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36 ‎[1] **For the chief musician, by David servant of the Lord.**** **
‎[2] **Sinfulness speaks to the** **wicked one. **This internal dialogue is known to me personally, because it sometimes takes place **in my **own **heart. **The central attribute of the wicked person is that **there is no fear of God before him*****,*** even though he may acknowledge God’s existence, and he therefore finds ways to rationalize his behavior and continue to sin.
‎[3] **For in his eyes, **following his own misguided opinion, **he glides past Him. **The sinner thinks he can somehow evade God’s attention **to **thereby **find, **or commit, **his iniquity, **and** to hate **others.
‎[4] **The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; he has ceased to learn to do what is good. **He no longer tries to mend his ways, instead allowing his evil impulses free rein.
‎[5] **He plots wickedness in his bed **as he goes to sleep, and when he arises, **he sets himself on a path of no good; he does not abhor evil. **This is a description of a person going through an internal spiritual crisis or breakdown. Even if he has not completely lost his faith in God, such faith no longer serves to block his negative thoughts or behavior. He is on a road spiraling downward.
‎[6] But there is an alternative path, one that leads to enlightenment. Those who contemplate the matter should know that* ***Your kindness, Lord, extends to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches the skies. **
‎[7] **Your righteousness,** Your beneficence,** is **steadfast, **like mighty mountains,** and **Your judgments are **like** a fathomless deep. Lord, You save man and beast. **God’s righteousness and faithfulness extend to everything He has created, man and beast alike.
‎[8] Expressions of the psalmist’s personal experience follow:* ***How precious is Your kindness, God; men take refuge in the shadow of Your garment. **Those who seek God’s intimacy feel protected by Him, as if enveloped in His cloak.
‎[9] **They are sated by the rich fare of Your House; You give them to drink from the stream of Your delights. **The experience of being close to God is comparable to having one’s hunger satiated and his thirst slaked.
‎[10] **For the source of life is with You, **and those who are close to You benefit from that life. **Through Your light we see light. **Closeness to God provides one with a sense of satisfaction and enlightenment.
‎[11] **Extend Your kindness to those who know You, **those who love You and therefore strive to know You, **and** show** Your righteousness to the upright of heart, **those whose internal compass always points toward God, and who are therefore devoid of crookedness and deception.
‎[12] The psalmist concludes with a request:* ***Let no arrogant foot come to me. **Do not let my actions be spoiled by arrogance, whether coming from others or from within myself. **Let no hand of the wicked drive me away **from You.** **
‎[13] **There, **in the proximity of God,** the evildoers have fallen, cast down and unable to rise. **
Version: The Steinsaltz Tanakh - English
Source: https://korenpub.com/collections/the-steinsaltz-tanakh/products/steinsaltz-tanakh
License: Copyright: Steinsaltz Center