Psalms 37

Psalm 37

Delight Yourself in Yahweh

Of David.

Aleph

1Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward doers of unrighteousness.
2For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.
Beth

3Trust in Yahweh and do good;
Dwell in the land and ▼

▼Or feed securely, feed on His faithfulness

cultivate faithfulness.
4Delight yourself in Yahweh;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Gimel

5Commit your way to Yahweh,
Trust in Him, and He will do it.
6He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.
Daleth

7Be still in Yahweh and wait ▼

▼Or longingly

patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out schemes of wickedness.
He

8Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who hope for Yahweh, they will inherit the land.
Vav

10Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
You will look carefully at his place, and he will not be there.
11But the lowly will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant peace.
Zayin

12The wicked schemes against the righteous
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
Heth

14The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To cast down the afflicted and the needy,
To slay those who are upright in conduct.
15Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their bows will be broken.
Teth

16Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But Yahweh sustains the righteous.
Yodh

18Yahweh knows the days of the ▼

▼Lit complete, perfect

blameless,
And their inheritance will be forever.
19They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will be satisfied.
Kaph

20But the wicked will perish;
And the enemies of Yahweh will be like the ▼

▼Flowers

glory of the pastures,
They vanish—in smoke they vanish away.
Lamedh

21The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous is gracious and gives.
22For those blessed by Him will inherit the land,
But those cursed by Him will be cut off.
Mem

23The footsteps of a man are established by Yahweh,
And He delights in his way.
24When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because Yahweh is the One ▼

▼Or who sustains him with His hand

who sustains his hand.
Nun

25I was young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or his seed begging bread.
26All day long he is gracious and lends,
And his seed is a blessing.
Samekh

27Depart from evil and do good,
So you will dwell forever.
Ayin

28For Yahweh loves ▼

▼Lit judgment

justice
And will not forsake His holy ones;
They are kept forever,
But the seed of the wicked will be cut off.
29The righteous will inherit the land
And dwell in it forever.
Pe

30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
And his tongue speaks justice.
31The law of his God is in his heart;
His steps do not slip.
Tsadhe

32The wicked spies upon the righteous
And seeks to put him to death.
33Yahweh will not forsake him in his hand;
He will not condemn him when he is judged.
Qoph

34Hope for Yahweh and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
Resh

35I have seen a wicked, ruthless man
Spreading himself like a luxuriant ▼

▼Native plant; lit native

tree in its native soil.
36Then ▼

▼Ancient versions I passed by

he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
I sought for him, but he could not be found.
Shin

37Observe the ▼

▼Or perfect; lit complete

blameless man, and behold the upright;
For the man of peace will have ▼

▼Lit an end

a posterity.
38But transgressors will be altogether destroyed;
The ▼

▼Lit end

posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
Tav

39But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh;
He is their strength in time of distress.
40Yahweh helps them and protects them;
He protects them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they take refuge in Him.