Bible Society of South Africa

Bible Reading Plan – Day 106

Bible text(s)

Psalms 35

A Prayer for Help

1Oppose those who oppose me, LORD,

and fight those who fight against me!

2Take your shield and armour

and come to my rescue.

3Lift up your spear and your axe

against those who pursue me.

Promise that you will save me.

4May those who try to kill me

be defeated and disgraced!

May those who plot against me

be turned back and confused!

5May they be like straw blown by the wind

as the angel of the LORD pursues them!

6May their path be dark and slippery

while the angel of the LORD strikes them down!

7Without any reason they laid a trap for me

and dug a deep hole to catch me.

8But destruction will catch them before they know it;

they will be caught in their own trap

and fall to their destruction!

9Then I will be glad because of the LORD;

I will be happy because he saved me.

10With all my heart I will say to the LORD,

“There is no one like you.

You protect the weak from the strong,

the poor from the oppressor.”

11Evil people testify against me

and accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.

12They pay me back evil for good,

and I sink in despair.

13But when they were sick, I dressed in mourning;

I deprived myself of food;

I prayed with my head bowed low,

14as I would pray for a friend or a brother.

I went about bent over in mourning,

as one who mourns for his mother.

15But when I was in trouble, they were all glad

and gathered round to mock me;

strangers beat me

and kept striking me.

16Like those who would mock a cripple,

they glared at me with hate.

17How much longer, Lord, will you just look on?

Rescue me from their attacks;

save my life from these lions!

18Then I will thank you in the assembly of your people;

I will praise you before them all.

19Don't let my enemies, those liars,

gloat over my defeat.

Don't let those who hate me for no reason

smirk with delight over my sorrow.

20They do not speak in a friendly way;

instead they invent all kinds of lies about peace-loving people.

21They accuse me, shouting,

“We saw what you did!”

22But you, O LORD, have seen this.

So don't be silent, Lord;

don't keep yourself far away!

23Rouse yourself, O Lord, and defend me;

rise up, my God, and plead my cause.

24You are righteous, O LORD, so declare me innocent;

don't let my enemies gloat over me.

25Don't let them say to themselves,

“We are rid of him!

That's just what we wanted!”

26May those who gloat over my suffering

be completely defeated and confused;

may those who claim to be better than I am

be covered with shame and disgrace.

27May those who want to see me acquitted

shout for joy and say again and again,

“How great is the LORD!

He is pleased with the success of his servant.”

28Then I will proclaim your righteousness,

and I will praise you all day long.

Psalms 36

Human Wickedness

1Sin speaks to the wicked deep in their hearts;

they reject God and have no reverence for him.

2Because they think so highly of themselves,

they think that God will not discover their sin and condemn it.

3Their speech is wicked and full of lies;

they no longer do what is wise and good.

4They make evil plans as they lie in bed;

nothing they do is good,

and they never reject anything evil.

The Goodness of God

5LORD, your constant love reaches the heavens;

your faithfulness extends to the skies.

6Your righteousness is towering like the mountains;

your justice is like the depths of the sea.

People and animals are in your care.

7How precious, O God, is your constant love!

We find protection under the shadow of your wings.

8We feast on the abundant food you provide;

you let us drink from the river of your goodness.

9You are the source of all life,

and because of your light we see the light.

10Continue to love those who know you

and to do good to those who are righteous.

11Do not let proud people attack me

or the wicked make me run away.

12See where evil people have fallen.

There they lie, unable to rise.

Psalms 37

The Destiny of the Wicked and of the Good

1Don't be worried on account of the wicked;

don't be jealous of those who do wrong.

2They will soon disappear like grass that dries up;

they will die like plants that wither.

3Trust in the LORD and do good;

live in the land and be safe.

4Seek your happiness in the LORD,

and he will give you your heart's desire.

5Give yourself to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will help you;

6he will make your righteousness shine like the noonday sun.

7Be patient and wait for the LORD to act;

don't be worried about those who prosper

or those who succeed in their evil plans.

8Don't give in to worry or anger;

it only leads to trouble.

9Those who trust in the LORD will possess the land,

but the wicked will be driven out.

10Soon the wicked will disappear;

you may look for them, but you won't find them;

11the humble will possess the land

and enjoy prosperity and peace.

12The wicked plot against good people

and glare at them with hate.

13But the Lord laughs at wicked people,

because he knows they will soon be destroyed.

14The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows

to kill the poor and needy,

to slaughter those who do what is right;

15but they will be killed by their own swords,

and their bows will be smashed.

16The little that a good person owns

is worth more than the wealth of all the wicked,

17because the LORD will take away the strength of the wicked,

but protect those who are good.

18The LORD takes care of those who obey him,

and the land will be theirs for ever.

19They will not suffer when times are bad;

they will have enough in time of famine.

20But the wicked will die;

the enemies of the LORD will vanish like wild flowers;

they will disappear like smoke.

21The wicked borrow and never pay back,

but good people are generous with their gifts.

22Those who are blessed by the LORD will possess the land,

but those who are cursed by him will be driven out.

23The LORD guides people in the way they should go

and protects those who please him.

24If they fall, they will not stay down,

because the LORD will help them up.

25I am old now; I have lived a long time,

but I have never seen good people abandoned by the LORD

or their children begging for food.

26At all times they give freely and lend to others,

and their children are a blessing.

27Turn away from evil and do good,

and your descendants will always live in the land;

28for the LORD loves what is right

and does not abandon his faithful people.

He protects them for ever,

but the descendants of the wicked will be driven out.

29The righteous will possess the land

and live in it for ever.

30The words of good people are wise,

and they are always fair.

31They keep the law of their God in their hearts

and never depart from it.

32Wicked people watch good people

and try to kill them;

33but the LORD will not abandon them to their enemy's power

or let them be condemned when they are on trial.

34Put your hope in the LORD and obey his commands;

he will honour you by giving you the land,

and you will see the wicked driven out.

35I once knew a wicked and ruthless person;

he towered over everyone like a cedar of Lebanon;

36but later I passed by, and he wasn't there;

I looked for him, but couldn't find him.

37Notice good people, observe the righteous;

peaceful people have descendants,

38but sinners are completely destroyed,

and their descendants are wiped out.

39The LORD saves the righteous

and protects them in times of trouble.

40He helps them and rescues them;

he saves them from the wicked,

because they go to him for protection.

Psalms 38

The Prayer of a Sufferer

1O LORD, don't punish me in your anger!

2You have wounded me with your arrows;

you have struck me down.

3Because of your anger, I am in great pain;

my whole body is diseased because of my sins.

4I am drowning in the flood of my sins;

they are a burden too heavy to bear.

5Because I have been foolish,

my sores stink and rot.

6I am bowed down, I am crushed;

I mourn all day long.

7I am burning with fever

and I am near to death.

8I am worn out and utterly crushed;

my heart is troubled, and I groan with pain.

9O Lord, you know what I long for;

you hear all my groans.

10My heart is pounding, my strength is gone,

and my eyes have lost their brightness.

11My friends and neighbours will not come near me,

because of my sores;

even my family keeps away from me.

12Those who want to kill me lay traps for me,

and those who want to hurt me threaten to ruin me;

they never stop plotting against me.

13I am like the deaf and cannot hear,

like the dumb and cannot speak.

14I am like those who do not answer,

because they cannot hear.

15But I trust in you, O LORD;

and you, O Lord my God, will answer me.

16Don't let my enemies gloat over my distress;

don't let them boast about my downfall!

17I am about to fall

and am in constant pain.

18I confess my sins;

they fill me with anxiety.

19My enemies are healthy and strong;

there are many who hate me for no reason.

20Those who pay back evil for good

are against me because I try to do right.

21Do not abandon me, O LORD;

do not stay away, my God!

22Help me now, O Lord my saviour!

Psalms 35:1-38:22GNBOpen in Bible reader
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