Psalms 37
37
By David.
1Don’t fret because of evildoers,
neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.
2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
3Trust in Yahweh, and do good.
Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
4Also delight yourself in Yahweh,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to Yahweh.
Trust also in him, and he will do this:
6he will make your righteousness shine out like light,
and your justice as the noon day sun.
7Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him.
Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way,
because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.
8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.
Don’t fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9For evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land.
10For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more.
Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there.
11But the humble shall inherit the land,
and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12The wicked plots against the just,
and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13The Lord will laugh at him,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,
to cast down the poor and needy,
to kill those who are upright on the path.
15Their sword shall enter into their own heart.
Their bows shall be broken.
16Better is a little that the righteous has,
than the abundance of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but Yahweh upholds the righteous.
18Yahweh knows the days of the perfect.
Their inheritance shall be forever.
19They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil.
In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20But the wicked shall perish.
The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields.
They will vanish—
vanish like smoke.
21The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back,
but the righteous give generously.
22For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land.
Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.
23A man’s steps are established by Yahweh.
He delights in his way.
24Though he stumble, he shall not fall,
for Yahweh holds him up with his hand.
25I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his children begging for bread.
26All day long he deals graciously, and lends.
His offspring is blessed.
27Depart from evil, and do good.
Live securely forever.
28For Yahweh loves justice,
and doesn’t forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it forever.
30The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom.
His tongue speaks justice.
31The law of his God is in his heart.
None of his steps shall slide.
32The wicked watch the righteous,
and seek to kill him.
33Yahweh will not leave him in his hand,
nor condemn him when he is judged.
34Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35I have seen the wicked in great power,
spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
36But he passed away, and behold, he was not.
Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37Mark the perfect man, and see the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together.
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh.
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40Yahweh helps them and rescues them.
He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
because they have taken refuge in him.
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Psalms 37: WEBUS
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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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