Psalm 37-40

New American Standard Bible 1995

^7 [b]Rest in the Lord and ^(M)wait ^[c]patiently for Him;
^(N)Do not fret because of him who ^(O)prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
⁸ Cease from anger and ^(P)forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
⁹ For ^(Q)evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will ^(R)inherit the land.
¹⁰ Yet ^(S)a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for ^(T)his place and he will not be there.
¹¹ But ^(U)the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in ^(V)abundant prosperity.

¹² The wicked ^(W)plots against the righteous
And ^(X)gnashes at him with his teeth.
¹³ The Lord ^(Y)laughs at him,
For He sees ^(Z)his day is coming.
¹⁴ The wicked have drawn the sword and ^(AA)bent their bow
To cast down the ^(AB)afflicted and the needy,
To ^(AC)slay those who are upright in conduct.
¹⁵ Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their ^(AD)bows will be broken.

^16 (AE)Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷ For the ^(AF)arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the Lord ^(AG)sustains the righteous.
¹⁸ The Lord ^(AH)knows the days of the ^[d]blameless,
And their ^(AI)inheritance will be forever.
¹⁹ They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And ^(AJ)in the days of famine they will have abundance.
²⁰ But the ^(AK)wicked will perish;
And the enemies of the Lord will be like the ^[e]glory of the pastures,
They vanish—^(AL)like smoke they vanish away.
²¹ The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous ^(AM)is gracious and gives.
²² For ^(AN)those blessed by Him will ^(AO)inherit the land,
But those ^(AP)cursed by Him will be cut off.

^23 (AQ)The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He ^(AR)delights in his way.
²⁴ When ^(AS)he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because ^(AT)the Lord is the One ^[f]who holds his hand.
²⁵ I have been young and now I am old,
Yet ^(AU)I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or ^(AV)his ^[g]descendants begging bread.
²⁶ All day long ^(AW)he is gracious and lends,
And ^(AX)his ^[h]descendants are a blessing.

^27 (AY)Depart from evil and do good,
^[i]So you will abide ^(AZ)forever.
²⁸ For the Lord ^(BA)loves ^[j]justice
And ^(BB)does not forsake His godly ones;
They are ^(BC)preserved forever,
But the ^[k](BD)descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
²⁹ The righteous will ^(BE)inherit the land
And ^(BF)dwell in it forever.
³⁰ The mouth of the righteous ^(BG)utters wisdom,
And his tongue ^(BH)speaks justice.
³¹ The ^(BI)law of his God is in his heart;
His ^(BJ)steps do not slip.
³² The ^(BK)wicked spies upon the righteous
And ^(BL)seeks to kill him.
³³ The Lord will ^(BM)not leave him in his hand
Or ^(BN)let him be condemned when he is judged.
^34 (BO)Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the ^(BP)wicked are cut off, you will see it.

³⁵ I have ^(BQ)seen a wicked, violent man
Spreading himself like a ^(BR)luxuriant ^[l]tree in its native soil.
³⁶ Then ^[m]he passed away, and lo, he ^(BS)was no more;
I sought for him, but he could not be found.
³⁷ Mark the ^[n](BT)blameless man, and behold the ^(BU)upright;
For the man of peace will have a ^[o](BV)posterity.
³⁸ But transgressors will be altogether ^(BW)destroyed;
The ^[p]posterity of the wicked will be ^(BX)cut off.
³⁹ But the ^(BY)salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength ^(BZ)in time of trouble.
^40 (CA)The Lord helps them and delivers them;
He ^(CB)delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they ^(CC)take refuge in Him.

⁹ Lord, all ^(CR)my desire is ^[u]before You;
And my ^(CS)sighing is not hidden from You.
¹⁰ My heart throbs, ^(CT)my strength fails me;
And the ^(CU)light of my eyes, even ^[v]that ^[w]has gone from me.
¹¹ My ^[x](CV)loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen ^(CW)stand afar off.
¹² Those who ^(CX)seek my life ^(CY)lay snares for me;
And those who ^(CZ)seek to injure me have ^[y]threatened destruction,
And they ^(DA)devise treachery all day long.

¹³ But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a ^(DB)mute man who does not open his mouth.
¹⁴ Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
¹⁵ For ^(DC)I ^[z]hope in You, O Lord;
You ^(DD)will answer, O Lord my God.
¹⁶ For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, ^(DE)would magnify themselves against me.”
¹⁷ For I am ^(DF)ready to fall,
And ^(DG)my ^[aa]sorrow is continually before me.
¹⁸ For I ^[ab](DH)confess my iniquity;
I am full of ^(DI)anxiety because of my sin.
¹⁹ But my ^(DJ)enemies are vigorous and ^[ac]strong,
And many are those who ^(DK)hate me wrongfully.
²⁰ And those who ^(DL)repay evil for good,
They ^(DM)oppose me, because I follow what is good.
²¹ Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, ^(DN)do not be far from me!
²² Make ^(DO)haste to help me,
O Lord, ^(DP)my salvation!

⁷ “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My ^(ED)hope is in You.
⁸ “^(EE)Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Make me not the ^(EF)reproach of the foolish.
⁹ “I have become ^(EG)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is ^(EH)You who have done it.
¹⁰ “^(EI)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of ^(EJ)the opposition of Your hand I am ^[al]perishing.
¹¹ “With ^(EK)reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity;
You ^(EL)consume as a moth what is precious to him;
Surely ^(EM)every man is a mere breath. Selah.

¹² “^(EN)Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent ^(EO)at my tears;
For I am ^(EP)a stranger with You,
A ^(EQ)sojourner like all my fathers.
¹³ “^(ER)Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may ^[am]smile again
Before I depart and am no more.”

⁴ How ^(EZ)blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And ^(FA)has not ^[ap]turned to the proud, nor to those who ^(FB)lapse into falsehood.
⁵ Many, O Lord my God, are ^(FC)the wonders which You have done,
And Your ^(FD)thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They ^(FE)would be too numerous to count.

^6 [aq](FF)Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
My ears You have ^[ar]opened;
Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
⁷ Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is ^[as]written of me.
^8 (FG)I delight to do Your will, O my God;
^(FH)Your Law is within my heart.”

⁹ I have ^(FI)proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will ^(FJ)not restrain my lips,
O Lord, ^(FK)You know.
¹⁰ I have ^(FL)not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have ^(FM)spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.

¹¹ You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
^[at]Your ^(FN)lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
¹² For evils beyond number have ^(FO)surrounded me;
My ^(FP)iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are ^(FQ)more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my ^(FR)heart has ^[au]failed me.

^13 (FS)Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
Make ^(FT)haste, O Lord, to help me.
¹⁴ Let those be ^(FU)ashamed and humiliated together
Who ^(FV)seek my ^[av]life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight ^[aw]in my hurt.
¹⁵ Let those ^(FW)be ^[ax]appalled because of their shame
Who ^(FX)say to me, “Aha, aha!”
^16 (FY)Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let those who love Your salvation ^(FZ)say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
¹⁷ Since ^(GA)I am afflicted and needy,
^[ay](GB)Let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.