Psalms 37

Psalm 37

Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.

A Psalm of David.

1Do not fret because of evildoers,

Be not envious toward wrongdoers.

2For they will wither quickly like the grass

And fade like the green herb.

3Trust in the Lord and do good;

Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

4Delight yourself in the Lord;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

6He will bring forth your righteousness as the light

And your judgment as the noonday.

7Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

8Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

9For evildoers will be cut off,

But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

10Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;

And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.

11But the humble will inherit the land

And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

12The wicked plots against the righteous

And gnashes at him with his teeth.

13The Lord laughs at him,

For He sees his day is coming.

14The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow

To cast down the afflicted and the needy,

To slay those who are upright in conduct.

15Their sword will enter their own heart,

And their bows will be broken.

16Better is the little of the righteous

Than the abundance of many wicked.

17For the arms of the wicked will be broken,

But the Lord sustains the righteous.

18The Lord knows the days of the blameless,

And their inheritance will be forever.

19They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,

And in the days of famine they will have abundance.

20But the wicked will perish;

And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures,

They vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

21The wicked borrows and does not pay back,

But the righteous is gracious and gives.

22For those blessed by Him will inherit the land,

But those cursed by Him will be cut off.

23The steps of a man are established by the Lord,

And He delights in his way.

24When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,

Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.

25I have been young and now I am old,

Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

Or his descendants begging bread.

26All day long he is gracious and lends,

And his descendants are a blessing.

27Depart from evil and do good,

So you will abide forever.

28For the Lord loves justice

And does not forsake His godly ones;

They are preserved forever,

But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.

29The righteous will inherit the land

And dwell in it forever.

30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,

And his tongue speaks justice.

31The law of his God is in his heart;

His steps do not slip.

32The wicked spies upon the righteous

And seeks to kill him.

33The Lord will not leave him in his hand

Or let him be condemned when he is judged.

34Wait for the Lord and keep His way,

And He will exalt you to inherit the land;

When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

35I have seen a wicked, violent man

Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil.

36Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more;

I sought for him, but he could not be found.

37Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright;

For the man of peace will have a posterity.

38But transgressors will be altogether destroyed;

The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.

39But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

He is their strength in time of trouble.

40The Lord helps them and delivers them;

He delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

Because they take refuge in Him.