The Heritage of the Righteous and the Calamity of the Wicked

A Psalm of David.

37 Do not fret because of evildoers,Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,And wither as the green herb.

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good;Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.⁴ Delight yourself also in the Lord,And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord,Trust also in Him,And He shall bring it to pass.⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,And your justice as the noonday.

⁷ Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;Do not fret—it only causes harm.

⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off;But those who wait on the Lord,They shall inherit the earth.¹⁰ For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,But it shall be no more.¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth,And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

¹² The wicked plots against the just,And gnashes at him with his teeth.¹³ The Lord laughs at him,For He sees that his day is coming.¹⁴ The wicked have drawn the swordAnd have bent their bow,To cast down the poor and needy,To slay those who are of upright conduct.¹⁵ Their sword shall enter their own heart,And their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶ A little that a righteous man hasIs better than the riches of many wicked.¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,But the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸ The Lord knows the days of the upright,And their inheritance shall be forever.¹⁹ They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.²⁰ But the wicked shall perish;And the enemies of the Lord,Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.Into smoke they shall vanish away.

²¹ The wicked borrows and does not repay,But the righteous shows mercy and gives.²² For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.

²³ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,And He delights in his way.²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

²⁵ I have been young, and now am old;Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,Nor his descendants begging bread.²⁶ He is ever merciful, and lends;And his descendants are blessed.

²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good;And dwell forevermore.²⁸ For the Lord loves justice,And does not forsake His saints;They are preserved forever,But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land,And dwell in it forever.

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,And his tongue talks of justice.³¹ The law of his God is in his heart;None of his steps shall slide.

³² The wicked watches the righteous,And seeks to slay him.³³ The Lord will not leave him in his hand,Nor condemn him when he is judged.

³⁴ Wait on the Lord,And keep His way,And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.³⁵ I have seen the wicked in great power,And spreading himself like a native green tree.³⁶ Yet he passed away,^[a] and behold, he was no more;Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

³⁷ Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;For the future of that man is peace.³⁸ But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;He is their strength in the time of trouble.⁴⁰ And the Lord shall help them and deliver them;He shall deliver them from the wicked,And save them,Because they trust in Him.