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. Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

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

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as 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; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

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

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he will give thee the desires of thy heart.

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 also in him; and he will bring [it] to pass.

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

And he will bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon-day.

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.

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

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

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise 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 cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

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

For yet a little while, and the wicked [shall] not [be]: yes, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it [shall] not [be].

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

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

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

The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

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

The LORD will laugh 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 have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, [and] to slay such as are of upright deportment.

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

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

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

A little that a righteous man hath [is] better than the riches of many 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 upholdeth the righteous.

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

The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be 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 be satisfied.

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, and the enemies of the LORD [shall be] as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

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

The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth.

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

For [such as are] blessed by him shall inherit the earth; and [they that are] cursed by him shall be cut off.

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

The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

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

Though he should fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his 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 I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed 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 seed [is] blessed.

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

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

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 judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

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

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

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

The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

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; none of his steps shall slide.

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 condemn him 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.

Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he will exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see [it].

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

I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

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

Yet he passed away, and lo, he [was] not: yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.

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

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

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

But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

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

But the salvation of the righteous [is] of 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.

And the LORD will help them, and deliver them: he will deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.