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Psalm 37 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Psa 37:1A psalm of David.

Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
Psa 37:2For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
Psa 37:3Trust in the LORD and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Psa 37:4Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Psa 37:5Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Psa 37:6He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
Psa 37:7Be 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.
Psa 37:8Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
it only leads to harm.
Psa 37:9For the wicked will be destroyed,
but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land.
Psa 37:10Soon the wicked will disappear.
Though you look for them, they will be gone.
Psa 37:11The lowly will possess the land
and will live in peace and prosperity.
Psa 37:12The wicked plot against the godly;
they snarl at them in defiance.
Psa 37:13But the Lord just laughs,
for he sees their day of judgment coming.
Psa 37:14The wicked draw their swords
and string their bows
to kill the poor and the oppressed,
to slaughter those who do right.
Psa 37:15But their swords will stab their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
Psa 37:16It is better to be godly and have little
than to be evil and rich.
Psa 37:17For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
but the LORD takes care of the godly.
Psa 37:18Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent,
and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
Psa 37:19They will not be disgraced in hard times;
even in famine they will have more than enough.
Psa 37:20But the wicked will die.
The LORD’s enemies are like flowers in a field—
they will disappear like smoke.
Psa 37:21The wicked borrow and never repay,
but the godly are generous givers.
Psa 37:22Those the LORD blesses will possess the land,
but those he curses will die.
Psa 37:23The LORD directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Psa 37:24Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the LORD holds them by the hand.
Psa 37:25Once I was young, and now I am old.
Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
or their children begging for bread.
Psa 37:26The godly always give generous loans to others,
and their children are a blessing.
Psa 37:27Turn from evil and do good,
and you will live in the land forever.
Psa 37:28For 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.
Psa 37:29The godly will possess the land
and will live there forever.
Psa 37:30The godly offer good counsel;
they teach right from wrong.
Psa 37:31They have made God’s law their own,
so they will never slip from his path.
Psa 37:32The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
looking for an excuse to kill them.
Psa 37:33But the LORD will not let the wicked succeed
or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.
Psa 37:34Put 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.
Psa 37:35I have seen wicked and ruthless people
flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
Psa 37:36But when I looked again, they were gone!
Though I searched for them, I could not find them!
Psa 37:37Look at those who are honest and good,
for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
Psa 37:38But the rebellious will be destroyed;
they have no future.
Psa 37:39The LORD rescues the godly;
he is their fortress in times of trouble.
Psa 37:40The LORD helps them,
rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
and they find shelter in him.
NLT Footnotes
This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each stanza begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
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Psalm Chapter 37 — Additional Translations: