and it endured.
10The LORD frustrates the plans of nations,
brings to naught the designs of peoples.
11What the LORD plans endures forever,
what He designs, for ages on end.
12Happy the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people He has chosen to be His own.
13The LORD looks down from heaven;
He sees all mankind.
14From His dwelling-place He gazes
on all the inhabitants of the earth—
15He who fashions the hearts of them all,
who discerns all their doings.
16Kings are not delivered by a large force;
warriors are not saved by great strength;
17horses are a false hope for deliverance;
for all their great power they provide no escape.
18Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
who wait for His faithful care
19to save them from death,
to sustain them in famine.
20We set our hope on the LORD,
He is our help and shield;
21in Him our hearts rejoice,
for in His holy name we trust.
22May we enjoy, O LORD, Your faithful care,
as we have put our hope in You.
34 Of David, a-when he feigned madness in the presence of Abime-
lech, who turned him out, and he left.-a
2I bless the LORD at all times;
praise of Him is ever in my mouth.
3I glory in the LORD;
let the lowly hear it and rejoice.
4Exalt the LORD with me;
let us extol His name together.
5I turned to the LORD, and He answered me;
He saved me from all my terrors.
6Men look to Him and are radiant;
let their faces not be downcast.
7Here was a lowly man who called,
and the LORD listened,
and delivered him from all his troubles.
8The angel of the LORD camps around those who fear Him
and rescues them.
9Taste and see how good the LORD is;
happy the man who takes refuge in Him!
10Fear the LORD, you His consecrated ones,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
11Lions have been reduced to starvation,
but those who turn to the LORD shall not lack any good.
12Come, my sons, listen to me;
I will teach you what it is to fear the LORD.
13Who is the man who is eager for life,
who desires years of good fortune?
14Guard your tongue from evil,
your lips from deceitful speech.
15Shun evil and do good,
seek amityb and pursue it.
16The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
His ears attentive to their cry.
17The face of the LORD is set against evildoers,
to erase their names from the earth.
18Theyc cry out, and the LORD hears,
and saves them from all their troubles.
19The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
those crushed in spirit He delivers.
20Though the misfortunes of the righteous be many,
the LORD will save him from them all,
21Keeping all his bones intact,
not one of them being broken.
22One misfortune is the deathblow of the wicked;
the foes of the righteous shall be ruined.
23The LORD redeems the life of His servants;
all who take refuge in Him shall not be ruined.
35Of David.
O LORD, strive with my adversaries,
give battle to my foes,
2take up shield and buckler,
and come to my defense;
3ready the spear and javelin
against my pursuers;
tell me, “I am your deliverance.”
4Let those who seek my life
be frustrated and put to shame;
let those who plan to harm me
fall back in disgrace.
5Let them be as chaff in the wind,
the LORD’s angel driving them on.
6Let their path be dark and slippery,
with the LORD’s angel in pursuit.
7For without cause they hid a net to trap me;
without cause they dug a pita for me.
8Let disaster overtake them unawares;
let the net they hid catch them;
let them fall into it when disaster [strikes].
9Then shall I exult in the LORD,
rejoice in His deliverance.
10All my bones shall say,
“LORD, who is like You?
You save the poor from one stronger than he,
the poor and needy from his despoiler.”
11Malicious witnesses appear
who question me about things I do not know.
12They repay me evil for good,
[seeking] my bereavement.
13Yet, when they were ill,
my dress was sackcloth,
I kept a fast—
b-may what I prayed for happen to me!-b
14I walked about as though it were my friend or my brother;
I was bowed with gloom, like one mourning for his mother.
15But when I stumble, they gleefully gather;
wretches gather against me,
I know not why;
c-they tear at me without end.
16With impious, mocking grimace-c
they gnash their teeth at me.
17O Lord, how long will You look on?
Rescue me c-from their attacks,-c
my precious life, from the lions,
18that I may praise You in a great congregation,
acclaim You in a mighty throng.
19Let not my treacherous enemies rejoice over me,
or those who hate me without reason wink their eyes.
20For they do not offer amity,
but devise fraudulent schemes against harmless folk.
21They open wide their mouths at me,
saying, “Aha, aha, we have seen it!”
22You have seen it, O LORD;
do not hold aloof!
O Lord, be not far from me!
23Wake, rouse Yourself for my cause,
for my claim, O my God and my Lord!
24Take up my cause, O LORD my God, as You are beneficent,
and let them not rejoice over me.
25Let them not think,
“Aha, just what we wished!”
Let them not say,
“We have destroyed him!”
26May those who rejoice at my misfortune
be frustrated and utterly disgraced;
may those who vaunt themselves over me
be clad in frustration and shame.
27May those who desire my vindication
sing forth joyously;
may they always say,
“Extolled be the LORD
who desires the well-being of His servant,”
28while my tongue shall recite Your beneficent acts,
Your praises all day long.
36 For the leader. Of the servant of the LORD, of David.
2a-I know-a what Transgression says to the wicked;
he has no sense of the dread of God,
3b-because its speech is seductive to him
till his iniquity be found out and he be hated.-b
4His words are evil and deceitful;
he will not consider doing good.
5In bed he plots mischief;
he is set on a path of no good,
he does not reject evil.
6O LORD, Your faithfulness reaches to heaven;
Your steadfastness to the sky;
7Your beneficence is like the high mountains;
Your justice like the great deep;
man and beast You deliver, O LORD.
8How precious is Your faithful care, O God!
Mankind shelters in the shadow of Your wings.
9They feast on the rich fare of Your house;
You let them drink at Your refreshing stream.
10With You is the fountain of life;
by Your light do we see light.
11Bestow Your faithful care on those devoted to You,
and Your beneficence on upright men.
12Let not the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
13There lie the evildoers, fallen,
thrust down, unable to rise.
37 Of David.
Do not be vexed by evil men;
do not be incensed by wrongdoers;
2for they soon wither like grass,
like verdure fade away.
3Trust in the LORD and do good,
abide in the land and remain loyal.
4Seek the favor of the LORD,
and He will grant you the desires of your heart.
5Leave alla to the LORD;
trust in Him; He will do it.
6He will cause your vindication to shine forth like the light,
the justice of your case, like the noonday sun.
7Be patient and wait for the LORD,
do not be vexed by the prospering man
who carries out his schemes.
8Give up anger, abandon fury,
do not be vexed;
it can only do harm.
9For evil men will be cut off,
but those who look to the LORD—
they shall inherit the land.
10A little longer and there will be no wicked man;
you will look at where he was—
he will be gone.
11But the lowly shall inherit the land,
and delight in abundant well-being.
12The wicked man schemes against the righteous,
and gnashes his teeth at him.
13The Lord laughs at him,
for He knows that his day will come.
14The wicked draw their swords, bend their bows,
to bring down the lowly and needy,
to slaughter b-upright men.-b
15Their swords shall pierce their own hearts,
and their bows shall be broken.
16Better the little that the righteous man has
than the great abundance of the wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD is the support of the righteous.
18The LORD is concerned for the needsc of the blameless;
their portion lasts forever;
19they shall not come to grief in bad times;
in famine, they shall eat their fill.
20But the wicked shall perish,
and the enemies of the LORD shall be consumed,
like meadow grassd consumed in smoke.
21The wicked man borrows and does not repay;
the righteous is generous and keeps giving.
22Those blessed by Him shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
23The steps of a man are made firm by the LORD,
when He delights in his way.
24Though he stumbles, he does not fall down,
for the LORD gives him support.
25I have been young and am now old,
but I have never seen a righteous man abandoned,
or his children seeking bread.
26He is always generous, and lends,
and his children are held blessed.
27Shun evil and do good,
and you shall abide forever.
28For the LORD loves what is right,
He does not abandon His faithful ones.
They are preserved forever,
while the children of the wicked will be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land,
and abide forever in it.
30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is right.
31The teaching of his God is in his heart;
his feet do not slip.
32The wicked watches for the righteous,
seeking to put him to death;
33the LORD will not abandon him to his power;
He will not let him be condemned in judgment.
34Look to the LORD and keep to His way,
and He will raise you high that you may inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35I saw a wicked man, powerful,
well-rooted like a robust native tree.
36Suddenly he vanished and was gone;
I sought him, but he was not to be found.
37Mark the blameless, note the upright,
for there is a future for the man of integrity.
38But transgressors shall be utterly destroyed,
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39The deliverance of the righteous comes from the LORD,
their stronghold in time of trouble.
40The LORD helps them and rescues them,
rescues them from the wicked and delivers them,
for they seek refuge in Him.
38 A psalm of David. Lehazkir.a
2O LORD, do not punish me in wrath;
do not chastise me in fury.
3For Your arrows have struck me;
Your blows have fallen upon me.
4There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your