so that your justice breaks forth like the light

 

Office of the Readings, Tuesday 9 July 2024

Psalm 37
The lot of the wicked and the good

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).

I

Do not fret because of the wicked; *
do not envy those who do evil:
for they wither quickly like grass *
and fade like the green of the fields.

If you trust in the Lord and do good, *
then you will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord, *
he will grant your heart’s desire.

Commit your life to the Lord, *
trust in him and he will act,
so that your justice breaks forth like the light, *
your cause like the noon-day sun.

Be still before the Lord and wait in patience; *
do not fret at the man who prospers;
a man who makes evil plots *
to bring down the needy and the poor.

Calm your anger and forget your rage; *
do not fret, it only leads to evil.
For those who do evil shall perish; *
the patient shall inherit the land.

A little longer—and the wicked shall have gone. *
Look at his place, he is not there.
But the humble shall own the land *
and enjoy the fullness of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Surrender to God, and he will do everything for you.

Ant. 2 Turn away from evil and learn to do God’s will; the Lord will strengthen you if you obey him.