Psalm 37[a]

Of David.

Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious(A) of those who do wrong;(B)
for like the grass they will soon wither,(C)
    like green plants they will soon die away.(D)

Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land(E) and enjoy safe pasture.(F)
Take delight(G) in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.(H)

Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him(I) and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward(J) shine like the dawn,(K)
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

Be still(L) before the Lord
    and wait patiently(M) for him;
do not fret(N) when people succeed in their ways,(O)
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.(P)

Refrain from anger(Q) and turn from wrath;
    do not fret(R)—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,(S)
    but those who hope(T) in the Lord will inherit the land.(U)

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;(V)
    though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land(W)
    and enjoy peace and prosperity.(X)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

39 The salvation(A) of the righteous comes from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.(B)
40 The Lord helps(C) them and delivers(D) them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves(E) them,
    because they take refuge(F) in him.

Read full chapter

18 Then Judah(A) went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord,(B) let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry(C) with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants,(D) ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’(E) 20 And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age.(F) His brother is dead,(G) and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’(H)

21 “Then you said to your servants,(I) ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’(J) 22 And we said to my lord,(K) ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’(L) 23 But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’(M) 24 When we went back to your servant my father,(N) we told him what my lord(O) had said.(P)

25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’(Q) 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’(R)

27 “Your servant my father(S) said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.(T) 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.”(U) And I have not seen him since.(V) 29 If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave(W) in misery.’(X)

30 “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father,(Y) and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life,(Z) 31 sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die.(AA) Your servants(AB) will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave(AC) in sorrow. 32 Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’(AD)

33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave(AE) in place of the boy,(AF) and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery(AG) that would come on my father.”(AH)

Read full chapter

57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.(A) 59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”(B)

Read full chapter

Bible Gateway Recommends