Psalms 37

1 [A Psalm] of David. Fret not yourself because of evil-doers, neither be envious of them that do iniquity.

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

2 For they shall soon be withered as the grass, and shall soon fall away as the green herbs.

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

3 Hope in the Lord, and do good; and dwell on the land, and you shall be fed with the wealth of it.

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

4 Delight [yourself] in the Lord; and he shall grant you the requests of your heart.

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

5 Disclose your way to the Lord, and hope in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.

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

6 And he shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noon-day.

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

7 Submit yourself to the Lord, and supplicate him: fret not yourself because of him that prospers in his way, at the man that does unlawful deeds.

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 ease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not yourself so as to do evil.

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

9 For evil-doers shall be destroyed: but they that wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the land.

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

10 And yet a little while, and the sinner shall not be, and you shall seek for his place, and shall 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 earth; and shall delight [themselves] in the abundance of peace.

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

12 The sinner will watch for the righteous, and gnash his teeth upon him.

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

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

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

14 Sinners have drawn their swords, they have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy one, [and] to kill the upright in 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] heart, and their bows be broken.

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

16 A little is better to the righteous than abundant wealth of sinners.

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

17 For the arms of sinners shall be broken; but the Lord supports the righteous.

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

18 The Lord knows the ways of the perfect; 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 ashamed in an evil time; and in days of famine they shall be satisfied.

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

20 For the sinners shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord at the moment of their being honored and exalted have utterly vanished 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 borrows, and will not pay again: but the righteous has compassion, and gives.

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

22 For they that bless him shall inherit the earth; and they that curse him shall be utterly destroyed.

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

23 The steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord: and he will take pleasure in his way.

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

24 When he falls, he shall not be ruined: for the Lord supports his hand.

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

25 I was [once] young, indeed I am now old; yet I have not seen the righteous 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 is merciful, and lends continually; and his seed shall be blessed.

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

27 Turn aside from evil, and do good; and dwell for ever.

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

28 For the Lord loves judgment, and will not forsake his saints; they shall be preserved for ever: the blameless shall be avenged, but the seed of the ungodly shall be utterly destroyed.

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 righteous shall inherit the earth, and dwell upon it for ever.

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

30 The mouth of the righteous will meditate wisdom, and his tongue will speak of 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 slide.

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

32 The sinner watches the righteous, and seeks to kill him.

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

33 But the Lord will not leave him in his hands, nor by any means condemn him when he is 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 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt you to inherit the land: when the wicked are destroyed, you shall see [it].

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 saw the ungodly very highly exalting himself, and lifting himself up like the cedars of Libanus.

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

36 Yet I passed by, and behold! he was not: and I sought him, but 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 Maintain innocence, and behold uprightness: for there is a remnant to the peaceful man.

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

38 But the transgressors shall be utterly destroyed together: the remnants of the ungodly shall be utterly destroyed.

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

39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; and he is their defender in the time of affliction.

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

40 And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: and he shall rescue them from sinners, 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.