Psalms 37

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

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

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

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

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. Live in the land and feed on faithfulness.

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

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

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

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 justice 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 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 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 leave rage; have no emulation to do evil.

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

9 For the evildoers shall be cut off: but they that wait upon the Lord shall inherit 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 shall not be: and thou shalt seek his place, and shalt not find it.

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 inherit the land, and shall delight in abundance of peace.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16 Better is a little to the just, than the great riches of the 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 in pieces; but the Lord strengtheneth the just.

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

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

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

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

21 The sinner shall borrow, and not pay again; but the just sheweth mercy and shall give.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 just 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 He sheweth mercy, and lendeth all the day long; and his seed shall be in blessing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

33 But the Lord will not leave in his hands; nor condemn him when he shall be 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 Expect the Lord and keep his way: and he will exalt thee to inherit the land: when the sinners shall perish thou shalt see.

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

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

36 And I passed by, and lo, he was not: and I sought him and his place 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 Keep innocence, and behold justice: for there are remnants for the peaceable man.

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

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

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

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

The Lord saves those who live right; he is their protection in times 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 them and rescues them from the wicked. He saves them because they go to him for protection.