Psalm 37:1–40

¹Do ^anot be agitated by evildoers;

do not envy those who do wrong. ^b

²For they wither quickly like grass

and wilt like tender green plants. ^c

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

dwell in the land and live securely. ^ef

⁴Take delight in the Lord,

and He will give you your heart’s desires. ^g

⁵Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in Him, and He will act, ^h

⁶making your righteousness shine like the dawn,

your justice like the noonday. ⁱ

⁷Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him; ^j

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

by the man who carries out evil plans. ^k

⁸Refrain from anger and give up your rage;

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

⁹For evildoers will be destroyed,

but those who put their hope in the Lord

will inherit the land. ^mn

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

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

¹¹But the humble will inherit the land ^pq

and will enjoy abundant prosperity. ^r

¹²The wicked person schemes against the righteous

and gnashes his teeth at him. ^s

¹³The Lord laughs at him ^t

because He sees that his day is coming. ^u

¹⁴The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the ^vbow

to bring down the afflicted and needy

and to slaughter those whose way is upright. ^w

¹⁵Their swords will enter their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken. ^x

¹⁶The little that the righteous man has is better

than the abundance of many wicked people. ^y

¹⁷For the arms ^zof the wicked will be broken, ^a

but the Lord supports the righteous. ^b

¹⁸The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,

and their inheritance will last forever. ^c

¹⁹They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;

they will be satisfied in days of hunger. ^d

²⁰But the wicked will perish;

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

will fade away—

they will fade away like smoke. ^e

²¹The wicked man borrows and does not repay,

but the righteous one is gracious and giving. ^f

²²Those who are blessed by Him will inherit the land, ^g

but those cursed by Him will be destroyed. ^h

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

and He takes pleasure in his way. ⁱ

²⁴Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,

because the Lord holds his hand. ^jk

²⁵I have been young and now I am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned

or his children begging for bread. ^l

²⁶He is always generous, always lending,

and his children are a blessing. ^m

²⁷Turn away from evil and do what is good,

and dwell there ⁿforever. ^o

²⁸For the Lord loves justice

and will not abandon His faithful ones. ^p

They are kept safe forever,

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

²⁹The righteous will inherit the land ^r

and dwell in it permanently. ^s

³⁰The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;

his tongue speaks what is just. ^t

³¹The instruction of his God is in his heart;

his steps do not falter. ^u

³²The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous

and seeks to kill him; ^v

³³the Lord will not leave him

in the power of the wicked one

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

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. ^x

³⁵I have seen a wicked, violent man

well-rooted ^ylike a flourishing native tree. ^z

³⁶Then I passed by and ^anoticed he was gone;

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

³⁷Watch the blameless and observe the upright,

for the man of peace will have a future. ^cd

³⁸But transgressors will all be eliminated;

the future ^eof the wicked will be destroyed. ^f

³⁹The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,

their refuge in a time of distress. ^g

⁴⁰The Lord helps and delivers them;

He will deliver them from the wicked and will save them

because they take refuge in Him. ^h