37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! 1
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. 2
37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,
and publicly defend your just cause. 3
37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! 4
Wait confidently 5 for him!
Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, 6
a man who carries out wicked schemes!
37:8 Do not be angry and frustrated! 7
Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!
37:9 Wicked men 8 will be wiped out, 9
but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land. 10
37:10 Evil men will soon disappear; 11
you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. 12
37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity. 13
37:12 Evil men plot against the godly 14
and viciously attack them. 15
37:13 The Lord laughs in disgust 16 at them,
for he knows that their day is coming. 17
37:14 Evil men draw their swords
and prepare their bows,
to bring down 18 the oppressed and needy,
and to slaughter those who are godly. 19
37:15 Their swords will pierce 20 their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
37:16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than
the wealth of many evil men, 21
37:17 for evil men will lose their power, 22
but the Lord sustains 23 the godly.
37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day 24
and they possess a permanent inheritance. 25
37:19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come; 26
when famine comes they will have enough to eat. 27
37:20 But 28 evil men will die;
the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated 29 –
they will go up in smoke. 30
37:21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt,
but the godly show compassion and are generous. 31
37:22 Surely 32 those favored by the Lord 33 will possess the land,
but those rejected 34 by him will be wiped out. 35
37:23 The Lord grants success to the one
whose behavior he finds commendable. 36
37:24 Even if 37 he trips, he will not fall headlong, 38
for the Lord holds 39 his hand.
37:25 I was once young, now I am old.
I have never seen a godly man abandoned,
or his children 40 forced to search for food. 41
37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, 42
and his children 43 are blessed.
37:27 Turn away from evil! Do what is right! 44
Then you will enjoy lasting security. 45
37:28 For the Lord promotes 46 justice,
and never abandons 47 his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure, 48
but the children 49 of evil men are wiped out. 50
37:29 The godly will possess the land
and will dwell in it permanently.
37:30 The godly speak wise words
and promote justice. 51
37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking; 52
their 53 feet do not slip.
37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly
and try to kill them. 54
37:33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,
or allow them to be condemned in a court of law. 55
37:34 Rely 56 on the Lord! Obey his commands! 57
Then he will permit you 58 to possess the land;
you will see the demise of evil men. 59
37:35 I have seen ruthless evil men 60
growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil. 61
37:36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! 62
I looked for them, but they could not be found.
37:37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! 63
For the one who promotes peace has a future. 64
37:38 Sinful rebels are totally destroyed; 65
evil men have no future. 66
37:39 But the Lord delivers the godly; 67
he protects them in times of trouble. 68
37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, 69
for they seek his protection.