Psalms 37
1 By David. Do not fret because of evil doers, Be not envious against doers of iniquity,
Do not be bothered/upset by what wicked [people do]. Do not desire to have the things that people who do wrong/evil have,
2 For as grass speedily they are cut off, And as the greenness of the tender grass do fade.
because they will soon disappear, like grass withers [in the hot sun] and dries up. Just like some green plants [come up but] die [during the hot summer], evil people will soon die also.
3 Trust in Jehovah, and do good, Dwell [in] the land, and enjoy faithfulness,
Trust in Yahweh, and do what is good; if you do that, you will live safely in the land [that he has given you], and you will live peacefully [MET].
4 And delight thyself on Jehovah, And He giveth to thee the petitions of thy heart.
Be delighted with all that Yahweh [does for you]; if you do that, he will give you the things that you desire most.
5 Roll on Jehovah thy way, And trust upon Him, and He worketh,
Commit to Yahweh all the things that you plan to do; trust in him, and he will do [whatever is needed to help you].
6 And hath brought out as light thy righteousness, And thy judgment as noon-day.
He will show [as clearly] as the sunlight that you (are innocent/have done nothing that is wrong); he will show [as clearly] as [the sun at] noontime [SIM] that all the things that you have decided are just.
7 Be silent for Jehovah, and stay thyself for Him, Do not fret because of him Who is making prosperous his way, Because of a man doing wicked devices.
Be quiet in Yahweh’s presence, and wait patiently for him [to do what you want him to do]. Do not be bothered/upset when what evil men do is successful, when they are able to do the wicked things that they plan.
8 Desist from anger, and forsake fury, Fret not thyself only to do evil.
Do not be angry [about what wicked people do]. Do not want to punish them yourself. Do not be envious of such people because you will only harm [yourself if you try to envy them].
9 For evil doers are cut off, As to those waiting on Jehovah, they possess the land.
[Some day Yahweh] will get rid of wicked people, but those who trust in Yahweh will live [safely] in the land [that he has given to them].
10 And yet a little, and the wicked is not, And thou hast considered his place, and it is not.
Soon the wicked will disappear. If you look for them, they will be gone.
11 And the humble do possess the land, And they have delighted themselves In the abundance of peace.
But those who are humble will live safely in their land. They will happily enjoy living peacefully and having the other good things [that Yahweh gives them].
12 The wicked is devising against the righteous, And gnashing against him his teeth.
Wicked people plan to harm righteous/godly people; they snarl at them [MET] [like wild animals].
13 The Lord doth laugh at him, For He hath seen that his day cometh.
But Yahweh laughs [at them] because he knows that some day [MTY] [he will judge and punish] the wicked people.
14 A sword have the wicked opened, And they have trodden their bow, To cause to fall the poor and needy, To slaughter the upright of the way.
Wicked people pull out their swords/daggers and they put strings on their bows, ready to kill people who are poor [DOU] and to slaughter those who live righteously.
15 Their sword doth enter into their own heart, And their bows are shivered.
But they will be killed by their own swords/daggers, and their bows will be broken.
16 Better [is] the little of the righteous, Than the store of many wicked.
It is good to be righteous/godly even if you do not have many possessions, but it is bad to be wicked, even if you are very wealthy,
17 For the arms of the wicked are shivered, And Jehovah is sustaining the righteous.
because [Yahweh] will completely take away the strength of wicked people, but he will (sustain/take care of) people who live righteously.
18 Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect, And their inheritance is — to the age.
Every day Yahweh cares about those who have not done any evil things; the things that Yahweh gives them will last forever.
19 They are not ashamed in a time of evil, And in days of famine they are satisfied.
They will survive when calamities occur; when there are famines, they will still have plenty to eat.
20 But the wicked perish, and the enemies of Jehovah, As the preciousness of lambs, Have been consumed, In smoke they have been consumed.
But wicked people will die; [just] like the beautiful wild flowers in the fields [die under the hot sun] and disappear like smoke [MET], Yahweh [will cause] his enemies to suddenly disappear.
21 The wicked is borrowing and repayeth not, And the righteous is gracious and giving.
The wicked people borrow [money], but they are not able to repay it; righteous/godly people, [in contrast, have enough money that] they can give generously [to others].
22 For His blessed ones do possess the land, And His reviled ones are cut off.
Those whom Yahweh has blessed will live safely in the land that he has given to them, but he will get rid of those people whom he has cursed.
23 From Jehovah [are] the steps of a man, They have been prepared, And his way he desireth.
Yahweh protects those who do what is pleasing to him, and he will enable them to walk confidently, wherever they go;
24 When he falleth, he is not cast down, For Jehovah is sustaining his hand.
even if they stumble, they will not fall down, because Yahweh holds them by his hand.
25 Young I have been, I have also become old, And I have not seen the righteous forsaken, And his seed seeking bread.
I was young [previously], and now I am an old man, but [in all those years], I have never seen righteous/godly people being abandoned by Yahweh, nor have I seen that their children [needed to] beg for food.
26 All the day he is gracious and lending, And his seed [is] for a blessing.
Righteous/Godly people are generous, and happily lend [money to others], and their children are a blessing to them.
27 Turn aside from evil, and do good, and dwell to the age.
Turn away from [doing] evil, and do what is good. If you do that, you [and your descendants] will live in your land forever.
28 For Jehovah is loving judgment, And He doth not forsake His saintly ones, To the age they have been kept, And the seed of the wicked is cut off.
[That will happen] because Yahweh likes to see people doing what is just, and he will never forsake righteous/godly people. He will protect them forever; but he will get rid of the children of wicked people.
29 The righteous possess the land, And they dwell for ever on it.
Righteous/Godly people will own the land [that Yahweh promised to give to them], and they will live there forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, And his tongue speaketh judgment.
Righteous people give wise [advice to others], and they [MTY] say what is just/fair.
31 The law of his God [is] his heart, His steps do not slide.
They continually think about God’s laws; they do not stray from [God’s] path.
32 The wicked is watching for the righteous, And is seeking to put him to death.
Those who are evil wait in ambush for righteous people in order to kill them [as they walk by].
33 Jehovah doth not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him in his being judged.
But Yahweh will not abandon righteous people, and allow (them to fall into their enemies’ hands/their enemies harm them). And he will not allow righteous people to be condemned when someone takes them to a judge [to be put on trial].
34 Look unto Jehovah, and keep His way, And He doth exalt thee to possess the land, In the wicked being cut off — thou seest!
Be patient and trust that Yahweh [will help you], and (walk on his paths/do what he wants you to do). [If you do that], he will honor you by giving you the land [that he promised], and when he gets rid of the wicked, you will see it happen.
35 I have seen the wicked terrible, And spreading as a green native plant,
I have seen that wicked people who (act like tyrants/terrify people) [sometimes] prosper, like trees that grow well in fertile soil,
36 And he passeth away, and lo, he is not, And I seek him, and he is not found!
when I looked [later], they were gone! I searched for them, but [Yahweh had caused] them to disappear.
37 Observe the perfect, and see the upright, For the latter end of each [is] peace.
Notice the people who have not done evil things, those who act righteously: their descendants will have peace in their inner beings.
38 And transgressors were destroyed together, The latter end of the wicked was cut off.
But Yahweh will get rid of the wicked; he will also get rid of their descendants (OR, as a result, they will not have any descendants).
39 And the salvation of the righteous [is] from Jehovah, Their strong place in a time of adversity.
Yahweh rescues righteous people; in times of trouble he protects them [MET].
40 And Jehovah doth help them and deliver them, He delivereth them from the wicked, And saveth them, Because they trusted in Him!
Yahweh helps them and saves them; he rescues them from [being attacked/harmed by] wicked people because they go to him to be protected [MET].
