The Steadfast Love of God

361 Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart ; There is no fear of God before his eyes . 2 For it flatters him in his own eyes Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. 3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit ; He has ceased to be wise and to do good . 4 He plans wickedness upon his bed ; He sets himself on a path that is not good ; He does not despise evil .

5 Your lovingkindness , O Lord , extends to the heavens , Your faithfulness reaches to the skies . 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God ; Your judgments are like a great deep . O Lord , You preserve man and beast . 7 How precious is Your lovingkindness , O God ! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings . 8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house ; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights . 9 For with You is the fountain of life ; In Your light we see light . 10 O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart . 11 Let not the foot of pride come upon me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away . 12 There the doers of iniquity have fallen ; They have been thrust down and cannot e rise .

The Insecurity of the Wicked

371 Do not fret because of evildoers , Be not envious toward wrongdoers . 2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb . 3 Trust in the Lord and do good ; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness . 4 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 it. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday .

7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way , Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes . 8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath ; Do not fret ; it leads only to evildoing . 9 For evildoers will be cut off , But those who wait for the Lord , they will inherit the land . 10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more ; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. 11 But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity . 12 The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth . 13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming . 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy , To slay those who are upright in conduct . 15 Their sword will enter their own heart , And their bows will be broken . 16 Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked . 17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken , But the Lord sustains the righteous . 18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless , And their inheritance will be forever . 19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil , And in the days of famine they will have abundance . 20 But the wicked will perish ; And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures , They vanish - like smoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back , But the righteous is gracious and gives . 22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land , But those cursed by Him will be cut off . 23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord , And He delights in his way . 24 When he falls , he will not be hurled headlong , Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand . 25 I have been young and now I am old , Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread . 26 All day long he is gracious and lends , And his descendants are a blessing . 27 Depart from evil and do good , So you will abide forever . 28 For the Lord loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones ; They are preserved forever , But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off . 29 The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever . 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom , And his tongue speaks justice . 31 The law of his God is in his heart ; His steps do not slip . 32 The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to kill him. 33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand Or let him be condemned when he is judged .

34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way , And He will exalt you to inherit the land ; When the wicked are cut off , you will see it. 35 I have seen a wicked , violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. 36 Then he passed away , and lo , he was no more ; I sought for him, but he could not be found . 37 Mark the blameless man , and behold the upright ; For the man of peace will have a posterity . 38 But transgressors will be altogether destroyed ; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off . 39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord ; He is their strength in time of trouble . 40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.

The Prayer of a Suffering Penitent

381 O Lord , rebuke me not in Your wrath , And chasten me not in Your burning anger . 2 For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me. 3 There is no soundness in my flesh because e of Your indignation ; There is no health in my bones because e of my sin . 4 For my iniquities are gone over my head ; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. 5 My wounds grow foul and fester Because e of my folly . 6 I am bent over and greatly bowed down ; I go mourning all day long. 7 For my loins are filled with burning , And there is no soundness in my flesh . 8 I am benumbed and badly crushed ; I groan because of the agitation of my heart . 9 Lord , all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. 10 My heart throbs , my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes , even that has gone from me. 11 My loved ones and my friends stand aloof e from my plague ; And my kinsmen stand afar off.

12 Those who seek my life lay snares for me; And those who seek to injure me have threatened destruction , And they devise treachery all day long. 13 But I, like a deaf man , do not hear ; And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth . 14 Yes, I am like a man who does not hear , And in whose mouth are no arguments . 15 For I hope in You, O Lord ; You will answer , O Lord my God . 16 For I said , "May they not rejoice over me, Who, when my foot slips , would magnify themselves against me." 17 For I am ready to fall , And my sorrow is continually before me. 18 For I confess my iniquity ; I am full of anxiety because of my sin . 19 But my enemies are vigorous and strong , And many are those who hate me wrongfully . 20 And those who repay evil for good , They oppose me, because I follow what is good . 21 Do not forsake me, O Lord ; O my God , do not be far from me! 22 Make haste to help me, O Lord , my salvation !

Hope in the LORD

391 I said , "I will guard my ways That I may not sin with my tongue ; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle While the wicked are in my presence ." 2 I was mute and silent , I refrained even from good , And my sorrow grew worse . 3 My heart was hot within me, While I was musing the fire burned ; Then I spoke with my tongue : 4 "Lord , make me to know my end And what is the extent of my days ; Let me know how transient I am. 5 "Behold , You have made my days as handbreadths , And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight ; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath . Selah . 6 "Surely every man walks about as a phantom ; Surely they make an uproar for nothing ; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.

7 "And now , Lord , for what do I wait ? My hope is in You. 8 " Deliver me from all my transgressions ; Make me not the reproach of the foolish . 9 "I have become mute , I do not open my mouth , Because it is You who have done it. 10 " Remove Your plague from me; Because of the opposition of Your hand I am perishing . 11 "With reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity ; You consume as a moth what is precious to him; Surely every man is a mere breath . Selah . 12 " Hear my prayer , O Lord , and give ear to my cry ; Do not be silent at my tears ; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner like all my fathers . 13 " Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may smile again Before I depart and am no more ."