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Psalm 37

Exhortation to Patience and Trust

Of David.

Do not fret because of the wicked;
    do not be envious of wrongdoers,(A)
for they will soon fade like the grass
    and wither like the green herb.(B)

Trust in the Lord and do good;
    live in the land and enjoy security.(C)
Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.(D)

Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.(E)
He will make your vindication shine like the light
    and the justice of your cause like the noonday.(F)

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)

Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
    Do not fret—it leads only to evil.(H)
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)

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their refuge in the time of trouble.(AM)
40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
    he rescues them from the wicked and saves them
    because they take refuge in him.(AN)

Footnotes

  1. 37.23 Heb A man’s steps
  2. 37.23 Heb his
  3. 37.24 Heb he stumbles, he
  4. 37.24 Heb him
  5. 37.35 Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  6. 37.36 Gk Syr Jerome: Heb he

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