Psalms 37
37
The Protection of the Righteous and the Destruction of the Wicked
Of David.#The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm
1Do not fret because of evildoers;
do not be envious of doers of wickedness.
2For like the grass they will dry up quickly,
and like green vegetation they will wither.
3Trust Yahweh and do good.
Abide in the land and feed on faithfulness.#That is, God’s faithfulness
4Take pleasure in Yahweh as well,
and he will give to you the requests of your heart.
5Commit to#Literally “Roll upon” Yahweh your way;
Trust also on him and he will act.
6Then he will bring forth your righteousness like the light,
and your justice like the noonday.
7Be quiet before Yahweh and wait for him.
Do not fret about one who succeeds in his way,
about a man making plots.
8Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
Do not fret; it only brings evil.
9For evildoers will be cut off,
but those who wait for Yahweh—
they will possess the land.
10And#Or “But” yet a little while and the wicked will not be,
and you will look carefully upon his place, but he will not be.
11But the afflicted will possess the land,
and they will take pleasure in an abundance of peace.
12The wicked plans evil against the righteous,
and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13The Lord laughs at him,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow
to throw down the poor and the needy,
to kill those upright in their way.
15Their sword will enter into their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16The little belonging to the righteous is better
than the wealth of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but Yahweh supports the righteous.
18Yahweh knows the days of the blameless,
and their inheritance will be forever.
19They will not be put to shame in distressing times,#Hebrew “time”
and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.
20But the wicked will perish,
and the enemies of Yahweh will be like the splendor of the pastures.
They vanish; in smoke they vanish.
21The wicked borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous is gracious and gives.
22For those blessed by him shall possess the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23The steps of a man are established by Yahweh,
and he takes pleasure in his way.
24Though he fall, he will not be cast headlong,
for Yahweh supports him with his hand.
25I was a youth, but I am now old;
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for#Literally “searching” bread.
26All the day he is gracious and lends,
and his children are a blessing.
27Turn aside from evil and do good
and so abide forever.
28For Yahweh loves justice
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They are protected forever.
But the children of the wicked will be cut off.
29The righteous will possess the land
and abide in it forever.
30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31The law of his God is in his heart.
His steps will not slip.
32The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to kill him.
33Yahweh will not abandon him into his hand,
and he will not let him be condemned when he is judged.
34Wait for Yahweh and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to possess the land.
When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35I have seen the wicked acting violently
and spreading himself out
like a luxuriant native tree.
36Then he passed on#Dead Sea Scrolls and the versions read “I passed by” and behold, he was not.
And I sought him, but he could not be found.
37Observe the blameless and look at the upright,
for there is a future for a man of peace.
38But transgressors shall be destroyed altogether.
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39And#Some manuscripts omit “and,” preserving the acrostic the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh,
their refuge in the time of trouble.
40And Yahweh helps them and he rescues them.
He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
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Psalms 37
37
(By David.)
Trust the Lord
1Don't be annoyed by anyone
who does wrong,
and don't envy them.
2They will soon disappear
like grass without rain.
3Trust the Lord and live right!
The land will be yours,
and you will be safe.
4Do what the Lord wants,
and he will give you
your heart's desire.
5Let the Lord lead you
and trust him to help.
6Then it will be as clear
as the noonday sun
that you were right.
7Be patient and trust the Lord.
Don't let it bother you
when all goes well for those
who do sinful things.
8Don't be angry or furious.
Anger can lead to sin.
9All sinners will disappear,
but if you trust the Lord,
the land will be yours.
10Sinners will soon disappear,
never to be found,
11 #
Mt 5.5. but the poor will take the land
and enjoy a big harvest.
12Merciless people make plots
against good people
and snarl like animals,
13but the Lord laughs and knows
their time is coming soon.
14The wicked kill with swords
and shoot arrows to murder
the poor and the needy
and all who do right.
15But they will be killed
by their own swords,
and their arrows
will be broken.
16It is better to live right
and be poor
than to be sinful and rich.
17The wicked will lose all
of their power,
but the Lord gives strength
to everyone who is good.
18Those who obey the Lord
are daily in his care,
and what he has given them
will be theirs forever.
19They won't be in trouble
when times are bad,
and they will have plenty
when food is scarce.
20Wicked people are enemies
of the Lord
and will vanish like smoke
from a field on fire.
21An evil person borrows
and never pays back;
a good person is generous
and never stops giving.
22Everyone the Lord blesses
will receive the land;
everyone the Lord curses
will be destroyed.
23If you do what the Lord wants,
he will make certain
each step you take is sure.
24The Lord will hold your hand,
and if you stumble,
you still won't fall.
25As long as I can remember,
good people have never
been left helpless,
and their children have never
gone begging for food.
26They gladly give and lend,
and their children
turn out good.
27If you stop sinning
and start doing right,
you will keep living
and be secure forever.
28The Lord loves justice,
and he won't ever desert
his faithful people.
He always protects them,
but destroys the children
of the wicked.
29God's people will own the land
and live here forever.
30Words of wisdom come
when good people speak
for justice.
31They remember God's teachings,
and they never take
a wrong step.
32The wicked try to trap
and kill good people,
33but the Lord is on their side,
and he will defend them
when they are on trial.
34Trust the Lord and follow him.
He will give you the land,
and you will see
the wicked destroyed.
35I have seen brutal people
abuse others and grow strong
like trees in rich soil.#37.35 like … soil: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
36Suddenly they disappeared!
I looked, but they were gone
and no longer there.
37Think of the bright future
waiting for all the families
of honest, innocent,
and peace-loving people.
38But not a trace will be left
of the wicked
or their families.
39The Lord protects his people,
and they can come to him
in times of trouble.
40The Lord helps his people
and saves them from the wicked
because they run to him.
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