Psalm 37
World English Bible
By David.
37 Don’t fret because of evildoers,
neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in Yahweh, and do good.
Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Also delight yourself in Yahweh,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to Yahweh.
Trust also in him, and he will do this:
6 he will make your righteousness shine out like light,
and your justice as the noon day sun.
7 Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him.
Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way,
because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.
Don’t fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more.
Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there.
11 But the humble shall inherit the land,
and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord will laugh at him,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,
to cast down the poor and needy,
to kill those who are upright on the path.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart.
Their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is a little that the righteous has,
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but Yahweh upholds the righteous.
18 Yahweh knows the days of the perfect.
Their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil.
In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish.
The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields.
They will vanish—
vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back,
but the righteous give generously.
22 For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land.
Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 A man’s steps are established by Yahweh.
He delights in his way.
24 Though he stumble, he shall not fall,
for Yahweh holds him up with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his children begging for bread.
26 All day long he deals graciously, and lends.
His offspring is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good.
Live securely forever.
28 For Yahweh loves justice,
and doesn’t forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom.
His tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart.
None of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watch the righteous,
and seek to kill him.
33 Yahweh will not leave him in his hand,
nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
36 But he passed away, and behold, he was not.
Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the perfect man, and see the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together.
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh.
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 Yahweh helps them and rescues them.
He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
because they have taken refuge in him.
Psalm 37
Common English Bible
Psalm 37[a]
Of David.
37 Don’t get upset over evildoers;
don’t be jealous of those who do wrong,
2 because they will fade fast, like grass;
they will wither like green vegetables.
3 Trust the Lord and do good;
live in the land, and farm faithfulness.
4 Enjoy the Lord,
and he will give what your heart asks.
5 Commit your way to the Lord!
Trust him! He will act
6 and will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like high noon.
7 Be still before the Lord,
and wait[b] for him.
Don’t get upset when someone gets ahead—
someone who invents evil schemes.
8 Let go of anger and leave rage behind!
Don’t get upset—it will only lead to evil.
9 Because evildoers will be eliminated,
but those who hope in the Lord—
they will possess the land.
10 In just a little while the wicked won’t exist!
If you go looking around their place,
they won’t be there.
11 But the weak will inherit the land;
they will enjoy a surplus of peace.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous,
grinding their teeth at them.
13 But my Lord just laughs at them
because he knows that their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows
to bring down the weak and the needy,
to slaughter those whose way is right.
15 But the sword of the wicked will enter their own hearts!
Their bows will be broken!
16 Better is the little that the righteous have
than the overabundant wealth of the wicked.[c]
17 The arms of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord supports the righteous.
18 The Lord is intimately acquainted
with the lives of the blameless;
their heritage will last forever.
19 They won’t be ashamed in troubling times,
and in a period of famine they will eat their fill.
20 But the wicked will die,
the Lord’s enemies will disappear—
disappear like the beauty of a meadow—in smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and don’t pay it back, but the righteous are generous and giving.
22 Those blessed by God will possess the land,
but those cursed by God will be cut off.
23 A person’s steps are made secure by the Lord
when they delight in his way.
24 Though they trip up, they won’t be thrown down,
because the Lord holds their hand.
25 I was young and now I’m old,
but I have never seen the righteous left all alone,
have never seen their children begging for bread.
26 They are always gracious and generous.
Their children are a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil! Do good!
Then you will live in the land forever.
28 The Lord loves justice.
He will never leave his faithful all alone.
They are guarded forever,
but the children of the wicked are eliminated.
29 The righteous will possess the land;
they will live on it forever.
30 The mouths of the righteous recite wisdom;
their tongues discuss justice.
31 The Instruction of their God is in their hearts;
they don’t miss a step.
32 The wicked, on the other hand, target the righteous,
seeking to kill them.
33 But the Lord won’t leave the righteous
to the power of the wicked,
and won’t let the righteous
be found guilty when they are judged.
34 Hope in the Lord and keep his way!
He will lift you up so you can possess the land.
When the wicked are eliminated,
you will see it for yourself!
35 I myself have seen wicked powerful people,
exalting themselves like a stately cedar.[d]
36 But when I[e] came back, they were gone!
I looked all over for them,
but they couldn’t be found!
37 Observe those who have integrity
and watch those whose heart is right
because the future belongs to persons of peace.
38 But wrongdoers will be destroyed all together;
the future of the wicked will be cut short.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their refuge in times of trouble.
40 The Lord will help them and rescue them—
rescue them from the wicked—and he will save them
because they have taken refuge in him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:1 Ps 37 is an alphabetic acrostic poem; see the note at Pss 9–10.
- Psalm 37:7 Correction with LXX, Vulg
- Psalm 37:16 LXX, Vulg, Syr; MT abundant wealth of many wicked
- Psalm 37:35 LXX
- Psalm 37:36 LXX, Syr, Vulg
by Public Domain. The name "World English Bible" is trademarked.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible