Psalm 37

Do not fret yourself because of evildoers;

do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

For they shall soon wither like the grass,

and like the green grass fade away.

Put your trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

Take delight in the LORD ,

and he shall give you your heart's desire.

Commit your way to the LORD and put your trust in him,

and he will bring it to pass.

He will make your righteousness as clear as the light

and your just dealing as the noonday.

Be still before the LORD

and wait patiently for him.

Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers,

the one who succeeds in evil schemes.

Refrain from anger, leave rage alone;

do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.

For evildoers shall be cut off,

but those who wait upon the LORD shall possess the land.

In a little while the wicked shall be no more;

you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.

But the lowly shall possess the land;

they will delight in abundance of peace.

The wicked plot against the righteous

and gnash at them with their teeth.

The Lord laughs at the wicked,

because he sees that their day will come.

The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow to strike down the poor and needy,

to slaughter those who are upright in their ways.

Their sword shall go through their own heart,

and their bow shall be broken.

The little that the righteous has

is better than great riches of the wicked.

For the power of the wicked shall be broken,

but the LORD upholds the righteous.

The LORD cares for the lives of the godly,

and their inheritance shall last for ever.

They shall not be ashamed in bad times,

and in days of famine they shall have enough.

As for the wicked, they shall perish,

and the enemies of the LORD , like the glory of the meadows, shall vanish; they shall vanish like smoke.

The wicked borrow and do not repay,

but the righteous are generous in giving.

Those who are blessed by God shall possess the land,

but those who are cursed by him shall be destroyed.

Our steps are directed by the LORD ;

he strengthens those in whose way he delights.

If they stumble, they shall not fall headlong,

for the LORD holds them by the hand.

I have been young and now I am old,

but never have I seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread.

The righteous are always generous in their lending,

and their children shall be a blessing.

Turn from evil, and do good,

and dwell in the land for ever.

For the LORD loves justice;

he does not forsake his faithful ones.

They shall be kept safe for ever,

but the offspring of the wicked shall be destroyed.

The righteous shall possess the land

and dwell in it for ever.

The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,

and their tongue speaks what is right.

The law of their God is in their heart,

and their footsteps shall not falter.

The wicked spy on the righteous

and seek occasion to kill them.

The LORD will not abandon them to their hand,

nor let them be found guilty when brought to trial.

Wait upon the LORD and keep his way;

he will raise you up to possess the land, and when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

I have seen the wicked in their arrogance,

flourishing like a tree in full leaf.

I went by, and behold, they were not there;

I searched for them, but they could not be found.

Mark those who are honest; observe the upright;

for there is a future for the peaceable.

Transgressors shall be destroyed, one and all;

the future of the wicked is cut off.

But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the LORD ;

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

The LORD will help them and rescue them;

he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them, because they seek refuge in him.