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.