Psalms 37

1 A Psalm of David himself. Do not choose to imitate the malicious; neither should you envy those who work iniquity.

“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 wither away like dry grass, and in like manner to kitchen herbs, they will soon droop.

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

3 Hope in the Lord and do good, and dwell in the land, and so you shall be pastured with its riches.

Trust in the LORD, and do good; Abide in the land, and delight in faithfulness.

4 Delight in the Lord, and he will grant to you the petitions of your heart.

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

5 Reveal your way to the Lord, and hope in him, and he will accomplish it.

Commit thy way to the LORD; Trust in him, and he will give thee success!

6 And he will bring forth your justice like the light, and your judgment like the midday.

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

7 Be subject to the Lord and pray to him. Do not choose to compete with him who prospers in his way, with the man who does injustice.

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 Cease from wrath and leave behind rage. Do not choose to imitate the malicious.

Cease from anger; give not way to wrath; Be not provoked, so as to do evil!

9 For those who are malicious will be exterminated. But those who remain with the Lord, these will inherit the land.

For evil-doers shall be rooted out; But they who trust in the LORD, they shall inherit the land.

10 Yet still a little while, and the sinner will not be. And you will search his place and find nothing.

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 meek shall inherit the earth, and they will delight in the multitude of peace.

But the meek shall inherit the land, And delight themselves in the fulness of prosperity.

12 The sinner will observe the just, and he will gnash his teeth over him.

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

13 But the Lord will laugh at him: for he knows in advance that his day will come.

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

14 The sinners have drawn the sword, they have bent their bow, so as to cast down the poor and the needy, so as to massacre the upright of heart.

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

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

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

16 A little is better to the just than the many riches of sinners.

Better is the little of the righteous man Than the great abundance of the wicked;

17 For the arms of sinners will be crushed, but the Lord confirms the just.

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD will uphold the righteous.

18 The Lord knows the days of the immaculate, and their inheritance will be in eternity.

The LORD careth for the life of the upright, And their inheritance shall endure for ever.

19 They will not be confounded in an evil time; and in days of famine, they will be satisfied:

They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall have enough.

20 for sinners will perish. Truly, the adversaries of the Lord, soon after they have been honored and exalted, will fade away, in the same way that smoke fades away.

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 will lend and not release, but the just one shows compassion and donates.

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

22 For those who bless him will inherit the earth, but those who curse him will perish.

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 man will be directed by the Lord, and he will choose his way.

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

24 When he falls, he will not be harmed, because the Lord places his hand under 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 I am old; and I have not seen the just forsaken, nor his offspring seeking bread.

I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his offspring begging bread.

26 He shows compassion and lends, all day long, and his offspring will be in blessing.

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

27 Turn away from evil and do good, and dwell forever and ever.

Depart from evil, and do good; So thou shalt dwell in the land for ever.

28 For the Lord loves judgment, and he will not abandon his saints. They will be kept safe in eternity. The unjust will be punished, and the offspring of the impious will perish.

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 But the just will inherit the earth, and they will dwell upon it forever and ever.

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

30 The mouth of the just one will express wisdom, and his tongue will speak judgment.

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

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

The law of his God is in his heart; His footsteps shall not slip.

32 The sinner considers the just one and seeks to put him to death.

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

33 But the Lord will not abandon him into his hands, nor condemn him, when he will be judged.

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

34 Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way. And he will exalt you, so as to inherit the land that you may seize. When the sinners will have passed away, then you shall see.

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 impious over-exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon.

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

36 And I passed by, and behold, he was not. And I sought him, and his place was not found.

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

37 Keep to innocence, and gaze upon fairness: because there are allotments for the peaceful man.

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

38 But the unjust will be destroyed together: the allotments of the impious will pass away.

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

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

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

40 And the Lord will help them and free them. And he will rescue them from sinners and save them, because they have hoped in him.

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