Psalm 34*34 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

A Testimony of God’s Rescue

A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away.

1I will praise the Lord at all times.

I will constantly speak his praises.

2I will boast only in the Lord;

let all who are helpless take heart.

3Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;

let us exalt his name together.

4I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.

He freed me from all my fears.

5Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;

no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

6In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;

he saved me from all my troubles.

7For the angel of the Lord is a guard;

he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

8Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

9Fear the Lord, you his godly people,

for those who fear him will have all they need.

10Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,

but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

11Come, my children, and listen to me,

and I will teach you to fear the Lord.

12Does anyone want to live a life

that is long and prosperous?

13Then keep your tongue from speaking evil

and your lips from telling lies!

14Turn away from evil and do good.

Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

15The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;

his ears are open to their cries for help.

16But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;

he will erase their memory from the earth.

17The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.

He rescues them from all their troubles.

18The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;

he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

19The righteous person faces many troubles,

but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

20For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;

not one of them is broken!

21Calamity will surely destroy the wicked,

and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.

No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Psalm 35

A Lament over Betrayal

A psalm of David.

1O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.

Fight those who fight against me.

2Put on your armor, and take up your shield.

Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.

3Lift up your spear and javelin

against those who pursue me.

Let me hear you say,

“I will give you victory!”

4Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;

turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.

5Blow them away like chaff in the wind—

a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.

6Make their path dark and slippery,

with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

7I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.

I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.

8So let sudden ruin come upon them!

Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!

Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

9Then I will rejoice in the Lord.

I will be glad because he rescues me.

10With every bone in my body I will praise him:

“Lord, who can compare with you?

Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?

Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

11Malicious witnesses testify against me.

They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.

12They repay me evil for good.

I am sick with despair.

13Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.

I denied myself by fasting for them,

but my prayers returned unanswered.

14I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,

as if I were grieving for my own mother.

15But they are glad now that I am in trouble;

they gleefully join together against me.

I am attacked by people I don’t even know;

they slander me constantly.

16They mock me and call me names;

they snarl at me.

17How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?

Rescue me from their fierce attacks.

Protect my life from these lions!

18Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.

I will praise you before all the people.

19Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.

Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.

20They don’t talk of peace;

they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.

21They shout, “Aha! Aha!

With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

22O Lord, you know all about this.

Do not stay silent.

Do not abandon me now, O Lord.

23Wake up! Rise to my defense!

Take up my case, my God and my Lord.

24Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.

Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.

25Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!

Now we will eat him alive!”

26May those who rejoice at my troubles

be humiliated and disgraced.

May those who triumph over me

be covered with shame and dishonor.

27But give great joy to those who came to my defense.

Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,

who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”

28Then I will proclaim your justice,

and I will praise you all day long.

Psalm 36

The Lord’s Unfailing Love

For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord.

1Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.*36:1 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac version, which read in his heart. Masoretic Text reads in my heart.

They have no fear of God at all.

2In their blind conceit,

they cannot see how wicked they really are.

3Everything they say is crooked and deceitful.

They refuse to act wisely or do good.

4They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots.

Their actions are never good.

They make no attempt to turn from evil.

5Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

6Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,

your justice like the ocean depths.

You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.

7How precious is your unfailing love, O God!

All humanity finds shelter

in the shadow of your wings.

8You feed them from the abundance of your own house,

letting them drink from your river of delights.

9For you are the fountain of life,

the light by which we see.

10Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;

give justice to those with honest hearts.

11Don’t let the proud trample me

or the wicked push me around.

12Look! Those who do evil have fallen!

They are thrown down, never to rise again.

Psalm 37*37 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each stanza begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Don’t Worry about the Wicked

A psalm of David.

1Don’t worry about the wicked

or envy those who do wrong.

2For like grass, they soon fade away.

Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

3Trust in the Lord and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

4Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you your heart’s desires.

5Commit everything you do to the Lord.

Trust him, and he will help you.

6He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,

and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

7Be still in the presence of the Lord,

and wait patiently for him to act.

Don’t worry about evil people who prosper

or fret about their wicked schemes.

8Stop being angry!

Turn from your rage!

Do not lose your temper—

it only leads to harm.

9For the wicked will be destroyed,

but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

10Soon the wicked will disappear.

Though you look for them, they will be gone.

11The lowly will possess the land

and will live in peace and prosperity.

12The wicked plot against the godly;

they snarl at them in defiance.

13But the Lord just laughs,

for he sees their day of judgment coming.

14The wicked draw their swords

and string their bows

to kill the poor and the oppressed,

to slaughter those who do right.

15But their swords will stab their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

16It is better to be godly and have little

than to be evil and rich.

17For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,

but the Lord takes care of the godly.

18Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,

and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.

19They will not be disgraced in hard times;

even in famine they will have more than enough.

20But the wicked will die.

The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—

they will disappear like smoke.

21The wicked borrow and never repay,

but the godly are generous givers.

22Those the Lord blesses will possess the land,

but those he curses will die.

23The Lord directs the steps of the godly.

He delights in every detail of their lives.

24Though they stumble, they will never fall,

for the Lord holds them by the hand.

25Once I was young, and now I am old.

Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned

or their children begging for bread.

26The godly always give generous loans to others,

and their children are a blessing.

27Turn from evil and do good,

and you will live in the land forever.

28For the Lord loves justice,

and he will never abandon the godly.

He will keep them safe forever,

but the children of the wicked will die.

29The godly will possess the land

and will live there forever.

30The godly offer good counsel;

they teach right from wrong.

31They have made God’s law their own,

so they will never slip from his path.

32The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,

looking for an excuse to kill them.

33But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed

or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

34Put your hope in the Lord.

Travel steadily along his path.

He will honor you by giving you the land.

You will see the wicked destroyed.

35I have seen wicked and ruthless people

flourishing like a tree in its native soil.

36But when I looked again, they were gone!

Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

37Look at those who are honest and good,

for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.

38But the rebellious will be destroyed;

they have no future.

39The Lord rescues the godly;

he is their fortress in times of trouble.

40The Lord helps them,

rescuing them from the wicked.

He saves them,

and they find shelter in him.

Psalm 38

A Prayer for Healing and Forgiveness

A psalm of David, asking God to remember him.

1O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your rage!

2Your arrows have struck deep,

and your blows are crushing me.

3Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;

my health is broken because of my sins.

4My guilt overwhelms me—

it is a burden too heavy to bear.

5My wounds fester and stink

because of my foolish sins.

6I am bent over and racked with pain.

All day long I walk around filled with grief.

7A raging fever burns within me,

and my health is broken.

8I am exhausted and completely crushed.

My groans come from an anguished heart.

9You know what I long for, Lord;

you hear my every sigh.

10My heart beats wildly, my strength fails,

and I am going blind.

11My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease.

Even my own family stands at a distance.

12Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me.

Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me.

All day long they plan their treachery.

13But I am deaf to all their threats.

I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.

14I choose to hear nothing,

and I make no reply.

15For I am waiting for you, O Lord.

You must answer for me, O Lord my God.

16I prayed, “Don’t let my enemies gloat over me

or rejoice at my downfall.”

17I am on the verge of collapse,

facing constant pain.

18But I confess my sins;

I am deeply sorry for what I have done.

19I have many aggressive enemies;

they hate me without reason.

20They repay me evil for good

and oppose me for pursuing good.

21Do not abandon me, O Lord.

Do not stand at a distance, my God.

22Come quickly to help me,

O Lord my savior.

Psalm 39

A Plea for Mercy Since Life Is Short

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.

1I said to myself, “I will watch what I do

and not sin in what I say.

I will hold my tongue

when the ungodly are around me.”

2But as I stood there in silence—

not even speaking of good things—

the turmoil within me grew worse.

3The more I thought about it,

the hotter I got,

igniting a fire of words:

4“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.

Remind me that my days are numbered—

how fleeting my life is.

5You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.

My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;

at best, each of us is but a breath.”

Interlude

6We are merely moving shadows,

and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.

We heap up wealth,

not knowing who will spend it.

7And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?

My only hope is in you.

8Rescue me from my rebellion.

Do not let fools mock me.

9I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,

for my punishment is from you.

10But please stop striking me!

I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.

11When you discipline us for our sins,

you consume like a moth what is precious to us.

Each of us is but a breath.

Interlude

12Hear my prayer, O Lord!

Listen to my cries for help!

Don’t ignore my tears.

For I am your guest—

a traveler passing through,

as my ancestors were before me.

13Leave me alone so I can smile again

before I am gone and exist no more.

Psalm 40

The Joys of Those Who Trust the Lord

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,

and he turned to me and heard my cry.

2He lifted me out of the pit of despair,

out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground

and steadied me as I walked along.

3He has given me a new song to sing,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what he has done and be amazed.

They will put their trust in the Lord.

4Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,

who have no confidence in the proud

or in those who worship idols.

5O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.

Your plans for us are too numerous to list.

You have no equal.

If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,

I would never come to the end of them.

6You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.

Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand*40:6 Greek version reads You have given me a body. Compare Heb 10:5.—

you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.

7Then I said, “Look, I have come.

As is written about me in the Scriptures:

8I take joy in doing your will, my God,

for your instructions are written on my heart.”

9I have told all your people about your justice.

I have not been afraid to speak out,

as you, O Lord, well know.

10I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;

I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.

I have told everyone in the great assembly

of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

11Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.

Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.

12For troubles surround me—

too many to count!

My sins pile up so high

I can’t see my way out.

They outnumber the hairs on my head.

I have lost all courage.

13Please, Lord, rescue me!

Come quickly, Lord, and help me.

14May those who try to destroy me

be humiliated and put to shame.

May those who take delight in my trouble

be turned back in disgrace.

15Let them be horrified by their shame,

for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

16But may all who search for you

be filled with joy and gladness in you.

May those who love your salvation

repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”

17As for me, since I am poor and needy,

let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.

You are my helper and my savior.

O my God, do not delay.

Psalm 41

A Prayer for Healing and Vengeance

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!

The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.

2The Lord protects them

and keeps them alive.

He gives them prosperity in the land

and rescues them from their enemies.

3The Lord nurses them when they are sick

and restores them to health.

4“O Lord,” I prayed, “have mercy on me.

Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

5But my enemies say nothing but evil about me.

“How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.

6They visit me as if they were my friends,

but all the while they gather gossip,

and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.

7All who hate me whisper about me,

imagining the worst.

8“He has some fatal disease,” they say.

“He will never get out of that bed!”

9Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,

the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

10Lord, have mercy on me.

Make me well again, so I can pay them back!

11I know you are pleased with me,

for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.

12You have preserved my life because I am innocent;

you have brought me into your presence forever.

13Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,

who lives from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and amen!