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 thyself because of the evil-doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

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

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

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 feed [thyself] with truthfulness.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise 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 cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, these—shall truly 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

The Lord will laugh at him; for he seeth that his 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 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].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Lord regardeth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall endure 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 made ashamed in the time of unhappiness; and in the days of famine shall they 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 shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the beauty of the meadow: they pass away; in smoke they pass away.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth 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 have been young, and I am also grown old: yet have I never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking for bread.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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