NAS - Psalms 37 to 38

Psalm 37

Security of Those Who Trust in the LORD, and Insecurity of the Wicked.

Psalm of David.

¹Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. ²For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. ³ Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. ⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. ⁶He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.

⁷Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. ⁸ Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. ⁹ For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. ¹⁰ Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. ¹¹But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

¹²The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. ¹³The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming. ¹⁴The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. ¹⁵ Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken.

¹⁶Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked. ¹⁷For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the LORD sustains the righteous. ¹⁸ The LORD knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. ¹⁹ They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have abundance. ²⁰ But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish--like smoke they vanish away. ²¹ The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. ²² For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off.

²³The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. ²⁴When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. ²⁵ I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread. ²⁶ All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing.

²⁷Depart from evil and do good, So you will abide forever. ²⁸For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. ²⁹ The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever. ³⁰The 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 slip. ³²The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to kill him. ³³The LORD will not leave him in his hand Or let him be condemned when he is judged. ³⁴ Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

³⁵I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. ³⁶ Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found. ³⁷ Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity. ³⁸ But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off. ³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in 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.

Psalm 38

Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.

Psalm of David, for a memorial.

¹O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, And chasten me not in Your burning anger. ² For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed 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 my iniquities are gone over my head; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. ⁵ My wounds grow foul and fester Because of my folly. ⁶I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long. ⁷For my loins are filled with burning, And there is no soundness in my flesh. ⁸I am benumbed and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart.

⁹Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. ¹⁰My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me. ¹¹ My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; And my kinsmen stand afar off. ¹² Those who seek my life lay snares for me; And those who seek to injure me have threatened destruction, And they devise treachery all day long.

¹³But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth. ¹⁴ Yes, I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth are no arguments. ¹⁵ For I hope in You, O LORD; You will answer, O Lord my God. ¹⁶For I said, "May they not rejoice over me, Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me." ¹⁷ For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. ¹⁸For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin. ¹⁹But my enemies are vigorous and strong, And many are those who hate me wrongfully. ²⁰ And those who repay evil for good, They oppose me, because I follow what is good. ²¹ Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, do not be far from me! ²²Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!