Psalms 37
37
PSALM 37
Common Meter: 8,6,8,6
A Psalm of David.
1For evil-doers fret thou not
thyself unquietly;
Nor do thou envy bear to those
that work iniquity.
2For, even like unto the grass,
soon be cut down shall they;
And, like the green and tender herb,
they wither shall away.
3Set thou thy trust upon the Lord,
and be thou doing good;
And so thou in the land shalt dwell,
and verily have food.
4Delight thyself in God; he'll give
thine heart's desire to thee.
5Thy way to God commit, him trust,
it bring to pass shall he.
6And, like unto the light, he shall
thy righteousness display;
And he thy judgment shall bring forth
like noon-tide of the day.
7Rest in the Lord, and patiently
wait for him: do not fref
For him who, prosp'ring in his way,
success in sin doth get.
8Do thou from anger cease, and wrath
see thou forsake also:
Fret not thyself in any wise,
that evil thou should'st do.
9For those that evil doers are
shall be cut off and fall:
But those that wait upon the Lord
the earth inherit shall.
10For yet a little while, and then
the wicked shall not be;
His place thou shalt consider well,
but it thou shalt not see.
11But by inheritance the earth
the meek ones shall possess:
They also shall delight themselves
in an abundant peace.
12The wicked plots against the just,
and at him whets his teeth:
13The Lord shall laugh at him, because
his day he coming seeth.
14The wicked have drawn out the sword,
and bent their bow, to slay
The poor and needy, and to kill
men of an upright way.
15But their own sword, which they have drawn,
shall enter their own heart:
Their bows which they have bent shall break,
and into pieces part.
16A little that a just man hath
is more and better far
Than is the wealth of many such
as lewd and wicked are.
17For sinners' arms shall broken be;
but God the just sustains.
18God knows the just man's days, and still
their heritage remains.
19They shall not be asham'd when they
the evil time do see;
And when the days of famine are,
they satisfy'd shall be.
20But wicked men, and foes of God,
as fat of lambs, decay;
They shall consume, yea, into smoke
they shall consume away.
21The wicked borrows, but the same
again he doth not pay;
Whereas the righteous mercy shews,
and gives his own away.
22For such as blessed be of him
the earth inherit shall;
And they that cursed are of him
shall be destroyed all.
23A good man's footsteps by the Lord
are ordered aright;
And in the way wherein he walks
he greatly doth delight.
24Although he fall, yet shall he not
be cast down utterly;
Because the Lord with his own hand
upholds him mightily.
25I have been young, and now am old,
yet have I never seen
The just man left, nor that his seed
for bread have beggars been.
26He's ever merciful, and lends:
his seed is bless'd therefore.
27Depart from evil, and do good,
and dwell for evermore.
28For God loves judgment, and his saints
leaves not in any case;
They are kept ever: but cut off
shall be the sinner's race.
29The just inherit shall the land,
and ever in it dwell:
30The just man's mouth doth wisdom speak;
his tongue doth judgment tell.
31In's heart the law is of his God,
his steps slide not away.
32The wicked man doth watch the just,
and seeketh him to slay.
33Yet him the Lord will not forsake,
nor leave him in his hands:
The righteous will he not condemn,
when he in judgment stands.
34Wait on the Lord, and keep his way,
and thee exalt shall he
Th' earth to inherit; when cut off
the wicked thou shalt see.
35I saw the wicked great in pow'r,
spread like a green bay-tree:
36He pass'd, yea, was not; him I sought,
but found he could not be.
37Mark thou the perfect, and behold
the man of uprightness;
Because that surely of this man
the latter end is peace.
38But those men that transgressors are
shall be destroy'd together;
The latter end of wicked men
shall be cut off for ever.
39But the salvation of the just
is from the Lord above;
He in the time of their distress
their stay and strength doth prove.
40The Lord shall help, and them deliver:
he shall them free and save
From wicked men; because in him
their confidence they have.
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Psalms 37: MP1650
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Psalms 37
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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