A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a vain thing for safety,
neither does he deliver any by his great power.
18 Behold, the LORD’s eye is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his loving kindness,
19 to deliver their soul from death,
to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul has waited for the LORD.
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart rejoices in him,
because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let your loving kindness be on us, LORD,
since we have hoped in you.
Psalm 34
By David; when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
1 †I will bless the LORD at all times.
His praise will always be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall boast in the LORD.
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh magnify the LORD with me.
Let’s exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to him, and were radiant.
Their faces shall never be covered with shame.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The LORD’s angel encamps around those who fear him,
and delivers them.
8 Oh taste and see that the LORD is good.
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9 Oh fear the LORD, you his holy ones,
for there is no lack with those who fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger,
but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me.
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Who is someone who desires life,
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Depart from evil, and do good.
Seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The LORD’s eyes are toward the righteous.
His ears listen to their cry.
16 The LORD’s face is against those who do evil,
to cut off their memory from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears,
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
20 He protects all of his bones.
Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall kill the wicked.
Those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems the soul of his servants.
None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned.
Psalm 35
By David.
1 Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me.
Fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take hold of shield and buckler,
and stand up for my help.
3 Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me.
Tell my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor.
Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.
5 Let them be as chaff before the wind,
the LORD’s angel driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
the LORD’s angel pursuing them.
7 For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me.
Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul.
8 Let destruction come on him unawares.
Let his net that he has hidden catch himself.
Let him fall into that destruction.
9 My soul shall be joyful in the LORD.
It shall rejoice in his salvation.
10 All my bones shall say, “LORD, who is like you,
who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him;
yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?”
11 Unrighteous witnesses rise up.
They ask me about things that I don’t know about.
12 They reward me evil for good,
to the bereaving of my soul.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.
I afflicted my soul with fasting.
My prayer returned into my own bosom.
14 I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother.
I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother.
15 But in my adversity, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together.
The attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I didn’t know it.
They tore at me, and didn’t cease.
16 Like the profane mockers in feasts,
they gnashed their teeth at me.
17 Lord, how long will you look on?
Rescue my soul from their destruction,
my precious life from the lions.
18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly.
I will praise you among many people.
19 Don’t let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me;
neither let those who hate me without a cause wink their eyes.
20 For they don’t speak peace,
but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me.
They said, “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!”
22 You have seen it, LORD. Don’t keep silent.
Lord, don’t be far from me.
23 Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God!
My Lord, contend for me!
24 Vindicate me, LORD my God, according to your righteousness.
Don’t let them gloat over me.
25 Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!”
Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”
26 Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity.
Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me.
27 Let those who favor my righteous cause shout for joy and be glad.
Yes, let them say continually, “May the LORD be magnified,
who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!”
28 My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long.
Psalm 36
For the Chief Musician. By David, the servant of the LORD.
1 A revelation is within my heart about the disobedience of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
too much to detect and hate his sin.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit.
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He plots iniquity on his bed.
He sets himself in a way that is not good.
He doesn’t abhor evil.
5 Your loving kindness, LORD, is in the heavens.
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God.
Your judgments are like a great deep.
LORD, you preserve man and animal.
7 How precious is your loving kindness, God!
The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the abundance of your house.
You will make them drink of the river of your pleasures.
9 For with you is the spring of life.
In your light we will see light.
10 Oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Don’t let the foot of pride come against me.
Don’t let the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the workers of iniquity are fallen.
They are thrust down, and shall not be able to rise.
Psalm 37
By David.
1 Don’t fret because of evildoers,
neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good.
Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Also delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD.
Trust also in him, and he will do this:
6 he will make your righteousness shine out like light,
and your justice as the noon day sun.
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.
Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way,
because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.
Don’t fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more.
Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there.
11 But the humble shall inherit the land,
and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord will laugh at him,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,
to cast down the poor and needy,
to kill those who are upright on the path.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart.
Their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is a little that the righteous has,
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The LORD knows the days of the perfect.
Their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil.
In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish.
The enemies of the LORD shall be like the beauty of the fields.
They will vanish—
vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back,
but the righteous give generously.
22 For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land.
Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 A man’s steps are established by the LORD.
He delights in his way.
24 Though he stumble, he shall not fall,
for the LORD holds him up with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his children begging for bread.
26 All day long he deals graciously, and lends.
His offspring is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good.
Live securely forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice,
and doesn’t forsake his holy ones.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it forever.
30 The
