Psalm 32:9-38:19

English Standard Version

^10 (C)Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
    but steadfast love surrounds the one who ^(D)trusts in the Lord.
^11 (E)Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
    and ^(F)shout for joy, all you ^(G)upright in heart!

⁴ For the word of the Lord is upright,
    and all his work is done in ^(N)faithfulness.
⁵ He ^(O)loves righteousness and justice;
    ^(P)the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

⁶ By ^(Q)the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    and by ^(R)the breath of his mouth all ^(S)their host.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea as ^(T)a heap;
    he ^(U)puts the deeps in storehouses.

⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
⁹ For ^(V)he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

¹⁰ The Lord ^(W)brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
    he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
^11 (X)The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
    the plans of his heart to all generations.
^12 (Y)Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has ^(Z)chosen as his heritage!

¹³ The Lord ^(AA)looks down from heaven;
    he sees all the children of man;
¹⁴ from ^(AB)where he sits enthroned he ^(AC)looks out
    on all the inhabitants of the earth,
¹⁵ he who fashions the hearts of them all
    and observes all their deeds.
^16 (AD)The king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
^17 (AE)The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
    and by its great might it cannot rescue.

¹⁸ Behold, ^(AF)the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    ^(AG)on those who hope in his steadfast love,
¹⁹ that he may ^(AH)deliver their soul from death
    and keep them alive in ^(AI)famine.

²⁰ Our soul ^(AJ)waits for the Lord;
    he is our ^(AK)help and ^(AL)our shield.
²¹ For our heart is ^(AM)glad in him,
    because we ^(AN)trust in his holy name.
²² Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.

⁴ I ^(AU)sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are ^(AV)radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.
^6 (AW)This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
    and ^(AX)saved him out of all his troubles.
^7 (AY)The angel of the Lord ^(AZ)encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.

⁸ Oh, ^(BA)taste and see that ^(BB)the Lord is good!
    ^(BC)Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
⁹ Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
^10 (BD)The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who ^(BE)seek the Lord lack no good thing.

^11 (BF)Come, O children, listen to me;
    ^(BG)I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
^12 (BH)What man is there who desires life
    and loves many days, that he may ^(BI)see good?
^13 (BJ)Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from ^(BK)speaking deceit.
^14 (BL)Turn away from evil and do good;
    seek peace and ^(BM)pursue it.

^15 (BN)The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
    ^(BO)and his ears toward their cry.
^16 (BP)The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to ^(BQ)cut off the memory of them from the earth.
^17 (BR)When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to ^(BS)the brokenhearted
    and saves ^(BT)the crushed in spirit.

^19 (BU)Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    ^(BV)but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰ He keeps all his bones;
    ^(BW)not one of them is broken.
^21 (BX)Affliction will slay the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
²² The Lord ^(BY)redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be ^(BZ)condemned.

^4 (CD)Let them be ^(CE)put to shame and dishonor
    who seek after my life!
Let them be ^(CF)turned back and disappointed
    who devise evil against me!
⁵ Let them be like ^(CG)chaff before the wind,
    with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
⁶ Let their way be dark and ^(CH)slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!

⁷ For ^(CI)without cause ^(CJ)they hid their net for me;
    without cause they dug ^(CK)a pit for my life.^[c]
8 Let ^(CL)destruction come upon him ^(CM)when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
    let him fall into it—to his destruction!

⁹ Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord,
    ^(CN)exulting in his salvation.
¹⁰ All my ^(CO)bones shall say,
    “O Lord, ^(CP)who is like you,
delivering the poor
    from him who is too strong for him,
    the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

^11 (CQ)Malicious^[d] witnesses rise up;
    they ask me of things that I do not know.
^12 (CR)They repay me evil for good;
    my soul is bereft.^[e]
13 But I, ^(CS)when they were sick—
    I ^(CT)wore sackcloth;
    I ^(CU)afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed ^(CV)with head bowed^[f] on my chest.
¹⁴     I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
    I ^(CW)bowed down in mourning.

¹⁵ But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
    they gathered together against me;
^(CX)wretches whom I did not know
    tore at me without ceasing;
¹⁶ like profane mockers at a feast,^[g]
    they ^(CY)gnash at me with their teeth.

¹⁷ How long, O Lord, will you ^(CZ)look on?
    Rescue me from their destruction,
    ^(DA)my precious life from the lions!
¹⁸ I will thank you in ^(DB)the great congregation;
    in the mighty throng I will praise you.

^19 (DC)Let not those rejoice over me
    who are ^(DD)wrongfully my foes,
and let not those ^(DE)wink the eye
    who ^(DF)hate me ^(DG)without cause.
²⁰ For they do not speak peace,
    but against those who are quiet in the land
    they devise words of deceit.
²¹ They ^(DH)open wide their mouths against me;
    they say, ^(DI)“Aha, Aha!
    Our eyes have seen it!”

^22 (DJ)You have seen, O Lord; ^(DK)be not silent!
    O Lord, ^(DL)be not far from me!
²³ Awake and ^(DM)rouse yourself for ^(DN)my vindication,
    for my cause, my God and my Lord!
^24 (DO)Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
    according to your righteousness,
    and ^(DP)let them not rejoice over me!
²⁵ Let them not say in their hearts,
    ^(DQ)“Aha, our heart's desire!”
Let them not say, ^(DR)“We have swallowed him up.”

²⁶ Let them be ^(DS)put to shame and disappointed altogether
    who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be ^(DT)clothed with shame and dishonor
    who ^(DU)magnify themselves against me!

²⁷ Let those who delight in my righteousness
    shout for joy and be glad
    ^(DV)and say evermore,
^(DW)“Great is the Lord,
    who ^(DX)delights in the welfare of his servant!”
²⁸ Then my ^(DY)tongue shall tell of your righteousness
    and of your praise all the day long.

⁵ Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
^6 (EI)Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
    ^(EJ)your judgments are like the great deep;
    man and beast you ^(EK)save, O Lord.

^7 (EL)How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    The children of mankind take refuge ^(EM)in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ They feast on ^(EN)the abundance of your house,
    and you give them drink from ^(EO)the river of ^(EP)your delights.
⁹ For with you is ^(EQ)the fountain of life;
    ^(ER)in your light do we see light.

¹⁰ Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who ^(ES)know you,
    and your righteousness to ^(ET)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 ^(EU)the evildoers lie fallen;
    they are thrust down, ^(EV)unable to rise.

^3 (FB)Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    ^(FC)dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.^[j]
4 (FD)Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will ^(FE)give you the desires of your heart.

^5 (FF)Commit your way to the Lord;
    ^(FG)trust in him, and he will act.
^6 (FH)He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as ^(FI)the noonday.

^7 (FJ)Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    ^(FK)fret not yourself over the one who ^(FL)prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

^8 (FM)Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    ^(FN)Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
^9 (FO)For the evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall ^(FP)inherit the land.

¹⁰ In ^(FQ)just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
    though you look carefully at ^(FR)his place, he will not be there.
¹¹ But ^(FS)the meek shall inherit the land
    and delight themselves in ^(FT)abundant peace.

¹² The wicked ^(FU)plots against the righteous
    and ^(FV)gnashes his teeth at him,
¹³ but the Lord ^(FW)laughs at the wicked,
    for he sees that his ^(FX)day is coming.

¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and ^(FY)bend their bows
    to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose ^(FZ)way is upright;
¹⁵ their sword shall enter their own heart,
    and their ^(GA)bows shall be broken.

^16 (GB)Better is the little that the righteous has
    than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷ For ^(GC)the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
    but the Lord ^(GD)upholds the righteous.

¹⁸ The Lord ^(GE)knows the days of the blameless,
    and their ^(GF)heritage will remain forever;
¹⁹ they are not put to shame in evil times;
    in ^(GG)the days of famine they have abundance.

²⁰ But the wicked will perish;
    the enemies of the Lord are like ^(GH)the glory of the pastures;
    they vanish—like ^(GI)smoke they vanish away.

²¹ The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
    but the righteous ^(GJ)is generous and gives;
²² for those blessed by the Lord^[k] shall ^(GK)inherit the land,
    but those cursed by him ^(GL)shall be cut off.

²³ The ^(GM)steps of a man are ^(GN)established by the Lord,
    when he delights in his way;
^24 (GO)though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
    for the Lord ^(GP)upholds his hand.

²⁵ I have been young, and now am old,
    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
    or his children ^(GQ)begging for bread.
²⁶ He is ever ^(GR)lending generously,
    and his children become a blessing.

^27 (GS)Turn away from evil and do good;
    so shall you ^(GT)dwell forever.
²⁸ For the Lord ^(GU)loves justice;
    he will not forsake his ^(GV)saints.
They are preserved forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be ^(GW)cut off.
²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land
    and ^(GX)dwell upon it forever.

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
    and his tongue speaks justice.
^31 (GY)The law of his God is in his heart;
    his ^(GZ)steps do not slip.

³² The wicked ^(HA)watches for the righteous
    and seeks to put him to death.
³³ The Lord will not ^(HB)abandon him to his power
    or let him ^(HC)be condemned when he is brought to trial.

^34 (HD)Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
    and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
    you will look on ^(HE)when the wicked are cut off.

^35 (HF)I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
    spreading himself like ^(HG)a green laurel tree.^[l]
36 But he passed away,^[m] and behold, ^(HH)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 ^(HI)peace.
³⁸ But ^(HJ)transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
    the future of the wicked ^(HK)shall be cut off.

^39 (HL)The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in ^(HM)the time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The Lord helps them and ^(HN)delivers them;
    ^(HO)he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they ^(HP)take refuge in him.

³ There is ^(HU)no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
there is no health in my ^(HV)bones
    because of my sin.
⁴ For my ^(HW)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 ^(HX)utterly bowed down and ^(HY)prostrate;
    all the day I ^(HZ)go about mourning.
⁷ For my sides are filled with burning,
    and there is ^(IA)no soundness in my flesh.
⁸ I am feeble and crushed;
    I ^(IB)groan because of the tumult of my heart.

⁹ O Lord, all my longing is before you;
    my ^(IC)sighing is not hidden from you.
¹⁰ My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
    and ^(ID)the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
¹¹ My ^(IE)friends and companions ^(IF)stand aloof from my ^(IG)plague,
    and my nearest kin ^(IH)stand far off.

¹² Those who seek my life ^(II)lay their snares;
    those who seek my hurt ^(IJ)speak of ruin
    and meditate ^(IK)treachery all day long.

¹³ But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,
    like ^(IL)a mute man who does not open his mouth.
¹⁴ I have become like a man who does not hear,
    and in whose mouth are no ^(IM)rebukes.

¹⁵ But for ^(IN)you, O Lord, do I wait;
    it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
¹⁶ For I said, “Only ^(IO)let them not rejoice over me,
    who ^(IP)boast against me when my ^(IQ)foot slips!”

¹⁷ For I am ^(IR)ready to fall,
    and my pain is ever before me.
¹⁸ I ^(IS)confess my iniquity;
    I am ^(IT)sorry for my sin.
¹⁹ But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,
    and many are those who hate me ^(IU)wrongfully.