Psalms 37

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

Of David. Be not kindled to wrath at the wicked, nor envious of those who work wrong;

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

for, like grass, they will speedily wither, and fade like the green of young grass.

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

Trust in the Lord, and do good; remain in the land, and deal faithfully:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 shamed in the evil time, in the 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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: none of his steps shall slip.

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

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

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

33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, and will not 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 will exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, shalt thou look on.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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