Psalms 37
1 A psalm of David. Don't be upset over wicked people, or be jealous of those who do wrong.
“A psalm of David.” Be not thou angry on account of the wicked, Nor be envious of those who do iniquity.
2 For like grass, they will quickly dry up; like plants, they will soon wither away.
For soon shall they be cut down like grass, And wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good. Live in the land and feed on faithfulness.
Trust in the LORD, and do good; Abide in the land, and delight in faithfulness.
4 Find your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you what you want the most.
Place thy delight in the LORD. And he will give thee thy heart's desires.
5 Entrust all that you do to the Lord. Place your confidence in him and he will help you.
Commit thy way to the LORD; Trust in him, and he will give thee success!
6 He will make your vindication shine like a light, the rightness of your cause like the noonday sun.
He will cause thy justice to shine forth like the light, And thy righteousness like the noonday's brightness.
7 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.
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 Give up your anger! Let go your rage! Don't get mad—it only results in evil!
Cease from anger; give not way to wrath; Be not provoked, so as to do evil!
9 For the wicked will be destroyed, and those who trust in the Lord will take possession of the land.
For evil-doers shall be rooted out; But they who trust in the LORD, they shall inherit the land.
10 In a little while the wicked will be no more—though you look for them you won't find them.
Yet a little while, and the wicked shall be no more; Thou mayst look for his place, and he will not be found.
11 The humble will own the land; they will live there happily, in peace and prosperity.
But the meek shall inherit the land, And delight themselves in the fulness of prosperity.
12 The wicked plot evil against those who do good, gnashing their teeth at them.
The wicked man plotteth against the just, And gnasheth at him with his teeth.
13 But the Lord laughs at them, for he sees their coming day of judgment.
The Lord laugheth at him; For he seeth that his day is coming.
14 The wicked draw their swords, and bend their bows to destroy the poor and needy, to kill those who live right.
The wicked draw the sword, And bend their bow, To cast down the afflicted and the needy, And to slay the upright.
15 But the swords of the wicked will slice through their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
Their swords shall enter their own hearts, And their bows shall be broken in pieces.
16 It's better to do right and only have a little, than to be wicked and rich.
Better is the little of the righteous man Than the great abundance of the wicked;
17 For the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports those who do right.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD will uphold the righteous.
18 The Lord knows what is happening to the innocent and grants them an eternal inheritance.
The LORD careth for the life of the upright, And their inheritance shall endure for ever.
19 They will not be humiliated in bad times; even in days of famine they will have plenty to eat.
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall have enough.
20 But the wicked will die. The enemies of the Lord are like the flowers of the field—they will vanish like smoke.
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 borrow, but don't repay; while those who do right give generously.
The wicked borroweth, and repayeth not; But the righteous is merciful and bountiful.
22 Those who are blessed by God will own the land, but those he curses will die.
For they who are blessed by God shall inherit the land, And they who are cursed by him shall be rooted out.
23 The Lord shows the right path to those who follow him, and is happy with the way they live.
The steps of the good man are directed by the LORD; He delighteth himself in his way.
24 Though they may trip up, they will not fall to the ground, for the Lord holds their hand.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, For the LORD holdeth him by the hand.
25 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.
I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his offspring begging bread.
26 They are always kind, and generous with their loans; their children are a blessing.
He is ever merciful and lendeth, And his offspring shall be blessed.
27 Reject evil, do what is good, and you will live forever in the land.
Depart from evil, and do good; So thou shalt dwell in the land for ever.
28 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.
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 Those who do right will own the land and will live there forever.
The righteous shall inherit the land, And shall dwell therein for ever.
30 People who do right give good advice, explaining what is fair.
The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, And his tongue speaketh what is right.
31 God's law lives in their minds, so they will not slip from his way.
The law of his God is in his heart; His footsteps shall not slip.
32 The wicked lie in wait for those who do good, intending to kill them.
The wicked watcheth the righteous, And seeketh to slay him;
33 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.
The Lord will not leave him in his hand, Nor suffer him to be condemned, when he is judged.
34 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.
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 watched the wicked acting brutally, spreading like a large tree in its native land.
I have seen a wicked man in great power, And spreading himself like a green cedar;
36 But when I passed that way the next time, they were gone. I searched for them but couldn't find them.
But he passed away, and, lo! he was no more; Yea, I sought him, but he was not found.
37 Observe the innocent, look at those who do right! Those who love peace have a future!
Mark the righteous man, and behold the upright, That posterity is to the man of peace!
38 But those who are rebellious will be altogether destroyed; the wicked have no future.
But transgressors will all be destroyed; The posterity of the wicked shall be rooted out.
39 The Lord saves those who live right; he is their protection in times of trouble.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD. He is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and rescues them from the wicked. He saves them because they go to him for protection.
The LORD will help and deliver them; He will deliver them from their enemies, and save them, Because they trust in him.
