Psalm 37:1-40 CEB

[1] Don’t get upset over evildoers; don’t be jealous of those who do wrong, [2] because they will fade fast, like grass; they will wither like green vegetables. [3] Trust the LORD and do good; live in the land, and farm faithfulness. [4] Enjoy the LORD, and he will give what your heart asks. [5] Commit your way to the LORD! Trust him! He will act [6] and will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like high noon. [7] Be still before the LORD, and wait for him. Don’t get upset when someone gets ahead—someone who invents evil schemes. [8] Let go of anger and leave rage behind! Don’t get upset—it will only lead to evil. [9] Because evildoers will be eliminated, but those who hope in the LORD—they will possess the land. [10] In just a little while the wicked won’t exist! If you go looking around their place, they won’t be there. [11] But the weak will inherit the land; they will enjoy a surplus of peace. [12] The wicked plot against the righteous, grinding their teeth at them. [13] But my Lord just laughs at them because he knows that their day is coming. [14] The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows to bring down the weak and the needy, to slaughter those whose way is right. [15] But the sword of the wicked will enter their own hearts! Their bows will be broken! [16] Better is the little that the righteous have than the overabundant wealth of the wicked. [17] The arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD supports the righteous. [18] The LORD is intimately acquainted with the lives of the blameless; their heritage will last forever. [19] They won’t be ashamed in troubling times, and in a period of famine they will eat their fill. [20] But the wicked will die, the LORD’s enemies will disappear—disappear like the beauty of a meadow—in smoke. [21] The wicked borrow and don’t pay it back, but the righteous are generous and giving. [22] Those blessed by God will possess the land, but those cursed by God will be cut off. [23] A person’s steps are made secure by the LORD when they delight in his way. [24] Though they trip up, they won’t be thrown down, because the LORD holds their hand. [25] I was young and now I’m old, but I have never seen the righteous left all alone, have never seen their children begging for bread. [26] They are always gracious and generous. Their children are a blessing. [27] Turn away from evil! Do good! Then you will live in the land forever. [28] The LORD loves justice. He will never leave his faithful all alone. They are guarded forever, but the children of the wicked are eliminated. [29] The righteous will possess the land; they will live on it forever. [30] The mouths of the righteous recite wisdom; their tongues discuss justice. [31] The Instruction of their God is in their hearts; they don’t miss a step. [32] The wicked, on the other hand, target the righteous, seeking to kill them. [33] But the LORD won’t leave the righteous to the power of the wicked, and won’t let the righteous be found guilty when they are judged. [34] Hope in the LORD and keep his way! He will lift you up so you can possess the land. When the wicked are eliminated, you will see it for yourself! [35] I myself have seen wicked powerful people, exalting themselves like a stately cedar. [36] But when I came back, they were gone! I looked all over for them, but they couldn’t be found! [37] Observe those who have integrity and watch those whose heart is right because the future belongs to persons of peace. [38] But wrongdoers will be destroyed all together; the future of the wicked will be cut short. [39] The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their refuge in times of trouble. [40] The LORD will help them and rescue them—rescue them from the wicked—and he will save them because they have taken refuge in him.