Psalm chapter 36
English Standard Version
1 Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 3The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. 4He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil. 5Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord. 7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. 10Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! 11Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.
New International Version
1For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. 2In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. 3The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good.
4Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong. 5Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. 6Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. 7How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
9For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. 10Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12See how the evildoers lie fallen— thrown down, not able to rise!
New American Standard Bible
1 Wrongdoing speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes. 2For it flatters him in his own eyes Concerning the discovery of his wrongful deed and the hatred of it. 3The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. 4He plans wickedness on his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not reject evil. 5Your mercy, Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 6Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like the great deep. Lord, You protect mankind and animals. 7How precious is Your mercy, God! And the sons of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. 8They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You allow them to drink from the river of Your delights. 9For the fountain of life is with You; In Your light we see light. 10Prolong Your mercy to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright of heart. 11May the foot of pride not come upon me, And may the hand of the wicked not drive me away. 12Those who do injustice have fallen there; They have been thrust down and cannot rise.
Christian Standard Bible
1For the choir director. Of David, the Lord’s servant. An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked person: Dread of God has no effect on him. 2For with his flattering opinion of himself, he does not discover and hate his iniquity. 3The words from his mouth are malicious and deceptive; he has stopped acting wisely and doing good.
4Even on his bed he makes malicious plans. He sets himself on a path that is not good, and he does not reject evil. 5 Lord, your faithful love reaches to heaven, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your judgments like the deepest sea. Lord, you preserve people and animals. 7How priceless your faithful love is, God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8They are filled from the abundance of your house. You let them drink from your refreshing stream.
9For the wellspring of life is with you. By means of your light we see light. 10Spread your faithful love over those who know you, and your righteousness over the upright in heart. 11Do not let the foot of the arrogant come near me or the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12There! The evildoers have fallen. They have been thrown down and cannot rise.
New Living Translation
1Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all. 2In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are. 3Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good. 4They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their actions are never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil.
5Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. 6Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. 7How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. 8You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights. 9For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.
King James Version
New King James Version
1{To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.} An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. 2For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. 3The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. 4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil. 5Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 6Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast. 7How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. 8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. 9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. 10Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11Let not the foot of pride come against me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12There the workers of iniquity have fallen; They have been cast down and are not able to rise.
What does Psalm chapter 36 mean?
Sin is rooted deeply within the human heart (Jeremiah 17:9). That innate wickedness is the source of our evil actions (Matthew 15:18–19). Here, David notes that those who reject God find themselves overtaken by sin. They lose all respect for the Lord (Proverbs 1:7), and all fear of eternal consequences for their actions. Instead, they assume that what they do will never be punished, or never even found out. Sin is so addictive that those who turn from God find themselves constantly pursuing depravity, even when they try to sleep (Psalm 36:1–4).In contrast, God's character is flawless and perfect. In mercy, God extends a measure of grace to all people and all animals. This is seen in His continued provision in nature. The Lord's graciousness is also expressed in His "steadfast love," or "lovingkindness," from the Hebrew term hesed. This passage uses the imagery of God's protection extending like the wings of a mother bird (Psalm 36:5–9).
David closes the psalm with an appeal for God to maintain that "steadfast love" to His people. David uses references to both hands and feet to depict the attacks of wicked people. He prays for God's protection against those assaults. The psalm ends with David picturing these enemies as already defeated, so utterly conquered that they can never regroup (Psalm 36:10–12).
