Psalms 37

1 A psalm for David himself. Be not emulous of evildoers; nor envy them that work iniquity.

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

2 For they shall shortly wither away as grass, and as the green herbs shall quickly fall.

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

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land, and thou shalt be fed with its riches.

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

4 Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart.

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

5 Commit thy way to the Lord, and trust in him, and he will do it.

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

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

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

7 Be subject to the Lord and pray to him Envy not the man who prospereth in his way; the man who doth unjust things.

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 Cease from anger, and leave rage; have no emulation to do evil.

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

9 For the evildoers shall be cut off: but they that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the land.

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

10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: and thou shalt seek his place, and shalt 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 land, and shall delight in abundance of peace.

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

12 The sinner shall watch the just man: and shall gnash upon him with his teeth.

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

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

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

14 The wicked have drawn out the sword: they have bent their bow. To cast down the poor and needy, to kill the upright of 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 hearts, and let their bow be broken.

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

16 Better is a little to the just, than the great riches of the wicked.

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

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken in pieces; but the Lord strengtheneth the just.

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

18 The Lord knoweth the days of undefiled; 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 confounded in the evil time; and in the days of famine they shall be filled:

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

20 Because the wicked shall perish. And the enemies of the Lord, presently after they shall be honoured and exalted, shall come to nothing and vanish 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 shall borrow, and not pay again; but the just sheweth mercy and shall give.

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

22 For such as bless him shall inherit the land: but such as curse him shall perish.

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

23 With the Lord shall the steps of a man be directed, and he shall like well his way.

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

24 When he shall fall he shall not be bruised, for the Lord putteth his hand under him.

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

25 I have been young, and now am old; and I have not seen the just 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 sheweth mercy, and lendeth all the day long; and his seed shall be in blessing.

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

27 Decline from evil and do good, and dwell for ever and ever.

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

28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints: they shall be preserved for ever. The unjust shall be punished, and the seed of the wicked shall perish.

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 just shall inherit the land, and shall dwell therein for evermore.

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

30 The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom: and his tongue shall speak judgment.

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 be supplanted.

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

32 The wicked watcheth the just man, and seeketh to put him to death,

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

33 But the Lord will not leave in his hands; nor condemn him when he shall be judged.

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

34 Expect the Lord and keep his way: and he will exalt thee to inherit the land: when the sinners shall perish thou shalt see.

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 have seen the wicked highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Libanus.

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

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

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

37 Keep innocence, and behold justice: for there are remnants for the peaceable man.

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

38 But the unjust shall be destroyed together: the remnants of the wicked shall perish.

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

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

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

40 And the Lord will help them and deliver them: and he will rescue them from the wicked, 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.