June 4 Psalms 35-38

Psalm 35
Prayer for Deliverance from EnemiesOf David.
1Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!
2Take hold of shield and buckler,
and rise up to help me!
3Draw the spear and javelin
against my pursuers;
say to my soul,
‘I am your salvation.’


4Let them be put to shame and dishonour
who seek after my life.
Let them be turned back and confounded
who devise evil against me.
5Let them be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6Let their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.


7For without cause they hid their net* for me;
without cause they dug a pit* for my life.
8Let ruin come on them unawares.
And let the net that they hid ensnare them;
let them fall in it—to their ruin.


9Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord,
exulting in his deliverance.
10All my bones shall say,
‘O Lord, who is like you?
You deliver the weak
from those too strong for them,
the weak and needy from those who despoil them.’


11Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me about things I do not know.
12They repay me evil for good;
my soul is forlorn.
13But as for me, when they were sick,
I wore sackcloth;
I afflicted myself with fasting.
I prayed with head bowed* on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother;
I went about as one who laments for a mother,
bowed down and in mourning.


15But at my stumbling they gathered in glee,
they gathered together against me;
ruffians whom I did not know
tore at me without ceasing;
16they impiously mocked more and more,*
gnashing at me with their teeth.


17How long, O Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my life from the lions!
18Then I will thank you in the great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.


19Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me,
or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20For they do not speak peace,
but they conceive deceitful words
against those who are quiet in the land.
21They open wide their mouths against me;
they say, ‘Aha, Aha,
our eyes have seen it.’


22You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent!
O Lord, do not be far from me!
23Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defence,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and do not let them rejoice over me.
25Do not let them say to themselves,
‘Aha, we have our heart’s desire.’
Do not let them say, ‘We have swallowed you* up.’


26Let all those who rejoice at my calamity
be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me
be clothed with shame and dishonour.


27Let those who desire my vindication
shout for joy and be glad,
and say evermore,
‘Great is the Lord,
who delights in the welfare of his servant.’
28Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all day long.
Psalm 36
Human Wickedness and Divine GoodnessTo the leader. Of David, the servant of the Lord.
1Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in their hearts;
there is no fear of God
before their eyes.
2For they flatter themselves in their own eyes
that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;
they have ceased to act wisely and do good.
4They plot mischief while on their beds;
they are set on a way that is not good;
they do not reject evil.


5Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgements are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.


7How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.


10O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your salvation to the upright of heart!
11Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12There the evildoers lie prostrate;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.
Psalm 37
Exhortation to Patience and TrustOf David.
1Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
2for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.


3Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.


5Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.


7Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.


8Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.


10Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
11But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight in abundant prosperity.


12The wicked plot against the righteous,
and gnash their teeth at them;
13but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.


14The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;
15their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.


16Better is a little that the righteous person has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.


18The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide for ever;
19they are not put to shame in evil times,
in the days of famine they have abundance.


20But the wicked perish,
and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.


21The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
22for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.


23Our steps* are made firm by the Lord,
when he delights in our* way;
24though we stumble,* we* shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us* by the hand.


25I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.


27Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide for ever.
28For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.


The righteous shall be kept safe for ever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it for ever.


30The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak justice.
31The law of their God is in their hearts;
their steps do not slip.


32The wicked watch for the righteous,
and seek to kill them.
33The Lord will not abandon them to their power,
or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.


34Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the wicked.


35I have seen the wicked oppressing,
and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.*
36Again I* passed by, and they were no more;
though I sought them, they could not be found.


37Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,
for there is posterity for the peaceable.
38But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.


39The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
40The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
Psalm 38
A Penitent Sufferer’s Plea for HealingA Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.
1O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,
or discipline me in your wrath.
2For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has come down on me.


3There is no soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
because of my sin.
4For my iniquities have gone over my head;
they weigh like a burden too heavy for me.


5My wounds grow foul and fester
because of my foolishness;
6I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
all day long I go around mourning.
7For my loins are filled with burning,
and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8I am utterly spent and crushed;
I groan because of the tumult of my heart.


9O Lord, all my longing is known to you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10My heart throbs, my strength fails me;
as for the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction,
and my neighbours stand far off.


12Those who seek my life lay their snares;
those who seek to hurt me speak of ruin,
and meditate treachery all day long.


13But I am like the deaf, I do not hear;
like the mute, who cannot speak.
14Truly, I am like one who does not hear,
and in whose mouth is no retort.


15But it is for you, O Lord, that I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
16For I pray, ‘Only do not let them rejoice over me,
those who boast against me when my foot slips.’


17For I am ready to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
18I confess my iniquity;
I am sorry for my sin.
19Those who are my foes without cause* are mighty,
and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20Those who render me evil for good
are my adversaries because I follow after good.


21Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, do not be far from me;
22make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation.