Psalms 37

1 “A psalm of David.” Be not thou angry on account of the wicked, Nor be envious of those who do iniquity.

Of David. Do not fret over those who do evil; do not envy those who do wrong.

2 For soon shall they be cut down like grass, And wither like the green herb.

For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender plants.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Abide in the land, and delight in faithfulness.

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

4 Place thy delight in the LORD. And he will give thee thy heart's desires.

Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit thy way to the LORD; Trust in him, and he will give thee success!

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.

6 He will cause thy justice to shine forth like the light, And thy righteousness like the noonday's brightness.

He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun.

7 Hope thou patiently on the LORD, And in him place thy trust! Be not angry on account of the prosperous, —On account of him that deviseth deceit!

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.

8 Cease from anger; give not way to wrath; Be not provoked, so as to do evil!

Refrain from anger and abandon wrath; do not fret—it can only bring harm.

9 For evil-doers shall be rooted out; But they who trust in the LORD, they shall inherit the land.

For the evildoers will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10 Yet a little while, and the wicked shall be no more; Thou mayst look for his place, and he will not be found.

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

11 But the meek shall inherit the land, And delight themselves in the fulness of prosperity.

But the meek will inherit the land and delight in abundant prosperity.

12 The wicked man plotteth against the just, And gnasheth at him with his teeth.

The wicked scheme against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them,

13 The Lord laugheth at him; For he seeth that his day is coming.

but the Lord laughs, seeing that their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword, And bend their bow, To cast down the afflicted and the needy, And to slay the upright.

The wicked have drawn the sword and bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.

15 Their swords shall enter their own hearts, And their bows shall be broken in pieces.

But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

16 Better is the little of the righteous man Than the great abundance of the wicked;

Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many who are wicked.

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD will uphold the righteous.

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

18 The LORD careth for the life of the upright, And their inheritance shall endure for ever.

The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will last forever.

19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall have enough.

In the time of evil they will not be ashamed, and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

20 But the wicked shall perish; Yea, the enemies of the LORD shall be consumed, like the glory of the fields; They shall be consumed into smoke.

But the wicked and enemies of the LORD will perish like the glory of the fields. They will vanish; like smoke they will fade away.

21 The wicked borroweth, and repayeth not; But the righteous is merciful and bountiful.

The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are gracious and giving.

22 For they who are blessed by God shall inherit the land, And they who are cursed by him shall be rooted out.

Surely those He blesses will inherit the land, but the cursed will be destroyed.

23 The steps of the good man are directed by the LORD; He delighteth himself in his way.

The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.

24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, For the LORD holdeth him by the hand.

Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his offspring begging bread.

I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread.

26 He is ever merciful and lendeth, And his offspring shall be blessed.

They are ever generous and quick to lend, and their children are a blessing.

27 Depart from evil, and do good; So thou shalt dwell in the land for ever.

Turn away from evil and do good, so that you will abide forever.

28 For the LORD loveth righteousness, And forsaketh not his servants; They are preserved for ever; But the posterity of the wicked shall be rooted out.

For the LORD loves justice and will not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.

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

The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, And his tongue speaketh what is right.

The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.

31 The law of his God is in his heart; His footsteps shall not slip.

The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.

32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, And seeketh to slay him;

Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them,

33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, Nor suffer him to be condemned, when he is judged.

the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned under judgment.

34 Trust in the LORD, and keep his way, And he will exalt thee to the possession of the land, Whilst thou shalt see the destruction of the wicked!

Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will raise you up to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked man in great power, And spreading himself like a green cedar;

I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,

36 But he passed away, and, lo! he was no more; Yea, I sought him, but he was not found.

yet he passed away and was no more; though I searched, he could not be found.

37 Mark the righteous man, and behold the upright, That posterity is to the man of peace!

Consider the blameless and observe the upright, for posterity awaits the man of peace.

38 But transgressors will all be destroyed; The posterity of the wicked shall be rooted out.

But the transgressors will all be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.

39 The salvation of the just is from the LORD. He is their strength in the time of trouble.

The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40 The LORD will help and deliver them; He will deliver them from their enemies, and save them, Because they trust in him.

The LORD helps and delivers them; He rescues and saves them from the wicked, because they take refuge in Him.