Psalm 37
Psalm 37a
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be enviousv of those who do wrong;w
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,x
like green plants they will soon die away.y
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the landz and enjoy safe pasture.a
4 Take delightb in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.c
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in himd and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous rewarde shine like the dawn,f
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be stillg before the Lord
and wait patientlyh for him;
do not freti when people succeed in their ways,j
when they carry out their wicked schemes.k
8 Refrain from angerl and turn from wrath;
do not fretm—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,n
but those who hopeo in the Lord will inherit the land.p
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;q
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the landr
and enjoy peace and prosperity.s
12 The wicked plott against the righteous
and gnash their teethu at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.v
14 The wicked draw the swordw
and bend the bowx
to bring down the poor and needy,y
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,z
and their bows will be broken.a
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealthb of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,c
but the Lord upholdsd the righteous.
18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,e
and their inheritance will endure forever.f
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish:g
Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.h
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;i
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
but those he cursesj will be destroyed.k
23 The Lord makes firm the stepsl
of the one who delightsm in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,n
for the Lord upholdso him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsakenp
or their children beggingq bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;r
their children will be a blessing.b s
27 Turn from evil and do good;t
then you will dwell in the land forever.u
28 For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.v
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyedc;
the offspring of the wicked will perish.w
29 The righteous will inherit the landx
and dwell in it forever.y
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,z
and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;a
their feet do not slip.b
32 The wicked lie in waitc for the righteous,d
intent on putting them to death;
33 but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemnede when brought to trial.f
34 Hope in the Lordg
and keep his way.h
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed,i you will seej it.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishingk like a luxuriant native tree,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.l
Psalm 34–37
Of David. When he pretended to be insanes before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;t
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will gloryu in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.v
3 Glorify the Lordw with me;
let us exaltx his name together.
4 I sought the Lord,y and he answered me;
he deliveredz me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;a
their faces are never covered with shame.b
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.c
7 The angel of the Lordd encamps around those who fear him,
and he deliverse them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;f
blessed is the one who takes refugeg in him.
9 Fear the Lord,h you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.i
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.j
11 Come, my children, listenk to me;
I will teach youl the fear of the Lord.m
12 Whoever of you loves lifen
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongueo from evil
and your lips from telling lies.p
14 Turn from evil and do good;q
seek peacer and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lords are on the righteous,t
and his ears are attentiveu to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is againstv those who do evil,w
to blot out their namex from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hearsy them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is closez to the brokenhearteda
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,b
but the Lord delivers him from them all;c
not one of them will be broken.d
21 Evil will slay the wicked;e
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescuef his servants;
no one who takes refugeg in him will be condemned.
1 Contend,h Lord, with those who contend with me;
fighti against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shieldj and armor;
3 Brandish spearm and javelina n
against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
“I am your salvation.o”
4 May those who seek my lifep
be disgracedq and put to shame;r
may those who plot my ruin
be turned backs in dismay.
5 May they be like chafft before the wind,
with the angel of the Lordu driving them away;
6 may their path be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 Since they hid their netv for me without causew
and without cause dug a pitx for me,
8 may ruin overtake them by surprise—y
may the net they hid entangle them,
may they fall into the pit,z to their ruin.
9 Then my soul will rejoicea in the Lord
and delight in his salvation.b
10 My whole being will exclaim,
“Who is like you,c Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strongd for them,
the poor and needye from those who rob them.”
11 Ruthless witnessesf come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for goodg
and leave me like one bereaved.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackclothh
and humbled myself with fasting.i
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14 I went about mourningj
as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
as though weeping for my mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;k
assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
They …
Psalm 34
Of David. When he pretended to be insanes before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;t
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will gloryu in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.v
3 Glorify the Lordw with me;
let us exaltx his name together.
4 I sought the Lord,y and he answered me;
he deliveredz me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;a
their faces are never covered with shame.b
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.c
7 The angel of the Lordd encamps around those who fear him,
and he deliverse them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;f
blessed is the one who takes refugeg in him.
9 Fear the Lord,h you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.i
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.j
11 Come, my children, listenk to me;
I will teach youl the fear of the Lord.m
12 Whoever of you loves lifen
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongueo from evil
and your lips from telling lies.p
14 Turn from evil and do good;q
seek peacer and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lords are on the righteous,t
and his ears are attentiveu to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is againstv those who do evil,w
to blot out their namex from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hearsy them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is closez to the brokenhearteda
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,b
but the Lord delivers him from them all;c
not one of them will be broken.d
21 Evil will slay the wicked;e
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescuef his servants;
no one who takes refugeg in him will be condemned.