Psalms 37
37
God Will Reward Fairly
Of David.
1Don’t be upset because of evil people.
Don’t be jealous of those who do wrong.
2Like the grass, they will soon dry up.
Like green plants, they will soon die away.
3Trust the Lord and do good.
Live in the land and enjoy its safety.
4Enjoy serving the Lord.
And he will give you what you want.
5Depend on the Lord.
Trust him, and he will take care of you.
6Then your goodness will shine like the sun.
Your fairness will shine like the noonday sun.
7Wait and trust the Lord.
Don’t be upset when others get rich
or when someone else’s plans succeed.
8Don’t get angry.
Don’t be upset; it only leads to trouble.
9Evil people will be sent away.
But people who trust the Lord will inherit the land.
10In a little while there will be no more wicked people.
You may look for them, but they will be gone.
11People who are not proud will inherit the land.
They will enjoy complete peace.
12The wicked make evil plans against good people.
They grind their teeth at them in anger.
13But the Lord laughs at the wicked.
He sees that their day is coming.
14The wicked draw their swords.
They bend their bows.
They try to kill the poor and helpless.
They want to kill those who are honest.
15But their swords will stab their own hearts.
Their bows will break.
16It’s better to have little and be right
than to have much and be wrong.
17The power of the wicked will be broken.
But the Lord supports those who do right.
18The Lord watches over the lives of the innocent.
Their reward will last forever.
19They will not be ashamed when trouble comes.
They will be full in times of hunger.
20But the wicked will die.
The Lord’s enemies will be like the flowers of the fields.
They will disappear like smoke.
21The wicked people borrow but don’t pay back.
But those who do right give freely to others.
22Those people the Lord blesses will inherit the land.
But those he curses will be sent away.
23When a man’s steps follow the Lord,
God is pleased with his ways.
24If he stumbles, he will not fall,
because the Lord holds his hand.
25I was young, and now I am old.
But I have never seen the Lord leave good people helpless.
I have never seen their children begging for food.
26Good people always lend freely to others.
And their children are a blessing.
27Stop doing evil and do good.
Then you will live forever.
28The Lord loves justice.
He will not leave those who worship him.
He will always protect them.
But the children of the wicked will die.
29Good people will inherit the land.
They will live in it forever.
30A good person speaks with wisdom.
He says what is fair.
31The teachings of his God are in his heart.
He does not fail to keep them.
32The wicked watch for good people.
They want to kill them.
33The Lord will not take away his protection.
He will not judge good people guilty.
34Wait for the Lord’s help
and follow him.
He will honor you and give you the land.
And you will see the wicked people sent away.
35I saw a wicked and cruel man.
He looked strong like a healthy tree in good soil.
36But he died and was gone.
I looked for him, but he couldn’t be found.
37Think of the innocent person.
Watch the honest one.
The man who has peace
will have children to live after him.
38But sinners will be destroyed.
In the end the wicked will die.
39The Lord saves good people.
He is their strong city in times of trouble.
40The Lord helps them and saves them.
He saves them from the wicked
because they trust in him for protection.
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Psalms 37: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Psalms 37
37
A Song of Wisdom
Poetic praise by King David # 37 Psalm 37 is an acrostic psalm, in which every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
1Don’t follow after the wicked ones or be jealous of their wealth.
Don’t think for a moment they’re better off than you.
2They and their short-lived success
will soon shrivel up and quickly fade away,
like grass clippings in the hot sun.
3Keep trusting in the Lord and do what is right in his eyes.
Fix your heart on the promises of God, and you will dwell in the land,
feasting on his faithfulness.
4Find your delight # 37:4 The word delight means “to be soft or tender.” and true pleasure in Yahweh,
and he will give you what you desire the most.
5Give # 37:5 The Hebrew word used here can be translated “commit,” which means “to roll over your burdens on the Lord.” God the right to direct your life,
and as you trust him along the way,
you’ll find he pulled it off perfectly!
6He will appear # 37:6 The Hebrew verb found here is also used for giving birth. Perhaps this is a reference to the birth of Christ, our righteousness. as your righteousness,
as sure as the dawning of a new day.
He will manifest as your justice,
as sure and strong as the noonday sun.
7Quiet your heart in his presence
and wait # 37:7 The root word of the word for “wait” can mean “to whirl” or “to be in labor [give birth].” What an unusual concept for waiting on God. We may feel like we’re being whirled around by our circumstances, but in the end, our season of waiting gives birth to greater things. patiently for Yahweh.
And don’t think for a moment that the wicked, in their prosperity,
are better off than you.
8Stay away from anger and revenge.
Keep envy far from you, for it only leads you into lies.
9For one day the wicked will be destroyed,
but those who trust in the Lord
will inherit the land.
10Just a little while longer and the ungodly will vanish;
you will look for them in vain.
11But the humble of heart will inherit every promise # 37:11 See Matt. 5:5.
and enjoy abundant peace.
12Let the wicked keep plotting against the godly
with all their sneers and arrogant jeers.
13God laughs at the wicked and their plans,
for he knows their day is coming!
14Evil ones take aim at the poor and helpless;
they are ready to slaughter those who do right.
15But the Lord will turn all their weapons of wickedness back on themselves,
piercing their pride-filled hearts until they are helpless.
16It is much better to have little
combined with much of God
than to have the fabulous wealth of the wicked and nothing else.
17For the Lord takes care of all his forgiven ones
while the strength of evil men will surely slip away.
18Day by day the Lord watches the good deeds of the godly,
and he prepares for them his forever-reward.
19Even in a time of disaster he will watch over them,
and they will always have more than enough
no matter what happens.
20All the enemies of God will perish.
For the wicked have only a momentary value, a fading glory.
Then one day they vanish! Here today, gone tomorrow.
21They break their promises, borrowing money
but never paying it back.
The good man returns what he owes with some extra besides.
22Yahweh’s blessed ones receive the land,
but the cursed ones will be cut off
with nothing to show for themselves.
23When Yahweh delights in how you live your life,
he establishes your every step.
24If they stumble badly they will still survive,
for the Lord lifts them up with his hands.
25I was once inexperienced, # 37:25 Or “immature.” The Hebrew word na’ar has a homonym that means “to be driven out,” which may be a reference to David being driven out of Jerusalem by Absalom. but now I’m old.
Not once have I found a lover of God forsaken by him,
nor have any of their children gone hungry.
26Instead, I’ve found the godly ones
to be the generous ones who give freely to others.
Their children are blessed and become a blessing.
27If you truly want to dwell forever in God’s presence,
forsake evil and do what is right in his eyes.
28The Lord loves it when he sees us walking in his justice.
He will never desert his devoted lovers;
they will be kept forever in his faithful care,
but the descendants of the wicked will be banished.
29The faithful lovers of God will inherit the earth
and enjoy every promise of God’s care,
dwelling in peace forever.
30God-lovers make the best counselors.
Their words possess wisdom and are right and trustworthy.
31The ways of God are in their hearts
and they won’t swerve from the paths of steadfast righteousness.
32Evil ones spy on the godly ones, stalking them
to find something they could use to accuse them.
They’re out for the kill!
33But God will foil all their plots.
The godly will not stand condemned when brought to trial.
34So don’t be impatient for Yahweh to act;
keep moving forward steadily in his ways,
and he will exalt you to possess the land.
You’ll watch with your own eyes
and see the wicked lose everything.
35I’ve already seen this happen.
Once I saw a wicked and violent man
overpower all who were around him,
a domineering tyrant with his prideful and oppressive ways.
36Then he died and was forgotten.
Now no one cares that he is gone forever.
37But you can tell who are the blameless and spiritually mature.
What a different story with them!
The godly ones will have a peaceful, prosperous future
with a happy ending.
38Every evil sinner will be destroyed, obliterated.
They’ll be utter failures with no future!
39But the Lord will be the Savior of all who love him.
Even in their time of trouble, God will live in them as strength.
40Because of their faith in him, their daily portion will be
a Father’s help and deliverance from evil.
This is true for all who turn to hide themselves in him!
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