Psalm 37:1–40

¹Do ^anot fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

²For they shall soon be cut down ^blike the grass,

And wither as the green herb.

³Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

^4cDelight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your ^dheart.

^5eCommit ¹your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

^6fHe shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday.

⁷Rest in the Lord, ^gand wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who ^hprospers in his way,

Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

⁸ⁱCease from anger, and forsake wrath;

^jDo not fret—it only causes harm.

⁹For evildoers shall be ²cut off;

But those who wait on the Lord,

They shall ^kinherit the earth.

¹⁰For ^lyet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;

Indeed, ^myou will look carefully for his place,

But it shall be no more.

¹¹ⁿBut the meek shall inherit the earth,

And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

¹²The wicked plots against the just,

^oAnd gnashes at him with his teeth.

^13pThe Lord laughs at him,

For He sees that ^qhis day is coming.

¹⁴The 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.

¹⁵Their sword shall enter their own heart,

And their bows shall be broken.

^16rA little that a righteous man has

Is better than the riches of many wicked.

¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,

But the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the upright,

And their inheritance shall be forever.

¹⁹They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,

And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

²⁰But the wicked shall perish;

And the enemies of the Lord,

Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.

Into smoke they shall vanish away.

²¹The wicked borrows and does not repay,

But ^sthe righteous shows mercy and gives.

^22tFor those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,

But those cursed by Him shall be ³cut off.

^23uThe steps of a good man are ⁴ordered by the Lord,

And He delights in his way.

^24vThough he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;

For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

²⁵I have been young, and now am old;

Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,

Nor his descendants begging bread.

^26wHe is ⁵ever merciful, and lends;

And his descendants are blessed.

²⁷Depart from evil, and do good;

And dwell forevermore.

²⁸For the Lord loves justice,

And does not forsake His saints;

They are preserved forever,

But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

^29xThe righteous shall inherit the land,

And dwell in it forever.

^30yThe mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,

And his tongue talks of justice.

³¹The law of his God is in his heart;

None of his steps shall ⁶slide.

³²The wicked ^zwatches the righteous,

And seeks to slay him.

³³The Lord ^awill not leave him in his hand,

Nor condemn him when he is judged.

^34bWait 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.

³⁵I have seen the wicked in great power,

And spreading himself like a native green tree.

³⁶Yet ⁷he passed away, and behold, he was no more;

Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

³⁷Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;

For the future of that man is peace.

^38cBut the transgressors shall be destroyed together;

The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

He is their strength ^din the time of trouble.

⁴⁰And ^ethe Lord shall help them and deliver them;

He shall deliver them from the wicked,

And save them,

^fBecause they trust in Him.