Psalms: Forgiveness, Patience, and the Close of Book I (Psalms 31–41)
Scripture: Berean Standard Bible
Psalm 31
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;let me never be put to shame;save me by your righteousness.Incline your ear to me;come quickly to my rescue.Be my rock of refuge,the stronghold of my deliverance.
For you are my rock and my fortress;lead me and guide me for the sake of your name.You free me from the net laid out for me,for you are my refuge.Into your hands I commit my spirit;you have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.
I hate those who cling to worthless idols,but in the LORD I trust.I will be glad and rejoice in your loving devotion,for you have seen my affliction;you have known the anguish of my soul.You have not delivered me to the enemy;you have set my feet in the open.
Be merciful to me, O LORD,for I am in distress;my eyes fail from sorrow,my soul and body as well.For my life is consumed with griefand my years with groaning;my iniquity has drained my strength,and my bones are wasting away.Among all my enemies I am a disgrace,and among my neighbors even more.I am dreaded by my friends—they flee when they see me on the street.I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind.I am like a broken vessel.For I hear the slander of many;there is terror on every side.They conspire against meand plot to take my life.
But I trust in you, O LORD;I say, “You are my God.”My times are in your hands;deliver me from my enemiesand from those who pursue me.Make your face shine on your servant;save me by your loving devotion.
O LORD, let me not be ashamed,for I have called on you.Let the wicked be put to shame;let them lie silent in Sheol.May lying lips be silenced—lips that speak with arrogance against the righteous,full of pride and contempt.
How great is your goodnesswhich you have laid up for those who fear you,which you have bestowed before the sons of menon those who take refuge in you!You hide them in the secret place of your presencefrom the schemes of men.You conceal them in your shelterfrom accusing tongues.
Blessed be the LORD,for he has shown me his loving devotionin a city under siege.In my alarm I said,“I am cut off from your sight!”But you heard my plea for mercywhen I called to you for help.
Love the LORD, all his saints.The LORD preserves the faithful,but fully repays the arrogant.Be strong and courageous,all you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 32
Of David. A Maskil.
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven,whose sins are covered.Blessed is the manwhose iniquity the LORD does not count against him,in whose spirit there is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones became brittlefrom my groaning all day long.For day and nightyour hand was heavy upon me;my strength was drainedas in the summer heat.SelahThen I acknowledged my sin to youand did not hide my iniquity.I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”and you forgave the guilt of my sin.SelahTherefore let all the godly pray to youwhile you may be found.Surely when great waters rise,they will not come near.You are my hiding place.You protect me from trouble;you surround me with songs of deliverance.SelahI will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;I will give you counsel and watch over you.Do not be like the horse or mule,which have no understanding;they must be controlled with bit and bridleto make them come to you.Many are the sorrows of the wicked,but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the LORD.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous ones;shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Psalm 33
Rejoice in the LORD, O righteous ones;it is fitting for the upright to praise him.Praise the LORD with the harp;make music to him with ten strings.Sing to him a new song;play skillfully with a shout of joy.
For the word of the LORD is upright,and all his work is trustworthy.The LORD loves righteousness and justice;the earth is full of his loving devotion.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,and all the stars by the breath of his mouth.He piles up the waters of the sea;he puts the depths into storehouses.Let all the earth fear the LORD;let all the people of the world revere him.For he spoke, and it came to be;he commanded, and it stood firm.
The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations;he thwarts the devices of the peoples.The counsel of the LORD stands forever,the purposes of his heart to all generations.Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,the people he has chosen as his inheritance!
The LORD looks down from heaven;he sees all the sons of men.From his dwelling place he gazeson all who inhabit the earth.He shapes the hearts of each;he considers all their works.No king is saved by his vast army;no warrior is delivered by his great strength.A horse is a vain hope for salvation;even its great strength cannot save.
Surely the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,on those whose hope is in his loving devotionto deliver them from deathand keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD;he is our help and our shield.For our hearts rejoice in him,since we trust in his holy name.May your loving devotion rest on us, O LORD,as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 34
Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away.
I will bless the LORD at all times;his praise will always be on my lips.My soul boasts in the LORD;let the oppressed hear and rejoice.Magnify the LORD with me;let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me;he delivered me from all my fears.Those who look to him are radiant with joy;their faces shall never be ashamed.This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him;he saved him from all his troubles.The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good;blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!Fear the LORD, you his saints,for those who fear him lack nothing.Young lions go lacking and hungry,but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.Come, children, listen to me;I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Who is the man who delights in life,who desires to see good days?Keep your tongue from eviland your lips from deceitful speech.Turn away from evil and do good;seek peace and pursue it.The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,and his ears are inclined to their cry.But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,to wipe out all memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears;he delivers them from all their troubles.The LORD is near to the brokenhearted;he saves the contrite in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,but the LORD delivers him from them all.He protects all his bones;not one of them will be broken.
Evil will slay the wicked,and the haters of the righteous will be condemned.The LORD redeems his servants,and none who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Psalm 35
Of David.
Contend with my opponents, O LORD;fight against those who fight against me.Take up your shield and buckler;arise and come to my aid.Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers;say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”
May those who seek my lifebe disgraced and put to shame;may those who plan to harm mebe driven back and confounded.May they be like chaff in the wind,as the angel of the LORD drives them away.May their path be dark and slick,as the angel of the LORD pursues.For without cause they laid their net for me;without reason they dug a pit for my soul.May ruin befall them by surprise;may the net they hid ensnare them;may they fall into the hazard they created.
Then my soul will rejoice in the LORDand exult in his salvation.All my bones will exclaim,“Who is like you, O LORD,who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor,the poor and needy from the robber?”
Hostile witnesses come forward;they make charges I know nothing about.They repay me evil for good,to the bereavement of my soul.Yet when they were ill,I put on sackcloth;I humbled myself with fasting,but my prayers returned unanswered.I paced aboutas for my friend or brother;I was bowed down with grief,like one mourning for his mother.But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee;they gathered together against me.Assailants I did not knowslandered me without ceasing.Like godless jesters at a feast,they gnashed their teeth at me.
How long, O Lord, will you look on?Rescue my soul from their ravages,my precious life from these lions.Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly;I will praise you among many people.Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause,nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.For they do not speak peace,but they devise deceitful schemesagainst those who live quietly in the land.They gape at me and say,“Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!”
O LORD, you have seen it; be not silent.O Lord, be not far from me.Awake and rise to my defense,to my cause, my God and my Lord!Vindicate me by your righteousness, O LORD my God,and do not let them gloat over me.Let them not say in their hearts,“Aha, just what we wanted!”Let them not say,“We have swallowed him up!”
May those who gloat in my distressbe ashamed and confounded;may those who exalt themselves over mebe clothed in shame and reproach.May those who favor my vindicationshout for joy and gladness;may they always say, “Exalted be the LORDwho delights in his servant’s well-being.”
Then my tongue will proclaim your righteousnessand your praises all day long.
Psalm 36
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD.
An oracle is in my heartregarding the transgression of the wicked man:There is no fear of Godbefore his eyes.For his eyes are too full of conceitto detect or hate his own sin.The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.Even on his bed he plots wickedness;he sets himself on a path that is not good;he fails to reject evil.
Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,your faithfulness to the clouds.Your righteousness is like the highest mountains;your judgments are like the deepest sea.O LORD, you preserve man and beast.How precious is your loving devotion, O God,that the children of men take refugein the shadow of your wings!They feast on the abundance of your house,and you give them drink from your river of delights.For with you is the fountain of life;in your light we see light.
Extend your loving devotion to those who know you,and your righteousness to the upright in heart.Let not the foot of the proud come against me,nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.There the evildoers lie fallen,thrown down and unable to rise.
Psalm 37
Of David.
Do not fret over those who do evil;do not envy those who do wrong.For they wither quickly like grassand wilt like tender plants.
Trust in the LORD and do good;dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.Delight yourself in the LORD,and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;trust in him, and he will do it.He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn,your justice like the noonday sun.
Be still before the LORDand wait patiently for him;do not fret when men prosper in their ways,when they carry out wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and abandon wrath;do not fret—it can only bring harm.For the evildoers will be cut off,but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;though you look for them, they will not be found.But the meek will inherit the landand delight in abundant prosperity.
The wicked scheme against the righteousand gnash their teeth at them,but the Lord laughs,seeing that their day is coming.
The wicked have drawn the swordand bent the bowto bring down the poor and needy,to slay those whose ways are upright.But their swords will pierce their own hearts,and their bows will be broken.
Better is the little of the righteousthan the abundance of many who are wicked.For the arms of the wicked will be broken,but the LORD upholds the righteous.
The LORD knows the days of the blameless,and their inheritance will last forever.In the time of evil they will not be ashamed,and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.
But the wicked and enemies of the LORDwill perish like the glory of the fields.They will vanish;like smoke they will fade away.
The wicked borrow and do not repay,but the righteous are gracious and giving.Surely those he blesses will inherit the land,but the cursed will be destroyed.
The steps of a man are ordered by the LORDwho takes delight in his journey.Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,for the LORD is holding his hand.
I once was young and now am old,yet never have I seen the righteous abandonedor their children begging for bread.They are ever generous and quick to lend,and their children are a blessing.
Turn away from evil and do good,so that you will abide forever.For the LORD loves justiceand will not forsake his saints.They are preserved forever,but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.The righteous will inherit the landand dwell in it forever.
The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,and his tongue speaks justice.The law of his God is in his heart;his steps do not falter.
Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous,and seek to slay them,the LORD will not leave them in their poweror let them be condemned under judgment.
Wait for the LORD and keep his way,and he will raise you up to inherit the land.When the wicked are cut off,you will see it.
I have seen a wicked, ruthless manflourishing like a well-rooted native tree,yet he passed away and was no more;though I searched, he could not be found.
Consider the blameless and observe the upright,for posterity awaits the man of peace.But the transgressors will all be destroyed;the future of the wicked will be cut off.
The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;he is their stronghold in time of trouble.The LORD helps and delivers them;he rescues and saves them from the wicked,because they take refuge in him.
Psalm 38
A Psalm of David, for remembrance.
O LORD, do not rebuke me in your angeror discipline me in your wrath.For your arrows have pierced me deeply,and your hand has pressed down on me.
There is no soundness in my bodybecause of your anger;there is no rest in my bonesbecause of my sin.For my iniquities have overwhelmed me;they are a burden too heavy to bear.My wounds are foul and festeringbecause of my sinful folly.I am bent and brought low;all day long I go about mourning.For my loins are full of burning pain,and no soundness remains in my body.I am numb and badly crushed;I groan in anguish of heart.
O Lord, my every desire is before you;my groaning is not hidden from you.My heart pounds, my strength fails,and even the light of my eyes has faded.My beloved and friends shun my disease,and my kinsmen stand at a distance.Those who seek my life lay snares;those who wish me harm speak destruction,plotting deceit all day long.
But like a deaf man, I do not hear;and like a mute man, I do not open my mouth.I am like a man who cannot hear,whose mouth offers no reply.I wait for you, O LORD;you will answer, O Lord my God.For I said, “Let them not gloat over me—those who taunt me when my foot slips.”
For I am ready to fall,and my pain is ever with me.Yes, I confess my iniquity;I am troubled by my sin.Many are my enemies without cause,and many hate me without reason.Those who repay my good with evilattack me for pursuing the good.
Do not forsake me, O LORD;be not far from me, O my God.Come quickly to help me,O Lord my Savior.
Psalm 39
For the choirmaster. For Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
I said, “I will watch my waysso that I will not sin with my tongue;I will guard my mouth with a muzzleas long as the wicked are present.”I was speechless and still;I remained silent, even from speaking good,and my sorrow was stirred.My heart grew hot within me;as I mused, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue:
“Show me, O LORD, my endand the measure of my days.Let me know how fleeting my life is.You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths,and my lifetime as nothing before you.Truly each man at his bestexists as but a breath.SelahSurely every man goes about like a phantom;surely he bustles in vain;he heaps up richesnot knowing who will haul them away.
And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?My hope is in you.Deliver me from all my transgressions;do not make me the reproach of fools.I have become mute;I do not open my mouthbecause of what you have done.Remove your scourge from me;I am perishing by the force of your hand.You discipline and correct a man for his iniquity,consuming like a moth what he holds dear;surely each man is but a vapor.SelahHear my prayer, O LORD,and give ear to my cry for help;do not be deaf to my weeping.For I am a foreigner dwelling with you,a stranger like all my fathers.Turn your gaze away from me,that I may again be cheeredbefore I depart and am no more.”
Psalm 40
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
I waited patiently for the LORD;he inclined to me and heard my cry.He lifted me up from the pit of despair,out of the miry clay;he set my feet upon a rock,and made my footsteps firm.He put a new song in my mouth,a hymn of praise to our God.Many will see and fearand put their trust in the LORD.
Blessed is the manwho has made the LORD his trust,who has not turned to the proud,nor to those who lapse into falsehood.Many, O LORD my God,are the wonders you have done,and the plans you have for us—none can compare to you—if I proclaim and declare them,they are more than I can count.
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,but my ears you have opened.Burnt offerings and sin offeringsyou did not require.Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll:I delight to do your will, O my God;your law is within my heart.”
I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;behold, I do not seal my lips,as you, O LORD, do know.I have not covered up your righteousness in my heart;I have declared your faithfulness and salvation;I have not concealed your loving devotion and faithfulnessfrom the great assembly.
O LORD, do not withhold your mercy from me;your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me.For evils without number surround me;my sins have overtaken me, so that I cannot see.They are more than the hairs of my head,and my heart has failed within me.Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;hurry, O LORD, to help me.
May those who seek my lifebe ashamed and confounded;may those who wish me harmbe repelled and humiliated.May those who say to me, “Aha, aha!”be appalled at their own shame.May all who seek yourejoice and be glad in you;may those who love your salvationalways say, “The LORD be magnified!”
But I am poor and needy;may the Lord think of me.You are my helper and deliverer;O my God, do not delay.
Psalm 41
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
Blessed is the one who cares for the poor;the LORD will deliver him in the day of trouble.The LORD will protect and preserve him;he will bless him in the landand refuse to surrender himto the will of his foes.The LORD will sustain him on his bed of illnessand restore him from his bed of sickness.
I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;heal me, for I have sinned against you.”My enemies say with malice:“When will he die and be forgotten?”My visitor speaks falsehood;he gathers slander in his heart;he goes out and spreads it abroad.All who hate me whisper against me;they imagine the worst for me:“A vile disease has been poured into him;he will never get up from where he lies!”Even my close friend whom I trusted,the one who shared my bread,has lifted up his heel against me.
But you, O LORD, be gracious to me and raise me up,that I may repay them.By this I know that you delight in me,for my enemy does not triumph over me.In my integrity you uphold meand set me in your presence forever.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.