Psalms 37

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

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

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

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

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

Hope in the Lord, and do good; and dwell on the land, and thou shalt be fed with the wealth of it.

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

Delight [thyself] in the Lord; and he shall grant thee the requests of thine heart.

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sinners have drawn their swords, they have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy one, [and] to slay the upright in heart.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For the sinners shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord at the moment of their being honoured and exalted have utterly vanished like smoke.

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

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

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

For they that bless him shall inherit the earth; and they that curse him shall be utterly 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 rightly ordered by the Lord: and he will take pleasure in his way.

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

When he falls, he shall not be ruined: for the Lord supports 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 was [once] young, indeed I am now old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread.

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The sinner watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him.

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

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

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 on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are destroyed, thou shalt see [it].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.