Psalms 37

1 [A Psalm] of David. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, and be not envious of them that work unrighteousness;

A psalm of David. Don't be upset over wicked people, or be jealous of those who do wrong.

2 for they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and fade as the green herb.

For like grass, they will quickly dry up; like plants, they will soon wither away.

3 Confide in Jehovah, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on faithfulness;

Trust in the Lord, and do good. Live in the land and feed on faithfulness.

4 and delight thyself in Jehovah, and he will give thee the desires of thy heart.

Find your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you what you want the most.

5 Commit thy way unto Jehovah, and rely upon him: he will bring [it] to pass;

Entrust all that you do to the Lord. Place your confidence in him and he will help you.

6 and he will bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

He will make your vindication shine like a light, the rightness of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way, because of the man that bringeth mischievous devices to pass.

Be still in God's presence; wait patiently for him. Don't be upset over people who prosper when they carry out their evil schemes.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; fret not thyself: it [would be] only to do evil.

Give up your anger! Let go your rage! Don't get mad—it only results in evil!

9 For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait on Jehovah, they shall possess the land.

For the wicked will be destroyed, and those who trust in the Lord will take possession of the land.

10 For yet a little while, and the wicked is not; and thou considerest his place, but he is not.

In a little while the wicked will be no more—though you look for them you won't find them.

11 But the meek shall possess the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of prosperity.

The humble will own the land; they will live there happily, in peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plotteth against the righteous, and gnasheth his teeth against him.

The wicked plot evil against those who do good, gnashing their teeth at them.

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

But the Lord laughs at them, for he sees their coming day of judgment.

14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the afflicted and needy, to slay those that are upright in [the] way:

The wicked draw their swords, and bend their bows to destroy the poor and needy, to kill those who live right.

15 their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

But the swords of the wicked will slice through their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

16 The little that the righteous hath is better than the abundance of many wicked;

It's better to do right and only have a little, than to be wicked and rich.

17 for the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Jehovah upholdeth the righteous.

For the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports those who do right.

18 Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; and their inheritance shall be for ever:

The Lord knows what is happening to the innocent and grants them an eternal inheritance.

19 they shall not be ashamed in the time of evil, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

They will not be humiliated in bad times; even in days of famine they will have plenty to eat.

20 For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume, like smoke shall they consume away.

But the wicked will die. The enemies of the Lord are like the flowers of the field—they will vanish like smoke.

21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; but the righteous is gracious and giveth:

The wicked borrow, but don't repay; while those who do right give generously.

22 for those blessed of him shall possess the land, and they that are cursed of him shall be cut off.

Those who are blessed by God will own the land, but those he curses will die.

23 The steps of a man are established by Jehovah, and he delighteth in his way:

The Lord shows the right path to those who follow him, and is happy with the way they live.

24 though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for Jehovah upholdeth his hand.

Though they may trip up, they will not fall to the ground, for the Lord holds their hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old, and I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread:

Once I was young, and now I've grown old, yet I've never seen those who do right abandoned, nor their children having to beg for bread.

26 all the day he is gracious and lendeth, and his seed shall be a blessing.

They are always kind, and generous with their loans; their children are a blessing.

27 Depart from evil, and do good, and dwell for evermore;

Reject evil, do what is good, and you will live forever in the land.

28 for Jehovah loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints: They are preserved for ever; but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

For the Lord loves fairness and he will never abandon those who are trustworthy. He will protect them forever. But the children of the wicked will die.

29 The righteous shall possess the land, and dwell therein for ever.

Those who do right will own the land and will live there forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous proffereth wisdom, and his tongue speaketh judgment;

People who do right give good advice, explaining what is fair.

31 the law of his God is in his heart; his goings shall not slide.

God's law lives in their minds, so they will not slip from his way.

32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him:

The wicked lie in wait for those who do good, intending to kill them.

33 Jehovah will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

But the Lord will not let them fall into the hands of the wicked, and he will not let those who do good be condemned when they are put on trial.

34 Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, and he will exalt thee to possess the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see [it].

Trust in the Lord, and stay on his path. He will lift you up and give you the land to own. You will see when the wicked are destroyed.

35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading like a green tree in its native soil:

I have watched the wicked acting brutally, spreading like a large tree in its native land.

36 but he passed away, and behold, he was not; and I sought him, but he was not found.

But when I passed that way the next time, they were gone. I searched for them but couldn't find them.

37 Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, for the end of [that] man is peace;

Observe the innocent, look at those who do right! Those who love peace have a future!

38 but the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

But those who are rebellious will be altogether destroyed; the wicked have no future.

39 But the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

The Lord saves those who live right; he is their protection in times of trouble.

40 And Jehovah will help them and deliver them: he will deliver them from the wicked, and save them; for they trust in him.

The Lord helps them and rescues them from the wicked. He saves them because they go to him for protection.