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
The Voice
Psalm 37[a]
A song of David.
1 Don’t be worried with evil workers
or envy the gains of people with all-wrong-upside-down ways.
2 Soon enough they will wither like grass,
like green herbs fading in summer’s heat.
3 Believe in the Eternal, and do what is good—
live in the land He provides; roam, and rest in God’s faithfulness.
4 Take great joy in the Eternal!
His gifts are coming, and they are all your heart desires!
5 Commit your path to the Eternal; let Him direct you.
Put your confidence in Him, and He will follow through with you.
6 He will spread out righteousness for you
as a sunrise spreads radiance over the land;
He will deliver justice for you into the light of the high sun.
7 Be still. Be patient. Expect the Eternal to arrive and set things right.
Don’t get upset when you see the worldly ones rising up the ladder.
Don’t be bothered by those who are anchored in wicked ways.
8 So turn from anger. Don’t rage,
and don’t worry—these ways frame the doorway to evil.
9 Besides, those who act from evil motives will be cut off from the land;
but those who wait, hoping in the Eternal, will enjoy its riches.
10 You’ll see . . . the wicked won’t know what hit them;
you’ll blink, and they’ll be gone;
you’ll go out looking for them, but you won’t find them.
11 But the humble-hearted will inherit the land;
they will take pleasure in its peace and enjoy its abundance.
12 How that wicked man devises evil against God’s righteous ones!
He grits his teeth, consumed by hate for the upright.
13 But oh, how the Lord laughs at him!
He knows the wicked man will get his; the day is coming.
14 The wicked unsheathe their swords, pull taut their bows;
the poor and needy are their victims,
and evil is on the prowl to kill those with integrity, God’s beloved.
15 But their swords will bend back to pierce their own hearts—
yes, their bows will snap in two.
16 The righteous are better off with the little God blessed them with
than living under the curse of the wealth of the wicked.
17 Their time is short, their arms will be broken,
but the Eternal will hold His righteous children high.
18 All their days are measured and known by the Eternal;
their inheritance is kept safe forever.
19 When calamity comes, they will escape with their dignity.
When famine invades the nations, they will be fed to their fill.
20 But immoral ones will find their lives cut short;
they’ll vanish as quickly as wildflowers in the fields.
Yes, enemies of the Eternal will vanish
like smoke into the cool night air.
21 Evil people borrow and never repay their debts,
while the good give generously from their hearts.
22 For God’s blessed children will inherit the land,
but those cursed by Him stand to gain nothing.
23 If you are right with God, He strengthens you for the journey;
the Eternal will be pleased with your life.
24 And even though you trip up, you will not fall on your face
because He holds you by the hand.
25 Through my whole life (young and old),
I have never witnessed God forsaking those who do right,
nor have I seen their children begging for crumbs,
26 Because they are always giving and sharing;
truly, their children are a joyful blessing.
27 Walk away from evil. Do good
so you, too, will enjoy never-ending life
28 Because the Eternal cherishes justice
and will not abandon those loyal to Him.
He will guard and care for them forever,
but any child born of evil will be rooted out, cut down, and destroyed.
29 Those leading God-pleasing lives will inherit His land
and settle there forever.
30 Wisdom fills the mouth of the right-living;
justice and truth roll from their tongues.
31 The True God’s law is imprinted upon their hearts,
and they do not stumble.
32 The wicked stalk God’s good ones,
looking to kill them,
33 But the Eternal will never leave them to the dogs of evil,
nor will they be found guilty when the verdict is read.
34 Wait for the Eternal. Keep to His path. Mind His will.
He will come for you, exalt you; you will inherit the land.
Before your very eyes you will see the end of the wicked.
35 I passed by a wicked man with a cold-blooded nature;
I looked, and he seemed as large as a cedar of Lebanon.
36 But then again, I passed that same way and there was nothing left of him.
I went out looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found.
37 Keep your eye on the innocent. Model your life after the blameless.
Everyone who loves peace has a future.
38 But sinners will be doomed.
The forecast for the wicked: utter destruction.
There will be none left, not one child of darkness.
39 The Eternal saves His faithful;
He lends His strength in hard times;
40 The Eternal comes and frees them—
frees them from evildoers and saves them for eternity—
simply because they seek shelter in Him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 37 A Hebrew acrostic poem
Salmos 37
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
El justo y el problema del mal
Salmo de David.
37 No te irrites a causa de los malhechores(A);
No tengas envidia de los que practican la iniquidad(B).
2 Porque como la hierba pronto se secarán(C)
Y se marchitarán como la hierba verde(D).
3 Confía en el Señor, y haz el bien(E);
Habita en la tierra(F), y cultiva la fidelidad(G).
4 Pon tu delicia en el Señor(H),
Y Él te dará las peticiones de tu corazón(I).
5 Encomienda al Señor tu camino(J),
Confía en Él, que Él actuará;
6 Hará resplandecer tu justicia como la luz(K),
Y tu derecho[a] como el mediodía(L).
7 Confía callado en el Señor(M) y espera en Él con paciencia(N);
No te irrites(O) a causa del que prospera en su camino(P),
Por el hombre que lleva a cabo sus intrigas.
8 Deja la ira y abandona el furor(Q);
No te irrites, solo harías lo malo.
9 Porque los malhechores serán exterminados(R),
Pero los que esperan en el Señor poseerán la tierra(S).
10 Un poco más y no existirá el impío(T);
Buscarás con cuidado su lugar, pero él no estará allí(U).
11 Pero los humildes poseerán la tierra(V)
Y se deleitarán en abundante prosperidad[b](W).
12 El impío trama contra el justo(X),
Y contra él rechina sus dientes(Y).
13 El Señor se ríe de él(Z),
Porque ve que su día se acerca(AA).
14 Los impíos han sacado la espada y entesado el arco(AB)
Para abatir al afligido y al necesitado(AC),
Para matar a los de recto proceder(AD).
15 Su espada les atravesará su propio corazón,
Y sus arcos serán quebrados(AE).
16 Mejor es lo poco del justo(AF)
Que la abundancia de muchos impíos.
17 Porque los brazos de los impíos serán quebrados(AG),
Pero el Señor sostiene a los justos(AH).
18 El Señor conoce los días de los íntegros(AI),
Y su herencia será perpetua(AJ).
19 No serán avergonzados en el tiempo malo,
Y en días de hambre se saciarán(AK).
20 Pero los impíos perecerán(AL),
Y los enemigos del Señor serán como las flores[c] de los prados;
Desaparecen, se desvanecen como el humo(AM).
21 El impío pide prestado y no paga,
Pero el justo es compasivo y da(AN).
22 Porque los que son bendecidos por el Señor poseerán la tierra(AO),
Pero los maldecidos por Él serán exterminados(AP).
23 Por el Señor son ordenados[d] los pasos del hombre(AQ),
Y el Señor se deleita en su camino(AR).
24 Cuando caiga, no quedará derribado(AS),
Porque el Señor sostiene su mano(AT).
25 Yo fui joven, y ya soy viejo,
Y no he visto al justo desamparado(AU),
Ni a su descendencia mendigando pan(AV).
26 Todo el día es compasivo y presta(AW),
Y su descendencia es para bendición(AX).
27 Apártate del mal y haz el bien(AY),
Y tendrás morada para siempre(AZ).
28 Porque el Señor ama la justicia(BA),
Y no abandona a Sus santos(BB);
Ellos son preservados para siempre(BC),
Pero la descendencia de los impíos será exterminada(BD).
29 Los justos poseerán la tierra(BE),
Y para siempre morarán en ella(BF).
30 La boca del justo profiere sabiduría(BG)
Y su lengua habla rectitud(BH).
31 La ley de su Dios está en su corazón(BI);
No vacilan sus pasos(BJ).
32 El impío acecha al justo(BK)
Y procura matarlo(BL).
33 El Señor no dejará al justo en sus manos(BM),
Ni permitirá que lo condenen cuando sea juzgado(BN).
34 Espera en el Señor(BO) y guarda Su camino,
Y Él te exaltará para que poseas la tierra.
Cuando los impíos sean exterminados, tú lo verás(BP).
35 He visto al impío, violento(BQ),
Extenderse como frondoso árbol en su propio suelo(BR).
36 Luego pasó, y ya no estaba(BS);
Lo busqué, pero no se pudo encontrar.
37 Observa al que es íntegro(BT), mira al que es recto(BU);
Porque el hombre de paz tendrá descendencia(BV).
38 Pero los transgresores serán destruidos a una(BW);
La posteridad de los impíos será exterminada(BX).
39 Pero la salvación de los justos viene del Señor(BY);
Él es su fortaleza en el tiempo de la angustia(BZ).
40 El Señor los ayuda y los libra(CA);
Los libra de los impíos y los salva(CB),
Porque en Él se refugian(CC).
Footnotes
- Salmos 37:6 O tu justa causa.
- Salmos 37:11 O paz.
- Salmos 37:20 Lit. la hermosura.
- Salmos 37:23 O afirmados.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Nueva Biblia de las Américas™ NBLA™ Copyright © 2005 por The Lockman Foundation
