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.
³Trust the Lord and do good;
    live in the land, and farm faithfulness.
⁴Enjoy the Lord,
    and he will give what your heart asks.
⁵Commit 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.
⁷Be still before the Lord,
    and wait^[b] for him.
Don’t get upset when someone gets ahead—
    someone who invents evil schemes.

⁸Let go of anger and leave rage behind!
    Don’t get upset—it will only lead to evil.
⁹Because evildoers will be eliminated,
    but those who hope in the Lord—
    they will possess the land.
¹⁰In just a little while the wicked won’t exist!
    If you go looking around their place,
    they won’t be there.
¹¹But the weak will inherit the land;
    they will enjoy a surplus of peace.
¹²The wicked plot against the righteous,
    grinding their teeth at them.
¹³But my Lord just laughs at them
    because he knows that their day is coming.
¹⁴The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows
    to bring down the weak and the needy,
    to slaughter those whose way is right.
¹⁵But the sword of the wicked will enter their own hearts!
    Their bows will be broken!

¹⁶Better is the little that the righteous have
    than the overabundant wealth of the wicked.^[c]
¹⁷The arms of the wicked will be broken,
    but the Lord supports the righteous.
¹⁸The Lord is intimately acquainted
    with the lives of the blameless;
    their heritage will last forever.
¹⁹They won’t be ashamed in troubling times,
    and in a period of famine they will eat their fill.
²⁰But the wicked will die,
    the Lord’s enemies will disappear—
    disappear like the beauty of a meadow—in smoke.
²¹The wicked borrow and don’t pay it back, but the righteous are generous and giving.
²²Those blessed by God will possess the land,
    but those cursed by God will be cut off.

²³A person’s steps are made secure by the Lord
    when they delight in his way.
²⁴Though they trip up, they won’t be thrown down,
    because the Lord holds their hand.
²⁵I 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.
²⁶They are always gracious and generous.
    Their children are a blessing.

²⁷Turn away from evil! Do good!
    Then you will live in the land forever.
²⁸The Lord loves justice.
    He will never leave his faithful all alone.
    They are guarded forever,
        but the children of the wicked are eliminated.
²⁹The righteous will possess the land;
    they will live on it forever.

³⁰The mouths of the righteous recite wisdom;
    their tongues discuss justice.
³¹The Instruction of their God is in their hearts;
    they don’t miss a step.
³²The wicked, on the other hand, target the righteous,
    seeking to kill them.
³³But 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.

³⁴Hope 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!
³⁵I myself have seen wicked powerful people,
    exalting themselves like a stately cedar.^[d]
³⁶But when I^[e] came back, they were gone!
    I looked all over for them,
    but they couldn’t be found!

³⁷Observe those who have integrity
    and watch those whose heart is right
    because the future belongs to persons of peace.
³⁸But wrongdoers will be destroyed all together;
    the future of the wicked will be cut short.
³⁹The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
    he is their refuge in times of trouble.
⁴⁰The Lord will help them and rescue them—
    rescue them from the wicked—and he will save them
    because they have taken refuge in him.