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Psalm 37-38
New American Standard Bible
Psalm 37-38
New American Standard Bible
Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.
A Psalm of David.
37 (A)Do not get upset because of evildoers,
Do not be (B)envious of wrongdoers.
2 For they will (C)wither quickly like the grass,
And (D)decay like the green plants.
3 (E)Trust in the Lord and do good;
(F)Live in the land and [a](G)cultivate faithfulness.
4 (H)Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will (I)give you the desires of your heart.
5 (J)Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring out (K)your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment (L)as the noonday.
7 [b]Rest in the Lord and (M)wait [c]patiently for Him;
(N)Do not get upset because of one who is (O)successful in his way,
Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and (P)abandon wrath;
Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For (Q)evildoers will be eliminated,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will (R)inherit the land.
10 Yet (S)a little while and the wicked person 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 that (Z)his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and (AA)bent their bow
To take down the (AB)afflicted and the needy,
To (AC)kill off 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 plenty.
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 eliminated.
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 down,
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 for bread.
26 All day long (AW)he is gracious and lends,
And (AX)his [h]descendants are a blessing.
27 (AY)Turn from evil and do good,
So that you will dwell (AZ)forever.
28 For the Lord (BA)loves [i]justice
And (BB)does not abandon His godly ones;
They are (BC)protected forever,
But the [j](BD)descendants of the wicked will be eliminated.
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 eliminated, you will see it.
35 I have (BQ)seen a wicked, violent person
Spreading himself like a (BR)luxuriant [k]tree in its native soil.
36 Then he passed away, and behold, he (BS)was no more;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37 Observe the [l](BT)blameless person, and look at the (BU)upright;
For the person of peace will have (BV)a future.
38 But wrongdoers will altogether be (BW)destroyed;
The future of the wicked will be (BX)eliminated.
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 rescues them;
He (CB)rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they (CC)take refuge in Him.
Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.
A Psalm of David, for a memorial.
38 Lord, (CD)do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
And do not punish me in Your burning anger.
2 For Your (CE)arrows have sunk deep into me,
And (CF)Your hand has pressed down on me.
3 There is (CG)no healthy part in my flesh (CH)because of Your indignation;
There is no health (CI)in my bones because of my sin.
4 For my (CJ)guilty deeds have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
5 My [m]wounds grow foul and fester
Because of (CK)my foolishness.
6 I am bent over and (CL)greatly bowed down;
I (CM)go in mourning all day long.
7 For my [n]sides are filled with (CN)burning,
And there is (CO)no healthy part in my flesh.
8 I feel (CP)faint and [o]badly crushed;
I [p](CQ)groan because of the [q]agitation of my heart.
9 Lord, all (CR)my desire is [r]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 [s]that [t]has gone from me.
11 My [u](CV)loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen (CW)stand far away.
12 Those who (CX)seek my life (CY)lay snares for me;
And those who (CZ)seek to injure me have [v]threatened destruction,
And they (DA)plot deception all day long.
13 But I, like a person who is deaf, do not hear;
And I am like a (DB)person who cannot speak, who does not open his mouth.
14 Yes, I am like a person who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
15 For (DC)I wait for You, Lord;
You (DD)will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, (DE)would exalt themselves over me.”
17 For I am (DF)ready to fall,
And (DG)my [w]sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I (DH)admit my guilt;
I am full of (DI)anxiety because of my sin.
19 But my (DJ)enemies are vigorous and [x]strong,
And those who wrongfully (DK)hate me are many.
20 And those who (DL)repay evil for good,
They (DM)become my enemies, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not abandon me, Lord;
My God, (DN)do not be far from me!
22 (DO)Hurry to help me,
Lord, (DP)my salvation!
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:3 Or feed securely; or feed on His faithfulness
- Psalm 37:7 Or Be still
- Psalm 37:7 Or longingly
- Psalm 37:18 Lit complete; or perfect
- Psalm 37:20 I.e., flowers
- Psalm 37:24 Or who sustains him with His hand
- Psalm 37:25 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:26 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:28 Lit judgment
- Psalm 37:28 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:35 Lit native; Heb obscure
- Psalm 37:37 Lit complete; or perfect
- Psalm 38:5 Or stripes
- Psalm 38:7 Lit loins
- Psalm 38:8 Or greatly
- Psalm 38:8 Lit roar
- Psalm 38:8 Lit growling
- Psalm 38:9 Or known to You
- Psalm 38:10 Lit they have
- Psalm 38:10 Lit is not with me
- Psalm 38:11 Or lovers
- Psalm 38:12 Lit spoken
- Psalm 38:17 Lit pain
- Psalm 38:19 Or numerous
Psalm 37-38
New International Version
Psalm 37-38
New International Version
Psalm 37[a]
Of David.
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious(A) of those who do wrong;(B)
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,(C)
like green plants they will soon die away.(D)
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land(E) and enjoy safe pasture.(F)
4 Take delight(G) in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.(H)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him(I) and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward(J) shine like the dawn,(K)
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be 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)
8 Refrain from anger(Q) and turn from wrath;
do not fret(R)—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,(S)
but those who hope(T) in the Lord will inherit the land.(U)
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;(V)
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land(W)
and enjoy peace and prosperity.(X)
12 The wicked plot(Y) against the righteous
and gnash their teeth(Z) at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.(AA)
14 The 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.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,(AE)
and their bows will be broken.(AF)
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth(AG) of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,(AH)
but the Lord upholds(AI) the righteous.
18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,(AJ)
and their inheritance will endure forever.(AK)
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But 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)
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;(AN)
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses(AO) will be destroyed.(AP)
23 The Lord makes firm the steps(AQ)
of the one who delights(AR) in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,(AS)
for the Lord upholds(AT) him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken(AU)
or their children begging(AV) bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;(AW)
their children will be a blessing.[b](AX)
27 Turn from evil and do good;(AY)
then you will dwell in the land forever.(AZ)
28 For 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)
29 The righteous will inherit the land(BC)
and dwell in it forever.(BD)
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,(BE)
and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;(BF)
their feet do not slip.(BG)
32 The wicked lie in wait(BH) for the righteous,(BI)
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(BJ) when brought to trial.(BK)
34 Hope 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.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing(BP) 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.(BQ)
37 Consider the blameless,(BR) observe the upright;(BS)
a future awaits those who seek peace.[d](BT)
38 But all sinners(BU) will be destroyed;(BV)
there will be no future[e] for the wicked.(BW)
39 The salvation(BX) of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.(BY)
40 The 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.
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.(CD)
2 Your arrows(CE) have pierced me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3 Because of your wrath there is no health(CF) in my body;
there is no soundness in my bones(CG) because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed(CH) me
like a burden too heavy to bear.(CI)
5 My wounds(CJ) fester and are loathsome(CK)
because of my sinful folly.(CL)
6 I am bowed down(CM) and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.(CN)
7 My back is filled with searing pain;(CO)
there is no health(CP) in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;(CQ)
I groan(CR) in anguish of heart.(CS)
9 All my longings(CT) lie open before you, Lord;
my sighing(CU) is not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds,(CV) my strength fails(CW) me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.(CX)
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;(CY)
my neighbors stay far away.
12 Those 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)
13 I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,(DC)
like the mute, who cannot speak;
14 I have become like one who does not hear,
whose mouth can offer no reply.
15 Lord, I wait(DD) for you;
you will answer,(DE) Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Do not let them gloat(DF)
or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”(DG)
17 For I am about to fall,(DH)
and my pain(DI) is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity;(DJ)
I am troubled by my sin.
19 Many have become my enemies(DK) without cause[g];
those who hate me(DL) without reason(DM) are numerous.
20 Those who repay my good with evil(DN)
lodge accusations(DO) against me,
though I seek only to do what is good.
Footnotes
- 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
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