37:1 [A Psalm of David.]
Do not get upset because of evildoers,
Do not be envious of wrongdoers.
37:2 For they will wither quickly like the grass,
And decay like the green plants.
37:3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
Live in the land and ①cultivate faithfulness.
▷ ①Or feed securely; or feed on His faithfulness
37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
37:5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
37:6 He will bring out your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment as the noonday.
37:7 ①Rest in the LORD and wait ②patiently for Him;
Do not get upset because of one who is successful in his way,
Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes.
▷ ①Or Be still ②Or longingly
37:8 Cease from anger and abandon wrath;
Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing.
37:9 For evildoers will be eliminated,
But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
37:10 Yet a little while and the wicked person will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
37:11 But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
37:12 The wicked plots against the righteous,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
37:13 The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
37:14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To take down the afflicted and the needy,
To kill off those who are upright in conduct.
37:15 Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their bows will be broken.
37:16 Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
37:17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the LORD sustains the righteous.
37:18 The LORD knows the days of the ①blameless,
And their inheritance will be forever.
▷ ①Lit complete; or perfect
37:19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will have plenty.
37:20 But the wicked will perish;
And the enemies of the LORD will be like the ①glory of the pastures,
They vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
▷ ①I.e., flowers
37:21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous is gracious and gives.
37:22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land,
But those cursed by Him will be eliminated.
37:23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
37:24 When he falls, he will not be hurled down,
Because the LORD is the One ①who holds his hand.
▷ ①Or who sustains him with His hand
37:25 I have been young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or his ①descendants begging for bread.
▷ ①Lit seed
37:26 All day long he is gracious and lends,
And his ①descendants are a blessing.
▷ ①Lit seed
37:27 Turn from evil and do good,
So that you will dwell forever.
37:28 For the LORD loves ①justice
And does not abandon His godly ones;
They are protected forever,
But the ②descendants of the wicked will be eliminated.
▷ ①Lit judgment ②Lit seed
37:29 The righteous will inherit the land
And dwell in it forever.
37:30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
And his tongue speaks justice.
37:31 The Law of his God is in his heart;
His steps do not slip.
37:32 The wicked spies upon the righteous
And seeks to kill him.
37:33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand
Or let him be condemned when he is judged.
37:34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are eliminated, you will see it.
37:35 I have seen a wicked, violent person
Spreading himself like a luxuriant ①tree in its native soil.
▷ ①Lit native; Heb obscure
37:36 Then he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37:37 Observe the ①blameless person, and look at the upright;
For the person of peace will have a future.
▷ ①Lit complete; or perfect
37:38 But wrongdoers will altogether be destroyed;
The future of the wicked will be eliminated.
37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
He is their strength in time of trouble.
37:40 The LORD helps them and rescues them;
He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they take refuge in Him.