Psalms 37

# 37 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each stanza begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. A psalm of David.

1Don’t worry about the wicked

or envy those who do wrong.

2For like grass, they soon fade away.

Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

3Trust in the Lord and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

4Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you your heart’s desires.

5Commit everything you do to the Lord.

Trust him, and he will help you.

6He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,

and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

7Be still in the presence of the Lord,

and wait patiently for him to act.

Don’t worry about evil people who prosper

or fret about their wicked schemes.

8Stop being angry!

Turn from your rage!

Do not lose your temper—

it only leads to harm.

9For the wicked will be destroyed,

but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

10Soon the wicked will disappear.

Though you look for them, they will be gone.

11The lowly will possess the land

and will live in peace and prosperity.

12The wicked plot against the godly;

they snarl at them in defiance.

13But the Lord just laughs,

for he sees their day of judgment coming.

14The wicked draw their swords

and string their bows

to kill the poor and the oppressed,

to slaughter those who do right.

15But their swords will stab their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

16It is better to be godly and have little

than to be evil and rich.

17For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,

but the Lord takes care of the godly.

18Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,

and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.

19They will not be disgraced in hard times;

even in famine they will have more than enough.

20But the wicked will die.

The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—

they will disappear like smoke.

21The wicked borrow and never repay,

but the godly are generous givers.

22Those the Lord blesses will possess the land,

but those he curses will die.

23The Lord directs the steps of the godly.

He delights in every detail of their lives.

24Though they stumble, they will never fall,

for the Lord holds them by the hand.

25Once I was young, and now I am old.

Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned

or their children begging for bread.

26The godly always give generous loans to others,

and their children are a blessing.

27Turn from evil and do good,

and you will live in the land forever.

28For the Lord loves justice,

and he will never abandon the godly.

He will keep them safe forever,

but the children of the wicked will die.

29The godly will possess the land

and will live there forever.

30The godly offer good counsel;

they teach right from wrong.

31They have made God’s law their own,

so they will never slip from his path.

32The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,

looking for an excuse to kill them.

33But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed

or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

34Put your hope in the Lord.

Travel steadily along his path.

He will honor you by giving you the land.

You will see the wicked destroyed.

35I have seen wicked and ruthless people

flourishing like a tree in its native soil.

36But when I looked again, they were gone!

Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

37Look at those who are honest and good,

for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.

38But the rebellious will be destroyed;

they have no future.

39The Lord rescues the godly;

he is their fortress in times of trouble.

40The Lord helps them,

rescuing them from the wicked.

He saves them,

and they find shelter in him.

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Psalms 37: NLT

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Psalms 37

Psalm 37#This psalm is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Of David.

1Do not fret because of those who are evil

or be envious of those who do wrong;

2for like the grass they will soon wither,

like green plants they will soon die away.

3Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

6He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.

7Be still before the Lord

and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9For those who are evil will be destroyed,

but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

10A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

11But the meek will inherit the land

and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12The wicked plot against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them;

13but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

for he knows their day is coming.

14The wicked draw the sword

and bend the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright.

15But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

16Better the little that the righteous have

than the wealth of many wicked;

17for the power of the wicked will be broken,

but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,

and their inheritance will endure forever.

19In times of disaster they will not wither;

in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20But the wicked will perish:

Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,

they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21The wicked borrow and do not repay,

but the righteous give generously;

22those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,

but those he curses will be destroyed.

23The Lord makes firm the steps

of the one who delights in him;

24though he may stumble, he will not fall,

for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

25I was young and now I am old,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

26They are always generous and lend freely;

their children will be a blessing.#37:26 Or freely; / the names of their children will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or freely; / others will see that their children are blessed

27Turn from evil and do good;

then you will dwell in the land forever.

28For the Lord loves the just

and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed#37:28 See Septuagint; Hebrew They will be protected forever;

the offspring of the wicked will perish.

29The righteous will inherit the land

and dwell in it forever.

30The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,

and their tongues speak what is just.

31The law of their God is in their hearts;

their feet do not slip.

32The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

intent on putting them to death;

33but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked

or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34Hope in the Lord

and keep his way.

He will exalt you to inherit the land;

when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35I have seen a wicked and ruthless man

flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,

36but he soon passed away and was no more;

though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37Consider the blameless, observe the upright;

a future awaits those who seek peace.#37:37 Or upright; / those who seek peace will have posterity

38But all sinners will be destroyed;

there will be no future#37:38 Or posterity for the wicked.

39The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40The Lord helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.

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