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
Psalm 37
Instruction in Wisdom
Of David.
1Do not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.#Ps 73:3; Pr 3:31; 23:17; 24:19
2For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender green plants.#Ps 92:7; 129:6; Jms 1:11
3Trust in the Lord and do what is good;#Ps 62:8
dwell in the land and live securely.#37:3 Or and cultivate faithfulness, or and befriend faithfulness#Pr 2:21
4Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.#Ps 21:2; 145:19; Is 58:14
5Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act,#Ps 55:22; Pr 16:3; 1Pt 5:7
6making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.#Ps 97:11; Is 58:8,10
7Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him;#Ps 40:1; Lm 3:26
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the person who carries out evil plans.#Jr 12:1
8Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated — it can only bring harm.#Eph 4:31; Col 3:8
9For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.#Pr 2:21; Is 57:13; 60:21
10A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;
though you look for him, he will not be there.#Jb 7:10; 24:24; Ps 37:35–36
11But the humble will inherit the land#Mt 5:5
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.#Ps 72:7
12The wicked person schemes against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.#Ps 31:13,20; 35:16
13The Lord laughs at him#Ps 2:4; 59:8; Hab 1:10
because he sees that his day is coming.#1Sm 26:10
14The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the#37:14 Lit their bow
to bring down the poor and needy
and to slaughter those whose way is upright.#Ps 11:2; Lm 2:4
15Their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.#1Sm 2:4; Ps 46:9
16The little that the righteous person has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.#Pr 15:16; 16:8
17For the arms of the wicked will be broken,#Ps 10:15
but the Lord supports the righteous.#Ps 145:14
18The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,
and their inheritance will last forever.#Ps 1:6
19They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;
they will be satisfied in days of hunger.#Jb 5:20; Ps 33:19
20But the wicked will perish;
the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,
will fade away —
they will fade away like smoke.#Ps 68:2; Hs 13:3
21The wicked person borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.#Ps 112:5,9
22Those who are blessed by the Lord will inherit the land,
but those cursed by him will be destroyed.#Pr 3:33
23A person’s steps are established by the Lord,
and he takes pleasure in his way.#1Sm 2:9; Ps 66:9
24Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
because the Lord supports him with his hand.#Ps 145:14; Pr 24:16; Mc 7:8
25I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.#Pr 10:3; Is 41:17
26He is always generous, always lending,
and his children are a blessing.#Dt 15:8; Ps 112:5,9; Mt 5:42
27Turn away from evil, do what is good,
and settle permanently.#Ps 34:14; 102:28
28For the Lord loves justice
and will not abandon his faithful ones.#Dt 31:6; Heb 13:5
They are kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.#Ps 21:10; Pr 2:22
29The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it permanently.#Pr 2:21; Is 60:21
30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.#Ps 49:3; 119:13; Pr 10:13
31The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.#Dt 6:6; Ps 40:8; 119:11
32The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and intends to kill him;#Ps 10:8; 17:11
33the Lord will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.#Ps 34:22; 109:31; 2Pt 2:9
34Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.#Ps 27:14; 52:5–6; 91:8
35I have seen a wicked, violent person
well-rooted,#37:35 Hb obscure like a flourishing native tree.#Jb 5:3; Jr 12:2
36Then I#37:36 LXX, Syr, Vg, Jer; MT reads he passed by and noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.#Jb 20:5
37Watch the blameless and observe the upright,
for the person of peace will have a future.#37:37 Or posterity, also in v. 38#Is 57:1–2
38But transgressors will all be eliminated;
the future of the wicked will be destroyed.#Ps 1:4–6; Pr 2:22
39The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,
their refuge in a time of distress.#Ps 3:8; 9:9; 62:1
40The Lord helps and delivers them;
he will deliver them from the wicked and will save them
because they take refuge in him.#Ps 22:4; 34:22; 54:4
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