Psalm 37:1-20

New Living Translation

¹ Don’t worry about the wicked
    or envy those who do wrong.
² For like grass, they soon fade away.
    Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good.
    Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you your heart’s desires.

⁵ Commit everything you do to the Lord.
    Trust him, and he will help you.
⁶ He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
    and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

⁷ 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.

⁸ Stop being angry!
    Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
    it only leads to harm.
⁹ 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.