Psalm chapter 37

English Standard Version

1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 10In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. 12The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, 13but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. 14The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; 15their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. 17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. 18The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; 19they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance. 20But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish — like smoke they vanish away. 21The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; 22for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 23The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. 25I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. 27 Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. 28For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. 30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. 32The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. 33The Lord will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. 34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. 35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. 36But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. 37Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. 38But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
New International Version

New American Standard Bible

1Do not get upset because of evildoers, Do not be envious of wrongdoers. 2For they will wither quickly like the grass, And decay like the green plants. 3Trust in the Lord and do good; Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. 6He will bring out your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not get upset because of one who is successful in his way, Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes. 8Cease from anger and abandon wrath; Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing. 9For evildoers will be eliminated, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. 10Yet a little while and the wicked person will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. 11But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. 12The wicked plots against the righteous, And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. 14The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To take down the afflicted and the needy, To kill off those who are upright in conduct. 15Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken. 16Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked. 17For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the Lord sustains the righteous. 18The Lord knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. 19They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have plenty. 20But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—like smoke they vanish away. 21The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. 22For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be eliminated. 23The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way. 24When he falls, he will not be hurled down, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. 25I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging for bread. 26All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing. 27Turn from evil and do good, So that you will dwell forever. 28For the Lord loves justice And does not abandon His godly ones; They are protected forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be eliminated. 29The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever. 30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, And his tongue speaks justice. 31The Law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip. 32The wicked spies upon 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 the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are eliminated, you will see it. 35I have seen a wicked, violent person Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. 36Then he passed away, and behold, he was no more; I searched for him, but he could not be found. 37Observe the blameless person, and look at the upright; For the person of peace will have a future. 38But wrongdoers will altogether be destroyed; The future of the wicked will be eliminated. 39But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in 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.
Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

King James Version

New King James Version

1{A Psalm of David.} Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. 3Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 7Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret— it only causes harm. 9For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. 10For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 12The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. 14The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. 15Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. 16 A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked. 17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the Lord upholds the righteous. 18The Lord knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. 19They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. 21The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. 22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand. 25I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. 27Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. 28For the Lord loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. 31The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. 32The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. 33The Lord will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged. 34 Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. 35I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. 36Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. 37Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. 38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.

What does Psalm chapter 37 mean?

In the beginning of this psalm David tells his audience not to "fret," which is translated from a Hebrew word referring to burning or heat. In contrast to anxiety, or rage, believers should trust in the Lord, delight themselves in the Lord, commit their way to the Lord, and wait patiently for the Lord. He explains that the prosperity of the wicked lasts only a short time, whereas the Lord's blessing of the righteous lasts forever (Psalm 37:1–11).

David points out that God is fully aware of the situations faced by the righteous. He is also aware of the seemingly unfair prosperity of the wicked. He knows the wicked abuse the poor and needy and violently oppose the righteous. He assures his readers that God always takes care of His people and protects them. His blessing extends not only to the righteous but also to their descendants. David says the righteous person has God's Word in his heart, and therefore he does not stumble through life. The Lord is always near the righteous person and will give him the Promised Land for an inheritance (Psalm 37:12–34).

From the world's perspective, evil people might seem like a tree with wide-spreading branches. Something so large, and so deeply rooted, can be intimidating. However, as David notes, that is merely an illusion compared to the power of God. In his own life, David saw the fate of the rich (1 Samuel 25:39), the strong (1 Samuel 17:48–51), and those in authority (1 Samuel 23:14) who rejected God and godly wisdom. When the once-powerful tree is destroyed, eventually all traces are gone. God promises a future for the righteous, but He will destroy the wicked. David concludes Psalm 37 by describing the Lord as the believers' salvation and refuge in times of trouble. He delivers them from the wicked (Psalm 37:35–40).
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