Psalm 36

Human Wickedness and God’s Love

For the choir director. A psalm of David, the Lord’s servant.

An oracle within my heart
concerning the transgression of the wicked person:
There is no dread of God before his eyes,(A)
for in his own eyes he flatters himself too much
to discover and hate his sin.(B)
The words of his mouth are malicious and deceptive;(C)
he has stopped acting wisely and doing good.(D)
Even on his bed he makes malicious plans.(E)
He sets himself on a path that is not good
and does not reject evil.(F)

Lord, Your faithful love reaches to heaven,
Your faithfulness to the clouds.(G)
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains;
Your judgments, like the deepest sea.(H)
Lord, You preserve man and beast.(I)
God, Your faithful love is so valuable
that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.(J)
They are filled from the abundance of Your house;
You let them drink from Your refreshing stream,(K)
for with You is life’s fountain.(L)
In Your light we will 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 man come near me
or the hand of the wicked one drive me away.(O)
12 There the evildoers fall;
they have been thrown down and cannot rise.(P)

Psalm 36

For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord.

Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.[a]
    They have no fear of God at all.
In their blind conceit,
    they cannot see how wicked they really are.
Everything they say is crooked and deceitful.
    They refuse to act wisely or do good.
They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots.
    Their actions are never good.
    They make no attempt to turn from evil.

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
    your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.
    How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
    in the shadow of your wings.
You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
    letting them drink from your river of delights.
For you are the fountain of life,
    the light by which we see.

10 Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;
    give justice to those with honest hearts.
11 Don’t let the proud trample me
    or the wicked push me around.
12 Look! Those who do evil have fallen!
    They are thrown down, never to rise again.

Footnotes

  1. 36:1 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac version, which read in his heart. Masoretic Text reads in my heart.