He Will Not Forsake His Saints

[a] Of David.

37 (A)Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
    be not (B)envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon (C)fade like (D)the grass
    and wither (E)like the green herb.

(F)Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    (G)dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.[b]
(H)Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will (I)give you the desires of your heart.

(J)Commit your way to the Lord;
    (K)trust in him, and he will act.
(L)He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as (M)the noonday.

(N)Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    (O)fret not yourself over the one who (P)prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

(Q)Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    (R)Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
(S)For the evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall (T)inherit the land.

10 In (U)just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
    though you look carefully at (V)his place, he will not be there.
11 But (W)the meek shall inherit the land
    and delight themselves in (X)abundant peace.

12 The wicked (Y)plots against the righteous
    and (Z)gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord (AA)laughs at the wicked,
    for he sees that his (AB)day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and (AC)bend their bows
    to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose (AD)way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
    and their (AE)bows shall be broken.

16 (AF)Better is the little that the righteous has
    than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For (AG)the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
    but the Lord (AH)upholds the righteous.

18 The Lord (AI)knows the days of the blameless,
    and their (AJ)heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
    in (AK)the days of famine they have abundance.

20 But the wicked will perish;
    the enemies of the Lord are like (AL)the glory of the pastures;
    they vanish—like (AM)smoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
    but the righteous (AN)is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the Lord[c] shall (AO)inherit the land,
    but those cursed by him (AP)shall be cut off.

23 The (AQ)steps of a man are (AR)established by the Lord,
    when he delights in his way;
24 (AS)though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
    for the Lord (AT)upholds his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old,
    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
    or his children (AU)begging for bread.
26 He is ever (AV)lending generously,
    and his children become a blessing.

27 (AW)Turn away from evil and do good;
    so shall you (AX)dwell forever.
28 For the Lord (AY)loves justice;
    he will not forsake his (AZ)saints.
They are preserved forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be (BA)cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
    and (BB)dwell upon it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
    and his tongue speaks justice.
31 (BC)The law of his God is in his heart;
    his (BD)steps do not slip.

32 The wicked (BE)watches for the righteous
    and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not (BF)abandon him to his power
    or let him (BG)be condemned when he is brought to trial.

34 (BH)Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
    and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
    you will look on (BI)when the wicked are cut off.

35 (BJ)I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
    spreading himself like (BK)a green laurel tree.[d]
36 But he passed away,[e] and behold, (BL)he was no more;
    though I sought him, he could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
    for there is a future for the man of (BM)peace.
38 But (BN)transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
    the future of the wicked (BO)shall be cut off.

39 (BP)The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in (BQ)the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and (BR)delivers them;
    (BS)he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they (BT)take refuge in him.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
  2. Psalm 37:3 Or and feed on faithfulness, or and find safe pasture
  3. Psalm 37:22 Hebrew by him
  4. Psalm 37:35 The identity of this tree is uncertain
  5. Psalm 37:36 Or But one passed by

Psalm 37[a]

Of David.

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

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

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

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)

Refrain from anger(Q) and turn from wrath;
    do not fret(R)—it leads only to evil.
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