Psalms 37

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

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

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good. Live in the land and feed on faithfulness.

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

5 Entrust all that you do to the Lord. Place your confidence in him and he will help you.

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

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.

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

9 For the wicked will be destroyed, and those who trust in the Lord will take possession of the land.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

40 The Lord helps them and rescues them from the wicked. He saves them because they go to him for protection.