Psalm 37
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- Psalm 37 Of David. [1]
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- Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
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- for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
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- Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
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- Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
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- Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
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- He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
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- Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
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- Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil.
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- For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
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- A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
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- But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
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- The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;
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- but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
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- The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
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- But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
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- Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;
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- for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
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- The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.
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- In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
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- But the wicked will perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish--vanish like smoke.
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- The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
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- those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.
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- If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;
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- though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
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- I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
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- They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.
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- Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.
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- For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
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- the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
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- The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.
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- The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.
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- The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives;
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- but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
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- Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
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- I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
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- but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.
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- Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future [2] for the man of peace.
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- But all sinners will be destroyed; the future [3] of the wicked will be cut off.
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- The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
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- The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
- This psalm is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
- [37] Or there will be posterity
- [38] Or posterity
