Psalm 37

1 Do not fret because of evildoers,

The Heritage of the Righteous and the Calamity of the WickedA Psalm of David. Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret it only causes harm.9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.12 The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth.13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming.14 The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct.15 Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.16 A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches 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 upright, And their inheritance shall be forever.19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.20 But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives.22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.26  He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed.27 Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore.28 For the Lord loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice.31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.32 The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him.33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn 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 cut off, you shall see it. 35 I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree.36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace.38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off.39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.40 And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust 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  t but the poor will take the land
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 forever.

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 forever.

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 forever.

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, 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 his people
and saves them from the wicked
because they run to him.