Psalms 37

1 Of David. Do not fret over those who do evil; do not envy those who do wrong.

[A Psalm] of David. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be envious of them that do iniquity.

2 For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender plants.

For they shall soon be withered as the grass, and shall soon fall away as the green herbs.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Hope in the Lord, and do good; and dwell on the land, and thou shalt be fed with the wealth of it.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Delight [thyself] in the Lord; and he shall grant thee the requests of thine heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.

Disclose thy way to the Lord, and hope in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun.

And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon-day.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.

Submit thyself to the Lord, and supplicate him: fret not thyself because of him that prospers in his way, at the man that does unlawful deeds.

8 Refrain from anger and abandon wrath; do not fret—it can only bring harm.

ease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself so as to do evil.

9 For the evildoers will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

For evil-doers shall be destroyed: but they that wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the land.

10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

And yet a little while, and the sinner shall not be, and thou shalt seek for his place, and shalt not find [it].

11 But the meek will inherit the land and delight in abundant prosperity.

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight [themselves] in the abundance of peace.

12 The wicked scheme against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them,

The sinner will watch for the righteous, and gnash his teeth upon him.

13 but the Lord laughs, seeing that their day is coming.

But the Lord shall laugh at him: for he foresees that his day will come.

14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.

Sinners have drawn their swords, they have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy one, [and] to slay the upright in heart.

15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

Let their sword enter into their [own] heart, and their bows be broken.

16 Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many who are wicked.

A little is better to the righteous than abundant wealth of sinners.

17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

For the arms of sinners shall be broken; but the Lord supports the righteous.

18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will last forever.

The Lord knows the ways of the perfect; and their inheritance shall be for ever.

19 In the time of evil they will not be ashamed, and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

They shall not be ashamed in an evil time; and in days of famine they shall be satisfied.

20 But the wicked and enemies of the LORD will perish like the glory of the fields. They will vanish; like smoke they will fade away.

For the sinners shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord at the moment of their being honoured and exalted have utterly vanished like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are gracious and giving.

The sinner borrows, and will not pay again: but the righteous has compassion, and gives.

22 Surely those He blesses will inherit the land, but the cursed will be destroyed.

For they that bless him shall inherit the earth; and they that curse him shall be utterly destroyed.

23 The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.

The steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord: and he will take pleasure in his way.

24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.

When he falls, he shall not be ruined: for the Lord supports his hand.

25 I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread.

I was [once] young, indeed I am now old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread.

26 They are ever generous and quick to lend, and their children are a blessing.

He is merciful, and lends continually; and his seed shall be blessed.

27 Turn away from evil and do good, so that you will abide forever.

Turn aside from evil, and do good; and dwell for ever.

28 For the LORD loves justice and will not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.

For the Lord loves judgment, and will not forsake his saints; they shall be preserved for ever: the blameless shall be avenged, but the seed of the ungodly shall be utterly destroyed.

29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

But the righteous shall inherit the earth, and dwell upon it for ever.

30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.

The mouth of the righteous will meditate wisdom, and his tongue will speak of judgment.

31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.

The law of his God is in his heart; and his steps shall not slide.

32 Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them,

The sinner watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him.

33 the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned under judgment.

But the Lord will not leave him in his hands, nor by any means condemn him when he is judged.

34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will raise you up to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are destroyed, thou shalt see [it].

35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,

I saw the ungodly very highly exalting himself, and lifting himself up like the cedars of Libanus.

36 yet he passed away and was no more; though I searched, he could not be found.

Yet I passed by, and lo! he was not: and I sought him, but his place was not found.

37 Consider the blameless and observe the upright, for posterity awaits the man of peace.

Maintain innocence, and behold uprightness: for there is a remnant to the peaceable man.

38 But the transgressors will all be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.

But the transgressors shall be utterly destroyed together: the remnants of the ungodly shall be utterly destroyed.

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; and he is their defender in the time of affliction.

40 The LORD helps and delivers them; He rescues and saves them from the wicked, because they take refuge in Him.

And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: and he shall rescue them from sinners, and save them, because they have hoped in him.