The Steadfast Love of God

361 The sin of the evil-doer says in his heart, There is no fear of the Lord before his eyes. 2 For he takes comfort in the thought that his sin will not be uncovered and hated. 3 In the words of his mouth are evil and deceit; he has given up being wise and doing good. 4 He gives thought to evil on his bed; he takes a way which is not good; he is not a hater of evil.

5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, and your strong purpose is as high as the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judging is like the great deep; O Lord, you give life to man and beast. 7 How good is your loving mercy, O God! the children of men take cover under the shade of your wings. 8 The delights of your house will be showered on them; you will give them drink from the river of your pleasures. 9 For with you is the fountain of life: in your light we will see light. 10 O let there be no end to your loving mercy to those who have knowledge of you, or of your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, or the hand of the evil-doers put me out of my place. 12 There the workers of evil have come down: they have been made low, and will not be lifted up.

The Insecurity of the Wicked

371 Do not be angry because of the wrongdoers, or have envy of the workers of evil. 2 For they will quickly be cut down like grass, and become dry like the green plants. 3 Have faith in the Lord, and do good; be at rest in the land, and go after righteousness. 4 So will your delight be in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires. 5 Put your life in the hands of the Lord; have faith in him and he will do it. 6 And he will make your righteousness be seen like the light, and your cause like the shining of the sun.

7 Take your rest in the Lord, waiting quietly for him; do not be angry because of the man who does well in his evil ways, and gives effect to his bad designs. 8 Put an end to your wrath and be no longer bitter; do not give way to angry feeling which is a cause of sin. 9 For the evil-doers will be cut off: but those who have faith in the Lord will have the earth for their heritage. 10 For in a short time the evil-doer will be gone: you will go searching for his place, and it will not be there. 11 But the gentle will have the earth for their heritage; they will take their delight in peace without measure. 12 The sinner has evil designs against the upright, lifting up the voice of wrath against him. 13 He will be laughed at by the Lord, who sees that his day is coming. 14 The evil-doers have taken out their swords, their bows are bent; for crushing the poor, and to put to death those who are upright in their ways. 15 But their swords will be turned into their hearts, and their bows will be broken. 16 The little which the good man has is better than the wealth of evil-doers. 17 For the arms of the evil-doers will be broken: but the Lord is the support of the good. 18 The days of the upright are numbered by the Lord, and their heritage will be for ever. 19 They will not be shamed in the evil time, and in the days when all are in need of food they will have enough. 20 But the wrongdoers will come to destruction, and the haters of the Lord will be like the fat of lambs, they will be burned up; they will go up in smoke, and never again be seen.

21 The sinner takes money and does not give it back; but the upright man has mercy, and gives to others. 22 Those who have his blessing will have the earth for their heritage; but those who are cursed by him will be cut off. 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he takes delight in his way. 24 Even if he has a fall he will not be without help: for the hand of the Lord is supporting him. 25 I have been young, and now am old, but I have not seen the good man without help, or his children looking for bread. 26 All the day he is ready to have mercy and to give; his children are a blessing. 27 Be turned from evil, and do good; and your place will be for ever. 28 For the Lord is a lover of righteousness, and takes care of his saints; they will be kept safe for ever; but the seed of the evil-doers will be cut off. 29 The upright will have the earth for their heritage, and will go on living there for ever. 30 The mouth of the good man says words of wisdom; the talk of his tongue is of righteousness. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; he will never make a false step. 32 The sinners are watching the upright man, desiring to put him to death. 33 The Lord will not give him into their hands, or be against him when he is judged.

34 Be waiting for the Lord, and keep his way; and you will be lifted up, and have the land for your heritage: when the evil-doers are cut off, you will see it. 35 I have seen the evil-doer in great power, covering the earth like a great tree. 36 But he came to an end, and there was no sign of him; I made a search for him and he was not there. 37 Give attention to the good man, and take note of the upright; because the end of that man is peace. 38 But as for the sinners, they will be cut off together; the end of the wrongdoers is destruction. 39 But the Lord is the saviour of the upright: he is their strength in the time of trouble. 40 And the Lord will be their help, and keep them safe: he will take them out of the hands of the evil-doers, and be their saviour, because they had faith in him.

The Prayer of a Suffering Penitent

381 O Lord, be not bitter with me in your wrath; let not your hand be on me in the heat of your passion. 2 For your arrows have gone into my flesh, and I am crushed under the weight of your hand. 3 My flesh is wasted because of your wrath; and there is no peace in my bones because of my sin. 4 For my crimes have gone over my head; they are like a great weight which is more than my strength. 5 My wounds are poisoned and evil-smelling, because of my foolish behaviour. 6 I am troubled, I am made low; I go weeping all the day. 7 For my body is full of burning; all my flesh is unhealthy. 8 I am feeble and crushed down; I gave a cry like a lion because of the grief in my heart. 9 Lord, all my desire is before you; my sorrow is not kept secret from you. 10 My heart goes out in pain, my strength is wasting away; as for the light of my eyes, it is gone from me. 11 My lovers and my friends keep away from my disease; my relations keep far away.

12 Those who have a desire to take my life put nets for me; those who are designing my destruction say evil things against me, all the day their minds are full of deceit. 13 But I kept my ears shut like a man without hearing; like a man without a voice, never opening his mouth. 14 So I was like a man whose ears are shut, and in whose mouth there are no sharp words. 15 In you, O Lord, is my hope: you will give me an answer, O Lord, my God. 16 I said, Let them not be glad over me; when my foot is moved, let them not be lifted up with pride against me. 17 My feet are near to falling, and my sorrow is ever before me. 18 I will make clear my wrongdoing, with sorrow in my heart for my sin. 19 But they are strong who have hate for me without cause: those who are against me falsely are increased in numbers. 20 They give me back evil for good; they are my haters because I go after the thing which is right. 21 Do not give me up, O Lord; O my God, be near to me. 22 Come quickly to give me help, O Lord, my salvation.

Hope in the LORD

391 I said, I will give attention to my ways, so that my tongue may do no wrong; I will keep my mouth under control, while the sinner is before me. 2 I made no sound, I said no word, even of good; and I was moved with sorrow. 3 My heart was burning in my breast; while I was deep in thought the fire was lighted; then I said with my tongue, 4 Lord, give me knowledge of my end, and of the measure of my days, so that I may see how feeble I am. 5 You have made my days no longer than a hand's measure; and my years are nothing in your eyes; truly, every man is but a breath. (Selah.) 6 Truly, every man goes on his way like an image; he is troubled for no purpose: he makes a great store of wealth, and has no knowledge of who will get it.

7 And now, Lord, what am I waiting for? my hope is in you. 8 Make me free from all my sins; do not let me be shamed by the man of evil behaviour. 9 I was quiet, and kept my mouth shut; because you had done it. 10 No longer let your hand be hard on me; I am wasted by the blows of your hand. 11 By the weight of your wrath against man's sin, the glory of his form is wasted away; truly every man is but a breath. (Selah.) 12 Let my prayer come to your ears, O Lord, and give attention to my cry, make an answer to my weeping: for my time here is short before you, and in a little time I will be gone, like all my fathers. 13 Let your wrath be turned away from me, so that I may be comforted, before I go away from here, and become nothing.