36  Transgression speaks to the wicked

deep in his heart;¹

^qthere is no fear of God

before his eyes.

2  For he flatters himself in his own eyes

that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

3  The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;

he has ceased to act wisely and do good.

4  He ^rplots trouble while on his bed;

he sets himself in a way that is not good;

he does not reject evil.

5  Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends ^sto the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

6  ^tYour righteousness is like the mountains of God;

your judgments are like the great deep;

man and beast you save, O Lord.

7  How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

The children of mankind take refuge ^uin the shadow of your wings.

8  They feast on the abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

9  For with you is ^vthe fountain of life;

in your light do we see light.

10  Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,

and your righteousness to the upright of heart!

11  Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,

nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12  There the evildoers lie fallen;

they are thrust down, ^wunable to rise.

37  ^xFret not yourself because of evildoers;

be not ^yenvious of wrongdoers!

2  For they will soon fade ^zlike the grass

and wither like the green herb.

3  ^aTrust in the Lord, and ^bdo good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.²

4  ^cDelight yourself in the Lord,

and he will ^dgive you the desires of your heart.

5  ^eCommit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.

6  He will bring forth your righteousness ^fas the light,

and your justice as the ^gnoonday.

7  ^hBe still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

8  ⁱRefrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

9  For the evildoers shall be cut off,

but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

10  In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;

^jthough you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.

11  But ^kthe meek shall inherit the land

and delight themselves in abundant peace.

12  The wicked plots against the righteous

and gnashes his teeth at him,

13  but the Lord ^llaughs at the wicked,

for he sees that his day is coming.

14  The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose way is upright;

15  their sword shall enter their own heart,

and their bows shall be broken.

16  ^mBetter is the little that the righteous has

than the abundance of many wicked.

17  For the arms of the wicked shall be ⁿbroken,

but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18  The Lord knows the days of the blameless,

and their heritage will remain forever;

19  they are not put to shame in evil times;

^oin the days of famine they have abundance.

20  But the wicked will perish;

the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;

they vanish—like ^psmoke they vanish away.

21  The wicked borrows but does not pay back,

but the righteous is generous and gives;

22  for those blessed by the Lord³ shall inherit the land,

but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

23  ^qThe steps of a man are established by the Lord,

when he ^rdelights in his way;

24  ^sthough he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

for the Lord upholds his hand.

25  I have been young, and now am old,

yet ^tI have not seen the righteous forsaken

or his children begging for bread.

26  He is ever ^ulending generously,

and his children become a blessing.

27  ^vTurn away from evil and do good;

so shall you dwell forever.

28  For the Lord loves justice;

he will not forsake his saints.

They are preserved forever,

but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.

29  The righteous shall inherit the land

and dwell upon it forever.

30  ^wThe mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,

and his tongue speaks justice.

31  The law of his God is in his heart;

his steps do not ^xslip.

32  The wicked watches for the righteous

and seeks to put him to death.

33  The Lord will not abandon him to his power

or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

34  Wait for the Lord and keep his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land;

^yyou will look on when the wicked are cut off.

35  ^zI have seen a wicked, ruthless man,

spreading himself like a green laurel tree.⁴

36  ^aBut he passed away,⁵ and behold, he was no more;

though I sought him, he could not be found.

37  Mark the blameless and behold the upright,

for there is a future for the man of peace.

38  But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;

the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

39  The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

40  The Lord helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.

38  ^cO Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,

nor discipline me in your wrath!

2  For your ^darrows have sunk into me,

and your hand has come down on me.

3  There is no soundness in my flesh

because of your indignation;

there is no health in my bones

because of my sin.

4  For ^emy iniquities have gone over my head;

like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

5  My wounds stink and fester

because of my foolishness,

6  I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;

all the day I ^fgo about mourning.

7  For my sides are filled with burning,

and there is no soundness in my flesh.

8  I am feeble and crushed;

I groan because of the tumult of my heart.

9  O Lord, all my longing is before you;

my sighing is not hidden from you.

10  My heart throbs; my strength fails me,

and ^gthe light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.

11  My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,

and ^hmy nearest kin stand far off.

12  Those who seek my life lay their snares;

those who seek my hurt speak of ruin

and meditate treachery all day long.

13  But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,

like a ⁱmute man who does not open his mouth.

14  I have become like a man who does not hear,

and in whose mouth are no rebukes.

15  But for you, O Lord, do I wait;

it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

16  For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me,

who boast against me when my foot slips!”

17  For I am ready to fall,

and my pain is ever before me.

18  I confess my iniquity;

I am sorry for my sin.

19  But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,

and many are those who hate me wrongfully.

20  Those who ^jrender me evil for good

accuse me because I follow after good.

21  ^kDo not forsake me, O Lord!

O my God, ^lbe not far from me!

22  ^mMake haste to help me,

O Lord, my salvation!

39  I said, “I will guard my ways,

that I may not sin with my tongue;

I will ^oguard my mouth with a muzzle,

so long as the wicked are in my presence.”

2  I was ^pmute and silent;

I held my peace to no avail,

and my distress grew worse.

3  My heart became hot within me.

As I mused, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue:

4  “O Lord, ^qmake me know my end

and what is the measure of my days;

let me know how fleeting I am!

5  ^rBehold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,

and my lifetime is as nothing ^sbefore you.

Surely all mankind stands as a mere ^tbreath! Selah

6  Surely a man goes about as a ^ushadow!

Surely for nothing¹ they are in turmoil;

^vman heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

7  “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?

My hope is in you.

8  Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Do not make me the scorn of the fool!

9  I am mute; I do not open my mouth,

for it is you who have done it.

10  Remove your stroke from me;

I am spent by the hostility of your hand.

11  When you discipline a man

with rebukes for sin,

you consume like a moth what is dear to him;

surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah

12  “Hear my prayer, O Lord,

and give ear to my cry;

^whold not your peace at my tears!

For I am a ^xsojourner with you,

a guest, like all my fathers.

13  Look away from me, that I may smile again,

before I depart and am no more!”

40  I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

2  He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the ^ymiry bog,

and set my feet ^zupon a rock,

making my steps secure.

3  He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord.

4  Blessed is the man who makes

the Lord his ^atrust,

who does not turn to the proud,

to those who go astray after a lie!

5  You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;

none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them,

yet ^bthey are more than can be told.

6  ^cIn sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open ear.¹

Burnt offering and sin offering

you have not required.

7  Then I said, “Behold, I have come;

in the scroll of the book it is written of me:

8  I ^ddelight to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.”

9  I have told the glad news of deliverance²

in the great congregation;

behold, I have not restrained my lips,

as you know, O Lord.

10  I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;

I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness

from the great congregation.

11  As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain

your mercy from me;

your ^esteadfast love and your faithfulness will

ever preserve me!

12  For evils have encompassed me

beyond number;

^fmy iniquities have overtaken me,

and I cannot see;

they are more than the hairs of my head;

my heart fails me.

13  ^gBe pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!

O Lord, ^hmake haste to help me!

14  ⁱLet those be put to shame and disappointed altogether

who seek to snatch away my life;

let those be turned back and brought to dishonor

who delight in my hurt!

15  Let those be appalled because of their shame

who say to me, ^j“Aha, Aha!”

16  But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation

say continually, “Great is the Lord!”

17  As for me, I am poor and needy,

but ^kthe Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not delay, O my God!