Psalms 37
37
Psalm 37#37:0 Psalm 37 is a poem in Hebrew alphabetical order.
By David.
1Do not be preoccupied with evildoers.
Do not envy those who do wicked things.
2They will quickly dry up like grass
and wither away like green plants.
3Trust the Lord, and do good things.
Live in the land, and practice being faithful.
4Be happy with the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5Entrust your ways to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will act ⌞on your behalf⌟.
6He will make your righteousness shine like a light,
your just cause like the noonday sun.
7Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him.
Do not be preoccupied with ⌞an evildoer⌟ who succeeds in his way
when he carries out his schemes.
8Let go of anger, and leave rage behind.
Do not be preoccupied.
It only leads to evil.
9Evildoers will be cut off ⌞from their inheritance⌟,
but those who wait with hope for the Lord will inherit the land.
10In a little while a wicked person will vanish.
Then you can carefully examine where he was,
but there will be no trace of him.
11Oppressed people will inherit the land
and will enjoy unlimited peace.
12The wicked person plots against a righteous one
and grits his teeth at him.
13The Lord laughs at him
because he has seen that his time is coming.
14Wicked people pull out their swords and bend their bows
to kill oppressed and needy people,
to slaughter those who are decent.
15 ⌞But⌟ their own swords will pierce their hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16The little that the righteous person has is better
than the wealth of many wicked people.
17The arms of wicked people will be broken,
but the Lord continues to support righteous people.
18The Lord knows the daily ⌞struggles⌟ of innocent people.
Their inheritance will last forever.
19They will not be put to shame in trying times.
Even in times of famine they will be satisfied.
20But wicked people will disappear.
The Lord’s enemies will vanish like the best part of a meadow.
They will vanish like smoke.
21A wicked person borrows, but he does not repay.
A righteous person is generous and giving.
22Those who are blessed by him will inherit the land.
Those who are cursed by him will be cut off.
23A person’s steps are directed by the Lord,
and the Lord delights in his way.
24When he falls, he will not be thrown down headfirst
because the Lord holds on to his hand.
25I have been young, and now I am old,
but I have never seen a righteous person abandoned
or his descendants begging for food.
26He is always generous and lends freely.
His descendants are a blessing.
27Avoid evil, do good, and live forever.
28The Lord loves justice,
and he will not abandon his godly ones.
They will be kept safe forever,
but the descendants of wicked people will be cut off.
29Righteous people will inherit the land
and live there permanently.
30The mouth of the righteous person reflects on wisdom.
His tongue speaks what is fair.
31The teachings of his God are in his heart.
His feet do not slip.
32The wicked person watches the righteous person
and seeks to kill him.
33But the Lord will not abandon him to the wicked person’s power
or condemn him when he is brought to trial.
34Wait with hope for the Lord, and follow his path,
and he will honor you by giving you the land.
When wicked people are cut off, you will see it.
35I have seen a wicked person ⌞acting like⌟ a tyrant,
spreading himself out like a large cedar tree.
36But he moved on, and now there is no trace of him.
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37Notice the innocent person,
and look at the decent person,
because the peacemaker has a future.
38But rebels will be completely destroyed.
The future of wicked people will be cut off.
39The victory for righteous people comes from the Lord.
He is their fortress in times of trouble.
40The Lord helps them and rescues them.
He rescues them from wicked people.
He saves them because they have taken refuge in him.
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Psalms 37: GW
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
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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