Archives for February 18, 2025

Psalm 37 (NRSV)

Read Psalm 37 on biblegateway.com

Verse ¹Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers,

Verse ²for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.

Verse ³Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.

Verse ⁴Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Verse ⁵Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

Verse ⁶He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

Verse ⁷Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.

Verse ⁸Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret-it leads only to evil.

Verse ⁹For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

Verse ¹⁰Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.

Verse ¹¹But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

Verse ¹²The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them;

Verse ¹³but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming.

Verse ¹⁴The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly;

Verse ¹⁵their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

Verse ¹⁶Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked.

Verse ¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

Verse ¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever;

Verse ¹⁹they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance.

Verse ²⁰But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish-like smoke they vanish away.

Verse ²¹The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving;

Verse ²²for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

Verse ²³Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way;

Verse ²⁴though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.

Verse ²⁵I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

Verse ²⁶They are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing.

Verse ²⁷Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever.

Verse ²⁸For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his faithful ones. The righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.

Verse ²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever.

Verse ³⁰The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak justice.

Verse ³¹The law of their God is in their hearts; their steps do not slip.

Verse ³²The wicked watch for the righteous, and seek to kill them.

Verse ³³The Lord will not abandon them to their power, or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.

Verse ³⁴Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on the destruction of the wicked.

Verse ³⁵I have seen the wicked oppressing, and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.

Verse ³⁶Again I passed by, and they were no more; though I sought them, they could not be found.

Verse ³⁷Mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the peaceable.

Verse ³⁸But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.

Verse ³⁹The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their refuge in the time of trouble.

Verse ⁴⁰The Lord helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him.