April 18 – Psalms 37 and 38 from the Old Testament

Psalms 37 and 38 – Psalm 37

By David.

37:1 Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed!

Do not envy evildoers!

37:2 For they will quickly dry up like grass,

and wither away like plants.

37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!

Settle in the land and maintain your integrity!

37:4 Then you will take delight in the Lord,

and he will answer your prayers.

37:5 Commit your future to the Lord!

Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.

37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,

and publicly defend your just cause.

37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord!

Wait confidently for him!

Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner,

a man who carries out wicked schemes!

37:8 Do not be angry and frustrated!

Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!

37:9 Wicked men will be wiped out,

but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land.

37:10 Evil men will soon disappear;

you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone.

37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land

and enjoy great prosperity.

37:12 Evil men plot against the godly

and viciously attack them.

37:13 The Lord laughs in disgust at them,

for he knows that their day is coming.

37:14 Evil men draw their swords

and prepare their bows,

to bring down the oppressed and needy,

and to slaughter those who are godly.

37:15 Their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

37:16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than

the wealth of many evil men,

37:17 for evil men will lose their power,

but the Lord sustains the godly.

37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day

and they possess a permanent inheritance.

37:19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come;

when famine comes they will have enough to eat.

37:20 But evil men will die;

the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated –

they will go up in smoke.

37:21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt,

but the godly show compassion and are generous.

37:22 Surely those favored by the Lord will possess the land,

but those rejected by him will be wiped out.

37:23 The Lord grants success to the one

whose behavior he finds commendable.

37:24 Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong,

for the Lord holds his hand.

37:25 I was once young, now I am old.

I have never seen a godly man abandoned,

or his children forced to search for food.

37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others,

and his children are blessed.

37:27 Turn away from evil! Do what is right!

Then you will enjoy lasting security.

37:28 For the Lord promotes justice,

and never abandons his faithful followers.

They are permanently secure,

but the children of evil men are wiped out.

37:29 The godly will possess the land

and will dwell in it permanently.

37:30 The godly speak wise words

and promote justice.

37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking;

their feet do not slip.

37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly

and try to kill them.

37:33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,

or allow them to be condemned in a court of law.

37:34 Rely on the Lord! Obey his commands!

Then he will permit you to possess the land;

you will see the demise of evil men.

37:35 I have seen ruthless evil men

growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil.

37:36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared!

I looked for them, but they could not be found.

37:37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly!

For the one who promotes peace has a future.

37:38 Sinful rebels are totally destroyed;

evil men have no future.

37:39 But the Lord delivers the godly;

he protects them in times of trouble.

37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;

he rescues them from evil men and delivers them,

for they seek his protection.

Psalm 38

A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention.

38:1 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger!

Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury!

38:2 For your arrows pierce me,

and your hand presses me down.

38:3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment;

I am deprived of health because of my sin.

38:4 For my sins overwhelm me;

like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.

38:5 My wounds are infected and starting to smell,

because of my foolish sins.

38:6 I am dazed and completely humiliated;

all day long I walk around mourning.

38:7 For I am overcome with shame

and my whole body is sick.

38:8 I am numb with pain and severely battered;

I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel.

38:9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire;

my groaning is not hidden from you.

38:10 My heart beats quickly;

my strength leaves me;

I can hardly see.

38:11 Because of my condition, even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance;

my neighbors stand far away.

38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me;

those who want to harm me speak destructive words;

all day long they say deceitful things.

38:13 But I am like a deaf man – I hear nothing;

I am like a mute who cannot speak.

38:14 I am like a man who cannot hear

and is incapable of arguing his defense.

38:15 Yet I wait for you, O Lord!

You will respond, O Lord, my God!

38:16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me;

when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me.

38:17 For I am about to stumble,

and I am in constant pain.

38:18 Yes, I confess my wrongdoing,

and I am concerned about my sins.

38:19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous;

those who hate me without cause outnumber me.

38:20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;

though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me.

38:21 Do not abandon me, O Lord!

My God, do not remain far away from me!

38:22 Hurry and help me, O Lord, my deliverer!