Psalm 37

Instruction in Wisdom

Of David.

Do not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.(A)
For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender green plants.(B)

Trust in the Lord and do what is good;(C)
dwell in the land and live securely.[a](D)
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.(E)

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act,(F)
making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.(G)

Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him;(H)
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the person who carries out evil plans.(I)

Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.(J)
For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.(K)

10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;
though you look for him, he will not be there.(L)
11 But the humble will inherit the land(M)
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.(N)

12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.(O)
13 The Lord laughs at him(P)
because he sees that his day is coming.(Q)

14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the[b] bow
to bring down the poor and needy
and to slaughter those whose way is upright.(R)
15 Their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.(S)

16 The little that the righteous person has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.(T)
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,(U)
but the Lord supports the righteous.(V)

18 The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,
and their inheritance will last forever.(W)
19 They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;
they will be satisfied in days of hunger.(X)

20 But the wicked will perish;
the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,
will fade away—
they will fade away like smoke.(Y)

21 The wicked person borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.(Z)
22 Those who are blessed by the Lord will inherit the land,
but those cursed by him will be destroyed.(AA)

23 A person’s steps are established by the Lord,
and he takes pleasure in his way.(AB)
24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
because the Lord supports him with his hand.(AC)

25 I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.(AD)
26 He is always generous, always lending,
and his children are a blessing.(AE)

27 Turn away from evil, do what is good,
and settle permanently.(AF)
28 For the Lord loves justice
and will not abandon his faithful ones.(AG)
They are kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.(AH)
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it permanently.(AI)

30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.(AJ)
31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.(AK)

32 The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and intends to kill him;(AL)
33 the Lord will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.(AM)

34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.(AN)

35 I have seen a wicked, violent person
well-rooted,[c] like a flourishing native tree.(AO)
36 Then I[d] passed by and noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.(AP)

37 Watch the blameless and observe the upright,
for the person of peace will have a future.[e](AQ)
38 But transgressors will all be eliminated;
the future of the wicked will be destroyed.(AR)

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,
their refuge in a time of distress.(AS)
40 The Lord helps and delivers them;
he will deliver them from the wicked and will save them
because they take refuge in him.(AT)

Footnotes

  1. 37:3 Or and cultivate faithfulness, or and befriend faithfulness
  2. 37:14 Lit their
  3. 37:35 Hb obscure
  4. 37:36 LXX, Syr, Vg, Jer; MT reads he
  5. 37:37 Or posterity, also in v. 38

37 (Of Dovid) Fret not thyself because of re’im (evildoers); neither have thou kina (jealousy, envy) of the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the khatzir (grass), and wither as the green desheh (herb, plant).

Trust in Hashem, and do tov; so shalt thou dwell in the Eretz (land), ure’eh emunah (and thou be pastured securely).

Delight thyself also in Hashem, and He shall give thee the desires of thine lev.

Commit thy derech (road, way) unto Hashem; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.

And He shall bring forth thy tzedakah (righteousness) as the ohr (light), and thy mishpat (justice) as the tzohorayim (noonday).

Rest in Hashem, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his derech, because of the ish who bringeth wicked schemes to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake chemah (wrath); fret not thyself in any wise to do rah.

For evildoers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon Hashem, they shall inherit the Eretz (land).

10 For yet a little while, and the rasha shall not be; yes, thou shalt watch his place, and he will not be.

11 But the anavim (meek ones) shall inherit Eretz; and shall delight themselves in rov shalom (great peace; see Psa 119:165).

12 The rasha plotteth against the tzaddik, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

13 Adonoi shall laugh at him, for He seeth that his yom is coming.

14 The resha’im have drawn out the cherev, and have bent their keshet, to cast down the oni (poor) and evyon (needy), and to slay such as be yishrei derech (upright ones on the road, that walk uprightly).

15 Their cherev shall enter into their own lev, and their keshatot (bows) shall be broken.

16 A little that a tzaddik hath is better than the riches of resha’im rabbim.

17 For the zero’ot (arms, powers) of the resha’im shall be broken; but Hashem upholdeth the tzaddikim.

18 Hashem knoweth the yamim of the temimim (blameless ones); and their nachalah (inheritance) shall be l’olahm (forever).

19 They shall not be put to shame in time of evil; and in the days of famine yisba’u (they shall be satisfied, enjoy plenty).

20 But the resha’im shall perish, and the oyvei Hashem (enemies of Hashem) shall be like the glory of the meadows; they shall disappear like ashan (smoke), they shall vanish.

21 The rasha borroweth, and repayeth not; but the tzaddik showeth chonen (generosity), and giveth.

22 For such as be blessed of Him shall inherit Eretz; and they that be cursed of Him shall be cut off.

23 The steps of a gever (man) konanu (are ordered, made firm) by Hashem and He delighteth in his derech.

24 Though he stumble, he shall not utterly fall; for Hashem upholdeth him with His yad (hand, power).

25 I have been na’ar (young), and now am old; yet I have not seen the tzaddik forsaken, nor his zera begging lechem.

26 He is ever chonen (generous, merciful; see verse 21), and lendeth; and his zera is blessed.

27 Depart from rah, and do tov; and dwell l’olahm (for evermore).

28 For Hashem loveth mishpat, and forsaketh not His chasidim; they are preserved l’olahm; but the zera resha’im shall be cut off.

29 The tzaddikim shall inherit Eretz, and dwell therein forever.

30 The mouth of the tzaddik speaketh chochmah, and his leshon uttereth mishpat.

31 The torat Elohav is in his lev; no steps of his shall slip.

32 The rashah lieth in wait to ambush the tzaddik, and seeketh to slay him.

33 Hashem will not leave him in his yad (hand, power), nor condemn him b’hishshafto (when he is judged, brought to trial).

34 Wait on Hashem, and be shomer over His Derech, and He shall exalt thee to inherit Eretz; when the resha’im are cut off, thou shalt see it.

35 I have seen the violently powerful rashah, spreading himself like an indigenous green tree.

36 Yet he passed away, and, hinei, he was no more; yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the yashar (upright); for the end of that ish is shalom.

38 But the poshe’im (rebels, transgressors) shall be made shmad together; the latter end [i.e., future] of the resha’im shall be cut off.

39 But the Teshu’at Tzaddikim is of Hashem; He is their ma’oz (stronghold, refuge) in the time of tzoros.

40 And Hashem helps them, and delivers them; He shall deliver them from the resha’im, and save them, because they take refuge in Him.