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God Will Reward Fairly

Of David.

37 Don’t be ·upset [worried; angry] because of evil people.
    Don’t be jealous of those who do wrong [Prov. 24:1, 19],
because like the grass, they will ·soon [quickly] ·dry up [wither].
    Like green plants, they will soon ·die [fade] away.

·Trust [L Have confidence in] the Lord [Prov. 3:5] and do good.
    ·Live [Reside; Settle] in the land and ·feed on truth [or find reliable pastureland].
Enjoy serving the Lord,
    and he will give you ·what you want [L the requests of your heart].
·Depend on [L Commit your way to] the Lord;
    ·trust [have confidence in] him, and he will take care of you [Prov. 16:3; 1 Pet. 5:7].
Then your ·goodness [righteousness] will shine like the ·sun [L light],
    and your ·fairness [justice] like the noonday sun.

·Wait [L Be quiet before] and ·trust [L wait for] the Lord.
    Don’t be ·upset [worried; angry] ·when others get rich [L with the prosperity/success of their way]
    or when ·someone else’s plans succeed [or they do evil deeds].
·Don’t get angry [L Hold back from anger; Abandon wrath].
    Don’t be ·upset [worried; angry]; it only leads to ·trouble [or evil].
Evil people will be ·sent away [L cut off],
    but those who ·trust [wait/pin their hope on] the Lord will inherit the land.
10 In a little while the wicked will be no more.
    You may look for them, but they will be ·gone [or no more].
11 ·People who are not proud [L The humble/meek] will inherit the land [Matt. 5:5]
    and will enjoy ·complete peace [or much prosperity].

12 The wicked make evil plans against ·good [righteous] people.
    They ·grind [gnash] their teeth at them [C in anger].
13 But the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    because he sees that their day [C of judgment] is coming.
14 The wicked draw their swords
    and ·bend [string] their bows
to ·kill [L fell] the poor and helpless,
    to ·kill [slaughter] those ·who are honest [L whose way is straight].
15 But their swords will ·stab [L enter] their own hearts,
    and their bows will break.

16 It is better to have little and be ·right [or righteous]
    than to have much and be ·wrong [or wicked; Prov. 15:16; 16:8, 19].
17 The ·power [L arm] of the wicked will be broken,
    but the Lord ·supports [upholds] those who ·do right [are righteous].
18 The Lord ·watches over [L knows] the ·lives [L days] of the ·innocent [blameless],
    and their ·reward [inheritance] will last forever.
19 They will not be ashamed ·when trouble comes [L in the day of evil/trouble].
    They will be ·full [satisfied; satiated] in times of ·hunger [famine].
20 But the wicked will ·die [perish].
    The Lord’s enemies will be like the ·beauty [best] of the ·fields [L pastures; C flowers or animals];
    ·they will disappear [L vanishing, they will vanish] ·like [or in] smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and don’t pay back,
    but ·those who do right [the righteous] give freely to others.
22 Those whom ·the Lord [L he] blesses will inherit the land,
    but those he curses will be ·sent away [L cut off].

23 When people’s steps ·follow [L are made firm/established by] the Lord [Prov. 24:16],
    God ·is pleased with [delights in] their ways.
24 If they stumble, they will not fall,
    because the Lord ·holds [upholds] their hand.

25 I was young, and now I am old,
    but I have never seen ·good [righteous] people ·left helpless [abandoned; forsaken; Gen. 28:15; Matt. 28:20]
    or their ·children [seed] ·begging for [seeking] food [Prov. 10:3].
26 Good people always lend freely to others,
    and their ·children [seed] are a blessing.

27 ·Stop doing [Turn aside from] evil and do good,
    so you will ·live [dwell] forever.
28 The Lord loves ·justice [judgment]
    and will not ·leave [abandon; forsake] ·those who worship him [his loyal ones/saints].
He will always ·protect [keep; guard] them,
    but the ·children [seed] of the wicked will ·die [L be cut off].
29 ·Good [Righteous] people will inherit the land
    and will ·live [dwell] in it forever.

30 ·Good people speak with [L The mouth of the righteous mutters] wisdom,
    and ·they say what is fair [L their tongue speaks justice/judgment].
31 The ·teachings [instructions; laws] of their God are in their heart [Jer. 31:33],
    so ·they do not fail to keep them [L their steps do not slip/slide/totter].
32 The wicked watch for ·good [righteous] people
    ·so that they may [L to seek to] kill them [Prov. 1:8–19].
33 But the Lord will not ·take away his protection [L abandon/forsake them to their hand/power/control]
    or let ·good people be judged guilty [them be condemned when brought to trial].

34 ·Wait for [Hope in] the Lord
    and ·follow him [L keep/guard his way].
He will ·honor [exalt] you and ·give you [you will inherit] the land,
    and you will see the wicked ·sent away [or destroyed].

35 I saw a wicked and ·cruel [oppressive] man
    who ·looked [flourished] like a luxurious cedar tree [C strong and healthy].
36 But he ·died [passed on] and was ·gone [no more];
    I ·looked for [sought] him, but he couldn’t be found.

37 ·Think of [Observe] the ·innocent [blameless] person,
    and watch the ·honest [upright; virtuous] one.
The man who has peace
    will have ·children to live after him [posterity].
38 But sinners will be destroyed;
    ·in the end [or the posterity of] the wicked will ·die [L be cut off].

39 The Lord ·saves [rescues; T delivers] ·good [righteous] people;
    he is their strength in times of ·trouble [distress].
40 The Lord helps them and ·saves [rescues; T delivers] them;
    he ·saves [rescues; T delivers] them from the wicked,
because they ·trust [take refuge] in him for protection.

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