OEBcth - Psalms - 37

37:1  Be not kindled to wrath at the wicked, nor envious of those who work wrong;

37:2  for, like grass, they will speedily wither, and fade like the green of young grass.

37:3  Trust in the Lord, and do good; remain in the land, and deal faithfully:

37:4  then the Lord will be your delight, he will grant you your heart’s petitions.

37:5  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act,

37:6  making clear as the light your right, and your just cause clear as the noon-day.

37:7  In silence and patience wait on the Lord. Be not kindled to anger at those who prosper. At those who execute evil devices.

37:8  Desist from anger, abandon wrath: be not kindled to anger it leads but to evil:

37:9  for evildoers will be cut off, but the land will be theirs, who wait on the Lord.

37:10  Yet but a little, and the wicked vanish: look at their place: they are there no more.

37:11  But the humble will have the land, and the rapture of peace in abundance.

37:12  The wicked plots against the righteous, snarls like a wild animal;

37:13  the Lord laughs, for he sees that his day is coming.

37:14  The wicked have drawn the sword, and bent the bow, to fell the poor, to slay those who walk uprightly;

37:15  but their sword will pierce their own heart, and their bows will be broken in pieces.

37:16  Better is the righteous person’s little than the wealth of many wicked.

37:17  For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

37:18  The Lord watches over the days of the blameless, their heritage will continue forever.

37:19  They will not be shamed in the evil time, in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

37:20  Because the wicked will perish: but the foes of the Lord, like a brand in the oven, will vanish, like smoke they will vanish.

37:21  The wicked must borrow and cannot pay back, but the righteous is lavish and gives.

37:22  For those blest by the Lord inherit the land, while those whom he curses will be cut off.

37:23  The Lord supports the steps of those with whom he is pleased.

37:24  Though they fall, they will not be cast headlong, for the Lord holds their hands.

37:25  Never, from youth to age, have I seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread.

37:26  They are ever lavishly lending, and their children are fountains of blessing.

37:27  Turn away from evil and do good and you will live in the land forever.

37:28  For the Lord loves justice, he does not forsake his friends. The unrighteous will be destroyed forever, and the seed of the wicked will be cut off.

37:29  But the land will belong to the righteous, they will live upon it forever,

37:30  The mouth of the righteous murmurs wisdom, and words of justice are on their tongues.

37:31  The law of their God is in their heart, their steps are never unsteady.

37:32  The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to put them to death.

37:33  But the Lord leaves them not in their hand: at their trial they will not be held guilty.

37:34  Wait on the Lord, and observe his way: he will lift you to honour the land will be yours, you will feast your eyes on the doom of the wicked.

37:35  I have seen the wicked exultant, lifting themselves like a cedar of Lebanon.

37:36  But the moment I passed, they vanished! I sought for them, but they could not be found.

37:37  Preserve your honour and practise uprightness, for such a person fares well in the end.

37:38  But transgressors will perish together. Cut off are the wicked forever.

37:39  The righteous are saved by the Lord, who in time of distress is their refuge:

37:40  the Lord helps and rescue them, from the wicked he rescues and saves them, because they take refuge in him.