Psalm 37
Security
of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.
1
Do
not fret because of evildoers,
Be
not envious toward wrongdoers.
2
For
they will wither quickly like the grass
And
fade like the green herb.
3
Trust
in the Lord and do good;
Dwell
in the land and [a]cultivate faithfulness.
4
Delight
yourself in the Lord;
And
He will give you the desires of your heart.
5
Commit
your way to the Lord,
Trust
also in Him, and He will do it.
6
He
will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And
your judgment as the noonday.
7
Rest
in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do
not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because
of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8
Cease
from anger and forsake wrath;
Do
not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9
For
evildoers will be cut off,
But
those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
10
Yet
a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And
you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11
But
the humble will inherit the land
And
will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
12
The
wicked plots against the righteous
And
gnashes at him with his teeth.
13
The
Lord laughs at him,
For
He sees his day is coming.
14
The
wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To
cast down the afflicted and the needy,
To
slay those who are upright in conduct.
15
Their
sword will enter their own heart,
And
their bows will be broken.
16
Better
is the little of the righteous
Than
the abundance of many wicked.
17
For
the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But
the Lord sustains the righteous.
18
The
Lord knows the days of the [d]blameless,
And
their inheritance will be forever.
19
They
will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And
in the days of famine they will have abundance.
20
But
the wicked will perish;
And
the enemies of the Lord will be like the [e]glory of the pastures,
They
vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21
The
wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But
the righteous is gracious and gives.
22
For
those blessed by Him will inherit the land,
But
those cursed by Him will be cut off.
23
The
steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And
He delights in his way.
24
When
he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because
the Lord is the One [f]who holds his hand.
25
I
have been young and now I am old,
Yet
I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or
his [g]descendants begging bread.
26
All
day long he is gracious and lends,
And
his [h]descendants are a blessing.
27
Depart
from evil and do good,
[i]So
you will abide forever.
28
For
the Lord loves [j]justice
And
does not forsake His godly ones;
They
are preserved forever,
But
the [k]descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
29
The
righteous will inherit the land
And
dwell in it forever.
30
The mouth
of the righteous utters wisdom,
And
his tongue speaks justice.
31
The
law of his God is in his heart;
His
steps do not slip.
32
The
wicked spies upon the righteous
And
seeks to kill him.
33
The
Lord will not leave him in his hand
Or
let him be condemned when he is judged.
34
Wait
for the Lord and keep His way,
And
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When
the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35
I
have seen a wicked, violent man
Spreading
himself like a luxuriant [l]tree in its native soil.
36
Then
[m]he passed away, and lo, he was no more;
I
sought for him, but he could not be found.
37
Mark
the [n]blameless man, and behold the upright;
For
the man of peace will have a [o]posterity.
38
But
transgressors will be altogether destroyed;
The
[p]posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
39
But
the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He
is their strength in time of trouble.
40
The
Lord helps them and delivers them;
He
delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
Because
they take refuge in Him.