Psalms 37

Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.

¹Do not worry because of evildoers,[#37:1 One of the longer psalms, Ps 37 also has the distinction of having every other verse (sometimes succeeding verses) begin with a letter of the Hebrew in alphabetical order. This technique served as a memory aid.]

Nor be envious toward wrongdoers;

²For they will wither quickly like the grass,

And fade like the green herb.

³Trust [rely on and have confidence] in the Lord and do good;

Dwell in the land and feed [securely] on His faithfulness.

⁴Delight yourself in the Lord ,

And He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.

⁵Commit your way to the Lord ;

Trust in Him also and He will do it.

⁶He will make your righteousness [your pursuit of right standing with God] like the light,

And your judgment like [the shining of] the noonday [sun].

⁷¶Be still before the Lord ; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him;

Do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

⁸Cease from anger and abandon wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evil.

⁹For those who do evil will be cut off,

But those who wait for the Lord , they will inherit the land. [Is 57:13c]

¹⁰For yet a little while and the wicked one will be gone [forever];

Though you look carefully where he used to be, he will not be [found]. [Heb 10:36, 37; Rev 21:7, 8]

¹¹But the humble will [at last] inherit the land

And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity and peace. [Ps 37:29; Matt 5:5]

¹²¶The wicked plots against the righteous

And gnashes at him with his teeth.

¹³The Lord laughs at him [the wicked one—the one who oppresses the righteous],

For He sees that his day [of defeat] is coming.

¹⁴The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow

To cast down the afflicted and the needy,

To slaughter those who are upright in conduct [those with personal integrity and godly character].

¹⁵The sword [of the ungodly] will enter their own heart,

And their bow will be broken.

¹⁶¶Better is the little of the righteous [who seek the will of God]

Than the abundance (riches) of many wicked (godless). [1 Tim 6:6, 7]

¹⁷For the arms of the wicked will be broken,

But the Lord upholds and sustains the righteous [who seek Him].

¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the blameless,

And their inheritance will continue forever.

¹⁹They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,[#37:19 I.e. have their expectations in Your goodness be disappointed.]

And in the days of famine they will have plenty and be satisfied.

²⁰But the wicked (ungodly) will perish,

And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures and like the fat of lambs [that is consumed in smoke],

They vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

²¹The wicked borrows and does not pay back,

But the righteous is gracious and kind and gives.

²²For those blessed by God will [at last] inherit the land,

But those cursed by Him will be cut off. [Is 57:13c]

²³¶The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord ,

And He delights in his way [and blesses his path].

²⁴When he falls, he will not be hurled down,

Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.

²⁵I have been young and now I am old,

Yet I have not seen the righteous (those in right standing with God) abandoned

Or his descendants pleading for bread.

²⁶All day long he is gracious and lends,

And his descendants are a blessing.

²⁷¶Depart from evil and do good;

And you will dwell [securely in the land] forever.

²⁸For the Lord delights in justice

And does not abandon His saints (faithful ones);

They are preserved forever,

But the descendants of the wicked will [in time] be cut off.

²⁹The righteous will inherit the land

And live in it forever.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous proclaims wisdom,

And his tongue speaks justice and truth.

³¹The law of his God is in his heart;

Not one of his steps will slip.

³²The wicked lies in wait for the righteous

And seeks to kill him.

³³The Lord will not leave him in his hand

Or let him be condemned when he is judged.

³⁴Wait for and expect the Lord and keep His way,

And He will exalt you to inherit the land;

[In the end] when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

³⁵¶I have seen a wicked, violent man [with great power]

Spreading and flaunting himself like a cedar in its native soil,

³⁶Yet he passed away, and lo, he was no more;

I sought him, but he could not be found.

³⁷Mark the blameless man [who is spiritually complete], and behold the upright [who walks in moral integrity];

There is a [good] future for the man of peace [because a life of honor blesses one’s descendants].

³⁸As for transgressors, they will be completely destroyed;

The future of the wicked will be cut off.

³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord ;

He is their refuge and stronghold in the time of trouble.

⁴⁰The Lord helps them and rescues them;

He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,

Because they take refuge in Him.