Psalms 37
37
The Fate of Sinners and the Reward of the Just
1Of David.
Aleph
Do not be provoked by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.#Prv 3:31; 23:17; 24:1, 19.
2Like grass they wither quickly;
like green plants they wilt away.#Ps 90:5–6; 102:12; 103:15–16; Jb 14:2; Is 40:7.
Beth
3Trust in the Lord and do good
that you may dwell in the land#The land: the promised land, Israel, which became for later interpreters a type or figure of heaven, cf. Heb 11:9–10, 13–16. The New Testament Beatitudes (Mt 5:3–12; Lk 6:20–26) have been influenced by the Psalm, especially their total reversal of the present and their interpretation of the happy future as possession of the land. and live secure.#Ps 128:2.
4Find your delight in the Lord
who will give you your heart’s desire.#Prv 10:24.
Gimel
5Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will act#Ps 55:23; Prv 3:5; 16:3.
6And make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like noonday.#Wis 5:6; Is 58:10.
Daleth
7Be still before the Lord;
wait for him.
Do not be provoked by the prosperous,
nor by malicious schemers.
He
8Refrain from anger; abandon wrath;
do not be provoked; it brings only harm.
9Those who do evil will be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord will inherit the earth.#Ps 25:13; Prv 2:21; Is 57:13.
Waw
10Wait a little, and the wicked will be no more;
look for them and they will not be there.
11But the poor will inherit the earth,#Mt 5:4.
will delight in great prosperity.
Zayin
12The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13But my Lord laughs at them,#Ps 2:4; 59:9; Wis 4:18.
because he sees that their day is coming.
Heth
14The wicked unsheath their swords;
they string their bows
To fell the poor and oppressed,
to slaughter those whose way is upright.#Ps 11:2; 57:5; 64:4.
15Their swords will pierce their own hearts;
their bows will be broken.
Teth
16Better the meagerness of the righteous one
than the plenty of the wicked.#Prv 15:16; 16:8.
17The arms of the wicked will be broken,
while the Lord will sustain the righteous.
Yodh
18The Lord knows the days of the blameless;
their heritage lasts forever.
19They will not be ashamed when times are bad;
in days of famine they will be satisfied.
Kaph
20The wicked perish,
enemies of the Lord;
They shall be consumed like fattened lambs;
like smoke they disappear.#Wis 5:14.
Lamedh
21The wicked one borrows but does not repay;
the righteous one is generous and gives.
22For those blessed by the Lord will inherit the earth,
but those accursed will be cut off.
Mem
23The valiant one whose steps are guided by the Lord,
who will delight in his way,#Prv 20:24.
24May stumble, but he will never fall,
for the Lord holds his hand.
Nun
25Neither in my youth, nor now in old age
have I seen the righteous one abandoned#Jb 4:7; Sir 2:10.
or his offspring begging for bread.
26All day long he is gracious and lends,
and his offspring become a blessing.
Samekh
27Turn from evil and do good,
that you may be settled forever.#Ps 34:14–15; Am 5:14.
28For the Lord loves justice
and does not abandon the faithful.
Ayin
When the unjust are destroyed,
and the offspring of the wicked cut off,
29The righteous will inherit the earth
and dwell in it forever.#Ps 25:13; Prv 2:21; Is 57:13.
Pe
30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;#Prv 10:31.
his tongue speaks what is right.
31God’s teaching is in his heart;#Ps 40:9; Dt 6:6; Is 51:7; Jer 31:33.
his steps do not falter.
Sadhe
32The wicked spies on the righteous
and seeks to kill him.
33But the Lord does not abandon him in his power,
nor let him be condemned when tried.
Qoph
34Wait eagerly for the Lord,
and keep his way;#Ps 31:24.
He will raise you up to inherit the earth;
you will see when the wicked are cut off.
Resh
35I have seen a ruthless scoundrel,
spreading out like a green cedar.#Ps 92:8–9; Is 2:13; Ez 31:10–11.
36When I passed by again, he was gone;
though I searched, he could not be found.
Shin
37Observe the person of integrity and mark the upright;
Because there is a future for a man of peace.#Prv 23:18; 24:14.
38Sinners will be destroyed together;
the future of the wicked will be cut off.
Taw
39The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,
their refuge in a time of distress.#Ps 9:10; Is 25:4.
40The Lord helps and rescues them,
rescues and saves them from the wicked,
because they take refuge in him.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Psalm 37
37
He Will Not Forsake His Saints
# 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet Of David.
1 # ver. 7, 8; Prov. 24:19 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not #Ps. 73:3; Prov. 3:31; 23:17; 24:1, 19envious of wrongdoers!
2For they will soon #Job 14:2; See Job 27:13-23 fade like #Ps. 90:5, 6 the grass
and wither #Ps. 129:6like the green herb.
3 #
Ps. 62:8; 115:9-11; Prov. 3:5; Isa. 26:4 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
#
Lev. 26:5; Prov. 2:21 dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.#37:3 Or and feed on faithfulness, or and find safe pasture
4 #
Job 22:26; Isa. 58:14; [Phil. 3:1; 4:4] Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will #Matt. 6:33give you the desires of your heart.
5 #
Ps. 22:8; 55:22; Prov. 16:3; 1 Pet. 5:7 Commit your way to the Lord;
# [See ver. 3 above] trust in him, and he will act.
6 #
Isa. 58:8, 10; Mic. 7:9 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as #Job 11:17the noonday.
7 # [Ps. 62:1; Isa. 30:15; Lam. 3:26] Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
# ver. 1 fret not yourself over the one who #Jer. 12:1prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 # [Eph. 4:26] Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
# [See ver. 7 above] Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 # ver. 2, 22 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall #Ps. 25:13; Prov. 2:21; Isa. 57:13; 60:21inherit the land.
10In #Job 24:24 just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at #Job 7:10his place, he will not be there.
11But #Cited Matt. 5:5 the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in #Ps. 119:165; [Isa. 32:17]abundant peace.
12The wicked #Ps. 31:13 plots against the righteous
and #See Ps. 35:16gnashes his teeth at him,
13but the Lord #See Ps. 2:4 laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his #See Job 18:20day is coming.
14The wicked draw the sword and #Ps. 7:12 bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose #See Ps. 7:10way is upright;
15their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their #See 1 Sam. 2:4bows shall be broken.
16 #
Prov. 15:16; 16:8; [1 Tim. 6:6] Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17For #Ps. 10:15; Job 38:15; Ezek. 30:21, 22 the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord #ver. 24upholds the righteous.
18The Lord #See Ps. 1:6 knows the days of the blameless,
and their #ver. 9heritage will remain forever;
19they are not put to shame in evil times;
in #Ps. 33:19; Job 5:20the days of famine they have abundance.
20But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like #[Matt. 6:30; James 1:11] the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like #Ps. 68:2; 102:3; Hos. 13:3smoke they vanish away.
21The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous #ver. 26is generous and gives;
22for those blessed by the Lord#37:22 Hebrew by him shall #See ver. 9 inherit the land,
but those cursed by him #ver. 2shall be cut off.
23The #Ps. 25:12; 1 Sam. 2:9 steps of a man are #Ps. 40:2; 119:5established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
24 #
Prov. 24:16; Mic. 7:8; 2 Cor. 4:9 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord #ver. 17upholds his hand.
25I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children #[Ps. 109:10; Job 15:23]begging for bread.
26He is ever #Ps. 112:5, 9; Deut. 15:8, 10; Matt. 5:42; Luke 6:35lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27 # See Ps. 34:14 Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you #[Ps. 102:28]dwell forever.
28For the Lord #See Ps. 11:7 loves justice;
he will not forsake his #See Ps. 16:10 saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be #ver. 2, 9; Ps. 21:10; Prov. 2:22; Isa. 14:20cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land
and #[See ver. 27 above]dwell upon it forever.
30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 #
Ps. 40:8; 119:11; Deut. 6:6; Isa. 51:7; Jer. 31:33; [Rom. 7:22] The law of his God is in his heart;
his #[Ps. 73:2]steps do not slip.
32The wicked #Ps. 10:8watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33The Lord will not #[2 Pet. 2:9] abandon him to his power
or let him #Ps. 109:31be condemned when he is brought to trial.
34 # ver. 9; See Ps. 27:14 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on #Ps. 52:5, 6; 91:8when the wicked are cut off.
35 # See Job 5:3 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like #[Ps. 52:8]a green laurel tree.#37:35 The identity of this tree is uncertain
36But he passed away,#37:36 Or But one passed by and behold, #ver. 10; Job 20:5he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of #ver. 11; Ps. 119:165; Isa. 57:2peace.
38But #[Ps. 52:5; 104:35; Prov. 2:22] transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked #Ps. 73:17; Job 18:17shall be cut off.
39 # See Ps. 3:8 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in #Ps. 9:9the time of trouble.
40The Lord helps them and #[Isa. 31:5; Acts 12:11] delivers them;
# [1 Chr. 5:20; Dan. 3:17, 28; 6:23] he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they #See Ps. 11:1take refuge in him.
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