He Will Not Forsake His Saints

[a] Of David.

37 (A)Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
    be not (B)envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon (C)fade like (D)the grass
    and wither (E)like the green herb.

(F)Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    (G)dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.[b]
(H)Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will (I)give you the desires of your heart.

(J)Commit your way to the Lord;
    (K)trust in him, and he will act.
(L)He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as (M)the noonday.

(N)Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    (O)fret not yourself over the one who (P)prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

(Q)Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    (R)Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
(S)For the evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall (T)inherit the land.

10 In (U)just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
    though you look carefully at (V)his place, he will not be there.
11 But (W)the meek shall inherit the land
    and delight themselves in (X)abundant peace.

12 The wicked (Y)plots against the righteous
    and (Z)gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord (AA)laughs at the wicked,
    for he sees that his (AB)day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and (AC)bend their bows
    to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose (AD)way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
    and their (AE)bows shall be broken.

16 (AF)Better is the little that the righteous has
    than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For (AG)the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
    but the Lord (AH)upholds the righteous.

18 The Lord (AI)knows the days of the blameless,
    and their (AJ)heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
    in (AK)the days of famine they have abundance.

20 But the wicked will perish;
    the enemies of the Lord are like (AL)the glory of the pastures;
    they vanish—like (AM)smoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
    but the righteous (AN)is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the Lord[c] shall (AO)inherit the land,
    but those cursed by him (AP)shall be cut off.

23 The (AQ)steps of a man are (AR)established by the Lord,
    when he delights in his way;
24 (AS)though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
    for the Lord (AT)upholds his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old,
    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
    or his children (AU)begging for bread.
26 He is ever (AV)lending generously,
    and his children become a blessing.

27 (AW)Turn away from evil and do good;
    so shall you (AX)dwell forever.
28 For the Lord (AY)loves justice;
    he will not forsake his (AZ)saints.
They are preserved forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be (BA)cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
    and (BB)dwell upon it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
    and his tongue speaks justice.
31 (BC)The law of his God is in his heart;
    his (BD)steps do not slip.

32 The wicked (BE)watches for the righteous
    and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not (BF)abandon him to his power
    or let him (BG)be condemned when he is brought to trial.

34 (BH)Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
    and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
    you will look on (BI)when the wicked are cut off.

35 (BJ)I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
    spreading himself like (BK)a green laurel tree.[d]
36 But he passed away,[e] and behold, (BL)he was no more;
    though I sought him, he could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
    for there is a future for the man of (BM)peace.
38 But (BN)transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
    the future of the wicked (BO)shall be cut off.

39 (BP)The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in (BQ)the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and (BR)delivers them;
    (BS)he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they (BT)take refuge in him.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
  2. Psalm 37:3 Or and feed on faithfulness, or and find safe pasture
  3. Psalm 37:22 Hebrew by him
  4. Psalm 37:35 The identity of this tree is uncertain
  5. Psalm 37:36 Or But one passed by

Psalm 37[a]

A psalm of David.

Don’t worry about the wicked
    or envy those who do wrong.
For like grass, they soon fade away.
    Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

Trust in the Lord and do good.
    Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Commit everything you do to the Lord.
    Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
    and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

Be 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.

Stop being angry!
    Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
    it only leads to harm.
For the wicked will be destroyed,
    but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

10 Soon the wicked will disappear.
    Though you look for them, they will be gone.
11 The lowly will possess the land
    and will live in peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the godly;
    they snarl at them in defiance.
13 But the Lord just laughs,
    for he sees their day of judgment coming.

14 The wicked draw their swords
    and string their bows
to kill the poor and the oppressed,
    to slaughter those who do right.
15 But their swords will stab their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken.

16 It is better to be godly and have little
    than to be evil and rich.
17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
    but the Lord takes care of the godly.

18 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,
    and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
19 They will not be disgraced in hard times;
    even in famine they will have more than enough.

20 But the wicked will die.
    The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—
    they will disappear like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and never repay,
    but the godly are generous givers.
22 Those the Lord blesses will possess the land,
    but those he curses will die.

23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
    for the Lord holds them by the hand.

25 Once I was young, and now I am old.
    Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
    or their children begging for bread.
26 The godly always give generous loans to others,
    and their children are a blessing.

27 Turn from evil and do good,
    and you will live in the land forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice,
    and he will never abandon the godly.

He will keep them safe forever,
    but the children of the wicked will die.
29 The godly will possess the land
    and will live there forever.

30 The godly offer good counsel;
    they teach right from wrong.
31 They have made God’s law their own,
    so they will never slip from his path.

32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
    looking for an excuse to kill them.
33 But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed
    or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

34 Put your hope in the Lord.
    Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
    You will see the wicked destroyed.

35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people
    flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
36 But when I looked again, they were gone!
    Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

37 Look at those who are honest and good,
    for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
38 But the rebellious will be destroyed;
    they have no future.

39 The Lord rescues the godly;
    he is their fortress in times of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them,
    rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
    and they find shelter in him.

Footnotes

  1. 37 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each stanza begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.