Psalm 37:27-39:13

English Standard Version

²⁷^(A)Turn away from evil and do good;
    so shall you ^(B)dwell forever.
²⁸For the Lord ^(C)loves justice;
    he will not forsake his ^(D)saints.
They are preserved forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be ^(E)cut off.
²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land
    and ^(F)dwell upon it forever.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
³¹^(G)The law of his God is in his heart;
his ^(H)steps do not slip.

³²The wicked ^(I)watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
³³The Lord will not ^(J)abandon him to his power
or let him ^(K)be condemned when he is brought to trial.

³⁴^(L)Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on ^(M)when the wicked are cut off.

³⁵^(N)I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like ^(O)a green laurel tree.^[a]
³⁶But he passed away,^[b] and behold, ^(P)he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.

³⁷Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of ^(Q)peace.
³⁸But ^(R)transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked ^(S)shall be cut off.

³⁹^(T)The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in ^(U)the time of trouble.
⁴⁰The Lord helps them and ^(V)delivers them;
    ^(W)he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they ^(X)take refuge in him.

Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord

A Psalm of David, ^(Y)for the memorial offering.

38 O Lord, ^(Z)rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!
²For your ^(AA)arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand ^(AB)has come down on me.

³There is ^(AC)no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
there is no health in my ^(AD)bones
    because of my sin.
⁴For my ^(AE)iniquities have gone over my head;
    like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

⁵My wounds stink and fester
    because of my foolishness,
⁶I am ^(AF)utterly bowed down and ^(AG)prostrate;
    all the day I ^(AH)go about mourning.
⁷For my sides are filled with burning,
    and there is ^(AI)no soundness in my flesh.
⁸I am feeble and crushed;
    I ^(AJ)groan because of the tumult of my heart.

⁹O Lord, all my longing is before you;
    my ^(AK)sighing is not hidden from you.
¹⁰My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
    and ^(AL)the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
¹¹My ^(AM)friends and companions ^(AN)stand aloof from my ^(AO)plague,
    and my nearest kin ^(AP)stand far off.

¹²Those who seek my life ^(AQ)lay their snares;
those who seek my hurt ^(AR)speak of ruin
and meditate ^(AS)treachery all day long.

¹³But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,
like ^(AT)a mute man who does not open his mouth.
¹⁴I have become like a man who does not hear,
and in whose mouth are no ^(AU)rebukes.

¹⁵But for ^(AV)you, O Lord, do I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
¹⁶For I said, “Only ^(AW)let them not rejoice over me,
who ^(AX)boast against me when my ^(AY)foot slips!”

¹⁷For I am ^(AZ)ready to fall,
    and my pain is ever before me.
¹⁸I ^(BA)confess my iniquity;
    I am ^(BB)sorry for my sin.
¹⁹But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,
    and many are those who hate me ^(BC)wrongfully.
²⁰Those who ^(BD)render me evil for good
    ^(BE)accuse me because I ^(BF)follow after good.

²¹Do not forsake me, O Lord!
O my God, be not ^(BG)far from me!
²²^(BH)Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my ^(BI)salvation!

What Is the Measure of My Days?

To the choirmaster: to ^(BJ)Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

39 I said, “I will ^(BK)guard my ways,
    that I ^(BL)may not sin with my tongue;
I will ^(BM)guard my mouth with a muzzle,
    so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
²I was ^(BN)mute and silent;
    I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
³    My ^(BO)heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:

⁴“O Lord, ^(BP)make me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!
⁵Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and ^(BQ)my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely ^(BR)all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
⁶    Surely a man ^(BS)goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing^[c] they are in turmoil;
    man ^(BT)heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

⁷“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
    ^(BU)My hope is in you.
⁸Deliver me from all my transgressions.
    ^(BV)Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
⁹^(BW)I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
    ^(BX)for it is you who have done it.
¹⁰^(BY)Remove your stroke from me;
    I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
¹¹When you discipline a man
    with ^(BZ)rebukes for sin,
you ^(CA)consume like a ^(CB)moth what is dear to him;
    ^(CC)surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah

¹²^(CD)“Hear my prayer, O Lord,
    and give ear to my cry;
    hold not your peace at my tears!
For I am ^(CE)a sojourner with you,
    ^(CF)a guest, like all my fathers.
¹³^(CG)Look away from me, that I may smile again,
    ^(CH)before I depart and ^(CI)am no more!”