Psalms 37:10-39

¹⁰In a little while the wicked will be no more—though you look for them you won't find them.

¹¹The humble will own the land; they will live there happily, in peace and prosperity.

¹²The wicked plot evil against those who do good, gnashing their teeth at them.

¹³But the Lord laughs at them, for he sees their coming day of judgment.

¹⁴The wicked draw their swords, and bend their bows to destroy the poor and needy, to kill those who live right.

¹⁵But the swords of the wicked will slice through their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶It's better to do right and only have a little, than to be wicked and rich.

¹⁷For the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports those who do right.

¹⁸The Lord knows what is happening to the innocent and grants them an eternal inheritance.

¹⁹They will not be humiliated in bad times; even in days of famine they will have plenty to eat.

²⁰But the wicked will die. The enemies of the Lord are like the flowers of the field—they will vanish like smoke.

²¹The wicked borrow, but don't repay; while those who do right give generously.

²²Those who are blessed by God will own the land, but those he curses will die.

²³The Lord shows the right path to those who follow him, and is happy with the way they live.

²⁴Though they may trip up, they will not fall to the ground, for the Lord holds their hand.

²⁵Once I was young, and now I've grown old, yet I've never seen those who do right abandoned, nor their children having to beg for bread.

²⁶They are always kind, and generous with their loans; their children are a blessing.

²⁷Reject evil, do what is good, and you will live forever in the land.

²⁸For the Lord loves fairness and he will never abandon those who are trustworthy. He will protect them forever. But the children of the wicked will die.

²⁹Those who do right will own the land and will live there forever.

³⁰People who do right give good advice, explaining what is fair.

³¹God's law lives in their minds, so they will not slip from his way.

³²The wicked lie in wait for those who do good, intending to kill them.

³³But the Lord will not let them fall into the hands of the wicked, and he will not let those who do good be condemned when they are put on trial.

³⁴Trust in the Lord, and stay on his path. He will lift you up and give you the land to own. You will see when the wicked are destroyed.

³⁵I have watched the wicked acting brutally, spreading like a large tree in its native land.

³⁶But when I passed that way the next time, they were gone. I searched for them but couldn't find them.

³⁷Observe the innocent, look at those who do right! Those who love peace have a future!

³⁸But those who are rebellious will be altogether destroyed; the wicked have no future.

³⁹The Lord saves those who live right; he is their protection in times of trouble.