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Psalm 37

Exhortation to Patience and Trust

Of David.

1

Do not fret because of the wicked;

do not be envious of wrongdoers,

2

for they will soon fade like the grass,

and wither like the green herb.

 

3

Trust in the L ord, and do good;

so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.

4

Take delight in the L ord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 

5

Commit your way to the L ord;

trust in him, and he will act.

6

He will make your vindication shine like the light,

and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

 

7

Be still before the L ord, and wait patiently for him;

do not fret over those who prosper in their way,

over those who carry out evil devices.

 

8

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.

Do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9

For the wicked shall be cut off,

but those who wait for the L ord shall inherit the land.

 

10

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.

11

But the meek shall inherit the land,

and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

 

12

The wicked plot against the righteous,

and gnash their teeth at them;

13

but the L ord laughs at the wicked,

for he sees that their day is coming.

 

14

The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows

to bring down the poor and needy,

to kill those who walk uprightly;

15

their sword shall enter their own heart,

and their bows shall be broken.

 

16

Better is a little that the righteous person has

than the abundance of many wicked.

17

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,

but the L ord upholds the righteous.

 

18

The L ord knows the days of the blameless,

and their heritage will abide forever;

19

they are not put to shame in evil times,

in the days of famine they have abundance.

 

20

But the wicked perish,

and the enemies of the L ord are like the glory of the pastures;

they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

 

21

The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,

but the righteous are generous and keep giving;

22

for those blessed by the L ord shall inherit the land,

but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

 

23

Our steps are made firm by the L ord,

when he delights in our way;

24

though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,

for the L ord holds us by the hand.

 

25

I have been young, and now am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

26

They are ever giving liberally and lending,

and their children become a blessing.

 

27

Depart from evil, and do good;

so you shall abide forever.

28

For the L ord 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.

29

The righteous shall inherit the land,

and live in it forever.

 

30

The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,

and their tongues speak justice.

31

The law of their God is in their hearts;

their steps do not slip.

 

32

The wicked watch for the righteous,

and seek to kill them.

33

The L ord will not abandon them to their power,

or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.

 

34

Wait for the L ord, and keep to his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land;

you will look on the destruction of the wicked.

 

35

I have seen the wicked oppressing,

and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.

36

Again I passed by, and they were no more;

though I sought them, they could not be found.

 

37

Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,

for there is posterity for the peaceable.

38

But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;

the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.

 

39

The salvation of the righteous is from the L ord;

he is their refuge in the time of trouble.

40

The L ord helps them and rescues them;

he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.


10 Yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be. This is a confirmation of the preceding verse. It might well have been objected, that the actual state of things in the world is very different from what David here represents it, since the ungodly riot in their pleasures, and the people of God pine away in sickness and poverty. David, therefore, wishing to guard us against a rash and hasty judgment, exhorts us to be quiet for a little while, till the Lord cut off the wicked entirely, and show the efficacy of his grace towards his own people. What he requires then on the part of the true believers is, that in the exercise of their wisdom they should suspend their judgment for a time, and not stop at every trifle, but exercise their thoughts in meditation upon divine providence, until God show out of heaven that the full time is come. Instead, however, of describing them as those who wait upon the Lord, he now speaks of them as the meek; and this he does not without good reason: for unless a man believe that God preserves his own people in a wonderful manner, as if they were like sheep among wolves, he will be always endeavoring to repel force by force. 2626     “De se venger, et de rendre mal pour mal.” — Fr. “To take revenge, and to render evil for evil.” It is hope alone, therefore, which of itself produces meekness; for, by restraining the impetuosity of the flesh, and allaying its vehemence, it trains to equanimity and patience those who submit themselves to God. From this passage it would seem, that Christ has taken that which is written in Matthew 5:5. The word peace is generally employed in the Hebrew to denote the prosperous and happy issue of things; yet another sense will agree better with this place, namely, that while the ungodly shall be agitated with inward trouble, and God shall encompass them on every side with terror, the faithful shall rejoice in the abundance of peace. It is not meant that they are exempted from trouble, but they are sustained by the tranquillity of their minds; so that accounting all the trials which they endure to be only temporary, they now rejoice in hope of the promised rest.


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