Psalm 37
Legacy Standard Bible
Delight Yourself in Yahweh
Of David.
Aleph
37 (A)Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not (B)envious toward doers of unrighteousness.
2 For they will (C)wither quickly like the grass
And (D)fade like the green herb.
Beth
3 (E)Trust in Yahweh and do good;
(F)Dwell in the land and [a](G)cultivate faithfulness.
4 (H)Delight yourself in Yahweh;
And He will (I)give you the desires of your heart.
Gimel
5 (J)Commit your way to Yahweh,
Trust in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring forth (K)your righteousness as the light
And your judgment (L)as the noonday.
Daleth
7 Be still in Yahweh and (M)wait [b]patiently for Him;
(N)Do not fret because of him who (O)prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out schemes of wickedness.
He
8 Cease from anger and (P)forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For (Q)evildoers will be cut off,
But those who hope for Yahweh, they will (R)inherit the land.
Vav
10 Yet (S)a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
You will look carefully at (T)his place, and he will not be there.
11 But (U)the lowly will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in (V)abundant peace.
Zayin
12 The wicked (W)schemes against the righteous
And (X)gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord (Y)laughs at him,
For He sees that (Z)his day is coming.
Heth
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and (AA)bent their bow
To cast down the (AB)afflicted and the needy,
To (AC)slay those who are upright in conduct.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their (AD)bows will be broken.
Teth
16 (AE)Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the (AF)arms of the wicked will be broken,
But Yahweh (AG)sustains the righteous.
Yodh
18 Yahweh (AH)knows the days of the [c]blameless,
And their (AI)inheritance will be forever.
19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And (AJ)in the days of famine they will be satisfied.
Kaph
20 But the (AK)wicked will perish;
And the enemies of Yahweh will be like the [d]glory of the pastures,
They vanish—(AL)in smoke they vanish away.
Lamedh
21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous (AM)is gracious and gives.
22 For (AN)those blessed by Him will (AO)inherit the land,
But those (AP)cursed by Him will be cut off.
Mem
23 (AQ)The footsteps of a man are established by Yahweh,
And He (AR)delights in his way.
24 When (AS)he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because (AT)Yahweh is the One [e]who sustains his hand.
Nun
25 I was young and now I am old,
Yet (AU)I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or (AV)his seed begging bread.
26 All day long (AW)he is gracious and lends,
And (AX)his seed is a blessing.
Samekh
Ayin
28 For Yahweh (BA)loves [f]justice
And (BB)will not forsake His holy ones;
They are (BC)kept forever,
But the (BD)seed of the wicked will be cut off.
29 The righteous will (BE)inherit the land
And (BF)dwell in it forever.
Pe
30 The mouth of the righteous (BG)utters wisdom,
And his tongue (BH)speaks justice.
31 The (BI)law of his God is in his heart;
His (BJ)steps do not slip.
Tsadhe
32 The (BK)wicked spies upon the righteous
And (BL)seeks to put him to death.
33 Yahweh will (BM)not forsake him in his hand;
(BN)He will not condemn him when he is judged.
Qoph
34 (BO)Hope for Yahweh and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the (BP)wicked are cut off, you will see it.
Resh
35 I have (BQ)seen a wicked, ruthless man
Spreading himself like a (BR)luxuriant [g]tree in its native soil.
36 Then [h]he passed away, and behold, he (BS)was no more;
I sought for him, but he could not be found.
Shin
37 Observe the [i](BT)blameless man, and behold the (BU)upright;
For the man of peace will have [j]a (BV)posterity.
38 But transgressors will be altogether (BW)destroyed;
The [k]posterity of the wicked will be (BX)cut off.
Tav
39 But the (BY)salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh;
He is their strength (BZ)in time of distress.
40 (CA)Yahweh helps them and protects them;
He (CB)protects them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they (CC)take refuge in Him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:3 Or feed securely, feed on His faithfulness
- Psalm 37:7 Or longingly
- Psalm 37:18 Lit complete, perfect
- Psalm 37:20 Flowers
- Psalm 37:24 Or who sustains him with His hand
- Psalm 37:28 Lit judgment
- Psalm 37:35 Native plant; lit native
- Psalm 37:36 Ancient versions I passed by
- Psalm 37:37 Or perfect; lit complete
- Psalm 37:37 Lit an end
- Psalm 37:38 Lit end
Psalm 37
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 37
Instruction in Wisdom
Davidic.
1 Do[a] not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.(A)
2 For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender green plants.(B)
3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good;(C)
dwell in the land and live securely.[b](D)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and He will give you your heart’s desires.(E)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him, and He will act,(F)
6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.(G)
7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him;(H)
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the man who carries out evil plans.(I)
8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.(J)
9 For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.[c](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[d](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[e] bow
to bring down the afflicted 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 man has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.(T)
17 For the arms[f] 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 man borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.(Z)
22 Those who are blessed by Him will inherit the land,[g]
but those cursed by Him will be destroyed.(AA)
23 A man’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 holds his hand.[h](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 and do what is good,
and dwell there[i] forever.(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[j]
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 seeks 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 man
well-rooted[k] like a flourishing native tree.(AO)
36 Then I passed by and[l] 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 man of peace will have a future.[m](AQ)
38 But transgressors will all be eliminated;
the future[n] 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
- Psalm 37:1 The lines of this poem form an acrostic.
- Psalm 37:3 Or and cultivate faithfulness
- Psalm 37:9 Or earth
- Psalm 37:11 Or earth
- Psalm 37:14 Lit their
- Psalm 37:17 Or power
- Psalm 37:22 Or earth
- Psalm 37:24 Or Lord supports with His hand
- Psalm 37:27 = dwell in the land
- Psalm 37:29 Or earth
- Psalm 37:35 Hb obscure
- Psalm 37:36 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg, Jer; MT reads Then he passed away, and I
- Psalm 37:37 Or posterity
- Psalm 37:38 Or posterity
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.