Psalm 37 (30)
Happiness for the just, ruin for the wicked. “Do not get worried when you think of the wicked.” Neither power nor riches give access to the inheritance that God promised to his children.
13 Do not be annoyed with evil peo ple nor be envious of wrongdoers.
2 For they will fade as any green herb and soon be gone like withered grass.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and live on it.
4 Make the Lord your delight, and he will grant your heart’s desire.
5 Commit your way to the Lord; put your trust in him and let him act.
6 Then will your revenge come, beautiful as the dawn, and the justification of your cause, bright as the noonday sun.
7 Keep calm before the Lord, wait for him in patience; do not fret if others succeed when they carry out evil schemes.
8 Refrain from anger, turn away from wrath; fret not, for it only leads to evil.
9 Remember this: the wicked will perish, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
10 Wait a moment: the wicked are no more. Though you look for them, they cannot be found;
11 but the humble will inherit the land and enjoy peace in abundance.
12 The wicked plot against the vir tuous and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wic ked, for he sees their day coming.
14 The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows; they aim at the poor and the afflicted, they get ready to slay the righteous.
15 But their bows will be shatter ed; the sword thrust into their own heart.
16 The little that the righteous possess is better than the abundance of the wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, and the righteous will be upheld by the Lord.
18 The Lord watches over the lives of the upright; forever will their in heritance abide.
19 They are not crushed in times of calamity; when famine strikes, they still are satisfied.
20 But the wicked will perish; the ene mies of the Lord will vanish like smoke, disappear like the wild flowers.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous have mercy and share.
22 They will inherit the land – those whom the Lord blesses; but those whom the Lord curses he will cut off.
23 The Lord is the one who makes people stand, he gives firmness to those he likes.
24 They may stumble, but they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
25 From my youth to old age, I have yet to see the righteous for sa k en or their children begging for alms.
26 He lends and gives, and his children are blessed. The whole day he succeeds.
27 Do good and shun evil, so that you will live secure forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice and right, and never forsakes his faithful ones. The wicked instead will perish and their breed will be cut off.
29 The righteous will possess the land; they will make it their home forever.
30 The mouth of the virtuous utters wisdom and his tongue speaks of what is right.
31 His steps have never faltered, for the law of God is in his heart.
32 The wicked spies on the just man and lies in wait to slay him.
33 But the Lord does not hand him over, or let him be condemned when he is tried.
34 Hope in the Lord and follow his way, for he will exalt you and give you the land. You will see how the wicked perish.
35 I have seen an oppressor migh ty, towering like a cedar of Le ba non.
36 But when I passed by again, he was no longer there. I looked for him but could not find him.
37 Mark the blameless, watch the up right, and you will see that there is a future for the person of peace.
38 But all sinners will be destroy ed; the future of the wicked will be shattered.
39 The Lord is the salvation of the righteous; in time of distress, he is their refuge.
40 The Lord helps them, and rescues them from the oppressor; he saves them for they sought shelter in him.