Psalms 37

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

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

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

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

3 Hope in the Lord, and do good; and dwell on the land, and you shall be fed with the wealth of it.

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

4 Delight [yourself] in the Lord; and he shall grant you the requests of your heart.

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

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

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

6 And he shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgement as the noon-day.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

28 For the Lord loves judgement, 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

32 The sinner watches the righteous, and seeks to kill him.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

40 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.

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