Psalm 37:1–20

¹Don’t worry about the wicked

or envy those who do wrong.

²For like grass, they soon fade away.

Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

³Trust in the Lord and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

⁴Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you your heart’s desires.

⁵Commit everything you do to the Lord.

Trust him, and he will help you.

⁶He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,

and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

⁷Be still in the presence of the Lord,

and wait patiently for him to act.

Don’t worry about evil people who prosper

or fret about their wicked schemes.

⁸Stop being angry!

Turn from your rage!

Do not lose your temper—

it only leads to harm.

⁹For the wicked will be destroyed,

but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

¹⁰Soon the wicked will disappear.

Though you look for them, they will be gone.

¹¹The lowly will possess the land

and will live in peace and prosperity.

¹²The wicked plot against the godly;

they snarl at them in defiance.

¹³But the Lord just laughs,

for he sees their day of judgment coming.

¹⁴The wicked draw their swords

and string their bows

to kill the poor and the oppressed,

to slaughter those who do right.

¹⁵But their swords will stab their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶It is better to be godly and have little

than to be evil and rich.

¹⁷For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,

but the Lord takes care of the godly.

¹⁸Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,

and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.

¹⁹They will not be disgraced in hard times;

even in famine they will have more than enough.

²⁰But the wicked will die.

The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—

they will disappear like smoke.