By David.
37:1 Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed!
Do not envy evildoers!
37:2 For they will quickly dry up like grass,
and wither away like plants.
37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!
Settle in the land and maintain your integrity!
37:4 Then you will take delight in the Lord,
and he will answer your prayers.
37:5 Commit your future to the Lord!
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.
37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,
and publicly defend your just cause.
37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord!
Wait confidently for him!
Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner,
a man who carries out wicked schemes!
37:8 Do not be angry and frustrated!
Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!
37:9 Wicked men will be wiped out,
but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land.
37:10 Evil men will soon disappear;
you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone.
37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity.
37:12 Evil men plot against the godly
and viciously attack them.
37:13 The Lord laughs in disgust at them,
for he knows that their day is coming.
37:14 Evil men draw their swords
and prepare their bows,
to bring down the oppressed and needy,
and to slaughter those who are godly.
37:15 Their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
37:16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than
the wealth of many evil men,
37:17 for evil men will lose their power,
but the Lord sustains the godly.
37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day
and they possess a permanent inheritance.
37:19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come;
when famine comes they will have enough to eat.
37:20 But evil men will die;
the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated –
they will go up in smoke.
37:21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt,
but the godly show compassion and are generous.
37:22 Surely those favored by the Lord will possess the land,
but those rejected by him will be wiped out.
37:23 The Lord grants success to the one
whose behavior he finds commendable.
37:24 Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds his hand.
37:25 I was once young, now I am old.
I have never seen a godly man abandoned,
or his children forced to search for food.
37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others,
and his children are blessed.
37:27 Turn away from evil! Do what is right!
Then you will enjoy lasting security.
37:28 For the Lord promotes justice,
and never abandons his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure,
but the children of evil men are wiped out.
37:29 The godly will possess the land
and will dwell in it permanently.
37:30 The godly speak wise words
and promote justice.
37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking;
their feet do not slip.
37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly
and try to kill them.
37:33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,
or allow them to be condemned in a court of law.
37:34 Rely on the Lord! Obey his commands!
Then he will permit you to possess the land;
you will see the demise of evil men.
37:35 I have seen ruthless evil men
growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil.
37:36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared!
I looked for them, but they could not be found.
37:37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly!
For the one who promotes peace has a future.
37:38 Sinful rebels are totally destroyed;
evil men have no future.
37:39 But the Lord delivers the godly;
he protects them in times of trouble.
37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from evil men and delivers them,
for they seek his protection.
A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention.
38:1 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger!
Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury!
38:2 For your arrows pierce me,
and your hand presses me down.
38:3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment;
I am deprived of health because of my sin.
38:4 For my sins overwhelm me;
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
38:5 My wounds are infected and starting to smell,
because of my foolish sins.
38:6 I am dazed and completely humiliated;
all day long I walk around mourning.
38:7 For I am overcome with shame
and my whole body is sick.
38:8 I am numb with pain and severely battered;
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel.
38:9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire;
my groaning is not hidden from you.
38:10 My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me;
I can hardly see.
38:11 Because of my condition, even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance;
my neighbors stand far away.
38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me;
those who want to harm me speak destructive words;
all day long they say deceitful things.
38:13 But I am like a deaf man – I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak.
38:14 I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense.
38:15 Yet I wait for you, O Lord!
You will respond, O Lord, my God!
38:16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me;
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me.
38:17 For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain.
38:18 Yes, I confess my wrongdoing,
and I am concerned about my sins.
38:19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous;
those who hate me without cause outnumber me.
38:20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;
though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me.
38:21 Do not abandon me, O Lord!
My God, do not remain far away from me!
38:22 Hurry and help me, O Lord, my deliverer!
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39:1 I decided, “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue.
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil man.”
39:2 I was stone silent;
I held back the urge to speak.
My frustration grew;
39:3 my anxiety intensified.
As I thought about it, I became impatient.
Finally I spoke these words:
39:4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life!
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass!
39:5 Look, you make my days short-lived,
and my life span is nothing from your perspective.
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.
39:6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts.
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”
39:7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?
You are my only hope!
39:8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion!
Do not make me the object of fools’ insults!
39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth
because of what you have done.
39:10 Please stop wounding me!
You have almost beaten me to death!
39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins;
like a moth you slowly devour their strength.
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
39:12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cry for help!
Do not ignore my sobbing!
For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land;
I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were.
39:13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy
before I pass away.