Psalms 37 to 38 : Easy-to-Read
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Psalm 37*
David’s {song}*
1Don’t get upset at evil people. Don’t be jealous of people who do bad things. 2Evil people are like grass and green plants that quickly turn brown and die. 3If you trust the Lord and do good things, you will live and enjoy the many things that the land gives. 4Enjoy serving the Lord, and he will give you what you want. 5Depend on the Lord. Trust him, and he will do what must be done. 6Let your goodness and fairness shine like the sun at noon. 7Trust the Lord and wait for his help. Don’t be upset when bad people succeed. Don’t be upset when bad people make evil plans and their plans succeed. 8Don’t be angry! Don’t get mad! Don’t become so upset that you also want to do bad things. 9Why? Because evil people will be destroyed. But people that call to the Lord for help will get the land {God promised}. 10In a short time there will be no more evil people. You might look for those people, but they will all be gone! 11Humble people will get the land {God promised}. And they will enjoy peace. 12Evil people plan bad things against good people. Those evil people show they are angry by grinding their teeth at good people. 13But our Master laughs at those evil people. He sees what will happen to them. 14Bad people get their swords and aim their bows. They want to kill poor, helpless people. They want to kill good, honest people. 15But their bows will break. Their swords will go into their own hearts. 16A few good people are better than a large crowd of evil people. 17Why? Because evil people will be destroyed. But the Lord cares for good people. 18The Lord protects pure people all their life. Their reward will continue forever. 19When trouble comes, good people will not be destroyed. When times of hunger come, good people will have plenty to eat. 20But evil people are the Lord’s enemies, and those evil people will be destroyed. Their valleys will become dry and burn. They will be completely destroyed. 21An evil man quickly borrows money and never pays it back. But a good man gives freely to other people. 22If a good person blesses people, then they will get the land {God promised}. But if he asks for bad things to happen, then those people will be destroyed. 23The Lord helps a soldier walk carefully. The Lord keeps the soldier from falling. 24If the soldier runs and attacks his enemy, then the Lord holds the soldier’s hand, and keeps him from falling. 25I was young, and now I am old. And I have never seen God abandon good people. I have never seen good people’s children begging for food. 26A good man gives freely to other people. And a good man’s children are a blessing. 27If you refuse to do bad things, and if you do good things, then you will live forever. 28The Lord loves fairness. He will not leave his followers without help. The Lord will always protect his followers, but he will destroy wicked people. 29Good people will get the land {God promised}. They will live on it forever. 30A good person gives good advice. His decisions are fair to every person. 31He has learned the Lord’s teachings. And he will never stop living right.* 32But bad people are always looking for ways to kill good people. 33The Lord will not abandon good people when they are trapped by bad people. God will not let good people be judged guilty. 34Do what the Lord says and wait for his help. The Lord will make you the winner, and you will get the land {God promised}, when he forces the bad people to leave. 35I saw a wicked person that was powerful. He was like a strong, healthy tree. 36But then he was gone. I looked for him, but I couldn’t find him. 37Be pure and honest. Peace loving people will have many descendants. 38But people who break the law will be completely destroyed. And their descendants will be forced to leave the land.* 39The Lord saves good people. When good people have troubles, the Lord is their strength. 40The Lord helps good people and saves them. Good people depend on the Lord, and he saves them from bad people.
Psalm 37 In Hebrew, each verse in this psalm begins with the next letter of the alphabet. David’s {song} Or “{Dedicated} to David” he … right Literally, “His steps will not slip.” forced to leave the land Or “destroyed”. Literally, “cut off”.
Psalm 38
A song of David* for the {day of} remembrance.*
1Lord, don’t criticize me in anger. Don’t discipline me in anger. 2Lord, you have hurt me. Your arrows went deep into me. 3You punished me. Now my whole body is sore. I sinned, {and you punished me}. So all my bones hurt. 4I am guilty of doing bad things. And that guilt is like a heavy weight. {I am too ashamed} to hold my head up. 5I did a foolish thing. Now I have infected sores that stink. 6I am bent and bowed down. I am depressed all day long. 7I have a fever, and my whole body hurts. 8I hurt so much I can’t feel anything. My pounding heart makes me scream! 9My Master, you heard my groaning. My sighs are not hidden from you. 10My heart is pounding. My strength is gone, and I am going blind.* 11Because of my sickness, my friends and neighbors will not visit me. My family will not come near me. 12My enemies say bad things about me. They are spreading lies and rumors.* They talk about me all the time. 13But I am like a deaf person that cannot hear. I am like a mute person that cannot speak. 14I am like a person that cannot hear what people are saying about him. I cannot argue and prove that my enemies are wrong. 15So, Lord, you must defend me. God my Master, you must speak for me. 16If I say anything, then my enemies will laugh at me. They will see I am sick and say that I am being punished for doing wrong. 17I know I am guilty of doing wrong things. I cannot forget my pain. 18Lord, I told you about the bad things I did. I am sad about my sins. 19My enemies are alive and healthy. And they have told many, many lies. 20My enemies do bad things to me, and I did only good things to them. I tried to do only good things, but those people turned against me. 21Lord, don’t leave me! My God, stay close to me! 22Quickly come and help me! My God, save me!
A song of David Or, “A song dedicated to David.” for … remembrance The ancient Greek version has “for the Sabbath.” I am going blind Or “My eyes have lost their sparkle.” Literally, “Even the light of my eyes is no longer with me.” rumors Hurtful stories about people that other people tell without knowing if the stories are true.
