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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

22 for those blessed of him shall possess the land, and they that are cursed of him shall 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 man are established by Jehovah, and he delighteth in his way:

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

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

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, and I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking 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 gracious and lendeth, and his seed shall be a blessing.

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

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

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

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 loveth righteousness, And forsaketh not his servants; They are preserved for ever; But the posterity of the wicked shall be rooted out.

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

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

30 The mouth of the righteous proffereth wisdom, and his tongue speaketh 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; his goings shall not slide.

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

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

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

33 Jehovah will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn 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 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 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 wicked in great power, and spreading like a green tree in its native soil:

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

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

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

37 Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, for 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 the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

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

39 But the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah: 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 Jehovah will help them and deliver them: he will deliver them from the wicked, and save them; for they trust in him.

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