Psalm 37:1–20

¹Do not fret because of the wicked;

do not be envious of wrongdoers,^*

²for they will soon fade like the grass

and wither like the green herb.^*

³Trust in the Lord and do good;

live in the land and enjoy security.^*

⁴Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.^*

⁵Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.^*

⁶He will make your vindication shine like the light

and the justice of your cause like the noonday.^*

⁷Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;

do not fret over those who prosper in their way,

over those who carry out evil devices.^*

⁸Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.

Do not fret—it leads only to evil.^*

⁹For the wicked shall be cut off,

but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.^*

¹⁰Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.^*

¹¹But the meek shall inherit the land

and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.^*

¹²The wicked plot against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them,^*

¹³but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

for he sees that their day is coming.^*

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows

to bring down the poor and needy,

to kill those who walk uprightly;^*

¹⁵their sword shall enter their own heart,

and their bows shall be broken.^*

¹⁶Better is a little that the righteous person has

than the abundance 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 blameless,

and their heritage will abide forever;^*

¹⁹they are not put to shame in evil times;

in the days of famine they have abundance.^*

²⁰But the wicked perish,

and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;

they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.^*