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. Do not be irritated because of evildoers; do not be envious of those who act unrighteously.
2 For they will quickly be cut down like grass, and become dry like the green plants.
For they will soon dry up as the grass and wither as the green plants.
3 Have faith in the Lord, and do good; be at rest in the land, and go after righteousness.
Trust in Yahweh and do what is good; settle in the land and graze in faithfulness.
4 So will your delight be in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires.
Then delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Put your life in the hands of the Lord; have faith in him and he will do it.
Give your ways to Yahweh; trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.
6 And he will make your righteousness be seen like the light, and your cause like the shining of the sun.
He will display your justice like the daylight and your innocence like the day at noon.
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 still before Yahweh and wait patiently for him. Do not be angry if someone succeeds in what he does, or when he makes evil plots.
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.
Do not be angry and frustrated. Do not worry. This only makes trouble.
9 For the evil-doers will be cut off: but those who have faith in the Lord will have the earth for their heritage.
Evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for Yahweh will 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.
In a little while the evil man will disappear; you will look at his place, but he will be gone.
11 But the gentle will have the earth for their heritage; they will take their delight in peace without measure.
But the meek will inherit the land and will delight in great prosperity.
12 The sinner has evil designs against the upright, lifting up the voice of wrath against him.
The wicked man plots against the righteous and he grinds his teeth in rage against him.
13 He will be laughed at by the Lord, who sees that his day is coming.
The Lord laughs at him, for he sees 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 have drawn out their swords and have bent their bows to cast down the oppressed and needy, to kill those who are upright.
15 But their swords will be turned into their hearts, and their bows will be broken.
Their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16 The little which the good man has is better than the wealth of evil-doers.
Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked people.
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 people will be broken, but Yahweh supports the righteous people.
18 The days of the upright are numbered by the Lord, and their heritage will be for ever.
Yahweh watches over the blameless day by day, and their heritage will be forever.
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 will not be ashamed when times are bad. When famine comes, they will have enough to eat.
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 evil men will perish. Yahweh's enemies will be like the glory of the pastures; they will be consumed and disappear in the smoke.
21 The sinner takes money and does not give it back; but the upright man has mercy, and gives to others.
The wicked person borrows but does not repay, but the righteous person is generous and gives.
22 Those who have his blessing will have the earth for their heritage; but those who are cursed by him will be cut off.
Those who are blessed by God will inherit the land; those who are cursed by him will be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he takes delight in his way.
It is by Yahweh that a man's steps are established, the man whose way is commendable in God's sight.
24 Even if he has a fall he will not be without help: for the hand of the Lord is supporting him.
Though he stumbles, he will not fall down, for Yahweh is holding him with his 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 was young and now am old; I have never seen the righteous person abandoned or his children begging for bread.
26 All the day he is ready to have mercy and to give; his children are a blessing.
All the day long he is gracious and lends, and his children become a blessing.
27 Be turned from evil, and do good; and your place will be for ever.
Turn away from evil and do what is right; then you will be safe forever.
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 Yahweh loves justice and does not abandon his faithful followers. They are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
29 The upright will have the earth for their heritage, and will go on living there for ever.
The righteous will inherit the land and live there forever.
30 The mouth of the good man says words of wisdom; the talk of his tongue is of righteousness.
The mouth of the righteous person speaks wisdom and increases justice.
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 feet will not slip.
32 The sinners are watching the upright man, desiring to put him to death.
The wicked person watches the righteous person and seeks to kill him.
33 The Lord will not give him into their hands, or be against him when he is judged.
Yahweh will not abandon him into the evil person's hand or condemn him 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.
Wait for Yahweh and keep his way, and he will raise you up to possess the land. You will see when the wicked are cut off.
35 I have seen the evil-doer in great power, covering the earth like a great tree.
I have seen the wicked and terrifying person spread out like a green tree in its native soil.
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 when I passed by again, he was not there. I looked for him, but he could not be found.
37 Give attention to the good man, and take note of the upright; because the end of that man is peace.
Observe the man of integrity, and mark the upright; there is a good future for a man of peace.
38 But as for the sinners, they will be cut off together; the end of the wrongdoers is destruction.
Sinners will be totally destroyed; the future for the wicked man is cut off.
39 But the Lord is the saviour of the upright: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
Salvation of the righteous comes from Yahweh; he protects them in the times 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.
Yahweh helps them and rescues them. He rescues them from evil men and saves them because they have taken refuge in him.
