Psalm 37

Psalm 37

INSTRUCTION IN WISDOM

Of David.

¹Do not be agitated by evildoers;

do not envy those who do wrong.^v

²For they wither quickly like grass

and wilt like tender green plants.^w

³Trust in the Lord and do what is good;^x

dwell in the land and live securely.^Ay

⁴Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you your heart’s desires.^z

⁵Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act,^aa

⁶making your righteousness shine like the dawn,

your justice like the noonday.^ab

⁷Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him;^ac

do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,

by the person who carries out evil plans.^ad

⁸Refrain from anger and give up your rage;

do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.^ae

⁹For evildoers will be destroyed,

but those who put their hope in the Lord

will inherit the land.^af

¹⁰A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;

though you look for him, he will not be there.^a

¹¹But the humble will inherit the land^b

and will enjoy abundant prosperity.^c

¹²The wicked person schemes against the righteous

and gnashes his teeth at him.^d

¹³The Lord laughs at him^e

because he sees that his day is coming.^f

¹⁴The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the^B bow

to bring down the poor and needy

and to slaughter those whose way is upright.^g

¹⁵Their swords will enter their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.^h

¹⁶The little that the righteous person has is better

than the abundance of many wicked people.ⁱ

¹⁷For the arms of the wicked will be broken,^j

but the Lord supports the righteous.^k

¹⁸The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,

and their inheritance will last forever.^l

¹⁹They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;

they will be satisfied in days of hunger.^m

²⁰But the wicked will perish;

the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,

will fade away—

they will fade away like smoke.ⁿ

²¹The wicked person borrows and does not repay,

but the righteous one is gracious and giving.^o

²²Those who are blessed by the Lord will inherit the land,

but those cursed by him will be destroyed.^p

²³A person’s steps are established by the Lord,

and he takes pleasure in his way.^q

²⁴Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,

because the Lord supports him with his hand.^r

²⁵I have been young and now I am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned

or his children begging for bread.^s

²⁶He is always generous, always lending,

and his children are a blessing.^t

²⁷Turn away from evil, do what is good,

and settle permanently.^u

²⁸For the Lord loves justice

and will not abandon his faithful ones.^v

They are kept safe forever,

but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.^w

²⁹The righteous will inherit the land

and dwell in it permanently.^x

³⁰The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;

his tongue speaks what is just.^y

³¹The instruction of his God is in his heart;

his steps do not falter.^z

³²The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous

and intends to kill him;^aa

³³the Lord will not leave him

in the power of the wicked one

or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.^ab

³⁴Wait for the Lord and keep his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land.

You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.^ac

³⁵I have seen a wicked, violent person

well-rooted,^A like a flourishing native tree.^ad

³⁶Then I^B passed by and noticed he was gone;

I searched for him, but he could not be found.^a

³⁷Watch the blameless and observe the upright,

for the person of peace will have a future.^b

³⁸But transgressors will all be eliminated;

the future of the wicked will be destroyed.^c

³⁹The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,

their refuge in a time of distress.^d

⁴⁰The Lord helps and delivers them;

he will deliver them from the wicked and will save them

because they take refuge in him.^e