Psalm 37

He Will Not Forsake His Saints

Of David.

1  Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2  For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.

3  Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.t
4  Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5  Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

7  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

8  Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9  For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

10  In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11  But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

12  The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
13  but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.

14  The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
15  their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.

16  Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17  For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18  The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
19  they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.

20  But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

21  The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
22  for those blessed by the Lordt shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

23  The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
24  though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.

25  I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26  He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.

27  Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
28  For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29  The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.

30  The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31  The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.

32  The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33  The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

34  Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

35  I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.t
36  But he passed away,t and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.

37  Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38  But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

39  The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40  The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

Psalms 37

Trust the Lord

1 Don't be annoyed by anyone
who does wrong,
and don't envy them.

2 They will soon disappear
like grass without rain.

3 Trust the Lord and live right!
The land will be yours,
and you will be safe.

4 Do what the Lord wants,
and he will give you
your heart's desire.

5 Let the Lord lead you
and trust him to help.

6 Then it will be as clear
as the noonday sun
that you were right.

7 Be patient and trust the Lord.
Don't let it bother you
when all goes well for those
who do sinful things.

8 Don't be angry or furious.
Anger can lead to sin.

9 All sinners will disappear,
but if you trust the Lord,
the land will be yours.

10 Sinners will soon disappear,
never to be found,

11 but the poor will take the landt
and enjoy a big harvest.

12 Merciless people make plots
against good people
and snarl like animals,

13 but the Lord laughs and knows
their time is coming soon.

14 The wicked kill with swords
and shoot arrows to murder
the poor and the needy
and all who do right.

15 But they will be killed
by their own swords,
and their arrows
will be broken.

16 It is better to live right
and be poor
than to be sinful and rich.

17 The wicked will lose all
of their power,
but the Lord gives strength
to everyone who is good.

18 Those who obey the Lord
are daily in his care,
and what he has given them
will be theirs for ever.

19 They won't be in trouble
when times are bad,
and they will have plenty
when food is scarce.

20 Wicked people are enemies
of the Lord
and will vanish like smoke
from a field on fire.

21 An evil person borrows
and never pays back;
a good person is generous
and never stops giving.

22 Everyone the Lord blesses
will receive the land;
everyone the Lord curses
will be destroyed.

23 If you do what the Lord wants,
he will make certain
each step you take is sure.

24 The Lord will hold your hand,
and if you stumble,
you still won't fall.

25 As long as I can remember,
good people have never
been left helpless,
and their children have never
gone begging for food.

26 They gladly give and lend,
and their children
turn out good.

27 If you stop sinning
and start doing right,
you will keep living
and be secure for ever.

28 The Lord loves justice,
and he won't ever desert
his faithful people.
He always protects them,
but destroys the children
of the wicked.

29 God's people will own the land
and live here for ever.

30 Words of wisdom come
when good people speak
for justice.

31 They remember God's teachings,
and they never take
a wrong step.

32 The wicked try to trap
and kill good people,

33 but the Lord is on their side,
and he will defend them
when they are on trial.

34 Trust the Lord and follow him.
He will give you the land,
and you will see
the wicked destroyed.

35 I have seen brutal people
abuse others and grow strong
like trees in rich soil.t

36 Suddenly they disappeared!
I looked, but they were gone
and no longer there.

37 Think of the bright future
waiting for all the families
of honest and innocent
and peace-loving people.

38 But not a trace will be left
of the wicked
or their families.

39 The Lord protects his people,
and they can come to him
in times of trouble.

40 The Lord helps them
and saves them from the wicked
because they run to him.