Psalm 37
New American Standard Bible
Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.
A Psalm of David.
37 (A)Do not get upset because of evildoers,
Do not be (B)envious of wrongdoers.
2 For they will (C)wither quickly like the grass,
And (D)decay like the green plants.
3 (E)Trust in the Lord and do good;
(F)Live in the land and [a](G)cultivate faithfulness.
4 (H)Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will (I)give you the desires of your heart.
5 (J)Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring out (K)your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment (L)as the noonday.
7 [b]Rest in the Lord and (M)wait [c]patiently for Him;
(N)Do not get upset because of one who is (O)successful in his way,
Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and (P)abandon wrath;
Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For (Q)evildoers will be eliminated,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will (R)inherit the land.
10 Yet (S)a little while and the wicked person will be no more;
And you will look carefully for (T)his place and he will not be there.
11 But (U)the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in (V)abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked (W)plots 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.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and (AA)bent their bow
To take down the (AB)afflicted and the needy,
To (AC)kill off those who are upright in conduct.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their (AD)bows will be broken.
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 the Lord (AG)sustains the righteous.
18 The Lord (AH)knows the days of the [d]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 have plenty.
20 But the (AK)wicked will perish;
And the enemies of the Lord will be like the [e]glory of the pastures,
They vanish—(AL)like smoke they vanish away.
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 eliminated.
23 (AQ)The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He (AR)delights in his way.
24 When (AS)he falls, he will not be hurled down,
Because (AT)the Lord is the One [f]who holds his hand.
25 I have been young and now I am old,
Yet (AU)I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or (AV)his [g]descendants begging for bread.
26 All day long (AW)he is gracious and lends,
And (AX)his [h]descendants are a blessing.
27 (AY)Turn from evil and do good,
So that you will dwell (AZ)forever.
28 For the Lord (BA)loves [i]justice
And (BB)does not abandon His godly ones;
They are (BC)protected forever,
But the [j](BD)descendants of the wicked will be eliminated.
29 The righteous will (BE)inherit the land
And (BF)dwell in it forever.
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.
32 The (BK)wicked spies upon the righteous
And (BL)seeks to kill him.
33 The Lord will (BM)not leave him in his hand
Or (BN)let him be condemned when he is judged.
34 (BO)Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the (BP)wicked are eliminated, you will see it.
35 I have (BQ)seen a wicked, violent person
Spreading himself like a (BR)luxuriant [k]tree in its native soil.
36 Then he passed away, and behold, he (BS)was no more;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37 Observe the [l](BT)blameless person, and look at the (BU)upright;
For the person of peace will have (BV)a future.
38 But wrongdoers will altogether be (BW)destroyed;
The future of the wicked will be (BX)eliminated.
39 But the (BY)salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength (BZ)in time of trouble.
40 (CA)The Lord helps them and rescues them;
He (CB)rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they (CC)take refuge in Him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:3 Or feed securely; or feed on His faithfulness
- Psalm 37:7 Or Be still
- Psalm 37:7 Or longingly
- Psalm 37:18 Lit complete; or perfect
- Psalm 37:20 I.e., flowers
- Psalm 37:24 Or who sustains him with His hand
- Psalm 37:25 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:26 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:28 Lit judgment
- Psalm 37:28 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:35 Lit native; Heb obscure
- Psalm 37:37 Lit complete; or perfect
Psalm 37
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 37
Exhortation to Patience and Trust
Of David.
1 Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,(A)
2 for they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.(B)
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
live in the land and enjoy security.(C)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.(D)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.(E)
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.(F)
7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.(G)
8 Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.(H)
9 For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.(I)
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.(J)
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.(K)
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them,(L)
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.(M)
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;(N)
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.(O)
16 Better is a little that the righteous person has
than the abundance of many wicked.(P)
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.(Q)
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide forever;(R)
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.(S)
20 But the wicked perish,
and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.(T)
21 The wicked borrow and do not pay back,
but the righteous are generous and keep giving;(U)
22 surely those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.(V)
23 Our steps[a] are made firm by the Lord
when he delights in our[b] way;(W)
24 though we stumble, we[c] shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us[d] by the hand.(X)
25 I have been young and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.(Y)
26 They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.(Z)
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide forever.(AA)
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.(AB)
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and live in it forever.(AC)
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak justice.(AD)
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their steps do not slip.(AE)
32 The wicked watch for the righteous
and seek to kill them.(AF)
33 The Lord will not abandon them to their power
or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.(AG)
34 Wait for the Lord and keep to his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the wicked.(AH)
35 I have seen the wicked oppressing
and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.[e](AI)
36 Again I[f] passed by, and they were no more;
though I sought them, they could not be found.(AJ)
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is posterity for the peaceable.(AK)
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.(AL)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.