¹Don’t follow after the wicked ones or be jealous of their wealth.

Don’t think for a moment they’re better off than you.

²They and their short-lived success

will soon shrivel up and quickly fade away,

like grass clippings in the hot sun.

³Keep trusting in the Lord and do what is right in his eyes.

Fix your heart on the promises of God, and you will dwell in the land,

feasting on his faithfulness.

⁴Find your delight and true pleasure in Yahweh ,[#37:4 The word delight means “to be soft or tender.”]

and he will give you what you desire the most.

⁵Give God the right to direct your life,[#37:5 The Hebrew word used here can be translated “commit,” which means “to roll over your burdens on the Lord.”]

and as you trust him along the way,

you’ll find he pulled it off perfectly!

⁶He will appear as your righteousness,[#37:6 The Hebrew verb found here is also used for giving birth. Perhaps this is a reference to the birth of Christ, our righteousness.]

as sure as the dawning of a new day.

He will manifest as your justice,

as sure and strong as the noonday sun.

⁷Quiet your heart in his presence

and wait patiently for Yahweh .

And don’t think for a moment that the wicked, in their prosperity,

are better off than you.

⁸Stay away from anger and revenge.

Keep envy far from you, for it only leads you into lies.

⁹For one day the wicked will be destroyed,

but those who trust in the Lord

will inherit the land.

¹⁰Just a little while longer and the ungodly will vanish;

you will look for them in vain.

¹¹But the humble of heart will inherit every promise[#37:11 See Matt. 5:5.]

and enjoy abundant peace.

¹²Let the wicked keep plotting against the godly

with all their sneers and arrogant jeers.

¹³God laughs at the wicked and their plans,

for he knows their day is coming!

¹⁴Evil ones take aim at the poor and helpless;

they are ready to slaughter those who do right.

¹⁵But the Lord will turn all their weapons of wickedness back on themselves,

piercing their pride-filled hearts until they are helpless.

¹⁶It is much better to have little

combined with much of God

than to have the fabulous wealth of the wicked and nothing else.

¹⁷For the Lord takes care of all his forgiven ones

while the strength of evil men will surely slip away.

¹⁸Day by day the Lord watches the good deeds of the godly,

and he prepares for them his forever-reward.

¹⁹Even in a time of disaster he will watch over them,

and they will always have more than enough

no matter what happens.

²⁰All the enemies of God will perish.

For the wicked have only a momentary value, a fading glory.

Then one day they vanish! Here today, gone tomorrow.

²¹They break their promises, borrowing money

but never paying it back.

The good man returns what he owes with some extra besides.

²²Yahweh ’s blessed ones receive the land,

but the cursed ones will be cut off

with nothing to show for themselves.

²³When Yahweh delights in how you live your life,

he establishes your every step.

²⁴If they stumble badly they will still survive,

for the Lord lifts them up with his hands.

²⁵I was once inexperienced, but now I’m old.[#37:25 Or “immature.” The Hebrew word na’ar has a homonym that means “to be driven out,” which may be a reference to David being driven out of Jerusalem by Absalom.]

Not once have I found a lover of God forsaken by him,

nor have any of their children gone hungry.

²⁶Instead, I’ve found the godly ones

to be the generous ones who give freely to others.

Their children are blessed and become a blessing.

²⁷If you truly want to dwell forever in God’s presence,

forsake evil and do what is right in his eyes.

²⁸The Lord loves it when he sees us walking in his justice.

He will never desert his devoted lovers;

they will be kept forever in his faithful care,

but the descendants of the wicked will be banished.

²⁹The faithful lovers of God will inherit the earth

and enjoy every promise of God’s care,

dwelling in peace forever.

³⁰God-lovers make the best counselors.

Their words possess wisdom and are right and trustworthy.

³¹The ways of God are in their hearts

and they won’t swerve from the paths of steadfast righteousness.

³²Evil ones spy on the godly ones, stalking them

to find something they could use to accuse them.

They’re out for the kill!

³³But God will foil all their plots.

The godly will not stand condemned when brought to trial.

³⁴So don’t be impatient for Yahweh to act;

keep moving forward steadily in his ways,

and he will exalt you to possess the land.

You’ll watch with your own eyes

and see the wicked lose everything.

³⁵I’ve already seen this happen.

Once I saw a wicked and violent man

overpower all who were around him,

a domineering tyrant with his prideful and oppressive ways.

³⁶Then he died and was forgotten.

Now no one cares that he is gone forever.

³⁷But you can tell who are the blameless and spiritually mature.

What a different story with them!

The godly ones will have a peaceful, prosperous future

with a happy ending.

³⁸Every evil sinner will be destroyed, obliterated.

They’ll be utter failures with no future!

³⁹But the Lord will be the Savior of all who love him.

Even in their time of trouble, God will live in them as strength.

⁴⁰Because of their faith in him, their daily portion will be

a Father’s help and deliverance from evil.

This is true for all who turn to hide themselves in him!