Psalm 37:title–20

A Psalm of David.

¹Fret not yourself because of the wicked,

be not envious of wrongdoers!

²For they will soon fade like the grass,

and wither like the green herb.

³Trust in the Lord, and do good;

so you will dwell 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 bring forth your vindication as the light,

and your right as the noonday.

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

fret not yourself over him who prospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

⁸Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

⁹For the wicked shall be cut off;

but those who wait for the Lord shall possess the land.

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

though you look well at his place, he will not be there.

¹¹But the meek shall possess the land,

and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

¹²The wicked plots against the righteous,

and gnashes his teeth at him;

¹³but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

for he sees that his day is coming.

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows,

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those who walk uprightly;

¹⁵their sword shall enter their own heart,

and their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶Better is a little that the righteous 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 for ever;

¹⁹they are not put to shame in evil times,

in the days of famine they have abundance.

²⁰But the wicked perish;

the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures,

they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.