Psalm 37:1-40, NLT

Psalm 37*37 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each stanza begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

A psalm of David.

1Don’t worry about the wicked

or envy those who do wrong.

2For like grass, they soon fade away.

Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

3Trust in the Lord and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

4Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you your heart’s desires.

5Commit everything you do to the Lord.

Trust him, and he will help you.

6He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,

and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

7Be still in the presence of the Lord,

and wait patiently for him to act.

Don’t worry about evil people who prosper

or fret about their wicked schemes.

8Stop being angry!

Turn from your rage!

Do not lose your temper—

it only leads to harm.

9For the wicked will be destroyed,

but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

10Soon the wicked will disappear.

Though you look for them, they will be gone.

11The lowly will possess the land

and will live in peace and prosperity.

12The wicked plot against the godly;

they snarl at them in defiance.

13But the Lord just laughs,

for he sees their day of judgment coming.

14The wicked draw their swords

and string their bows

to kill the poor and the oppressed,

to slaughter those who do right.

15But their swords will stab their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

16It is better to be godly and have little

than to be evil and rich.

17For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,

but the Lord takes care of the godly.

18Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,

and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.

19They will not be disgraced in hard times;

even in famine they will have more than enough.

20But the wicked will die.

The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—

they will disappear like smoke.

21The wicked borrow and never repay,

but the godly are generous givers.

22Those the Lord blesses will possess the land,

but those he curses will die.

23The Lord directs the steps of the godly.

He delights in every detail of their lives.

24Though they stumble, they will never fall,

for the Lord holds them by the hand.

25Once I was young, and now I am old.

Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned

or their children begging for bread.

26The godly always give generous loans to others,

and their children are a blessing.

27Turn from evil and do good,

and you will live in the land forever.

28For the Lord loves justice,

and he will never abandon the godly.

He will keep them safe forever,

but the children of the wicked will die.

29The godly will possess the land

and will live there forever.

30The godly offer good counsel;

they teach right from wrong.

31They have made God’s law their own,

so they will never slip from his path.

32The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,

looking for an excuse to kill them.

33But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed

or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

34Put your hope in the Lord.

Travel steadily along his path.

He will honor you by giving you the land.

You will see the wicked destroyed.

35I have seen wicked and ruthless people

flourishing like a tree in its native soil.

36But when I looked again, they were gone!

Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

37Look at those who are honest and good,

for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.

38But the rebellious will be destroyed;

they have no future.

39The Lord rescues the godly;

he is their fortress in times of trouble.

40The Lord helps them,

rescuing them from the wicked.

He saves them,

and they find shelter in him.

Psalms 37:1-40