Psalm 37-38

New International Version

Psalm 37^[a]

Of David.

¹Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious^(A) of those who do wrong;^(B)
²for like the grass they will soon wither,^(C)
like green plants they will soon die away.^(D)

³Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land^(E) and enjoy safe pasture.^(F)
⁴Take delight^(G) in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.^(H)

⁵Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him^(I) and he will do this:
⁶He will make your righteous reward^(J) shine like the dawn,^(K)
your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷Be still^(L) before the Lord
and wait patiently^(M) for him;
do not fret^(N) when people succeed in their ways,^(O)
when they carry out their wicked schemes.^(P)

⁸Refrain from anger^(Q) and turn from wrath;
do not fret^(R)—it leads only to evil.
⁹For those who are evil will be destroyed,^(S)
but those who hope^(T) in the Lord will inherit the land.^(U)

¹⁰A little while, and the wicked will be no more;^(V)
though you look for them, they will not be found.
¹¹But the meek will inherit the land^(W)
and enjoy peace and prosperity.^(X)

¹²The wicked plot^(Y) against the righteous
and gnash their teeth^(Z) at them;
¹³but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.^(AA)

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword^(AB)
    and bend the bow^(AC)
to bring down the poor and needy,^(AD)
    to slay those whose ways are upright.
¹⁵But their swords will pierce their own hearts,^(AE)
    and their bows will be broken.^(AF)

¹⁶Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth^(AG) of many wicked;
¹⁷for the power of the wicked will be broken,^(AH)
but the Lord upholds^(AI) the righteous.

¹⁸The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,^(AJ)
and their inheritance will endure forever.^(AK)
¹⁹In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

²⁰But the wicked will perish:^(AL)
Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.^(AM)

²¹The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;^(AN)
²²those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses^(AO) will be destroyed.^(AP)

²³The Lord makes firm the steps^(AQ)
of the one who delights^(AR) in him;
²⁴though he may stumble, he will not fall,^(AS)
for the Lord upholds^(AT) him with his hand.

²⁵I was young and now I am old,
    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken^(AU)
    or their children begging^(AV) bread.
²⁶They are always generous and lend freely;^(AW)
    their children will be a blessing.^[b]^(AX)

²⁷Turn from evil and do good;^(AY)
then you will dwell in the land forever.^(AZ)
²⁸For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.^(BA)

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed^[c];
the offspring of the wicked will perish.^(BB)
²⁹The righteous will inherit the land^(BC)
and dwell in it forever.^(BD)

³⁰The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,^(BE)
and their tongues speak what is just.
³¹The law of their God is in their hearts;^(BF)
their feet do not slip.^(BG)

³²The wicked lie in wait^(BH) for the righteous,^(BI)
intent on putting them to death;
³³but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemned^(BJ) when brought to trial.^(BK)

³⁴Hope in the Lord^(BL)
and keep his way.^(BM)
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed,^(BN) you will see^(BO) it.

³⁵I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing^(BP) like a luxuriant native tree,
³⁶but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.^(BQ)

³⁷Consider the blameless,^(BR) observe the upright;^(BS)
a future awaits those who seek peace.^[d]^(BT)
³⁸But all sinners^(BU) will be destroyed;^(BV)
there will be no future^[e] for the wicked.^(BW)

³⁹The salvation^(BX) of the righteous comes from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.^(BY)
⁴⁰The Lord helps^(BZ) them and delivers^(CA) them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves^(CB) them,
    because they take refuge^(CC) in him.

Psalm 38^[f]

A psalm of David. A petition.

¹Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.^(CD)
²Your arrows^(CE) have pierced me,
    and your hand has come down on me.
³Because of your wrath there is no health^(CF) in my body;
    there is no soundness in my bones^(CG) because of my sin.
⁴My guilt has overwhelmed^(CH) me
    like a burden too heavy to bear.^(CI)

⁵My wounds^(CJ) fester and are loathsome^(CK)
    because of my sinful folly.^(CL)
⁶I am bowed down^(CM) and brought very low;
    all day long I go about mourning.^(CN)
⁷My back is filled with searing pain;^(CO)
    there is no health^(CP) in my body.
⁸I am feeble and utterly crushed;^(CQ)
    I groan^(CR) in anguish of heart.^(CS)

⁹All my longings^(CT) lie open before you, Lord;
    my sighing^(CU) is not hidden from you.
¹⁰My heart pounds,^(CV) my strength fails^(CW) me;
    even the light has gone from my eyes.^(CX)
¹¹My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;^(CY)
    my neighbors stay far away.
¹²Those who want to kill me set their traps,^(CZ)
    those who would harm me talk of my ruin;^(DA)
    all day long they scheme and lie.^(DB)

¹³I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,^(DC)
    like the mute, who cannot speak;
¹⁴I have become like one who does not hear,
    whose mouth can offer no reply.
¹⁵Lord, I wait^(DD) for you;
    you will answer,^(DE) Lord my God.
¹⁶For I said, “Do not let them gloat^(DF)
    or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”^(DG)

¹⁷For I am about to fall,^(DH)
    and my pain^(DI) is ever with me.
¹⁸I confess my iniquity;^(DJ)
    I am troubled by my sin.
¹⁹Many have become my enemies^(DK) without cause^[g];
    those who hate me^(DL) without reason^(DM) are numerous.
²⁰Those who repay my good with evil^(DN)
    lodge accusations^(DO) against me,
    though I seek only to do what is good.

²¹Lord, do not forsake me;^(DP)
do not be far^(DQ) from me, my God.
²²Come quickly^(DR) to help me,^(DS)
my Lord and my Savior.^(DT)

Notas al pie

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
Psalm 38:1 In Hebrew texts 38:1-22 is numbered 38:2-23.
Psalm 38:19 One Dead Sea Scrolls manuscript; Masoretic Text my vigorous enemies

2 Corinthians 12

New International Version

Paul’s Vision and His Thorn

12 I must go on boasting.^(A) Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations^(B) from the Lord. ²I know a man in Christ^(C) who fourteen years ago was caught up^(D) to the third heaven.^(E) Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.^(F) ³And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— ⁴was caught up^(G) to paradise^(H) and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. ⁵I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.^(I) ⁶Even if I should choose to boast,^(J) I would not be a fool,^(K) because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷or because of these surpassingly great revelations.^(L) Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh,^(M) a messenger of Satan,^(N) to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.^(O) ⁹But he said to me, “My grace^(P) is sufficient for you, for my power^(Q) is made perfect in weakness.^(R)”^(S) Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight^(T) in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,^(U) in persecutions,^(V) in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.^(W)

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians

¹¹I have made a fool of myself,^(X) but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,”^[a]^(Y) even though I am nothing.^(Z) ¹²I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles.^(AA) ¹³How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you?^(AB) Forgive me this wrong!^(AC)

¹⁴Now I am ready to visit you for the third time,^(AD) and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents,^(AE) but parents for their children.^(AF) ¹⁵So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well.^(AG) If I love you more,^(AH) will you love me less? ¹⁶Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you.^(AI) Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! ¹⁷Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? ¹⁸I urged^(AJ) Titus^(AK) to go to you and I sent our brother^(AL) with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?

¹⁹Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God^(AM) as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends,^(AN) is for your strengthening.^(AO) ²⁰For I am afraid that when I come^(AP) I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be.^(AQ) I fear that there may be discord,^(AR) jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,^(AS) slander,^(AT) gossip,^(AU) arrogance^(AV) and disorder.^(AW) ²¹I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved^(AX) over many who have sinned earlier^(AY) and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery^(AZ) in which they have indulged.