Psalm 37

Christian Standard Bible

³ Trust in the Lord and do what is good;^(C)
dwell in the land and live securely.^[a](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 person 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.^(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^(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^[b] bow
to bring down the poor 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 person has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.^(T)
17 For the arms 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 person borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.^(Z)
22 Those who are blessed by the Lord will inherit the land,
but those cursed by him will be destroyed.^(AA)

²³ A person’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 supports him with his hand.^(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, do what is good,
and settle permanently.^(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
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 intends 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 person
well-rooted,^[c] like a flourishing native tree.^(AO)
36 Then I^[d] passed by and 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 person of peace will have a future.^[e](AQ)
38 But transgressors will all be eliminated;
the future 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)