| Psalm 36 | |||
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1
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Sin whispers to the wicked, in
the depths of their heart; • there is no fear of God before their eyes. |
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2
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They flatter themselves in their
own eyes • that their abominable sin will not be found out. |
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3
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The words of their mouth are
unrighteous and full of deceit; • they have ceased to act wisely and to do good. |
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4
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They think out mischief upon their beds | ||
| and have set themselves in no
good way; • nor do they abhor that which is evil. |
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5
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Your love, O Lord, reaches to
the heavens • and your faithfulness to the clouds. |
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6
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Your righteousness stands like the strong mountains, | ||
| your justice like the great
deep; • you, Lord, shall save both man and beast. |
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7
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How precious is your loving
mercy, O God! • All mortal flesh shall take refuge |
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| under the shadow of your wings. | |||
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8
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They shall be satisfied with the
abundance of your house; • they shall drink from the river of your delights. |
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9
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For with you is the well of
life • and in your light shall we see light. |
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10
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O continue your loving-kindness
to those who know you • and your righteousness to those who are true of heart. |
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11
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Let not the foot of pride come
against me, • nor the hand of the ungodly thrust me away. |
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12
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There are they fallen, all who
work wickedness. • They are cast down and shall not be able to stand. |
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| Psalm 37 | |||
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1
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Fret not because of
evildoers; • be not jealous of those who do wrong. |
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2
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For they shall soon wither like
grass • and like the green herb fade away. |
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3
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Trust in the Lord and be doing
good; • dwell in the land and be nourished with truth. |
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4
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Let your delight be in the
Lord • and he will give you your heart's desire. |
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5
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Commit your way to the Lord and
put your trust in him, • and he will bring it to pass. |
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6
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He will make your righteousness
as clear as the light • and your just dealing as the noonday. |
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7
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Be still before the Lord and
wait for him; • do not fret over those that prosper |
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| as they follow their evil schemes. | |||
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8
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Refrain from anger and abandon
wrath; • do not fret, lest you be moved to do evil. |
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9
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For evildoers shall be cut
off, • but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land. |
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10
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Yet a little while and the
wicked shall be no more; • you will search for their place and find them gone. |
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11
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But the lowly shall possess the
land • and shall delight in abundance of peace. |
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12
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The wicked plot against the
righteous • and gnash at them with their teeth. |
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13
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The Lord shall laugh at the
wicked, • for he sees that their day is coming. |
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14
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The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow | ||
| to strike down the poor and
needy, • to slaughter those who walk in truth. |
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15
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Their sword shall go through
their own heart • and their bows shall be broken. |
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16
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The little that the righteous
have • is better than great riches of the wicked. |
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17
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For the arms of the wicked shall
be broken, • but the Lord upholds the righteous. |
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18
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The Lord knows the days of the
godly, • and their inheritance shall stand for ever. |
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19
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They shall not be put to shame
in the perilous time, • and in days of famine they shall have enough. |
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20
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But the wicked shall perish; | ||
| like the glory of the meadows | |||
| the enemies of the Lord shall
vanish; • they shall vanish like smoke. |
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21
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The wicked borrow and do not
repay, • but the righteous are generous in giving. |
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22
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For those who are blest by God
shall possess the land, • but those who are cursed by him shall be rooted out. |
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23
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When your steps are guided by
the Lord • and you delight in his way, |
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24
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Though you stumble, you shall
not fall headlong, • for the Lord holds you fast by the hand. |
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25
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I have been young and now am
old, • yet never have I seen the righteous forsaken, |
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| or their children begging their bread. | |||
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26
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All the day long they are
generous in lending, • and their children also shall be blest. |
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27
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Depart from evil and do
good • and you shall abide for ever. |
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28
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For the Lord loves the thing
that is right • and will not forsake his faithful ones. |
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29
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The unjust shall be destroyed
for ever, • and the offspring of the wicked shall be rooted out. |
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30
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The righteous shall possess the
land • and dwell in it for ever. |
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31
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The mouth of the righteous
utters wisdom, • and their tongue speaks the thing that is right. |
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32
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The law of their God is in their
heart • and their footsteps shall not slide. |
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33
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The wicked spy on the
righteous • and seek occasion to slay them. |
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34
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The Lord will not leave them in
their hand, • nor let them be condemned when they are judged. |
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35
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Wait upon the Lord and keep his
way; • he will raise you up to possess the land, |
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| and when the wicked are uprooted, you shall see it. | |||
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36
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I myself have seen the wicked in
great power • and flourishing like a tree in full leaf. |
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37
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I went by and lo, they were
gone; • I sought them, but they could nowhere be found. |
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38
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Keep innocence and heed the
thing that is right, • for that will bring you peace at the last. |
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39
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But the sinners shall perish
together, • and the posterity of the wicked shall be rooted out. |
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40
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The salvation of the righteous
comes from the Lord; • he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. |
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41
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The Lord shall stand by them and
deliver them; • he shall deliver them from the wicked and shall save them, |
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| because they have put their trust in him. | |||
| Psalm 38 | |||
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1
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Rebuke me not, O Lord, in your
anger, • neither chasten me in your heavy displeasure. |
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2
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For your arrows have stuck fast
in me • and your hand presses hard upon me. |
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3
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There is no health in my flesh | ||
| because of your
indignation; • there is no peace in my bones because of my sin. |
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4
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For my iniquities have gone over
my head; • their weight is a burden too heavy to bear. |
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5
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My wounds stink and
fester • because of my foolishness. |
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6
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I am utterly bowed down and
brought very low; • I go about mourning all the day long. |
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7
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My loins are filled with searing
pain; • there is no health in my flesh. |
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8
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I am feeble and utterly
crushed; • I roar aloud because of the disquiet of my heart. |
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9
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O Lord, you know all my
desires • and my sighing is not hidden from you. |
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10
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My heart is pounding, my
strength has failed me; • the light of my eyes is gone from me. |
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11
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My friends and companions stand
apart from my affliction; • my neighbours stand afar off. |
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12
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Those who seek after my life lay
snares for me; • and those who would harm me whisper evil |
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| and mutter slander all the day long. | |||
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13
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But I am like one who is deaf
and hears not, • like one that is dumb, who does not open his mouth. |
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14
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I have become like one who does
not hear • and from whose mouth comes no retort. |
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15
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For in you, Lord, have I put my
trust; • you will answer me, O Lord my God. |
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16
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For I said, 'Let them not
triumph over me, • those who exult over me when my foot slips.' |
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17
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Truly, I am on the verge of
falling • and my pain is ever with me. |
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18
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I will confess my
iniquity • and be sorry for my sin. |
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19
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Those that are my enemies
without any cause are mighty, • and those who hate me wrongfully are many in number. |
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20
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Those who repay evil for good
are against me, • because the good is what I seek. |
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21
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Forsake me not, O
Lord; • be not far from me, O my God. |
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22
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Make haste to help
me, • O Lord of my salvation. |
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| Psalm 39 | |||
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1
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I said, 'I will keep watch over
my ways, • so that I offend not with my tongue. |
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2
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'I will guard my mouth with a
muzzle, • while the wicked are in my sight.' |
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3
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So I held my tongue and said
nothing; • I kept silent but to no avail. |
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4
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My distress increased, my heart
grew hot within me; • while I mused, the fire was kindled |
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| and I spoke out with my tongue: | |||
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5
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'Lord, let me know my end and
the number of my days, • that I may know how short my time is. |
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6
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'You have made my days but a handsbreadth, | ||
| and my lifetime is as nothing in
your sight; • truly, even those who stand upright are but a breath. |
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7
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'We walk about like a shadow | ||
| and in vain we are in
turmoil; • we heap up riches and cannot tell who will gather them. |
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8
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'And now, what is my
hope? • Truly my hope is even in you. |
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9
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'Deliver me from all my
transgressions • and do not make me the taunt of the fool.' |
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10
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I fell silent and did not open
my mouth, • for surely it was your doing. |
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11
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Take away your plague from
me; • I am consumed by the blows of your hand. |
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12
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With rebukes for sin you punish us; | ||
| like a moth you consume our
beauty; • truly, everyone is but a breath. |
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13
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Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give
ear to my cry; • hold not your peace at my tears. |
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14
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For I am but a stranger with
you, • a wayfarer, as all my forebears were. |
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15
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Turn your gaze from me, that I
may be glad again, • before I go my way and am no more. |
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| Psalm 40 | |||
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1
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I waited patiently for the
Lord; • he inclined to me and heard my cry. |
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2
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He brought me out of the roaring pit, | ||
| out of the mire and
clay; • he set my feet upon a rock and made my footing sure. |
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3
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He has put a new song in my mouth, | ||
| a song of praise to our
God; • many shall see and fear |
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| and put their trust in the Lord. | |||
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4
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Blessed is the one who trusts in
the Lord, • who does not turn to the proud that follow a lie. |
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5
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Great are the wonders you have done, O Lord my God. | ||
| How great your designs for
us! • There is none that can be compared with you. |
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6
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If I were to proclaim them and
tell of them • they would be more than I am able to express. |
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7
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Sacrifice and offering you do
not desire • but my ears you have opened; |
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8
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Burnt offering and sacrifice for
sin you have not required; • then said I: 'Lo, I come. |
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9
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'In the scroll of the book it is written of me | ||
| that I should do your will, O my
God; • I delight to do it: your law is within my heart.' |
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10
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I have declared your
righteousness in the great congregation; • behold, I did not restrain my lips, |
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| and that, O Lord, you know. | |||
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11
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Your righteousness I have not hidden in my heart; | ||
| I have spoken of your
faithfulness and your salvation; • I have not concealed your loving-kindness and truth |
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| from the great congregation. | |||
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12
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Do not withhold your compassion
from me, O Lord; • let your love and your faithfulness always preserve me, |
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13
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For innumerable troubles have come about me; | ||
| my sins have overtaken me so
that I cannot look up; • they are more in number than the hairs of my head, |
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| and my heart fails me. | |||
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14
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Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver
me; • O Lord, make haste to help me. |
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15
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Let them be ashamed and altogether dismayed | ||
| who seek after my life to
destroy it; • let them be driven back and put to shame |
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| who wish me evil. | |||
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16
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Let those who heap insults upon
me • be desolate because of their shame. |
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17
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Let all who seek you rejoice in
you and be glad; • let those who love your salvation say always, |
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| 'The Lord is great.' | |||
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18
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Though I am poor and
needy, • the Lord cares for me. |
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19
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You are my helper and my
deliverer; • O my God, make no delay. |
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