Psalms 37

1Of David. Do not let evildoers get you heated; do not envy people who practice injustice. 2They will dry up quickly, like grass, and droop like tender green shoots. 3Trust in the LORD and do what is good; make your home in the land and feed on faithfulness. 4Make the LORD your joy, and he will grant what your heart asks. 5Lay the course of your life on the LORD; rely on him, and he will step in. 6He will bring your innocence into the open like daylight, the justice of your cause like the blaze of noon. 7Be silent before the LORD; wait for him with longing. Do not be upset by those whose way goes well, by people who put their plots into action. 8Let go of anger and leave rage behind. Do not get heated; it can end only in wrongdoing. 9Evildoers will be cut down, but those who look to the LORD in hope will take possession of the land. 10Wait a short while, and the wicked will have vanished; look closely at the place where they stood, and you will find nothing. 11But the lowly will possess the land and take their delight in great well-being. 12The wicked plot harm for the righteous and grind their teeth at them. 13The Lord laughs at them, for he sees their day drawing near. 14The wicked have unsheathed the sword and strung their bows, ready to cut down the poor and the needy and to butcher those who walk straight. 15But the sword they drew will be thrust into their own hearts; their bows will snap in two. 16The little that the righteous own is worth more than the plenty of many wicked people. 17The wicked will have their arms snapped, while the LORD keeps the righteous on their feet. 18The LORD watches over every day the blameless live, and their share will last for all time. 19When disaster comes they will not be disgraced; when famine strikes they will have enough to eat. 20The wicked are doomed to perish, and the LORD’s enemies will be like the bloom of the fields: they come to an end, and end in smoke. 21The wicked borrow and never pay back, but the righteous are kind and give freely. 22Those he blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will be cut off. 23The LORD makes a person’s steps secure when he takes pleasure in their way. 24They may stumble, but they will not be thrown down, for the LORD holds them by the hand. 25Young I was, and now I am old, and in all those years I have not known the righteous to be deserted, or their children to go hunting for bread. 26All day long they show kindness and lend, and their offspring become a blessing. 27Turn away from evil and do what is good, and you will have a home for all time. 28For the LORD loves what is just and will not abandon his faithful people. They are guarded for all time, while the line of the wicked comes to an end. 29The righteous will take possession of the land and live there for all time. 30The righteous murmur wisdom with their mouths, and their tongues talk of what is right. 31They hold the instruction of their God in their hearts; their steps never falter. 32The wicked spy on the righteous, looking for a chance to kill them. 33The LORD will not abandon them to the grip of their enemy; when they stand trial, he will not declare them guilty. 34Put your hope in the LORD and keep to his way; he will raise you up to take possession of the land, and you will see the wicked cut off. 35I have seen someone wicked and ruthless, spreading out like a leafy tree in its home soil. 36Yet that person passed on, and suddenly was gone; I searched, but could find no trace. 37Pay attention to people of integrity, look closely at the upright: those who live in peace have a future ahead of them. 38Rebels will be destroyed, every one of them, and what lies ahead for the wicked will be cut off. 39It is the LORD who saves the righteous; he is their fortress in days of distress. 40The LORD helps them and sets them free; he pulls them from the grip of the wicked and keeps them safe, since they make him their refuge.