Psalm 37

GOD’S WORD Translation

By David.

37 Do not be preoccupied with evildoers.
Do not envy those who do wicked things.
²They will quickly dry up like grass
and wither away like green plants.
³Trust the Lord, and do good things.
Live in the land, and practice being faithful.
⁴Be happy with the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵Entrust your ways to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will act ⌞on your behalf⌟.
⁶He will make your righteousness shine like a light,
your just cause like the noonday sun.
⁷Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him.
Do not be preoccupied with ⌞an evildoer⌟ who succeeds in his way
when he carries out his schemes.
⁸Let go of anger, and leave rage behind.
Do not be preoccupied.
It only leads to evil.
⁹Evildoers will be cut off ⌞from their inheritance⌟,
but those who wait with hope for the Lord will inherit the land.

¹⁰In a little while a wicked person will vanish.
Then you can carefully examine where he was,
but there will be no trace of him.
¹¹Oppressed people will inherit the land
and will enjoy unlimited peace.
¹²The wicked person plots against a righteous one
and grits his teeth at him.
¹³The Lord laughs at him
because he has seen that his time is coming.
¹⁴Wicked people pull out their swords and bend their bows
to kill oppressed and needy people,
to slaughter those who are decent.
¹⁵⌞But⌟ their own swords will pierce their hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
¹⁶The little that the righteous person has is better
than the wealth of many wicked people.
¹⁷The arms of wicked people will be broken,
but the Lord continues to support righteous people.
¹⁸The Lord knows the daily ⌞struggles⌟ of innocent people.
Their inheritance will last forever.
¹⁹They will not be put to shame in trying times.
Even in times of famine they will be satisfied.
²⁰But wicked people will disappear.
The Lord’s enemies will vanish like the best part of a meadow.
They will vanish like smoke.
²¹A wicked person borrows, but he does not repay.
A righteous person is generous and giving.
²²Those who are blessed by him will inherit the land.
Those who are cursed by him will be cut off.

²³A person’s steps are directed by the Lord,
and the Lord delights in his way.
²⁴When he falls, he will not be thrown down headfirst
because the Lord holds on to his hand.
²⁵I have been young, and now I am old,
but I have never seen a righteous person abandoned
or his descendants begging for food.
²⁶He is always generous and lends freely.
His descendants are a blessing.
²⁷Avoid evil, do good, and live forever.
²⁸The Lord loves justice,
and he will not abandon his godly ones.
They will be kept safe forever,
but the descendants of wicked people will be cut off.
²⁹Righteous people will inherit the land
and live there permanently.
³⁰The mouth of the righteous person reflects on wisdom.
His tongue speaks what is fair.
³¹The teachings of his God are in his heart.
His feet do not slip.
³²The wicked person watches the righteous person
and seeks to kill him.
³³But the Lord will not abandon him to the wicked person’s power
or condemn him when he is brought to trial.
³⁴Wait with hope for the Lord, and follow his path,
and he will honor you by giving you the land.
When wicked people are cut off, you will see it.

³⁵I have seen a wicked person ⌞acting like⌟ a tyrant,
spreading himself out like a large cedar tree.
³⁶But he moved on, and now there is no trace of him.
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
³⁷Notice the innocent person,
and look at the decent person,
because the peacemaker has a future.
³⁸But rebels will be completely destroyed.
The future of wicked people will be cut off.
³⁹The victory for righteous people comes from the Lord.
He is their fortress in times of trouble.
⁴⁰The Lord helps them and rescues them.
He rescues them from wicked people.
He saves them because they have taken refuge in him.

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.
²For they shall soon be cut down ^(B)like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

³Trust 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.

⁷Rest 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.

⁹For evildoers shall be ^[b]cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall ^(K)inherit the earth.
¹⁰For ^(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.

¹²The 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.
¹⁴The 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.
¹⁵Their 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.
¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
¹⁹They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
²⁰But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.

²¹The 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.

²⁵I 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.

²⁷Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
²⁸For 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.
³¹The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall ^[f]slide.

³²The wicked ^(Z)watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
³³The 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.
³⁵I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
³⁶Yet ^[g]he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

³⁷Mark 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.

³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength ^(AD)in the time of trouble.
⁴⁰And ^(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

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

New King James Version (NKJV)

Psalm 37 GOD’S WORD Translation