Psalms 37

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

Of David. Do not be angry because of the wrongdoers, or have envy of the workers of evil.

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

For they will quickly be cut down like grass, and become dry like the green plants.

3 Hope in the Lord, and do good; and dwell on the land, and you shall be fed with the wealth of it.

Have faith in the Lord, and do good; be at rest in the land, and go after righteousness.

4 Delight [yourself] in the Lord; and he shall grant you the requests of your heart.

So will your delight be in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires.

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

Put your life in the hands of the Lord; have faith in him and he will do it.

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

And he will make your righteousness be seen like the light, and your cause like the shining of the sun.

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

Take your rest in the Lord, waiting quietly for him; do not be angry because of the man who does well in his evil ways, and gives effect to his bad designs.

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

Put an end to your wrath and be no longer bitter; do not give way to angry feeling which is a cause of sin.

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

For the evil-doers will be cut off: but those who have faith in the Lord will have the earth for their heritage.

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

For in a short time the evil-doer will be gone: you will go searching for his place, and it will not be there.

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

But the gentle will have the earth for their heritage; they will take their delight in peace without measure.

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

The sinner has evil designs against the upright, lifting up the voice of wrath against him.

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

He will be laughed at by the Lord, who sees that his day is coming.

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

The evil-doers have taken out their swords, their bows are bent; for crushing the poor, and to put to death those who are upright in their ways.

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

But their swords will be turned into their hearts, and their bows will be broken.

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

The little which the good man has is better than the wealth of evil-doers.

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

For the arms of the evil-doers will be broken: but the Lord is the support of the good.

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

The days of the upright are numbered by the Lord, and their heritage will be for ever.

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

They will not be shamed in the evil time, and in the days when all are in need of food they will have enough.

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

But the wrongdoers will come to destruction, and the haters of the Lord will be like the fat of lambs, they will be burned up; they will go up in smoke, and never again be seen.

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

The sinner takes money and does not give it back; but the upright man has mercy, and gives to others.

22 For they that bless him shall inherit the earth; and they that curse him shall be utterly destroyed.

Those who have his blessing will have the earth for their heritage; but those who are cursed by him will be cut off.

23 The steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord: and he will take pleasure in his way.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he takes delight in his way.

24 When he falls, he shall not be ruined: for the Lord supports his hand.

Even if he has a fall he will not be without help: for the hand of the Lord is supporting him.

25 I was [once] young, indeed I am now old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread.

I have been young, and now am old, but I have not seen the good man without help, or his children looking for bread.

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

All the day he is ready to have mercy and to give; his children are a blessing.

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

Be turned from evil, and do good; and your place will be for ever.

28 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.

For the Lord is a lover of righteousness, and takes care of his saints; they will be kept safe for ever; but the seed of the evil-doers will be cut off.

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

The upright will have the earth for their heritage, and will go on living there for ever.

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

The mouth of the good man says words of wisdom; the talk of his tongue is of righteousness.

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

The law of his God is in his heart; he will never make a false step.

32 The sinner watches the righteous, and seeks to kill him.

The sinners are watching the upright man, desiring to put him to death.

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

The Lord will not give him into their hands, or be against him when he is judged.

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

Be waiting for the Lord, and keep his way; and you will be lifted up, and have the land for your heritage: when the evil-doers are cut off, you will see it.

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

I have seen the evil-doer in great power, covering the earth like a great tree.

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

But he came to an end, and there was no sign of him; I made a search for him and he was not there.

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

Give attention to the good man, and take note of the upright; because the end of that man is peace.

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

But as for the sinners, they will be cut off together; the end of the wrongdoers is destruction.

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

But the Lord is the saviour of the upright: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

40 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.

And the Lord will be their help, and keep them safe: he will take them out of the hands of the evil-doers, and be their saviour, because they had faith in him.