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Delight Yourself in Yahweh

Of David.

Aleph

37 (A)Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not (B)envious toward doers of unrighteousness.
For they will (C)wither quickly like the grass
And (D)fade like the green herb.

Beth

(E)Trust in Yahweh and do good;
(F)Dwell in the land and [a](G)cultivate faithfulness.
(H)Delight yourself in Yahweh;
And He will (I)give you the desires of your heart.

Gimel

(J)Commit your way to Yahweh,
Trust in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth (K)your righteousness as the light
And your judgment (L)as the noonday.

Daleth

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

Cease from anger and (P)forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
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

27 (AY)Depart from evil and do good,
So you will dwell (AZ)forever.

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

  1. Psalm 37:3 Or feed securely, feed on His faithfulness
  2. Psalm 37:7 Or longingly
  3. Psalm 37:18 Lit complete, perfect
  4. Psalm 37:20 Flowers
  5. Psalm 37:24 Or who sustains him with His hand
  6. Psalm 37:28 Lit judgment
  7. Psalm 37:35 Native plant; lit native
  8. Psalm 37:36 Ancient versions I passed by
  9. Psalm 37:37 Or perfect; lit complete
  10. Psalm 37:37 Lit an end
  11. Psalm 37:38 Lit end

The Protection of the Righteous and the Destruction of the Wicked

Of David.[a]

37 Do not fret because of evildoers;
do not be envious of doers of wickedness.
For like the grass they will dry up quickly,
and like green vegetation they will wither.
Trust Yahweh and do good.
Abide in the land and feed on faithfulness.[b]
Take pleasure in Yahweh as well,
and he will give to you the requests of your heart.
Commit to[c] Yahweh your way;
Trust also on him and he will act.
Then he will bring forth your righteousness like the light,
and your justice like the noonday.
Be quiet before Yahweh and wait for him.
Do not fret about one who succeeds in his way,
about a man making plots.
Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
Do not fret; it only brings evil.
For evildoers will be cut off,
but those who wait for Yahweh—
they will possess the land.
10 And[d] yet a little while and the wicked will not be,
and you will look carefully upon his place, but he will not be.
11 But the afflicted will possess the land,
and they will take pleasure in an abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plans evil against the righteous,
and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow
to throw down the poor and the needy,
to kill those upright in their way.
15 Their sword will enter into their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 The little belonging to the righteous is better
than the wealth of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but Yahweh supports the righteous.
18 Yahweh knows the days of the blameless,
and their inheritance will be forever.
19 They will not be put to shame in distressing times,[e]
and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.
20 But the wicked will perish,
and the enemies of Yahweh will be like the splendor of the pastures.
They vanish; in smoke they vanish.
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous is gracious and gives.
22 For those blessed by him shall possess the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a man are established by Yahweh,
and he takes pleasure in his way.
24 Though he fall, he will not be cast headlong,
for Yahweh supports him with his hand.
25 I was a youth, but I am now old;
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for[f] bread.
26 All the day he is gracious and lends,
and his children are a blessing.
27 Turn aside from evil and do good
and so abide forever.
28 For Yahweh loves justice
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They are protected forever.
But the children of the wicked will be cut off.
29 The righteous will possess the land
and abide in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart.
His steps will not slip.
32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to kill him.
33 Yahweh will not abandon him into his hand,
and he will not let him be condemned when he is judged.
34 Wait for Yahweh and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to possess the land.
When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen the wicked acting violently
and spreading himself out
like a luxuriant native tree.
36 Then he passed on[g] and behold, he was not.
And I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Observe the blameless and look at the upright,
for there is a future for a man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be destroyed altogether.
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 And[h] the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh,
their refuge in the time of trouble.
40 And Yahweh helps them and he rescues them.
He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 37:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm
  2. Psalm 37:3 That is, God’s faithfulness
  3. Psalm 37:5 Literally “Roll upon”
  4. Psalm 37:10 Or “But”
  5. Psalm 37:19 Hebrew “time”
  6. Psalm 37:25 Literally “searching”
  7. Psalm 37:36 Dead Sea Scrolls and the versions read “I passed by”
  8. Psalm 37:39 Some manuscripts omit “and,” preserving the acrostic