Psalm 36

For the end, by David the servant of the Lord.

¹ The transgressor, that he may sin, says within himself, that ¹there is no fear of God before his eyes. ² For he has dealt craftily before him, ²to discover his iniquity and hate it. ³ The words of his mouth are transgression and deceit: he is not inclined to understand how to do good. ⁴ He devises iniquity on his bed; he gives himself to every evil way; and does not abhor evil.

⁵ O Lord, thy mercy is in the heaven; and thy truth reaches to the clouds. ⁶ Thy righteousness is as the ³mountains of God, thy judgments are as a great deep: O Lord, thou wilt preserve men and beasts. ⁷ How hast thou multiplied thy mercy, O God! so the children of men shall trust in the shelter of thy wings. ⁸ They shall be ⁴fully satisfied with the fatness of thine house; and thou shalt cause them to drink of the full stream of thy delights. ⁹ For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light we shall see light.

¹⁰ Extend thy mercy to them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. ¹¹ Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of sinners move me.

¹² There have all the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast out, and shall not be able to stand.

Psalm 37

A Psalm of David.

¹ Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be envious of them that do iniquity. ² For they shall soon be withered as the grass, and shall soon fall away as the green herbs. ³ Hope in the Lord, and do good; and dwell on the land, and thou shalt be fed with the wealth of it. ⁴ Delight thyself in the Lord; and he shall grant thee the requests of thine heart. ⁵ Disclose thy way to the Lord, and hope in him; and he shall bring it to pass. ⁶ And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon-day.

⁷ Submit thyself to the Lord, and supplicate

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him: fret not thyself because of him that prospers in his way, at the man that does unlawful deeds. ⁸ ease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself so as to do evil. ⁹ For evil-doers shall be destroyed: but they that wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the land. ¹⁰ And yet a little while, and the sinner shall not be, and thou shalt seek for his place, and shalt not find it. ¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

¹² The sinner will watch for the righteous, and gnash his teeth upon him. ¹³ But the Lord shall laugh at him: for he foresees that his day will come. ¹⁴ Sinners have drawn their swords, they have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy one, and to slay the upright in heart. ¹⁵ Let their sword enter into their own heart, and their bows be broken.

¹⁶ A little is better to the righteous than abundant wealth of sinners. ¹⁷ For the arms of sinners shall be broken; but the Lord supports the righteous.

¹⁸ The Lord knows the ways of the perfect; and their inheritance shall be for ever. ¹⁹ They shall not be ashamed in an evil time; and in days of famine they shall be satisfied. ²⁰ For the sinners shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord at the moment of their being honoured and exalted have utterly vanished like smoke. ²¹ The sinner borrows, and will not pay again: but the righteous has compassion, and gives. ²² For they that bless him shall inherit the earth; and they that curse him shall be utterly destroyed.

²³ The steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord: and he will take pleasure in his way. ²⁴ When he falls, he shall not be ruined: for the Lord supports his hand. ²⁵ I was once young, indeed I am now old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread. ²⁶ He is merciful, and lends continually; and his seed shall be ⁵blessed.

²⁷ Turn aside from evil, and do good; and dwell for ever. ²⁸ For the Lord loves judgment, and will not forsake his saints; they shall be preserved for ever: the blameless shall be ⁶avenged, but the seed of the ungodly shall be utterly destroyed. ²⁹ But the righteous shall inherit the earth, and dwell upon it for ever.

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous will meditate wisdom, and his tongue will speak of judgment. ³¹ The law of his God is in his heart; and his steps shall not ⁷slide. ³² The sinner watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. ³³ But the Lord will not leave him in his hands, nor by any means condemn him when he is judged. ³⁴ Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are destroyed, thou shalt see it.

³⁵ I saw the ungodly very highly exalting himself, and lifting himself up like the cedars of Libanus. ³⁶ Yet I passed by, and lo! he was not: and I sought him, but his place was not found. ³⁷ Maintain innocence, and behold uprightness: for there is a

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remnant to the peaceable man. ³⁸ But the transgressors shall be utterly destroyed together: the remnants of the ungodly shall be utterly destroyed. ³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; and he is their defender in the time of affliction. ⁴⁰ And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: and he shall rescue them from sinners, and save them, because they have hoped in him.