Psalm 37
Darby Translation
[A Psalm] of David.
37 Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, and be not envious of them that work unrighteousness;
2 for they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and fade as the green herb.
3 Confide in Jehovah, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on faithfulness;
4 and delight thyself in Jehovah, and he will give thee the desires of thy heart.
5 Commit thy way unto Jehovah, and rely upon him: he will bring [it] to pass;
6 and he will bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way, because of the man that bringeth mischievous devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; fret not thyself: it [would be] only to do evil.
9 For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait on Jehovah, they shall possess the land.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked is not; and thou considerest his place, but he is not.
11 But the meek shall possess the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of prosperity.
12 The wicked plotteth against the righteous, and gnasheth his teeth against him.
13 The Lord laugheth at him; for he seeth that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the afflicted and needy, to slay those that are upright in [the] way:
15 their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
16 The little that the righteous hath is better than the abundance of many wicked;
17 for the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Jehovah upholdeth the righteous.
18 Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; and their inheritance shall be for ever:
19 they shall not be ashamed in the time of evil, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume, like smoke shall they consume away.
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; but the righteous is gracious and giveth:
22 for those blessed of him shall possess the land, and they that are cursed of him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a man are established by Jehovah, and he delighteth in his way:
24 though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for Jehovah upholdeth his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old, and I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread:
26 all the day he is gracious and lendeth, and his seed shall be a blessing.
27 Depart from evil, and do good, and dwell for evermore;
28 for Jehovah loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints: They are preserved for ever; but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall possess the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30 The mouth of the righteous proffereth wisdom, and his tongue speaketh judgment;
31 the law of his God is in his heart; his goings shall not slide.
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him:
33 Jehovah will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, and he will exalt thee to possess the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see [it].
35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading like a green tree in its native soil:
36 but he passed away, and behold, he was not; and I sought him, but he was not found.
37 Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, for the end of [that] man is peace;
38 but the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And Jehovah will help them and deliver them: he will deliver them from the wicked, and save them; for they trust in him.
Psalm 37
English Standard Version
He Will Not Forsake His Saints
[a] Of David.
37 (A)Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not (B)envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon (C)fade like (D)the grass
and wither (E)like the green herb.
3 (F)Trust in the Lord, and do good;
(G)dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.[b]
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;
(K)trust in him, and he will act.
6 (L)He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as (M)the noonday.
7 (N)Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
(O)fret not yourself over the one who (P)prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 (Q)Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
(R)Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 (S)For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall (T)inherit the land.
10 In (U)just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at (V)his place, he will not be there.
11 But (W)the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in (X)abundant peace.
12 The wicked (Y)plots against the righteous
and (Z)gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord (AA)laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his (AB)day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and (AC)bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose (AD)way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their (AE)bows shall be broken.
16 (AF)Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For (AG)the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord (AH)upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord (AI)knows the days of the blameless,
and their (AJ)heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in (AK)the days of famine they have abundance.
20 But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like (AL)the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like (AM)smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous (AN)is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the Lord[c] shall (AO)inherit the land,
but those cursed by him (AP)shall be cut off.
23 The (AQ)steps of a man are (AR)established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
24 (AS)though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord (AT)upholds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children (AU)begging for bread.
26 He is ever (AV)lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27 (AW)Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you (AX)dwell forever.
28 For the Lord (AY)loves justice;
he will not forsake his (AZ)saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be (BA)cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and (BB)dwell upon it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 (BC)The law of his God is in his heart;
his (BD)steps do not slip.
32 The wicked (BE)watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not (BF)abandon him to his power
or let him (BG)be condemned when he is brought to trial.
34 (BH)Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on (BI)when the wicked are cut off.
35 (BJ)I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like (BK)a green laurel tree.[d]
36 But he passed away,[e] and behold, (BL)he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of (BM)peace.
38 But (BN)transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked (BO)shall be cut off.
39 (BP)The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in (BQ)the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and (BR)delivers them;
(BS)he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they (BT)take refuge in him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
- Psalm 37:3 Or and feed on faithfulness, or and find safe pasture
- Psalm 37:22 Hebrew by him
- Psalm 37:35 The identity of this tree is uncertain
- Psalm 37:36 Or But one passed by
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The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
