Friday, January 7, 2011

Day 7 — Psalm 37

HEBREW
PSALM 37
The fate of the virtuous and the wicked

Of David.

א, Do not worry about the wicked,
do not envy those who do wrong.
Quick as the grass they wither,
fading like the green in the field.

ב, Trust in Yahweh and do what is good,
make your home in the land and live in peace;
make Yahweh your only joy
and He will give you what your heart desires.

ג, Commit your fate to Yahweh,
trust in Him and He will act:
making your virtue clear as the light,
your integrity as bright as noon.

ד, Be quiet before Yahweh, and wait patiently for Him,
not worrying about men who make their fortunes,
about men who scheme
to bring the poor and needy down.

ה, Enough of anger, leave rage aside,
do not worry, nothing but evil can come of it:
for the wicked will be expelled,
while those who hope in Yahweh
shall have the land for their own.

ו, A little longer, and the wicked will be no more,
search his place well, he will not be there;
but the humble shall have the land for their own
to enjoy untroubled peace.

ז, The wicked man plots against the virtuous,
and grinds his teeth at him;
but the Lord only laughs at the man,
knowing his end is in sight.

ח, Though the wicked draw the sword,
and bend their bow, to kill the upright,
their swords will only pierce their own hearts
and their bows will be smashed.

ט, The little the virtuous possesses
outweighs all the wealth of the wicked,
since the arms of the wicked are doomed to break,
and Yahweh will uphold the virtuous.

י, Yahweh takes care of good men's lives,
and their heritage will last forever;
they will not be at a loss when bad times come,
in time of famine they will have more than they need.

כ, As for the wicked—they will perish,
these enemies of Yahweh;
they will vanish like the beauty of the meadows,
they will vanish in smoke.

ל, The wicked man borrows without meaning to repay,
but a virtuous man is generous and openhanded;
those he blesses will have the land for their own,
those he curses will be expelled.

מ, Yahweh guides a man's steps,
they are sure, and He takes pleasure in his progress;
he may fall, but never fatally,
since Yahweh supports him by the hand.

נ, Now I am old, but ever since my youth
I never saw a virtuous man deserted,
or his descendants forced to beg their bread;
he is always compassionate, always lending:
his children will be blessed.

ס, Never yield to evil, practice good
and you will have an everlasting home,
for Yahweh loves what is right,
and never deserts the devout.

ע, Those who do wrong will perish once and for all,
and the children of the wicked shall be expelled;
the virtuous will have the land for their own,
and make it their home for ever.

פ, The mouth of the virtuous man murmurs wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is right;
with the Law of his God in his heart
his steps can never falter.

צ, The wicked man spies on the virtuous,
seeking to kill him;
Yahweh will never leave him in those clutches,
or let him be condemned under trial.

ק, Put your hope in Yahweh, keep His way,
and He will save you from the wicked,
raising you until you make the land your own
and see the wicked expelled.

ר, I have seen the wicked in his triumph
towering like a cedar of Lebanon,
but when next I passed, he was not there,
I looked for him and he was nowhere to be found.

ש, Observe the innocent man, consider the upright:
for the man of peace there are descendants,
but sinners shall be destroyed altogether,
the descendants of the wicked shall be wiped out.

ת, The salvation of the virtuous comes from Yahweh,
He is their shelter when trouble comes;
Yahweh helps and rescues them,
He saves them because they take shelter in Him.

Next… Day 8 — Psalm 38

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