Psalm 37
New King James Version
The Heritage of the Righteous and the Calamity of the Wicked
A Psalm of David.
37 Do(A) not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down (B)like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 (C)Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your (D)heart.
5 (E)Commit[a] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 (F)He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, (G)and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who (H)prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 (I)Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
(J)Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be [b]cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall (K)inherit the earth.
10 For (L)yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, (M)you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11 (N)But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
(O)And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 (P)The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that (Q)his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15 Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
16 (R)A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But (S)the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22 (T)For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be [c]cut off.
23 (U)The steps of a good man are [d]ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24 (V)Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 (W)He is [e]ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28 For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 (X)The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.
30 (Y)The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall [f]slide.
32 The wicked (Z)watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33 The Lord (AA)will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 (AB)Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36 Yet [g]he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
38 (AC)But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength (AD)in the time of trouble.
40 And (AE)the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
(AF)Because they trust in Him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:5 Lit. Roll off onto
- Psalm 37:9 destroyed
- Psalm 37:22 destroyed
- Psalm 37:23 established
- Psalm 37:26 Lit. all the day
- Psalm 37:31 slip
- Psalm 37:36 So with MT, LXX, Tg.; Syr., Vg. I passed by
Psalm 37
Amplified Bible
Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.
A Psalm of David.
37 [a]Do not worry because of evildoers,
Nor be envious toward wrongdoers;
2
For they will wither quickly like the grass,
And fade like the green herb.
3
Trust [rely on and have confidence] in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and feed [securely] on His faithfulness.
4
Delight yourself in the Lord,
And He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.
5
Commit your way to the Lord;
Trust in Him also and He will do it.
6
He will make your righteousness [your pursuit of right standing with God] like the light,
And your judgment like [the shining of] the noonday [sun].
7
Be still before the Lord; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him;
Do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8
Cease from anger and abandon wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evil.
9
For those who do evil will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.(A)
10
For yet a little while and the wicked one will be gone [forever];
Though you look carefully where he used to be, he will not be [found].(B)
11
But the humble will [at last] inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity and peace.(C)
12
The wicked plots against the righteous
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13
The Lord laughs at him [the wicked one—the one who oppresses the righteous],
For He sees that his day [of defeat] is coming.
14
The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To cast down the afflicted and the needy,
To slaughter those who are upright in conduct [those with personal integrity and godly character].
15
The sword [of the ungodly] will enter their own heart,
And their bow will be broken.
16
Better is the little of the righteous [who seek the will of God]
Than the abundance (riches) of many wicked (godless).(D)
17
For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the Lord upholds and sustains the righteous [who seek Him].
18
The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
And their inheritance will continue forever.
19
They will not be [b]ashamed in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will have plenty and be satisfied.
20
But the wicked (ungodly) will perish,
And the enemies of the Lord will be like the [c]glory of the pastures and like the fat of lambs [that is consumed in smoke],
They vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21
The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous is gracious and kind and gives.
22
For those blessed by God will [at last] inherit the land,
But those cursed by Him will be cut off.(E)
23
The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord,
And He delights in his way [and blesses his path].
24
When he falls, he will not be hurled down,
Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.
25
I have been young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous (those in right standing with God) abandoned
Or his descendants pleading for bread.
26
All day long he is gracious and lends,
And his descendants are a blessing.
27
Depart from evil and do good;
And you will dwell [securely in the land] forever.
28
For the Lord delights in justice
And does not abandon His saints (faithful ones);
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked will [in time] be cut off.
29
The righteous will inherit the land
And live in it forever.
30
The mouth of the righteous proclaims wisdom,
And his tongue speaks justice and truth.
31
The law of his God is in his heart;
Not one of his steps will slip.
32
The wicked lies in wait for 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 and expect the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
[In the end] when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35
I have seen a wicked, violent man [with great power]
Spreading and flaunting himself like a cedar in its native soil,
36
Yet he passed away, and lo, he was no more;
I sought him, but he could not be found.
37
Mark the blameless man [who is spiritually complete], and behold the upright [who walks in moral integrity];
There is a [good] future for the man of peace [because a life of honor blesses one’s descendants].
38
As for transgressors, they will be completely destroyed;
The future of the wicked will be cut off.
39
But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their refuge and stronghold in the time of trouble.
40
The Lord helps them and rescues them;
He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they take refuge in Him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:1 One of the longer psalms, Ps 37 also has the distinction of having every other verse (sometimes succeeding verses) begin with a letter of the Hebrew in alphabetical order. This technique served as a memory aid.
- Psalm 37:19 I.e. have their expectations in Your goodness be disappointed.
- Psalm 37:20 I.e. flowers.
Psalm 37
Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 37
A Psalm of David.
1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers,
neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord;
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord;
trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light,
and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way,
because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:
fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off:
but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be:
yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth;
and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plotteth against the just,
and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him:
for he seeth that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,
to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken:
but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.
18 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright:
and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time:
and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish,
and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs:
they shall consume;
into smoke shall they consume away.
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again:
but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth;
and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord:
and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:
for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old;
yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth;
and his seed is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
and dwell for evermore.
28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints;
they are preserved for ever:
but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
and dwell therein for ever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom,
and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
none of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous,
and seeketh to slay him.
33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand,
nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way,
and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land:
when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not:
yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright:
for the end of that man is peace.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together:
the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord:
he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them:
he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them,
because they trust in him.
Psalm 37
1599 Geneva Bible
37 1 This Psalm containeth exhortation and consolation for the weak, that are grieved at the prosperity of the wicked, and the affliction of the godly. 7 For how prosperously soever the wicked do live for the time, he doth affirm their felicity to be vain and transitory, because they are not in the favor of God, but in the end they are destroyed as his enemies. 11 And how miserably that the righteous seemeth to live in the world, yet his end is peace, and he is in the favor of God, he is delivered from the wicked, and preserved.
A Psalm of David.
1 Fret not [a]thyself because of the wicked men, neither be envious for the evildoers.
2 For they shall soon be [b]cut down like grass, and shall wither as the green herb.
3 [c]Trust thou in the Lord and do good: dwell in the land, and thou shalt be fed assuredly:
4 And delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee thine heart’s desire.
5 [d]Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust in him, and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy [e]judgment as the noon day.
7 Wait patiently upon the Lord, and hope in him: fret not thyself for him [f]which prospereth in his way, nor for the man that bringeth his enterprises to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and leave off wrath: fret not thyself [g]also to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off, and they that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the land.
10 [h]Therefore yet a little while and the wicked shall not appear, and thou shalt look after his place, and he shall not be found.
11 But (A)meek men shall possess the earth, and shall have their delight in the multitude of peace.
12 [i]The wicked practiceth against the just, and gnasheth his teeth against him.
13 But the Lord shall laugh him to scorn: for he seeth that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn their sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15 But their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
16 [j]A small thing unto the just man is better than great riches to the wicked and mighty.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the just men.
18 The Lord [k]knoweth the days of upright men, and their inheritance shall be perpetual.
19 They shall not be confounded in the perilous time, and in the days of famine they shall have [l]enough.
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be consumed as the [m]fat of lambs: even with the smoke shall they consume away.
21 The wicked borroweth and payeth not again: but the righteous is merciful and [n]giveth.
22 For such as be blessed of God shall inherit the land, and they that be cursed of him, shall be cut off.
23 [o]The paths of man are directed by the Lord: for he loveth his way.
24 Though he [p]fall, he shall not be cast off, for the Lord putteth under his hand.
25 I have been young, and am old: yet I saw never the righteous forsaken, nor his [q]seed begging bread.
26 But he is ever merciful and lendeth, and his seed enjoyeth the blessing.
27 Flee from evil and do good, and dwell forever.
28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his Saints: they shall be preserved forevermore: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous men shall inherit the land, and dwell therein [r]forever.
30 The [s]mouth of the righteous will speak of wisdom, and his tongue will talk of judgment.
31 For the Law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not slide.
32 The wicked watched the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33 But the Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him, when he is [t]judged.
34 Wait thou on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee, that thou shalt inherit the land: when the wicked men shall perish, thou shalt see.
35 I have seen the wicked strong, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36 Yet he [u]passed away, and lo, he was gone, and I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 [v]Mark the upright man, and behold the just: for the end of that man is peace.
38 But their transgressors shall be destroyed together, and the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the [w]salvation of the righteous men shall be of the Lord: he shall be their strength in the time of trouble.
40 For the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and shall save them, because they trust in him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:1 He admonisheth us neither to vex ourselves for the prosperous estate of the wicked, neither to desire to be like them to make our state the better.
- Psalm 37:2 For God’s judgment cutteth down their state in a moment.
- Psalm 37:3 To trust in God, and do according to his will, are sure tokens that his providence will never fail us.
- Psalm 37:5 Be not led by thine own wisdom, but obey God, and he will finish his work in thee.
- Psalm 37:6 As the hope of the daylight causeth us not to be offended with the darkness of the night: so ought we patiently to trust that God will clear our cause and restore us to our right.
- Psalm 37:7 When God suffereth the wicked to prosper, it seemeth to the flesh that he favoreth their doings, Job 21:7 etc.
- Psalm 37:8 Meaning, except he moderate his affections, he shall be led to do as they do.
- Psalm 37:10 He correcteth the impatience of our nature, which cannot abide till the fullness of God’s time be come.
- Psalm 37:12 The godly are assured that the power and craft of the wicked shall not prevail against them, but fall on their own necks, and therefore ought patiently to abide God’s time, and in the meanwhile bewail their sins, and offer up their tears, is a sacrifice of their obedience.
- Psalm 37:16 For they are daily fed as with Manna from heaven, and have sufficient, when the wicked have never enough, but ever hunger.
- Psalm 37:18 God knoweth what dangers hang over his, and by what means to deliver them.
- Psalm 37:19 For God will give them contented minds: and that which shall be necessary.
- Psalm 37:20 They shall vanish away suddenly, for they are fed for the day of slaughter.
- Psalm 37:21 God so furnisheth him with his blessings, that he is able to help others.
- Psalm 37:23 God prospereth the faithful, because they walk in his ways with an upright conscience.
- Psalm 37:24 When God doth exercise his faith with divers tentations.
- Psalm 37:25 Though the just man die, yet God’s blessings are extended to his posterity, and though God suffer some just man to lack temporal benefits, yet he recompenseth him with spiritual treasures.
- Psalm 37:29 They shall continually be preserved under God’s wings, and have at least inward rest.
- Psalm 37:30 These three points are required of the faithful, that their talk be godly, that God’s law be in their heart, and that their life be upright.
- Psalm 37:33 For though it be sometime so expedient both for God’s glory and their salvation, yet he will approve their cause, and revenge their wrong.
- Psalm 37:36 So that the prosperity of the wicked is but as a cloud, which vanisheth away in a moment.
- Psalm 37:37 He exhorteth the faithful to mark diligently the examples both of God’s mercies, and also of his judgments.
- Psalm 37:39 He showeth that the patient hope of the godly is never in vain, but in the end hath good success, though for a time God prove them by sundry tentations.
Psalm 37
Young's Literal Translation
37 By David. Do not fret because of evil doers, Be not envious against doers of iniquity,
2 For as grass speedily they are cut off, And as the greenness of the tender grass do fade.
3 Trust in Jehovah, and do good, Dwell [in] the land, and enjoy faithfulness,
4 And delight thyself on Jehovah, And He giveth to thee the petitions of thy heart.
5 Roll on Jehovah thy way, And trust upon Him, and He worketh,
6 And hath brought out as light thy righteousness, And thy judgment as noon-day.
7 Be silent for Jehovah, and stay thyself for Him, Do not fret because of him Who is making prosperous his way, Because of a man doing wicked devices.
8 Desist from anger, and forsake fury, Fret not thyself only to do evil.
9 For evil doers are cut off, As to those waiting on Jehovah, they possess the land.
10 And yet a little, and the wicked is not, And thou hast considered his place, and it is not.
11 And the humble do possess the land, And they have delighted themselves In the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked is devising against the righteous, And gnashing against him his teeth.
13 The Lord doth laugh at him, For He hath seen that his day cometh.
14 A sword have the wicked opened, And they have trodden their bow, To cause to fall the poor and needy, To slaughter the upright of the way.
15 Their sword doth enter into their own heart, And their bows are shivered.
16 Better [is] the little of the righteous, Than the store of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked are shivered, And Jehovah is sustaining the righteous.
18 Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect, And their inheritance is -- to the age.
19 They are not ashamed in a time of evil, And in days of famine they are satisfied.
20 But the wicked perish, and the enemies of Jehovah, As the preciousness of lambs, Have been consumed, In smoke they have been consumed.
21 The wicked is borrowing and repayeth not, And the righteous is gracious and giving.
22 For His blessed ones do possess the land, And His reviled ones are cut off.
23 From Jehovah [are] the steps of a man, They have been prepared, And his way he desireth.
24 When he falleth, he is not cast down, For Jehovah is sustaining his hand.
25 Young I have been, I have also become old, And I have not seen the righteous forsaken, And his seed seeking bread.
26 All the day he is gracious and lending, And his seed [is] for a blessing.
27 Turn aside from evil, and do good, and dwell to the age.
28 For Jehovah is loving judgment, And He doth not forsake His saintly ones, To the age they have been kept, And the seed of the wicked is cut off.
29 The righteous possess the land, And they dwell for ever on it.
30 The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, And his tongue speaketh judgment.
31 The law of his God [is] his heart, His steps do not slide.
32 The wicked is watching for the righteous, And is seeking to put him to death.
33 Jehovah doth not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him in his being judged.
34 Look unto Jehovah, and keep His way, And He doth exalt thee to possess the land, In the wicked being cut off -- thou seest!
35 I have seen the wicked terrible, And spreading as a green native plant,
36 And he passeth away, and lo, he is not, And I seek him, and he is not found!
37 Observe the perfect, and see the upright, For the latter end of each [is] peace.
38 And transgressors were destroyed together, The latter end of the wicked was cut off.
39 And the salvation of the righteous [is] from Jehovah, Their strong place in a time of adversity.
40 And Jehovah doth help them and deliver them, He delivereth them from the wicked, And saveth them, Because they trusted in Him!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
