Psalms 37
37
PSALM 37
A Psalm of David.
1Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, and be not envious of them that work unrighteousness; 2for they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and fade as the green herb. 3Confide in Jehovah, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on faithfulness; 4and delight thyself in Jehovah, and he will give thee the desires of thy heart. 5Commit thy way unto Jehovah, and rely upon him: he will bring it to pass; 6and he will bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way, because of the man that bringeth mischievous devices to pass. 8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; fret not thyself: it would be only to do evil. 9For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait on Jehovah, they shall possess the land. 10For yet a little while, and the wicked is not; and thou considerest his place, but he is not. 11But the meek shall possess the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of prosperity. 12The wicked plotteth against the righteous, and gnasheth his teeth against him. 13The Lord laugheth at him; for he seeth that his day is coming. 14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the afflicted and needy, to slay those that are upright in the way: 15their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16The little that the righteous hath is better than the abundance of many wicked; 17for the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Jehovah upholdeth the righteous. 18Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; and their inheritance shall be for ever: 19they shall not be ashamed in the time of evil, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume, like smoke shall they consume away.
21The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; but the righteous is gracious and giveth: 22for those blessed of him shall possess the land, and they that are cursed of him shall be cut off. 23The steps of a man are established by Jehovah, and he delighteth in his way: 24though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for Jehovah upholdeth his hand. 25I have been young, and now am old, and I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread: 26all the day he is gracious and lendeth, and his seed shall be a blessing. 27Depart from evil, and do good, and dwell for evermore; 28for Jehovah loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints: They are preserved for ever; but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. 29The righteous shall possess the land, and dwell therein for ever. 30The mouth of the righteous proffereth wisdom, and his tongue speaketh judgment; 31the law of his God#GodHebrew: Elohim is in his heart; his goings shall not slide. 32The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him: 33Jehovah will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, and he will exalt thee to possess the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. 35I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading like a green tree in its native soil: 36but he passed away, and behold, he was not; and I sought him, but he was not found. 37Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace; 38but the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39But the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah: he is their strength in the time of trouble. 40And Jehovah will help them and deliver them: he will deliver them from the wicked, and save them; for they trust in him.
Currently Selected:
Psalms 37: DARBY
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
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!
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Passion Translation® is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Learn More About The Passion Translation