Psalms 37

1 “Of David.” Do not fret thyself because of the evil-doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

A Psalm of David himself. Do not choose to imitate the malicious; neither should you envy those who work iniquity.

2 For like the grass they shall soon be mowed down, and like the green herb shall they wither.

For they will quickly wither away like dry grass, and in like manner to kitchen herbs, they will soon droop.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed [thyself] with truthfulness.

Hope in the Lord and do good, and dwell in the land, and so you shall be pastured with its riches.

4 And delight thyself in the Lord, and he will give thee the wishes of thy heart.

Delight in the Lord, and he will grant to you the petitions of your heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust in him: and he will accomplish it.

Reveal your way to the Lord, and hope in him, and he will accomplish it.

6 And he will bring forth as the light thy righteousness, and the justice of thy [cause] as the noonday.

And he will bring forth your justice like the light, and your judgment like the midday.

7 Be silent before the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who practices wicked devices.

Be subject to the Lord and pray to him. Do not choose to compete with him who prospers in his way, with the man who does injustice.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Cease from wrath and leave behind rage. Do not choose to imitate the malicious.

9 For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, these—shall truly inherit the land.

For those who are malicious will be exterminated. But those who remain with the Lord, these will inherit the land.

10 For yet but for a little while, and the wicked shall be no more: yea, thou wilt look carefully at his place, and he shall not be there.

Yet still a little while, and the sinner will not be. And you will search his place and find nothing.

11 But the meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves because of the abundance of peace.

But the meek shall inherit the earth, and they will delight in the multitude of peace.

12 The wicked purposeth evil against the just, and gnasheth against him with his teeth.

The sinner will observe the just, and he will gnash his teeth over him.

13 The Lord will laugh at him; for he seeth that his day is coming.

But the Lord will laugh at him: for he knows in advance that his day will come.

14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cause the poor and needy to fall, and to slaughter such as are of an upright course [of life].

The sinners have drawn the sword, they have bent their bow, so as to cast down the poor and the needy, so as to massacre the upright of heart.

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

Let their sword enter into their own hearts, and let their bow be broken.

16 Better is the little that the righteous hath, than the great riches of many wicked.

A little is better to the just than the many riches of sinners.

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the upholder of the righteous is the Lord.

For the arms of sinners will be crushed, but the Lord confirms the just.

18 The Lord regardeth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall endure for ever.

The Lord knows the days of the immaculate, and their inheritance will be in eternity.

19 They shall not be made ashamed in the time of unhappiness; and in the days of famine shall they be satisfied.

They will not be confounded in an evil time; and in days of famine, they will be satisfied:

20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the beauty of the meadow: they pass away; in smoke they pass away.

for sinners will perish. Truly, the adversaries of the Lord, soon after they have been honored and exalted, will fade away, in the same way that smoke fades away.

21 The wicked borroweth, and repayeth not; but the righteous is beneficent, and giveth.

The sinner will lend and not release, but the just one shows compassion and donates.

22 For those blessed of him shall inherit the land; and those cursed of him shall be cut off.

For those who bless him will inherit the earth, but those who curse him will perish.

23 By the Lord are the steps of the righteous man established; and he findeth pleasure in his course [of life].

The steps of a man will be directed by the Lord, and he will choose his way.

24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth his hand.

When he falls, he will not be harmed, because the Lord places his hand under him.

25 I have been young, and I am also grown old: yet have I never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking for bread.

I have been young, and now I am old; and I have not seen the just forsaken, nor his offspring seeking bread.

26 He is all the time beneficent, and lendeth: and his seed will be for a blessing.

He shows compassion and lends, all day long, and his offspring will be in blessing.

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

Turn away from evil and do good, and dwell forever and ever.

28 For the Lord loveth justice, and never forsaketh his pious servants: they are for ever preserved; but the seed of the wicked will be cut off.

For the Lord loves judgment, and he will not abandon his saints. They will be kept safe in eternity. The unjust will be punished, and the offspring of the impious will perish.

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

But the just will inherit the earth, and they will dwell upon it forever and ever.

30 The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, and his tongue speaketh what is just.

The mouth of the just one will express wisdom, and his tongue will speak judgment.

31 The law of his God is in his heart: none of his steps shall slip.

The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be supplanted.

32 The wicked looketh out for the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

The sinner considers the just one and seeks to put him to death.

33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, and will not condemn him when he is judged.

But the Lord will not abandon him into his hands, nor condemn him, when he will be judged.

34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he will exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, shalt thou look on.

Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way. And he will exalt you, so as to inherit the land that you may seize. When the sinners will have passed away, then you shall see.

35 I have seen the wicked terrible in power, and striking root like a green tree in its native soil.

I have seen the impious over-exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon.

36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was no more: and I sought him, but he could not be found.

And I passed by, and behold, he was not. And I sought him, and his place was not found.

37 Observe the perfect man, and behold the upright; for there is a [happy] future for the man of peace.

Keep to innocence, and gaze upon fairness: because there are allotments for the peaceful man.

38 But the transgressors are destroyed together: the future of the wicked is cut off.

But the unjust will be destroyed together: the allotments of the impious will pass away.

39 And the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord: he is their strong-hold in the time of distress.

But the salvation of the just is from the Lord, and he is their protector in time of tribulation.

40 And the Lord helpeth them, and delivereth them; he will deliver them from the wicked, and save them; because they have put their trust in him.

And the Lord will help them and free them. And he will rescue them from sinners and save them, because they have hoped in him.