Psalms 37

1 Of David. Do not be angry because of the wrongdoers, or have envy of the workers of evil.

A psalm for David himself. Be not emulous of evildoers; nor envy them that work iniquity.

2 For they will quickly be cut down like grass, and become dry like the green plants.

For they shall shortly wither away as grass, and as the green herbs shall quickly fall.

3 Have faith in the Lord, and do good; be at rest in the land, and go after righteousness.

Trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land, and thou shalt be fed with its riches.

4 So will your delight be in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires.

Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart.

5 Put your life in the hands of the Lord; have faith in him and he will do it.

Commit thy way to the Lord, and trust in him, and he will do it.

6 And he will make your righteousness be seen like the light, and your cause like the shining of the sun.

And he will bring forth thy justice as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7 Take your rest in the Lord, waiting quietly for him; do not be angry because of the man who does well in his evil ways, and gives effect to his bad designs.

Be subject to the Lord and pray to him Envy not the man who prospereth in his way; the man who doth unjust things.

8 Put an end to your wrath and be no longer bitter; do not give way to angry feeling which is a cause of sin.

Cease from anger, and leave rage; have no emulation to do evil.

9 For the evil-doers will be cut off: but those who have faith in the Lord will have the earth for their heritage.

For the evildoers shall be cut off: but they that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the land.

10 For in a short time the evil-doer will be gone: you will go searching for his place, and it will not be there.

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: and thou shalt seek his place, and shalt not find it.

11 But the gentle will have the earth for their heritage; they will take their delight in peace without measure.

But the meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight in abundance of peace.

12 The sinner has evil designs against the upright, lifting up the voice of wrath against him.

The sinner shall watch the just man: and shall gnash upon him with his teeth.

13 He will be laughed at by the Lord, who sees that his day is coming.

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

14 The evil-doers have taken out their swords, their bows are bent; for crushing the poor, and to put to death those who are upright in their ways.

The wicked have drawn out the sword: they have bent their bow. To cast down the poor and needy, to kill the upright of heart.

15 But their swords will be turned into their hearts, and their bows will be broken.

Let their sword enter into their own hearts, and let their bow be broken.

16 The little which the good man has is better than the wealth of evil-doers.

Better is a little to the just, than the great riches of the wicked.

17 For the arms of the evil-doers will be broken: but the Lord is the support of the good.

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken in pieces; but the Lord strengtheneth the just.

18 The days of the upright are numbered by the Lord, and their heritage will be for ever.

The Lord knoweth the days of undefiled; and their inheritance shall be for ever.

19 They will not be shamed in the evil time, and in the days when all are in need of food they will have enough.

They shall not be confounded in the evil time; and in the days of famine they shall be filled:

20 But the wrongdoers will come to destruction, and the haters of the Lord will be like the fat of lambs, they will be burned up; they will go up in smoke, and never again be seen.

Because the wicked shall perish. And the enemies of the Lord, presently after they shall be honoured and exalted, shall come to nothing and vanish like smoke.

21 The sinner takes money and does not give it back; but the upright man has mercy, and gives to others.

The sinner shall borrow, and not pay again; but the just sheweth mercy and shall give.

22 Those who have his blessing will have the earth for their heritage; but those who are cursed by him will be cut off.

For such as bless him shall inherit the land: but such as curse him shall perish.

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he takes delight in his way.

With the Lord shall the steps of a man be directed, and he shall like well his way.

24 Even if he has a fall he will not be without help: for the hand of the Lord is supporting him.

When he shall fall he shall not be bruised, for the Lord putteth his hand under him.

25 I have been young, and now am old, but I have not seen the good man without help, or his children looking for bread.

I have been young, and now am old; and I have not seen the just forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread.

26 All the day he is ready to have mercy and to give; his children are a blessing.

He sheweth mercy, and lendeth all the day long; and his seed shall be in blessing.

27 Be turned from evil, and do good; and your place will be for ever.

Decline from evil and do good, and dwell for ever and ever.

28 For the Lord is a lover of righteousness, and takes care of his saints; they will be kept safe for ever; but the seed of the evil-doers will be cut off.

For the Lord loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints: they shall be preserved for ever. The unjust shall be punished, and the seed of the wicked shall perish.

29 The upright will have the earth for their heritage, and will go on living there for ever.

But the just shall inherit the land, and shall dwell therein for evermore.

30 The mouth of the good man says words of wisdom; the talk of his tongue is of righteousness.

The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom: and his tongue shall speak judgment.

31 The law of his God is in his heart; he will never make a false step.

The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be supplanted.

32 The sinners are watching the upright man, desiring to put him to death.

The wicked watcheth the just man, and seeketh to put him to death,

33 The Lord will not give him into their hands, or be against him when he is judged.

But the Lord will not leave in his hands; nor condemn him when he shall be judged.

34 Be waiting for the Lord, and keep his way; and you will be lifted up, and have the land for your heritage: when the evil-doers are cut off, you will see it.

Expect the Lord and keep his way: and he will exalt thee to inherit the land: when the sinners shall perish thou shalt see.

35 I have seen the evil-doer in great power, covering the earth like a great tree.

I have seen the wicked highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Libanus.

36 But he came to an end, and there was no sign of him; I made a search for him and he was not there.

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

37 Give attention to the good man, and take note of the upright; because the end of that man is peace.

Keep innocence, and behold justice: for there are remnants for the peaceable man.

38 But as for the sinners, they will be cut off together; the end of the wrongdoers is destruction.

But the unjust shall be destroyed together: the remnants of the wicked shall perish.

39 But the Lord is the saviour of the upright: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

But the salvation of the just is from the Lord, and he is their protector in the time of trouble.

40 And the Lord will be their help, and keep them safe: he will take them out of the hands of the evil-doers, and be their saviour, because they had faith in him.

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