Psalm 38

O Jehovah, rebuke me not in anger,
Nor chastise me in your furious wrath.
Your arrows have struck me and stick deep within, 
And your hand has come down hard upon me.
Because of your wrathful indignation
My entire body suffers from ill health.
Because of my sin no strength is left in me.
My guilt is so crushing it overwhelms me;
It is a burden too heavy to bear.
For my folly, my wounds reek and fester.
I have been bent and brought down utterly.
All day I walk about consumed by grief.
All my insides burn with a raging fever;
There is no wellness left within my body.
I am enfeebled and shattered wholly.
I groan and cry out with an anguished heart.

All that I long for is laid before you,
Jehovah; my moans are not hidden from you.
My heart pounds and my strength has deserted me,
Even the light in my eyes has left me.
Because I am ill, friends and neighbors shun me;
Even my family keeps their distance.
Those who seek my life set their traps for me;
Those who wish me harm talk of my ruin
And constantly plot ways to deceive me.
But I am like a deaf man, I can not hear;
I am like one who is dumb and cannot speak.
Indeed, I am a man who does not hear
And out of my mouth there are no protests.

I am waiting for you, O Jehovah.
You will answer me, Jehovah my god.
For I have prayed, “Let not my enemies
Gloat over me or magnify themselves
When my foot slips.”  I am about to fall,
Aware of the pain that is ever with me.
I confess my sins and repent of them.
But my enemies are vigorous and strong;
Those that hate me without cause have multiplied.
They return evil for the good I have done
And oppose me because I strive to do good.

Do not forsake me, O Jehovah,
Do not be far from me, my god.
Come quickly to lend me succor,
O Jehovah, my salvation!

Psalm 37

Do not fret over the wicked
Or have envy for wrongdoers,
For they, like the grass, will soon wither
And, like the green plants, they will wilt.
Trust in Jehovah and do good.
Then you will live in security
And the land will faithfully feed you.
Take your delight in Jehovah,
And he will grant you your heart’s desire.

Commit yourself to follow Jehovah.
Have faith in him and he will bring this to pass:
Your righteousness will shine like the dawning light;
Your justice will glow like the noonday sun.
Silently, patiently wait for Jehovah.
Do not be troubled that some may prosper
Pursuing wicked schemes and machinations.
Put aside your anger, forsake your wrath,
For rage leads only to evil doing,
And those who do evil will be destroyed,
While those who place their faith in Jehovah
Will be the inheritors of the earth.
And the evil men will soon be no more,
You will search for them and they will not be there.
For the humble will inherit the earth
And delight in peace and prosperity.

The wicked plot against the righteous,
Poised to attack him with gnashing teeth.
But Jehovah laughs at the wicked,
For he knows that their time will come.
They draw the sword and bend the bow
To strike down the poor and the needy
And slaughter those of upright ways,
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
And their bows will splinter when they bend.
Better the little the righteous have
Than the great riches of the wicked,
For the power of the wicked
Will be subdued while the righteous
Will be sustained by Jehovah.
All the days of the innocent
Are watched over by Jehovah;
Their inheritance is eternal.

In times of trouble they will not be shamed,
In times of famine they will have enough,
But the wicked ones will come to their end;
Jehovah’s enemies will be consumed
And, like the fat of lambs, go up in smoke.
The wicked borrow, but do not repay.
The righteous give with generosity.

Those who are blessed by Jehovah
Will take possession of the earth;
Those cursed by him will be destroyed.
Sure does he make the steps of the man
Whose path is pleasing to Jehovah.
Though he stumbles, he will not fall,
For Jehovah holds him by the hand.

Once I was young, but now I am old,
Yet never have I seen forsaken
A righteous man, nor have I seen
His children begging for their bread.
Generous, gracious, he freely lends;
His children are a blessing to him.
Shun evil and do what is right,
And you will live forevermore.
For Jehovah fosters justice
And will not forsake the faithful
Whom he keeps secure forever,
While the unjust will be punished,
The children of the wicked, destroyed.
The righteous will possess the land
And live upon it forever.
Out of the mouth of the righteous
Comes wisdom and from his tongue, judgment.
The law of his god is on his mind,
So his footsteps do not falter.
The wicked spy upon the righteous
To seek a way to murder him.
But Jehovah will not leave him
In his power nor allow him
To be condemned when brought to trial.

Keep faith with Jehovah and follow his ways;
He will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will see it when the wicked are destroyed.
I have seen a wicked man exalted,
Rising up like a cedar of Lebanon.
But when I passed again, he was no more;
I looked for him, but he could not be found.
Observe the innocent, behold the upright,
For the future of each is one of peace.
But sinners will be destroyed together
Cut off is the future of the wicked.

The salvation of the righteous
Lies in Jehovah, their refuge,
Their strength in their times of trouble.
Jehovah will lend them succor
Delivering them from the wicked.
He saves them, for they have faith in him.

Psalm 36

To my mind has come a revelation --
The errors of the wicked man are these:
In his conceit he is too blind to see
His own sins and how detestable they are,
His words are malicious and deceitful,
His actions have ceased to be wise and good,
Even in his bed he plots evil schemes,
He sets himself on an immoral path,
Rejecting not the ways of iniquity.

Your love, O Jehovah, and loyalty
Is written in the clouds of the heavens.
Your righteous is like the mountains of God;
Your justice is like the great ocean depths.
You sustain man and beast, O Jehovah.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
So the children of mankind find their refuge
In the shadow of your sheltering wings.
With the bounty of your house they are sated;
You bid them drink from a stream of delights,
For it is you who is the spring of life,
Your light, the source of the light that we see.
Continue to bestow upon those who know you
Your love and mercy and extend your justice
To the upright and those of good intentions.

Let not the foot of the proud trample me,
Nor the hand of the wicked push me away. ---
Look! How the evildoers have fallen,
Overthrown.  Never can they rise again!

Psalm 35

O Jehovah, challenge those who challenge me;
Make war against those who make war against me!
Put on your armor and take up your shield;
Stir yourself and rise, come to my rescue!
Seize the spear, brandish the javelin;
Block the way against those who pursue me!
Tell me that you will be my salvation.

Bring disgrace and shame on those who would destroy me;
Confuse, put to retreat those who seek my ruin.
Let them be like chaff blown before the wind
Driven forth by the agent of Jehovah.
And let their way be dark and slippery,
Pursued by the agent of Jehovah.
Without reason they have set a trap for me,
Spreading a net and digging a hidden pit.
But let them be ensnared in their own net;
Let them fall into their own hidden pit
And, unawares, meet their own destruction.

My spirit will then rejoice in Jehovah
And be glad that he has brought my salvation.
With every ounce of my soul I will say,
“O Jehovah, who can compare with you?
Who is it that saves the weak from the strong
And protects the helpless and poor from robbers?”

Hostile witnesses rise up against me
And quiz me on things I know nothing about.
They return evil for the good I do them
And leave my spirit in desolation.

When they were ill, I dressed in mourning
And denied myself by fasting.
I prayed for them repeatedly
As if they were a friend or brother.
I went around bent over with grief,
As one who mourns for his mother.

But when I stumbled, they rejoiced.
They gathered round and looked on with glee,
As strangers kept insulting me.
They abused, mocked, and belittled,
And ground their teeth at me in anger. 

How much longer, O God, will you look on?
Rescue my soul from these ruthless attacks!
Protect my precious life from these predators!

Then, in the assembly, I will thank you,
And before all the people I will praise you.

They who have no reason to oppose me,
Let them not delight in my defeat.
They who have no cause to hate me,
Let them not sneer at my sorrow.

They do not speak in words of peace,
But tell lies about the peaceable.
Of me they make false accusations.
“Aha, aha,” they mockingly say,
“We have seen what you are up to.”
Jehovah, you are witness to this.
Do not remain silent about it,
Do not leave me alone, O God!
Arouse yourself and defend me!
Rise up and fight for me, O my God!
Judge me fairly, Jehovah my god,
According to your righteous ways,
Vindicate me and stop their gloating.
Do not let them say to themselves,
“Ah, yes, we got what we wanted.”
Or proclaim, “We have eaten him up!”

May those who take pleasure in my suffering
Be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who exalt themselves above me
Be covered with dishonor and disgrace.

But for those who favored my vindication,
Let them shout out in joyful jubilation
And repeat, “How great is Jehovah
Who takes pleasure in his servant’s success!”

Then I will proclaim your righteousness
And sing your praises all day long!

Psalm 34

(A poem of King David written when he feigned madness before the Philistine king, who then dismissed him.  And so David departed.)

At all times I give my thanks to Jehovah;
My praise for him will always be on my lips.
With my whole being I exalt Jehovah.
Let the poor and humble hear and rejoice.
Join with me to glorify Jehovah,
And let us extol his name together.

I sought Jehovah’s help and he answered me;
He delivered me from all that I feared.
Those who turn to him for help will beam with joy,
They will never be ashamed of themselves!

Here is one afflicted who called out to him
And Jehovah saved him from all his troubles.
The agent of Jehovah surrounds and guards.
Protects and defends those who revere him.

Take a look and see how good Jehovah is!
Happy is the man who puts his trust in him.
You who worship Jehovah, revere him
For those who revere him will lack for nothing.

Even the lion, the noblest of beasts,
May suffer want and grow weak with hunger
But those who put their trust in Jehovah
Will never lack for the good things of life.

Come, come, my children, and listen to me,
For I will teach you to revere Jehovah!

Whatever man has a love of life
And wishes to see many good days
Will keep his tongue from speaking evil
And stop his lips from telling lies.
He will reject evil and do good,
Choose peace and strive to pursue it.

Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous,
And his ears listen to their pleas for help,
But he opposes the evildoers,
Erasing their memory from the earth.

Jehovah hears them when the righteous cry out for help,
And he delivers them from all of their troubles.
Jehovah lends comfort to those whose hearts are broken,
And he rescues those whose spirits have been shattered.
Many may be the afflictions of the righteous,
But Jehovah gives them relief from all of them.
He will protect their bones so none will be broken.

Calamity will destroy the wicked;
Those who hate the righteous will be judged guilty.
Jehovah redeems the souls of his servants;
No one who has faith in him will be condemned.
 

Psalm 33

Sing out with joy to Jehovah,
You who are godly and righteous:
He merits praise from the virtuous.

Praise him with the music of the lyre,
Play to him on the harp of ten strings,
Sing to him in celebration,
Performing with skill and expression.
Shout out to him in exultation!

Jehovah’s word is ever true.
We can have faith in all he does.
He loves what is righteous and just —
Jehovah’s loyal love fills the earth.

By Jehovah’s will were the heavens made,
And all the stars, by the breath of his mouth.
He gathered the waters to form the seas
And marked the boundaries of the ocean depths.
Let the whole world have fear of Jehovah,
Let all who live in it have awe of him.
He spoke and the earth did come into being;
He commanded and world did take form.

Jehovah foils the schemes of nations
And thwarts the plots of its people,
But his plans will endure forever,
His desires will last through the ages.

Blessed is the nation whose god is Jehovah!
Blessed are the people he has chosen as his own!

Jehovah looks down from the heavens
And sees the descendants of man.
From his abode there he observes 
All the inhabitants of earth.
Being the maker of their hearts,
He comprehends all their actions.

A mighty army cannot save a king,
Nor can mere prowess rescue a warrior.
A war horse is not enough for victory:  
Even its strength cannot bring salvation.

Jehovah watches over those who fear him
And have faith in his everlasting love,
Faith that he will spare them from destruction
And keep them alive in times of famine.

We place our hope in Jehovah,
Who is our protector and refuge.
Our hearts rejoice because of him,
And in his holy name we trust.

Therefore, let your love and grace be with us,
O Jehovah, as we place our hopes in you!

Psalm 32

Blessed are they whose acts of transgression
Are forgiven and whose sins are kept concealed.
Happy, those in whom Jehovah finds no guilt
And in whose heart there is no dishonesty.

When I kept my sins to myself,
My body was wasting away,
I groaned in agony all the day.
You tormented me by day and night,
Sapping my strength like a summer drought.
But when I acknowledged my sins
And no longer concealed my guilt,
Declaring, “I will confess my sins
To Jehovah,” you forgave me.

Therefore, those that are faithful should pray to you
While there is time, so that tribulations,
Surging like floodwaters, will not engulf them.

For you are my refuge, my sanctuary.
You protect me from trouble and distress
And surround me with joyful songs of salvation.

“I will teach you, impart to you wisdom,
I will instruct you in the paths you must take;
I will guide you, keeping my eye on you.
So do not be without understanding
Like a horse or a mule that must be led
By the bridle so it will come to you.”

Many are the pains of the wicked,
But mercy and kindness surround
Those who put their faith in Jehovah.
Exult in Jehovah and be glad,
Those who are righteous.  Sing out with joy,
All of you who are pure of heart.

Psalm 31

In you, Jehovah, have I sought refuge;
Let me at no time fall into disgrace,
But let your sense of right deliver me.
Turn your ear to me, rescue me with dispatch.
Be an enclave, a fortress to guard me.
(For you are my enclave and my fortress.)
Therefore, in your name, lead and protect me;
Free me from the trap my foes have set for me,
For in you alone I find my protection,
And into your hands do I entrust my life.
Thus save me, Jehovah, my faithful god!

Those who worship false idols, I detest:
I put my confidence in Jehovah.

I am glad for your loyal love,
And rejoice in your devotion,
For you have witnessed my misery
And know the troubles of my soul.
You would not allow me to fall
Into the hands of my enemy,
But set me in a place of safety.

Pity me, O Jehovah,
For I am in dire distress.
My eyes grow weak with weeping,
My body and soul languish
And waste away with grief.
Sorrow consumes my soul,
My years are wasted in sobs,
My troubles exhaust me
And my life is draining away.

Because of all my enemies,
My neighbors hold me in contempt.
Even my friends will avoid me,
For when they see me on the street
They run the other way in fear.
Forgotten am I, like one dead,
Like a broken piece of pottery.
I have heard the threats made by many --
I am surrounded by terror --
For they hold counsel against me
And are plotting to take my life.

But I trust in you, Jehovah
And have declared, “You are my god!”
Indeed my future is in your hands.
Deliver me from my enemies
And from those who persecute me.
Let your face smile upon your servant.
Let your mercy be my redemption.
Let me not be shamed, O Jehovah,
For I pray to you for succor.
Let the wicked people be shamed;
Let them be silenced by the grave.
Still their lying, deceitful tongues
That speak with arrogance and contempt
In castigating the righteous.

How abundant is your bounty,
Stored up for those who revere you,
Bestowed upon those who trust you,
For the people of the world to see.
You shelter them with your presence,
Hiding them in a secret refuge,
Protecting them from the plots of men,
Far from slanderous accusations.

Praise Jehovah, for he has shown me
The miracle of his constant love.
When the city was under siege
I cried out to him in alarm,
“I’m defeated before your eyes!”
You heard the voice of my pleading
When I cried out in supplication.

Love Jehovah and his followers,
For Jehovah sustains the faithful --
But he punishes severely
The evil deeds of the arrogant.

Be strong in spirit and brave of heart,
All who put their hope in Jehovah.

Psalm 30

A Song Composed for the Dedication of King David's Palace
 
I extol you, Jehovah, for you have raised me up,
And have not let my enemies gloat over me.
Jehovah, my god, I called to you and you healed me.
You, Jehovah,  have brought me up from the gates of Hell
And have spared me from falling into the abyss.

Sing the praises of Jehovah,
All you, his faithful votaries!
And give your thanks to Jehovah
In remembrance of his holiness!
His wrath is but of the moment;
His grace will endure a lifetime.
There may be weeping throughout the night,
But in the morning, there is joy.

When I was rich and riding high,
I boasted, “Nothing can take me down!”
On a mountain fortress I stood,
When you, Jehovah, favored me,
But when you hid your face from me,
I became troubled and afraid.
I cried out to you, O Jehovah.
I pleaded to you for mercy.

Is there profit in the spilling of my blood?

What gain to you if I go to the grave?

Can the dust of my rotting corpse praise you,

Or give testimony of your faithfulness?

Hear me, O Jehovah, give me your pity

And be a help to me, O Jehovah.

"

You have turned my mourning into a happy dance;

Stripping away my sackcloth and robing me with joy,

That my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.



O Jehovah my god, to you

Will I give my thanks  -- forever.