Psalm 36

¹An evil man is rebellious to the core.[#tn Heb “[the] rebellion of an evil man [is] in the midst of my heart.” The translation assumes a reading “in the midst of his heart” (i.e., “to the core”) instead of “in the midst of my heart,” a change which finds support in a a few medieval Hebrew mss, the Hebrew text of Origen’s Hexapla, and the Syriac.]

He does not fear God,

²for he is too proud

to recognize and give up his sin.

³The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;

he does not care about doing what is wise and right.

⁴He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed;

he is committed to a sinful lifestyle;

he does not reject what is evil.

⁵O Lord , your loyal love reaches to the sky;[#tn Heb “[is] in the heavens.”]

your faithfulness to the clouds.

⁶Your justice is like the highest mountains,[#tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.]

your fairness like the deepest sea;

you preserve mankind and the animal kingdom.

⁷How precious is your loyal love, O God![#tn Or “valuable.”]

The human race finds shelter under your wings.

⁸They are filled with food from your house,

and you allow them to drink from the river of your delicacies.

⁹For you are the one who gives

and sustains life.

¹⁰Extend your loyal love to your faithful followers,[#tn Heb “draw out to full length.”; #tn Heb “to those who know you.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “know”) is used here of those who “know” the Lord in the sense that they recognize his royal authority and obey his will (see Jer 22:16).]

and vindicate the morally upright!

¹¹Do not let arrogant men overtake me,

or let evil men make me homeless!

¹²I can see the evildoers! They have fallen![#tn Heb “there the workers of wickedness have fallen.” The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the evildoers lying fallen at a spot that is vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.).]

They have been knocked down and are unable to get up!