Psalms 37

Do not fret because of evildoers

on’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.a ²For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.b ³Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.c

⁴Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.d ⁵Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.e ⁶He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.f

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.g ⁸Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.h ⁹For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.i

¹⁰Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone.j ¹¹The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.k 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.l 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.m

¹⁶It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich.n ¹⁷For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly.o ¹⁸Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.p

¹⁹They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.q 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.r

²²Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die.s ²³The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.t ²⁴Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.u

²⁵Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.v 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.w

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.x ²⁹The godly will possess the land and will live there forever.y ³⁰The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong.z

³¹They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path.aa 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.ab ³⁵I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil.ac ³⁶But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them!ad

³⁷Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.ae ³⁸But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future. ³⁹The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble.af

⁴⁰The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him.ag

Commentary

Psalm 37 is a wisdom psalm that addresses the perennial tension between the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous. David, writing in his old age, counsels against fretting over evildoers, urging trust in the Lord and delight in Him as the path to security. The

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Bible Dictionary· Psalms 37(7)

Hand Honor Red Sea Right Smoke Strength The Way

References· Psalms 37

a: v.1 — Psalms 37:7, Proverbs 23:17, Proverbs 24:19, Proverbs 3:31, Proverbs 24:1, Psalms 73:3, Galatians 5:21, James 4:5-6, 1 Samuel 1:6-8, Proverbs 19:3
b: v.2 — Psalms 92:7, Psalms 90:5-6, James 1:10-11, Psalms 37:35-36, Job 14:2, Job 20:5-9, 1 Peter 1:24, Psalms 73:17-20, Psalms 129:5-7
c: v.3 — Jeremiah 17:7-8, Matthew 6:31-33, Psalms 62:8, 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, Psalms 34:9-10, Luke 22:35, Psalms 4:5, Hebrews 6:10-12, Deuteronomy 30:20, Isaiah 1:16-19
d: v.4 — John 15:7, Psalms 145:19, John 15:16, Isaiah 58:14, 1 John 5:14-15, Psalms 21:1-2, Job 22:26, 1 Peter 1:8, Psalms 104:34, Job 27:10
e: v.5 — Proverbs 16:3, 1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7, Matthew 6:25, Psalms 55:22, James 4:15, Job 22:28, Luke 12:29-30, Psalms 22:8, Lamentations 3:37
f: v.6 — Isaiah 54:17, Job 11:17, Isaiah 58:8, Micah 7:8-9, Matthew 13:43, Isaiah 58:10, Psalms 31:20, 1 Corinthians 4:5, Malachi 3:18
g: v.7 — James 5:7-11, Psalms 27:14, Psalms 62:5, Hebrews 10:36-37, Lamentations 3:25-26, Proverbs 20:22, Habakkuk 2:3, Jeremiah 12:1, Psalms 40:1, Isaiah 30:15
h: v.8 — Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 16:32, James 1:19-20, Ephesians 4:31, Ephesians 4:26, Job 5:2, James 3:14-18, Colossians 3:8, Job 18:4, Jonah 4:1
i: v.9 — Isaiah 60:21, Psalms 25:13, Proverbs 2:21, Psalms 37:29, Isaiah 57:13, Psalms 55:23, Psalms 37:11-12, Isaiah 58:14, Job 27:13-23, Revelation 5:10
j: v.10 — Job 24:24, Psalms 103:16, Psalms 107:42-43, Psalms 37:35-36, 1 Peter 4:7, Psalms 58:10-11, Hebrews 10:36-37, Job 7:10, Psalms 52:5, Luke 16:27-28
k: v.11 — Matthew 5:5, Isaiah 26:3, Galatians 5:22-23, James 3:13, Psalms 119:165, Philippians 4:7, Isaiah 48:18, 1 Timothy 6:11, James 1:21, Psalms 72:7
l: v.13 — Psalms 2:4, Proverbs 1:26, 1 Samuel 26:10, Daniel 5:26, Ezekiel 21:25, Ezekiel 21:29, Jeremiah 50:27, Job 18:20
m: v.15 — Psalms 7:14-15, Psalms 35:8, 1 Samuel 31:4, Hosea 1:5, Jeremiah 51:56, Psalms 46:9, Hosea 2:18, 2 Samuel 17:23, Isaiah 37:38, Esther 7:9-10
n: v.16 — Proverbs 16:8, Proverbs 15:16-17, 1 Timothy 6:6, Proverbs 13:25, Proverbs 3:33, Ecclesiastes 4:6, Proverbs 30:9, Matthew 6:11, Ecclesiastes 2:26
o: v.17 — Isaiah 41:10, Psalms 63:8, Psalms 145:14, Isaiah 42:1, Psalms 37:24, Psalms 119:116-117, Psalms 51:12, Jude 1:24, Psalms 10:15, Job 38:15
p: v.18 — Psalms 1:6, Romans 6:23, Psalms 103:17, 2 Timothy 2:19, Psalms 49:5, Revelation 11:3-5, 1 Peter 1:4-5, Psalms 31:7, Psalms 73:24, Deuteronomy 33:25
q: v.19 — Proverbs 10:3, Psalms 33:19, Job 5:20-22, Isaiah 33:16, Amos 5:13, Ephesians 5:16, Ecclesiastes 9:12, Micah 2:3
r: v.21 — Hebrews 13:16, Psalms 112:5, Proverbs 22:7, Psalms 112:9, Luke 6:30, Deuteronomy 28:12, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Acts 20:35, Deuteronomy 15:9-11
s: v.22 — Proverbs 3:33, 1 Corinthians 16:22, Psalms 37:9, Galatians 3:13, Psalms 115:15, Job 5:3, Psalms 32:1, Psalms 37:18, Matthew 25:41, Psalms 119:21
t: v.23 — Proverbs 16:9, Psalms 119:133, Proverbs 4:26, 1 Samuel 2:9, Psalms 40:2, Psalms 121:8, Psalms 85:13, Jeremiah 10:23, Psalms 121:3, Psalms 147:10-11
u: v.24 — Proverbs 24:16, Psalms 145:14, Psalms 94:18, Micah 7:7-8, John 10:27-30, Luke 22:31-32, Psalms 40:2, Psalms 147:6, Psalms 34:19-20, Psalms 37:17
v: v.25 — Hebrews 13:5, Psalms 37:28, Psalms 25:13, 1 Samuel 12:22, Psalms 112:2, 2 Corinthians 4:9, Psalms 94:14, Psalms 71:18, Joshua 1:5, Luke 1:53-55
w: v.27 — Psalms 34:14, Proverbs 16:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1 John 2:16-17, Hebrews 13:16, 2 Timothy 2:19, Titus 2:11-14, Hebrews 13:21, Isaiah 1:16-17, Job 28:28
x: v.28 — Proverbs 2:22, Psalms 11:7, Psalms 21:10, Isaiah 59:21, Jude 1:1, 1 Peter 1:5, Isaiah 14:20-21, Isaiah 61:8, Job 27:14, 1 John 2:19
y: v.29 — Proverbs 2:21, Psalms 37:9, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:7, Psalms 37:18, Psalms 37:11, Deuteronomy 30:20, Revelation 21:3-4, Psalms 37:27
z: v.30 — Colossians 4:6, Proverbs 25:11-13, Proverbs 15:7, Ephesians 4:29, Matthew 12:35, Proverbs 10:31, Proverbs 10:21, Psalms 71:15, Deuteronomy 6:7-9, Psalms 71:24
aa: v.31 — Psalms 40:8, Deuteronomy 6:6, Isaiah 51:7, Psalms 119:11, Jeremiah 31:33, Psalms 37:23, Psalms 121:3, Hebrews 8:10, Proverbs 4:4, Psalms 44:18
ab: v.34 — Psalms 27:14, Psalms 37:9, Proverbs 20:22, Matthew 24:13, Psalms 37:7, Psalms 52:5-6, Proverbs 4:25-27, Psalms 91:8, Psalms 37:3, Job 23:10-12
ac: v.35 — Job 5:3, Psalms 73:3-11, Job 21:7-17, Job 8:13-19, Ezekiel 31:18, Isaiah 14:14-19, Ezekiel 31:6-10, Esther 5:11, Daniel 4:20-33
ad: v.36 — Psalms 37:10, Acts 12:22-23, Exodus 15:19, Isaiah 10:16-19, Isaiah 10:33-34, Exodus 15:9-10, Job 20:5-29
ae: v.37 — Isaiah 32:17, Isaiah 57:1-2, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Acts 7:59-60, Job 1:1, Job 42:12-17, Luke 2:25-29, Proverbs 14:32, 2 Peter 1:14
af: v.39 — Psalms 9:9, Psalms 91:15, Isaiah 12:2, Psalms 3:8, 2 Timothy 4:17, Psalms 46:1, Ephesians 2:8, Jonah 2:9, Isaiah 33:2, Colossians 1:11
ag: v.40 — Isaiah 31:5, Daniel 3:17, 1 Chronicles 5:20, Daniel 6:23, Isaiah 46:4, Daniel 3:28, 1 John 5:18, Psalms 22:4-5, 1 John 2:13-14, Psalms 27:2

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