Psalm 37:1–40

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.^*

²¹The wicked borrow and do not pay back,

but the righteous are generous and keep giving;^*

²²surely those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,

but those cursed by him shall be cut off.^*

²³Our steps^p are made firm by the Lord

when he delights in our^q way;^*

²⁴though we stumble, we^r shall not fall headlong,

for the Lord holds us^s by the hand.^*

²⁵I have been young and now am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.^*

²⁶They are ever giving liberally and lending,

and their children become a blessing.^*

²⁷Depart from evil, and do good;

so you shall abide forever.^*

²⁸For the Lord loves justice;

he will not forsake his faithful ones.

The righteous shall be kept safe forever,

but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.^*

²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land

and live in it forever.^*

³⁰The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,

and their tongues speak justice.^*

³¹The law of their God is in their hearts;

their steps do not slip.^*

³²The wicked watch for the righteous

and seek to kill them.^*

³³The Lord will not abandon them to their power

or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.^*

³⁴Wait for the Lord and keep to his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land;

you will look on the destruction of the wicked.^*

³⁵I have seen the wicked oppressing

and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.^t*

³⁶Again I^u passed by, and they were no more;

though I sought them, they could not be found.^*

³⁷Mark the blameless and behold the upright,

for there is posterity for the peaceable.^*

³⁸But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;

the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.^*

³⁹The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

he is their refuge in the time of trouble.^*

⁴⁰The Lord helps them and rescues them;

he rescues them from the wicked and saves them

because they take refuge in him.^*