Psalms 37

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 A Psalm of David, in commemoration of the Sabbath.	1 Of David. Do not be provoked by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong.
2 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your fury, nor chastise me in your wrath.	2 Like grass they wither quickly; like green plants they wilt away.
3 For your arrows have been driven into me, and your hand has been confirmed over me.	3 Trust in the LORD and do good that you may dwell in the land and live secure.
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.	4 Find your delight in the LORD who will give you your heart's desire.
5 For my iniquities have walked over my head, and they have been like a heavy burden weighing upon me.	5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust that God will act
6 My sores have putrefied and been corrupted before the face of my foolishness.	6 And make your integrity shine like the dawn, your vindication like noonday.
7 I have become miserable, and I have been bent down, even to the end. I have walked with contrition all day long.	7 Be still before the LORD; wait for God. Do not be provoked by the prosperous, nor by malicious schemers.
8 For my loins have been filled with illusions, and there is no health in my flesh.	8 Give up your anger, abandon your wrath; do not be provoked; it brings only harm.
9 I have been afflicted and greatly humbled. I bellowed from the groaning of my heart.	9 Those who do evil will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD will possess the land.
10 O Lord, all my desire is before you, and my groaning before you has not been hidden.	10 Wait a little, and the wicked will be no more; look for them and they will not be there.
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.	11 But the poor will possess the land, will delight in great prosperity.
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.	12 The wicked plot against the just and grind their teeth at them;
13 And those who sought evil accusations against me were speaking emptiness. And they practiced deceitfulness all day long.	13 But the LORD laughs at them, knowing their day is coming.
14 But, like someone deaf, I did not hear. And I was like someone mute, not opening his mouth.	14 The wicked draw their swords; they string their bows To fell the poor and oppressed, to slaughter those whose way is honest.
15 And I became like a man who does not hear, and who has no reproofs in his mouth.	15 Their swords will pierce their own hearts; their bows will be broken.
16 For in you, Lord, I have hoped. You will listen to me, O Lord my God.	16 Better the poverty of the just than the great wealth of the wicked.
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.”	17 The arms of the wicked will be broken; the LORD will sustain the just.
18 For I have been prepared for scourges, and my sorrow is ever before me.	18 The LORD watches over the days of the blameless; their heritage lasts forever.
19 For I will announce my iniquity, and I will think about my sin.	19 They will not be disgraced when times are hard; in days of famine they will have plenty.
20 But my enemies live, and they have been stronger than me. And those who have wrongfully hated me have been multiplied.	20 The wicked perish, the enemies of the LORD; Like the beauty of meadows they vanish; like smoke they disappear.
21 Those who render evil for good have dragged me down, because I followed goodness.	21 The wicked borrow but do not repay; the just are generous in giving.
22 Do not forsake me, O Lord my God. Do not depart from me.	22 For those blessed by the Lord will possess the land, but those accursed will be cut off.
23 Be attentive to my help, O Lord, the God of my salvation.	23 Those whose steps are guided by the LORD; whose way God approves,
	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.