Psalms 37

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Of David. Do not be provoked by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong.	1 A Psalm of David, in commemoration of the Sabbath.
2 Like grass they wither quickly; like green plants they wilt away.	2 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your fury, nor chastise me in your wrath.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good that you may dwell in the land and live secure.	3 For your arrows have been driven into me, and your hand has been confirmed over me.
4 Find your delight in the LORD who will give you your heart's desire.	4 There is no health in my flesh before the face of your wrath. There is no peace for my bones before the face of my sins.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust that God will act	5 For my iniquities have walked over my head, and they have been like a heavy burden weighing upon me.
6 And make your integrity shine like the dawn, your vindication like noonday.	6 My sores have putrefied and been corrupted before the face of my foolishness.
7 Be still before the LORD; wait for God. Do not be provoked by the prosperous, nor by malicious schemers.	7 I have become miserable, and I have been bent down, even to the end. I have walked with contrition all day long.
8 Give up your anger, abandon your wrath; do not be provoked; it brings only harm.	8 For my loins have been filled with illusions, and there is no health in my flesh.
9 Those who do evil will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD will possess the land.	9 I have been afflicted and greatly humbled. I bellowed from the groaning of my heart.
10 Wait a little, and the wicked will be no more; look for them and they will not be there.	10 O Lord, all my desire is before you, and my groaning before you has not been hidden.
11 But the poor will possess the land, will delight in great prosperity.	11 My heart has been disturbed. My strength has abandoned me, and the light of my eyes has abandoned me, and it is not with me.
12 The wicked plot against the just and grind their teeth at them;	12 My friends and my neighbors have drawn near and stood against me. And those who were next to me stood far apart. And those who sought my soul used violence.
13 But the LORD laughs at them, knowing their day is coming.	13 And those who sought evil accusations against me were speaking emptiness. And they practiced deceitfulness all day long.
14 The wicked draw their swords; they string their bows To fell the poor and oppressed, to slaughter those whose way is honest.	14 But, like someone deaf, I did not hear. And I was like someone mute, not opening his mouth.
15 Their swords will pierce their own hearts; their bows will be broken.	15 And I became like a man who does not hear, and who has no reproofs in his mouth.
16 Better the poverty of the just than the great wealth of the wicked.	16 For in you, Lord, I have hoped. You will listen to me, O Lord my God.
17 The arms of the wicked will be broken; the LORD will sustain the just.	17 For I said, “Lest at any time, my enemies might rejoice over me,” and, “While my feet are being shaken, they have spoken great things against me.”
18 The LORD watches over the days of the blameless; their heritage lasts forever.	18 For I have been prepared for scourges, and my sorrow is ever before me.
19 They will not be disgraced when times are hard; in days of famine they will have plenty.	19 For I will announce my iniquity, and I will think about my sin.
20 The wicked perish, the enemies of the LORD; Like the beauty of meadows they vanish; like smoke they disappear.	20 But my enemies live, and they have been stronger than me. And those who have wrongfully hated me have been multiplied.
21 The wicked borrow but do not repay; the just are generous in giving.	21 Those who render evil for good have dragged me down, because I followed goodness.
22 For those blessed by the Lord will possess the land, but those accursed will be cut off.	22 Do not forsake me, O Lord my God. Do not depart from me.
23 Those whose steps are guided by the LORD; whose way God approves,	23 Be attentive to my help, O Lord, the God of my salvation.
24 May stumble, but they will never fall, for the LORD holds their hand.
25 Neither in my youth, nor now in old age have I ever seen the just abandoned or their children begging bread.
26 The just always lend generously, and their children become a blessing.
27 Turn from evil and do good, that you may inhabit the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice and does not abandon the faithful. When the unjust are destroyed, and the children of the wicked cut off,
29 The just will possess the land and live in it forever.
30 The mouths of the just utter wisdom; their tongues speak what is right.
31 God's teaching is in their hearts; their steps do not falter.
32 The wicked spy on the just and seek to kill them.
33 But the LORD does not leave the just in their power, nor let them be condemned when tried.
34 Wait eagerly for the LORD, and keep to the way; God will raise you to possess the land; you will gloat when the wicked are cut off.
35 I have seen ruthless scoundrels, strong as flourishing cedars.
36 When I passed by again, they were gone; though I searched, they could not be found.
37 Observe the honest, mark the upright; those at peace with God have a future.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the just is from the LORD, their refuge in time of distress.
40 The LORD helps and rescues them, rescues and saves them from the wicked, because in God they take refuge.