Psalm 36-40
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 36
Human Wickedness and God’s Love
For the choir director. Of David, the Lord’s servant.
1 An oracle within my heart
concerning the transgression of the wicked person:
Dread of God has no effect on him.[a](A)
2 For with his flattering opinion of himself,
he does not discover and hate his iniquity.(B)
3 The words from his mouth are malicious and deceptive;(C)
he has stopped acting wisely and doing good.(D)
4 Even on his bed he makes malicious plans.(E)
He sets himself on a path that is not good,
and he does not reject evil.(F)
5 Lord, your faithful love reaches to heaven,
your faithfulness to the clouds.(G)
6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your judgments like the deepest sea.(H)
Lord, you preserve people and animals.(I)
7 How priceless your faithful love is, God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.(J)
8 They are filled from the abundance of your house.
You let them drink from your refreshing stream.(K)
9 For the wellspring of life is with you.(L)
By means of your light we see light.(M)
10 Spread your faithful love over those who know you,
and your righteousness over the upright in heart.(N)
11 Do not let the foot of the arrogant come near me
or the hand of the wicked drive me away.(O)
12 There! The evildoers have fallen.
They have been thrown down and cannot rise.(P)
Psalm 37
Instruction in Wisdom
Of David.
1 Do not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.(Q)
2 For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender green plants.(R)
3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good;(S)
dwell in the land and live securely.[b](T)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.(U)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act,(V)
6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.(W)
7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him;(X)
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the person who carries out evil plans.(Y)
8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.(Z)
9 For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.(AA)
10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;
though you look for him, he will not be there.(AB)
11 But the humble will inherit the land(AC)
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.(AD)
12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.(AE)
13 The Lord laughs at him(AF)
because he sees that his day is coming.(AG)
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the[c] bow
to bring down the poor and needy
and to slaughter those whose way is upright.(AH)
15 Their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.(AI)
16 The little that the righteous person has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.(AJ)
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,(AK)
but the Lord supports the righteous.(AL)
18 The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,
and their inheritance will last forever.(AM)
19 They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;
they will be satisfied in days of hunger.(AN)
20 But the wicked will perish;
the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,
will fade away—
they will fade away like smoke.(AO)
21 The wicked person borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.(AP)
22 Those who are blessed by the Lord will inherit the land,
but those cursed by him will be destroyed.(AQ)
23 A person’s steps are established by the Lord,
and he takes pleasure in his way.(AR)
24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
because the Lord supports him with his hand.(AS)
25 I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.(AT)
26 He is always generous, always lending,
and his children are a blessing.(AU)
27 Turn away from evil, do what is good,
and settle permanently.(AV)
28 For the Lord loves justice
and will not abandon his faithful ones.(AW)
They are kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.(AX)
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it permanently.(AY)
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.(AZ)
31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.(BA)
32 The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and intends to kill him;(BB)
33 the Lord will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.(BC)
34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.(BD)
35 I have seen a wicked, violent person
well-rooted,[d] like a flourishing native tree.(BE)
36 Then I[e] passed by and noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.(BF)
37 Watch the blameless and observe the upright,
for the person of peace will have a future.[f](BG)
38 But transgressors will all be eliminated;
the future of the wicked will be destroyed.(BH)
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,
their refuge in a time of distress.(BI)
40 The Lord helps and delivers them;
he will deliver them from the wicked and will save them
because they take refuge in him.(BJ)
Psalm 38
Prayer of a Suffering Sinner
A psalm of David to bring remembrance.(BK)
1 Lord, do not punish me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.(BL)
2 For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has pressed down on me.(BM)
3 There is no soundness in my body
because of your indignation;
there is no health[g] in my bones
because of my sin.(BN)
4 For my iniquities have flooded over my head;
they are a burden too heavy for me to bear.(BO)
5 My wounds are foul and festering
because of my foolishness.(BP)
6 I am bent over and brought very low;
all day long I go around in mourning.(BQ)
7 For my insides are full of burning pain,
and there is no soundness in my body.(BR)
8 I am faint and severely crushed;
I groan because of the anguish of my heart.(BS)
9 Lord, my every desire is in front of you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.(BT)
10 My heart races, my strength leaves me,
and even the light of my eyes has faded.[h](BU)
11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction,
and my relatives stand at a distance.(BV)
12 Those who intend to kill me set traps,
and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me;
they plot treachery all day long.(BW)
13 I am like a deaf person; I do not hear.
I am like a speechless person
who does not open his mouth.(BX)
14 I am like a man who does not hear
and has no arguments in his mouth.(BY)
15 For I put my hope in you, Lord;
you will answer me, my Lord, my God.(BZ)
16 For I said, “Don’t let them rejoice over me—
those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble.”(CA)
17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is constantly with me.(CB)
18 So I confess my iniquity;
I am anxious because of my sin.(CC)
19 But my enemies are vigorous and powerful;[i]
many hate me for no reason.(CD)
20 Those who repay evil for good
attack me for pursuing good.(CE)
21 Lord, do not abandon me;
my God, do not be far from me.(CF)
22 Hurry to help me,
my Lord, my salvation.(CG)
Psalm 39
The Fleeting Nature of Life
For the choir director, for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, “I will guard my ways
so that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle
as long as the wicked are in my presence.”(CH)
2 I was speechless and quiet;
I kept silent, even from speaking good,
and my pain intensified.(CI)
3 My heart grew hot within me;
as I mused, a fire burned.(CJ)
I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, make me aware of my end
and the number of my days
so that I will know how short-lived I am.(CK)
5 In fact, you have made my days just inches long,
and my life span is as nothing to you.
Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor.(CL)Selah
6 Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.
Indeed, they rush around in vain,
gathering possessions
without knowing who will get them.(CM)
7 “Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.(CN)
8 Rescue me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the taunt of fools.(CO)
9 I am speechless; I do not open my mouth
because of what you have done.(CP)
10 Remove your torment from me.
Because of the force of your hand I am finished.(CQ)
11 You discipline a person with punishment for iniquity,
consuming like a moth what is precious to him;(CR)
yes, every human being is only a vapor.(CS)Selah
12 “Hear my prayer, Lord,
and listen to my cry for help;
do not be silent at my tears.(CT)
For I am here with you as an alien,
a temporary resident like all my ancestors.(CU)
13 Turn your angry gaze from me
so that I may be cheered up
before I die and am gone.”(CV)
Psalm 40
Thanksgiving and a Cry for Help
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 I waited patiently for the Lord,
and he turned to me and heard my cry for help.(CW)
2 He brought me up from a desolate[j] pit,
out of the muddy clay,(CX)
and set my feet on a rock,
making my steps secure.(CY)
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.(CZ)
Many will see and fear,
and they will trust in the Lord.(DA)
4 How happy is anyone
who has put his trust in the Lord
and has not turned to the proud
or to those who run after lies!(DB)
5 Lord my God, you have done many things—
your wondrous works and your plans for us;
none can compare with you.
If I were to report and speak of them,
they are more than can be told.(DC)
6 You do not delight in sacrifice and offering;
you open my ears to listen.[k]
You do not ask for a whole burnt offering or a sin offering.(DD)
7 Then I said, “See, I have come;
in the scroll it is written about me.(DE)
8 I delight to do your will, my God,(DF)
and your instruction is deep within me.”(DG)
9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
see, I do not keep my mouth closed[l]—
as you know, Lord.(DH)
10 I did not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I spoke about your faithfulness and salvation;
I did not conceal your constant love and truth
from the great assembly.(DI)
11 Lord, you do not[m] withhold your compassion from me.
Your constant love and truth will always guard me.(DJ)
12 For troubles without number have surrounded me;
my iniquities have overtaken me; I am unable to see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my courage leaves me.(DK)
13 Lord, be pleased to rescue me;
hurry to help me, Lord.(DL)
14 Let those who intend to take my life
be disgraced and confounded.
Let those who wish me harm
be turned back and humiliated.(DM)
15 Let those who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
be appalled because of their shame.(DN)
16 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
let those who love your salvation continually say,
“The Lord is great!” (DO)
17 I am oppressed and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my helper and my deliverer;
my God, do not delay.(DP)
Footnotes
- 36:1 Lit There is no dread of God in front of his eyes
- 37:3 Or and cultivate faithfulness, or and befriend faithfulness
- 37:14 Lit their
- 37:35 Hb obscure
- 37:36 LXX, Syr, Vg, Jer; MT reads he
- 37:37 Or posterity, also in v. 38
- 38:3 Hb shalom
- 38:10 Or and the light of my eyes—even that is not with me
- 38:19 Or numerous
- 40:2 Or watery
- 40:6 Lit you hollow out ears for me
- 40:9 Lit not restrain my lips
- 40:11 Or Lord, do not
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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