Psalm 37

Holman Christian Standard Bible

³ Trust in the Lord and do what is good;^(C)
dwell in the land and live securely.^[b](D)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and He will give you your heart’s desires.^(E)

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him, and He will act,^(F)
6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.^(G)

⁷ Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him;^(H)
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the man who carries out evil plans.^(I)

⁸ Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.^(J)
9 For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.^[c](K)

¹⁰ A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;
though you look for him, he will not be there.^(L)
11 But the humble will inherit the land^[d](M)
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.^(N)

¹² The wicked person schemes against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.^(O)
13 The Lord laughs at him^(P)
because He sees that his day is coming.^(Q)

¹⁴ The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the^[e] bow
to bring down the afflicted and needy
and to slaughter those whose way is upright.^(R)
15 Their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.^(S)

¹⁶ The little that the righteous man has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.^(T)
17 For the arms^[f] of the wicked will be broken,^(U)
but the Lord supports the righteous.^(V)

¹⁸ The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,
and their inheritance will last forever.^(W)
19 They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;
they will be satisfied in days of hunger.^(X)

²⁰ But the wicked will perish;
the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,
will fade away—
they will fade away like smoke.^(Y)

²¹ The wicked man borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.^(Z)
22 Those who are blessed by Him will inherit the land,^[g]
but those cursed by Him will be destroyed.^(AA)

²³ A man’s steps are established by the Lord,
and He takes pleasure in his way.^(AB)
24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
because the Lord holds his hand.^[h](AC)

²⁵ I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.^(AD)
26 He is always generous, always lending,
and his children are a blessing.^(AE)

²⁷ Turn away from evil and do what is good,
and dwell there^[i] forever.^(AF)
28 For the Lord loves justice
and will not abandon His faithful ones.^(AG)
They are kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.^(AH)
29 The righteous will inherit the land^[j]
and dwell in it permanently.^(AI)

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.^(AJ)
31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.^(AK)

³² The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and seeks to kill him;^(AL)
33 the Lord will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.^(AM)

³⁴ Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
and He will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.^(AN)

³⁵ I have seen a wicked, violent man
well-rooted^[k] like a flourishing native tree.^(AO)
36 Then I passed by and^[l] noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.^(AP)

³⁷ Watch the blameless and observe the upright,
for the man of peace will have a future.^[m](AQ)
38 But transgressors will all be eliminated;
the future^[n] of the wicked will be destroyed.^(AR)

³⁹ The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,
their refuge in a time of distress.^(AS)
40 The Lord helps and delivers them;
He will deliver them from the wicked and will save them
because they take refuge in Him.^(AT)