Psalms 37

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

“A psalm of David.” Be not thou angry on account of the wicked, Nor be envious of those who do iniquity.

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

For soon shall they be cut down like grass, And wither like the green herb.

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; Abide in the land, and delight in faithfulness.

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

Place thy delight in the LORD. And he will give thee thy heart's desires.

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; Trust in him, and he will give thee success!

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

He will cause thy justice to shine forth like the light, And thy righteousness like the noonday's brightness.

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.

Hope thou patiently on the LORD, And in him place thy trust! Be not angry on account of the prosperous, —On account of him that deviseth deceit!

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; give not way to wrath; Be not provoked, so as 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 evil-doers shall be rooted out; But they who trust in the LORD, they 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.

Yet a little while, and the wicked shall be no more; Thou mayst look for his place, and he will not be found.

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 delight themselves in the fulness of prosperity.

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

The wicked man plotteth against the just, And gnasheth at him with his teeth.

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

The Lord laugheth at him; For he seeth that his day is coming.

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 draw the sword, And bend their bow, To cast down the afflicted and the needy, And to slay the upright.

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

Their swords shall enter their own hearts, And their bows shall be broken in pieces.

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

Better is the little of the righteous man Than the great abundance 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, But the LORD will uphold the righteous.

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

The LORD careth for the life of the upright, And their inheritance shall endure 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 ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall have enough.

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.

But the wicked shall perish; Yea, the enemies of the LORD shall be consumed, like the glory of the fields; They shall be consumed into smoke.

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

The wicked borroweth, and repayeth not; But the righteous is merciful and bountiful.

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 they who are blessed by God shall inherit the land, And they who are cursed by him shall be rooted out.

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

The steps of the good man are directed by the LORD; He delighteth himself in his way.

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

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, For the LORD holdeth him by the hand.

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; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his offspring begging bread.

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

He is ever merciful and lendeth, And his offspring shall be blessed.

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

Depart from evil, and do good; So thou shalt dwell in the land for 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 righteousness, And forsaketh not his servants; They are preserved for ever; But the posterity of the wicked shall be rooted out.

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

The righteous shall inherit the land, And shall dwell therein for ever.

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

The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, And his tongue speaketh what is right.

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; His footsteps shall not slip.

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

The wicked watcheth the righteous, And seeketh to slay him;

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

The Lord will not leave him in his hand, Nor suffer him to be condemned, when he is 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.

Trust in the LORD, and keep his way, And he will exalt thee to the possession of the land, Whilst thou shalt see the destruction of the wicked!

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

I have seen a wicked man in great power, And spreading himself like a green cedar;

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.

But he passed away, and, lo! he was no more; Yea, I sought him, but he was not found.

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

Mark the righteous man, and behold the upright, That posterity is to the man of peace!

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

But transgressors will all be destroyed; The posterity of the wicked shall be rooted out.

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

The salvation of the just is from the LORD. He is their strength 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.

The LORD will help and deliver them; He will deliver them from their enemies, and save them, Because they trust in him.