicked seem to overwhelm the world.
  8. Psalm 36:8 Only God’s children have enough of all things both concerning this life and the life to come.
  9. Psalm 36:10 He showeth who are God’s children, to wit, they that know him, and lead their lives uprightly.
  10. Psalm 36:11 Let not the proud advance himself against me, neither the power of the wicked drive me away.
  11. Psalm 36:12 That is, in their pride wherein they flatter themselves.

36 To the Overseer. -- By a servant of Jehovah, by David. The transgression of the wicked Is affirming within my heart, `Fear of God is not before his eyes,

For he made [it] smooth to himself in his eyes, To find his iniquity to be hated.

The words of his mouth [are] iniquity and deceit, He ceased to act prudently -- to do good.

Iniquity he deviseth on his bed, He stationeth himself on a way not good, Evil he doth not refuse.'

O Jehovah, in the heavens [is] Thy kindness, Thy faithfulness [is] unto the clouds.

Thy righteousness [is] as mountains of God, Thy judgments [are] a great deep. Man and beast Thou savest, O Jehovah.

How precious [is] Thy kindness, O God, And the sons of men In the shadow of Thy wings do trust.

They are filled from the fatness of Thy house, And the stream of Thy delights Thou dost cause them to drink.

For with Thee [is] a fountain of life, In Thy light we see light.

10 Draw out Thy kindness to those knowing Thee, And Thy righteousness to the upright of heart.

11 Let not a foot of pride meet me, And a hand of the wicked let not move me.

12 There have workers of iniquity fallen, They have been overthrown, And have not been able to arise!