Psalms 37

1Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, Neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness.

1Don’t worry about people who do evil, and don’t be jealous of those who do wrong.

2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.

2For they will soon dry up like the grass and wither away like green plants.

3Trust in Jehovah, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed onhisfaithfulness.

3Trust in the Lord and do good; live in the land and enjoy his faithfulness.

4Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart.

4Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the things your heart desires.

5Commit thy way unto Jehovah; Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass.

5Commit everything you do to the Lord; trust in him, and he will help you.

6And he will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light, And thy justice as the noonday.

6He will make your goodness shine like the dawn and your justice like the noonday sun.

7Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

7Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; don’t be upset by people who succeed in their wicked plans.

8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing.

8Stop being angry and turn away from rage; don’t worry, as it only leads to trouble.

9For evil-doers shall be cut off; But those that wait for Jehovah, they shall inherit the land.

9For those who do evil will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

10For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be.

10In just a little while, the wicked will be gone; you will look for them, but they won't be there.

11But the meek shall inherit the land, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

11But humble people will inherit the land and enjoy great peace and prosperity.

12The wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

12The wicked plot against the godly and grit their teeth at them in anger.

13The Lord will laugh at him; For he seeth that his day is coming.

13But the Lord laughs at the wicked, because he sees that their judgment day is coming.

14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay such as are upright in the way.

14The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows to kill the poor and helpless, and to murder those who do right.

15Their sword shall enter into their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.

15But their own swords will pierce their hearts, and their bows will be broken.

16Better is a little that the righteous hath Than the abundance of many wicked.

16It is better to have little and be godly than to have the great wealth of the wicked.

17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken; But Jehovah upholdeth the righteous.

17For the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord takes care of the godly.

18Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; And their inheritance shall be for ever.

18The Lord watches over the lives of innocent people, and what they inherit will last forever.

19They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

19They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in a famine, they will have more than enough.

20But the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; in smoke shall they consume away.

20But the wicked will die; the Lord’s enemies will vanish like the beauty of the fields, disappearing like smoke.

21The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; But the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth.

21The wicked borrow money and don’t pay it back, but the godly are generous and give to others.

22For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land; And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off.

22Those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed.

23A man’s goings are established of Jehovah; And he delighteth in his way.

23The Lord directs the steps of a good person and takes pleasure in every detail of their life.

24Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For Jehovah upholdeth him with his hand.

24Even if they trip, they won’t fall down, because the Lord holds them by the hand.

25I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his seed begging bread.

25I was young and now I am old, but I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for food.

26All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth; And his seed is blessed.

26The godly are always generous and lend to others, and their children are a blessing.

27Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell for evermore.

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

28For Jehovah loveth justice, And forsaketh not his saints; They are preserved for ever: But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

28For the Lord loves justice and he will never abandon his faithful people; he will protect them forever, but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.

29The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell therein for ever.

29The godly will inherit the land and live in it forever.

30The mouth of the righteous talketh of wisdom, And his tongue speaketh justice.

30The mouth of the godly person offers wisdom, and they speak about what is fair.

31The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.

31The law of their God is in their heart, so they will not slip or fall.

32The wicked watcheth the righteous, And seeketh to slay him.

32The wicked watch the godly, looking for any reason to kill them.

33Jehovah will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged.

33But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed, nor will he let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

34Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, And he will exalt thee to inherit the land: When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

34Wait for the Lord and follow his path; he will honor you by giving you the land, and you will see the wicked destroyed.

35I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.

35I have seen wicked, cruel people growing powerful, spreading out like a leafy tree in its own soil.

36But one passed by, and, lo, he was not: Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

36But then they passed away and were gone; I looked for them, but they could not be found.

37Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; For there is ahappyend to the man of peace.

37Look at those who are honest and good, for the person who loves peace has a bright future.

38As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together: The end of the wicked shall be cut off.

38But rebels will all be destroyed together; the future of the wicked will be cut off.

39But the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah: He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

39The Lord saves the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble.

40And Jehovah helpeth them, and rescueth them: He rescueth them from the wicked, and saveth them, Because they have taken refuge in him.

40The Lord helps them and rescues them; he saves them from the wicked because they come to him for protection.