Psalms 37

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

Of David. Be not kindled to wrath at the wicked, nor envious of those who work 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 speedily wither, and fade like the green of young grass.

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; remain in the land, and deal faithfully:

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

then the Lord will be your delight, he will grant you your heart’s petitions.

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

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act,

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

making clear as the light your right, and your just cause clear as the noon-day.

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.

In silence and patience wait on the Lord. Be not kindled to anger at those who prosper. At those who execute evil devices.

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

Desist from anger, abandon wrath: be not kindled to anger it leads but to evil:

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

for evildoers will be cut off, but the land will be theirs, who wait on the Lord.

10 And yet a little while, and the sinner shall not be, and you shall seek for his place, and shall not find [it].

Yet but a little, and the wicked vanish: look at their place: they are there no more.

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

But the humble will have the land, and the rapture of peace in abundance.

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

The wicked plots against the righteous, snarls like a wild animal;

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

the Lord laughs, for he sees that his day is coming.

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 have drawn the sword, and bent the bow, to fell the poor, to slay those who walk uprightly;

15 Let their sword enter into their [own] heart, and their bows be broken.

but their sword will pierce their own heart, and their bows will be broken in pieces.

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

Better is the righteous person’s little than the wealth of many wicked.

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

For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18 The Lord knows the ways of the perfect; and their inheritance shall be for ever.

The Lord watches over the days of the blameless, their heritage will continue forever.

19 They shall not be ashamed in an evil time; and in days of famine they shall be satisfied.

They will not be shamed in the evil time, in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

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.

Because the wicked will perish: but the foes of the Lord, like a brand in the oven, will vanish, like smoke they will vanish.

21 The sinner borrows, and will not pay again: but the righteous has compassion, and gives.

The wicked must borrow and cannot pay back, but the righteous is lavish and gives.

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

For those blest by the Lord inherit the land, while those whom he curses will be cut off.

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

The Lord supports the steps of those with whom he is pleased.

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

Though they fall, they will not be cast headlong, for the Lord holds their hands.

25 I was [once] young, indeed I am now old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread.

Never, from youth to age, have I seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread.

26 He is merciful, and lends continually; and his seed shall be blessed.

They are ever lavishly lending, and their children are fountains of blessing.

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

Turn away from evil and do good and you will live in the land forever.

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 justice, he does not forsake his friends. The unrighteous will be destroyed forever, and the seed of the wicked will be cut off.

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

But the land will belong to the righteous, they will live upon it forever,

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

The mouth of the righteous murmurs wisdom, and words of justice are on their tongues.

31 The law of his God is in his heart; and his steps shall not slide.

The law of their God is in their heart, their steps are never unsteady.

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

The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to put them to death.

33 But the Lord will not leave him in his hands, nor by any means condemn him when he is judged.

But the Lord leaves them not in their hand: at their trial they will not be held guilty.

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].

Wait on the Lord, and observe his way: he will lift you to honor the land will be yours, you will feast your eyes on the doom of the wicked.

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

I have seen the wicked exultant, lifting themselves like a cedar of Lebanon.

36 Yet I passed by, and behold! he was not: and I sought him, but his place was not found.

But the moment I passed, they vanished! I sought for them, but they could not be found.

37 Maintain innocence, and behold uprightness: for there is a remnant to the peaceful man.

Preserve your honor and practise uprightness, for such a person fares well in the end.

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

But transgressors will perish together. Cut off are the wicked forever.

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

The righteous are saved by the Lord, who in time of distress is their refuge:

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 and rescue them, from the wicked he rescues and saves them, because they take refuge in him.