Psalm 37-40

American Standard Version

37 Fret not thyself because of evil-doers,
Neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness.
² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
³ Trust in Jehovah, and do good;
^[a]Dwell in the land, and ^[b]feed on his faithfulness.
^4 [c]Delight thyself also in Jehovah;
And he will give thee the ^[d]desires of thy heart.
^5 [e]Commit thy way unto Jehovah;
Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass.
⁶ And he will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light,
And thy justice as the noon-day.
^7 [f]Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him:
Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way,
Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:
Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing.
⁹ For evil-doers shall be cut off;
But those that wait for Jehovah, they shall inherit ^[g]the land.
¹⁰ For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be:
Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and ^[h]he shall not be.
¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the land,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
¹² The wicked plotteth against the just,
And gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
¹³ The Lord will laugh at him;
For he seeth that his day is coming.
¹⁴ The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay such as are upright in the way.
¹⁵ Their sword shall enter into their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
¹⁶ Better is a little that the righteous hath
Than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken;
But Jehovah upholdeth the righteous.
¹⁸ Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect;
And their inheritance shall be for ever.
¹⁹ They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil;
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
²⁰ But the wicked shall perish,
And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as ^[i]the fat of lambs:
They shall consume; ^[j]in smoke shall they consume away.
²¹ The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again;
But the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth.
²² For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land;
And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off.
²³ A man’s goings are established of Jehovah;
And he delighteth in his way.
²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For Jehovah ^[k]upholdeth him with his hand.
²⁵ I have been young, and now am old;
Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his seed begging bread.
²⁶ All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth;
And his seed is blessed.
²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell for evermore.
²⁸ For Jehovah loveth justice,
And forsaketh not his saints;
They are preserved for ever:
But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell therein for ever.
³⁰ The mouth of the righteous talketh of wisdom,
And his tongue speaketh justice.
³¹ The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.
³² The wicked watcheth the righteous,
And seeketh to slay him.
³³ Jehovah will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
³⁴ Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way,
And he will exalt thee to inherit the land:
When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
³⁵ I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
^36 [l]But one passed by, and, lo, he was not:
Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
³⁷ Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright;
For there is a happy end to the man of peace.
³⁸ As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together:
The end of the wicked shall be cut off.
³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah:
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
⁴⁰ And Jehovah helpeth them, and rescueth them:
He rescueth them from the wicked, and saveth them,
Because they have taken refuge in him.

38 O Jehovah, rebuke me not in thy wrath;
Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
² For thine arrows ^[n]stick fast in me,
And thy hand ^[o]presseth me sore.
³ There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine indignation;
Neither is there any ^[p]health in my bones because of my sin.
⁴ For mine iniquities are gone over my head:
As a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
⁵ My wounds are loathsome and corrupt,
Because of my foolishness.
⁶ I am ^[q]pained and bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
⁷ For my loins are filled with burning;
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
⁸ I am faint and sore bruised:
I have ^[r]groaned by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
⁹ Lord, all my desire is before thee;
And my groaning is not hid from thee.
¹⁰ My heart throbbeth, my strength faileth me:
As for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.
¹¹ My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen stand afar off.
¹² They also that seek after my life lay snares for me;
And they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things,
And meditate deceits all the day long.
¹³ But I, as a deaf man, hear not;
And I am as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
¹⁴ Yea, I am as a man that heareth not,
And in whose mouth are no ^[s]reproofs.
¹⁵ For in thee, O Jehovah, do I hope:
Thou wilt answer, O Lord my God.
¹⁶ For I said, Lest they rejoice over me:
When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
¹⁷ For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
¹⁸ For I will declare mine iniquity;
I will be sorry for my sin.
¹⁹ But mine enemies are lively, and are strong;
And they that hate me ^[t]wrongfully are multiplied.
²⁰ They also that render evil for good
Are adversaries unto me, because I follow the thing that is good.
²¹ Forsake me not, O Jehovah:
O my God, be not far from me.
²² Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation.

39 I said, I will take heed to my ways,
That I sin not with my tongue:
I will keep ^[v]my mouth with a bridle,
While the wicked is before me.
² I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, ^[w]even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred.
³ My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then spake I with my tongue:
⁴ Jehovah, make me to know mine end,
And the measure of my days, what it is;
Let me know how frail I am.
⁵ Behold, thou hast made my days as handbreadths;
And my life-time is as nothing before thee:
Surely every man ^[x]at his best estate is altogether ^[y]vanity. Selah
⁶ Surely every man walketh ^[z]in a vain show;
Surely they are disquieted ^[aa]in vain:
He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
⁷ And now, Lord, what wait I for?
My hope is in thee.
⁸ Deliver me from all my transgressions:
Make me not the reproach of the foolish.
⁹ I was dumb, I opened not my mouth;
Because thou didst it.
¹⁰ Remove thy stroke away from me:
I am consumed by the ^[ab]blow of thy hand.
¹¹ When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity,
Thou ^[ac]makest his beauty to consume away like a moth:
Surely every man is ^[ad]vanity. Selah
¹² Hear my prayer, O Jehovah, and give ear unto my cry;
Hold not thy peace at my tears:
For I am a stranger with thee,
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
¹³ Oh ^[ae]spare me, that I may ^[af]recover strength,
Before I go hence, and be no more.

40 I waited patiently for Jehovah;
And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
² He brought me up also out of ^[ag]a horrible pit, out of the miry clay;
And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
³ And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God:
Many shall see it, and fear,
And shall trust in Jehovah.
⁴ Blessed is the man that maketh Jehovah his trust,
And respecteth not the proud, nor such as ^[ah]turn aside to lies.
⁵ Many, O Jehovah my God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done,
And thy thoughts which are to us-ward:
^[ai]They cannot be set in order unto thee;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
⁶ Sacrifice and ^[aj]offering thou hast no delight in;
^[ak]Mine ears hast thou opened:
Burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required.
⁷ Then said I, Lo, I am come;
In the roll of the book it is ^[al]written of me:
⁸ I delight to do thy will, O my God;
Yea, thy law is within my heart.
⁹ I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great assembly;
Lo, I will not refrain my lips,
O Jehovah, thou knowest.
¹⁰ I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart;
I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation;
I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great assembly.
¹¹ Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Jehovah;
Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
¹² For innumerable evils have compassed me about;
Mine iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
And my heart hath ^[am]failed me.
¹³ Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me:
Make haste to help me, O Jehovah.
¹⁴ Let them be put to shame and confounded together
That seek after my soul to destroy it:
Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor
That delight in my hurt.
¹⁵ Let them be ^[an]desolate ^[ao]by reason of their shame
That say unto me, Aha, aha.
¹⁶ Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee:
Let such as love thy salvation say continually,
Jehovah be magnified.
¹⁷ But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord thinketh upon me:
Thou art my help and my deliverer;
Make no tarrying, O my God.