I Cry Out Day and Night Before You
A Song. A Psalm of zthe Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to aMahalath Leannoth. A Maskil1 of bHeman the Ezrahite.
1 O Lord, cGod of my salvation,
I dcry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
eincline your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
and fmy life draws near to gSheol.
4 I am counted among those who hgo down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5 like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom iyou remember no more,
for they are jcut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in kthe depths of the pit,
in the lregions dark and mdeep.
7 Your wrath nlies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with oall your waves. Selah
8 You have caused pmy companions to shun me;
you have made me qa horror2 to them.
I am rshut in so that I cannot escape;
9 smy eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
I tspread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
uDo the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your vwonders known in wthe darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of xforgetfulness?
13 But I, O Lord, cry yto you;
zin the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O Lord, why ado you cast my soul away?
Why bdo you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.3
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your cdreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They dsurround me like a flood eall day long;
they fclose in on me together.
18 You have caused gmy beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.4
The Proverbs of Solomon
1 cThe proverbs of Solomon.
dA wise son makes a glad father,
ebut a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
2 fTreasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
gbut righteousness delivers from death.
3 hThe Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
ibut he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4 A slack hand jcauses poverty,
kbut the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who lgathers in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is ma son who brings shame.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but nthe mouth of the wicked conceals violence.1
7 oThe memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but pthe name of the wicked will rot.
8 qThe wise of heart will receive commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
9 rWhoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked swill be found out.
10 Whoever twinks the eye causes trouble,
and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 uThe mouth of the righteous is va fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked nconceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
but wlove covers all offenses.
13 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
but xa rod is for the back of him who ylacks sense.
14 The wise zlay up knowledge,
but athe mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
15 bA rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
16 The wage of the righteous leads cto life,
the gain of the wicked to sin.
17 Whoever heeds instruction is on dthe path to life,
but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever utters slander is a fool.
19 eWhen words are many, transgression is not lacking,
fbut whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
20 The tongue of the righteous is gchoice silver;
the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for hlack of sense.
22 iThe blessing of the Lord makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow with it.2
23 Doing wrong is jlike a joke to a fool,
but kwisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
24 lWhat the wicked dreads mwill come upon him,
but nthe desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When othe tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
but pthe righteous is established forever.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is the sluggard to those who send him.
27 qThe fear of the Lord prolongs life,
rbut the years of the wicked will be short.
28 sThe hope of the righteous brings joy,
tbut the expectation of the wicked will perish.
29 uThe way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,
but destruction to evildoers.
30 vThe righteous will never be removed,
but wthe wicked will not dwell in the land.
31 xThe mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32 The lips of the righteous yknow what is acceptable,
but the mouth of the wicked, zwhat is perverse.