Psalms 36

¹A Psalm of David himself. Do not choose to imitate the malicious; neither should you envy those who work iniquity.

²For they will quickly wither away like dry grass, and in like manner to kitchen herbs, they will soon droop.

³Hope in the Lord and do good, and dwell in the land, and so you shall be pastured with its riches.

⁴Delight in the Lord, and he will grant to you the petitions of your heart.

⁵Reveal your way to the Lord, and hope in him, and he will accomplish it.

⁶And he will bring forth your justice like the light, and your judgment like the midday.

⁷Be subject to the Lord and pray to him. Do not choose to compete with him who prospers in his way, with the man who does injustice.

⁸Cease from wrath and leave behind rage. Do not choose to imitate the malicious.

⁹For those who are malicious will be exterminated. But those who remain with the Lord, these will inherit the land.

¹⁰Yet still a little while, and the sinner will not be. And you will search his place and find nothing.

¹¹But the meek shall inherit the earth, and they will delight in the multitude of peace.

¹²The sinner will observe the just, and he will gnash his teeth over him.

¹³But the Lord will laugh at him: for he knows in advance that his day will come.

¹⁴The sinners have drawn the sword, they have bent their bow, so as to cast down the poor and the needy, so as to massacre the upright of heart.

¹⁵Let their sword enter into their own hearts, and let their bow be broken.

¹⁶A little is better to the just than the many riches of sinners.

¹⁷For the arms of sinners will be crushed, but the Lord confirms the just.

¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the immaculate, and their inheritance will be in eternity.

¹⁹They will not be confounded in an evil time; and in days of famine, they will be satisfied:

²⁰for sinners will perish. Truly, the adversaries of the Lord, soon after they have been honored and exalted, will fade away, in the same way that smoke fades away.

²¹The sinner will lend and not release, but the just one shows compassion and donates.

²²For those who bless him will inherit the earth, but those who curse him will perish.

²³The steps of a man will be directed by the Lord, and he will choose his way.

²⁴When he falls, he will not be harmed, because the Lord places his hand under him.

²⁵I have been young, and now I am old; and I have not seen the just forsaken, nor his offspring seeking bread.

²⁶He shows compassion and lends, all day long, and his offspring will be in blessing.

²⁷Turn away from evil and do good, and dwell forever and ever.

²⁸For the Lord loves judgment, and he will not abandon his saints. They will be kept safe in eternity. The unjust will be punished, and the offspring of the impious will perish.

²⁹But the just will inherit the earth, and they will dwell upon it forever and ever.

³⁰The mouth of the just one will express wisdom, and his tongue will speak judgment.

³¹The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be supplanted.

³²The sinner considers the just one and seeks to put him to death.

³³But the Lord will not abandon him into his hands, nor condemn him, when he will be judged.

³⁴Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way. And he will exalt you, so as to inherit the land that you may seize. When the sinners will have passed away, then you shall see.

³⁵I have seen the impious over-exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon.

³⁶And I passed by, and behold, he was not. And I sought him, and his place was not found.

³⁷Keep to innocence, and gaze upon fairness: because there are allotments for the peaceful man.

³⁸But the unjust will be destroyed together: the allotments of the impious will pass away.

³⁹But the salvation of the just is from the Lord, and he is their protector in time of tribulation.

⁴⁰And the Lord will help them and free them. And he will rescue them from sinners and save them, because they have hoped in him.

Psalms 36

¹The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

²For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.

³The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.

⁴He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.

⁵Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

⁶Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.

⁷How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

⁸They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

⁹For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

¹⁰O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

¹¹Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.

¹²There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.