Man’s Wickedness and God’s Perfections

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.

36 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
(A)There is no fear of God before his eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
(B)He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
(C)He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself (D)in a way that is not good;
He does not [a]abhor (E)evil.

Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the [b]great mountains;
(F)Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men (G)put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
(H)They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from (I)the river of Your pleasures.
(J)For with You is the fountain of life;
(K)In Your light we see light.

10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not able to rise.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 36:4 reject, loathe
  2. Psalm 36:6 Lit. mountains of God

Wickedness of Men and Lovingkindness of God.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.

36 Transgression speaks [like an oracle] to the wicked (godless) [deep] within his heart;
There is no fear (dread) of God before his eyes.(A)

For he flatters and deceives himself in his own eyes
Thinking that his sinfulness will not be discovered and hated [by God].

The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.

He plans wrongdoing on his bed;
He sets himself on a path that is not good;
He does not reject or despise evil.


Your lovingkindness and graciousness, O Lord, extend to the skies,
Your faithfulness [reaches] to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God,
Your judgments are like the great deep.
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;
And You allow them to drink from the river of Your delights.

For with You is the fountain of life [the fountain of life-giving water];
In Your light we see light.(B)

10 
O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness (salvation) to the upright in heart.
11 
Do not let the foot of the proud [person] overtake me,
And do not let the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 
There those who [are perverse and] do evil have fallen;
They have been thrust down and cannot rise.

Psalm 36

For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord.

Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.[a]
    They have no fear of God at all.
In their blind conceit,
    they cannot see how wicked they really are.
Everything they say is crooked and deceitful.
    They refuse to act wisely or do good.
They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots.
    Their actions are never good.
    They make no attempt to turn from evil.

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
    your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.
    How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
    in the shadow of your wings.
You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
    letting them drink from your river of delights.
For you are the fountain of life,
    the light by which we see.

10 Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;
    give justice to those with honest hearts.
11 Don’t let the proud trample me
    or the wicked push me around.
12 Look! Those who do evil have fallen!
    They are thrown down, never to rise again.

Footnotes

  1. 36:1 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac version, which read in his heart. Masoretic Text reads in my heart.