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Psalm 37
International Standard Version

Davidic[a]

Patiently Trust in God

37 Don’t be angry because of those who do evil,
    do not be jealous because of those who commit iniquity.
2 Indeed, they soon will wither like grass,
    and like green herbs they will fade away.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
    Dwell in the land and feed on faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    Trust him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as a light,
    and your justice as the noonday sun.[b]

7 Be silent in the Lord’s presence
    and wait patiently for him.
Don’t be angry because of the one whose way prospers
    or the one who implements evil schemes.
8 Calm your anger and abandon wrath.
    Don’t be angry—
        it only leads to evil.
9 Those who do evil will perish.
    But those who wait[c] on the Lord will inherit the land.

10 Yet a little while longer,
    and the wicked will be no more.
You will search for his place,
    but he will not be there.
11 The humble will inherit the land;
    they will take in abundant peace.
12 The wicked person plots against the righteous,
    and grinds his teeth at him.
13 But the Lord laughs at him
    because he sees that his day is coming!

14 The wicked take out a sword and bend the bow,
    to bring down the humble and the poor
        to slay those who are righteous in conduct.
15 But their sword will pierce their own heart,
    and their bows will be broken!

16 Better is the little that the righteous have
    than the abundance of many wicked people.
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18 The Lord knows the day of the blameless,
    and their inheritance will last forever.
19 They will not experience shame in times of trouble;
    in times of famine they will have plenty.

20 Indeed, the wicked will perish.
    The Lord’s enemies will be consumed like flowers[d] in the fields.
        They will vanish like[e] smoke.
21 The wicked borrow but never pay back;
    but the righteous are generous and give.
22 For those blessed by God[f] will inherit the land,
    but those cursed by him will be cut off.

23 A man’s steps are established by the Lord,
    and the Lord[g] delights in his way.
24 Though he stumbles,
    he will not fall down flat,
        for the Lord will hold up his hand.

25 I once was young and now I am old,
    but I have not seen a righteous person forsaken
        or his descendants begging for bread.
26 Every day he is generous, lending freely,
    and his descendants are blessed.

27 Depart from evil, and do good,
    and you will live in the land[h] forever.
28 Indeed, the Lord loves justice,
    and he will not abandon his godly ones.
They are kept safe forever,
    but the lawless will be chased away,[i]
        and the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.

29 The righteous will inherit the land,
    and they will dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous one produces wisdom;
    his tongue speaks justice.
31 The instruction[j] of his God is in his heart;
    his steps will not slip.

32 The wicked stalks the righteous person, seeking to kill him,
33 but the Lord will not let him fall into his hands.
        He will not be condemned when he is put on trial.
34 Wait on the Lord,
    Keep faithful to his way,
        and he will exalt you to possess the land.
You will see the wicked cut off.

35 I once observed a wicked and oppressive person,
    flourishing like a green tree in native soil.
36 But then he[k] passed away;[l]
    in fact, he simply was not there.
When I looked for him,
    he could not be found.

37 Observe the blameless!
    Take note of the upright!
        Indeed, the future of that man is peace.
38 Sinners will be destroyed together;
    the future of the wicked will be cut off.
39 But deliverance for the righteous one comes from the Lord;
    he is their strength in times of distress.
40 The Lord helps and delivers them;
    he will deliver them from the wicked,
        and he will save them because they have sought refuge in him.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 37:1 This acrostic psalm begins each verse with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet
  2. Psalm 37:6 The Heb. lacks sun
  3. Psalm 37:9 I.e. trust
  4. Psalm 37:20 Lit. like glorious things
  5. Psalm 37:20 So LXX DSS 4QpPsa; MT reads in
  6. Psalm 37:22 Lit. him
  7. Psalm 37:23 Lit. he
  8. Psalm 37:27 The Heb. lacks in the land
  9. Psalm 37:28 So LXX DSS 4QpPsa; the Heb. lacks this line
  10. Psalm 37:31 Or law
  11. Psalm 37:36 So MT; LXX 4QpPsa read I
  12. Psalm 37:36 So MT; LXX reads I passed by; Syr Hieronymus DSS 4QpPsa read I passed by in front of him
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Psalm 37
New International Version

Psalm 37[a]

Of David.

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious(A) of those who do wrong;(B)
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,(C)
    like green plants they will soon die away.(D)

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land(E) and enjoy safe pasture.(F)
4 Take delight(G) in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.(H)

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him(I) and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward(J) shine like the dawn,(K)
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still(L) before the Lord
    and wait patiently(M) for him;
do not fret(N) when people succeed in their ways,(O)
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.(P)

8 Refrain from anger(Q) and turn from wrath;
    do not fret(R)—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,(S)
    but those who hope(T) in the Lord will inherit the land.(U)

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;(V)
    though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land(W)
    and enjoy peace and prosperity.(X)

12 The wicked plot(Y) against the righteous
    and gnash their teeth(Z) at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he knows their day is coming.(AA)

14 The wicked draw the sword(AB)
    and bend the bow(AC)
to bring down the poor and needy,(AD)
    to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,(AE)
    and their bows will be broken.(AF)

16 Better the little that the righteous have
    than the wealth(AG) of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,(AH)
    but the Lord upholds(AI) the righteous.

18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,(AJ)
    and their inheritance will endure forever.(AK)
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
    in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:(AL)
    Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
    they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.(AM)

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
    but the righteous give generously;(AN)
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
    but those he curses(AO) will be destroyed.(AP)

23 The Lord makes firm the steps(AQ)
    of the one who delights(AR) in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,(AS)
    for the Lord upholds(AT) him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old,
    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken(AU)
    or their children begging(AV) bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;(AW)
    their children will be a blessing.[b](AX)

27 Turn from evil and do good;(AY)
    then you will dwell in the land forever.(AZ)
28 For the Lord loves the just
    and will not forsake his faithful ones.(BA)

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed[c];
    the offspring of the wicked will perish.(BB)
29 The righteous will inherit the land(BC)
    and dwell in it forever.(BD)

30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,(BE)
    and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;(BF)
    their feet do not slip.(BG)

32 The wicked lie in wait(BH) for the righteous,(BI)
    intent on putting them to death;
33 but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
    or let them be condemned(BJ) when brought to trial.(BK)

34 Hope in the Lord(BL)
    and keep his way.(BM)
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
    when the wicked are destroyed,(BN) you will see(BO) it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
    flourishing(BP) like a luxuriant native tree,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
    though I looked for him, he could not be found.(BQ)

37 Consider the blameless,(BR) observe the upright;(BS)
    a future awaits those who seek peace.[d](BT)
38 But all sinners(BU) will be destroyed;(BV)
    there will be no future[e] for the wicked.(BW)

39 The salvation(BX) of the righteous comes from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.(BY)
40 The Lord helps(BZ) them and delivers(CA) them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves(CB) them,
    because they take refuge(CC) in him.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  2. Psalm 37:26 Or freely; / the names of their children will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or freely; / others will see that their children are blessed
  3. Psalm 37:28 See Septuagint; Hebrew They will be protected forever
  4. Psalm 37:37 Or upright; / those who seek peace will have posterity
  5. Psalm 37:38 Or posterity
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