Don't Fret — Trust and Wait
Of David.
37 1 Do not fret because of evildoers; do not be envious of those who do wrong, 2 for like grass they will soon wither, and like green plants they will fade away.
3 Trust in our Father and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in our Father, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to our Father; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness like the light, and your justice like the noonday.
7 Be still before our Father and wait patiently for him; do not fret over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Give up anger and let go of your wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for our Father will inherit the land.
10 A little while longer, and the wicked will be no more; though you look closely at his place, he will not be there. 11 But the humble will inherit the land and delight in abundant peace. a a v11 Jesus draws this promise into his Beatitudes: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).
12 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him; 13 but the Sovereign Father laughs at him, for he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bow to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those whose way is upright. 15 Their sword will pierce their own heart, and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked; 17 for the strength of the wicked will be broken, but our Father upholds the righteous.
18 Our Father knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will last forever. 19 They will not be put to shame in evil times; in days of famine they will be satisfied.
20 But the wicked will perish, and the enemies of our Father will vanish like the flowers of the meadows—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous is gracious and gives. 22 For those blessed by him will inherit the land, but those cursed by him will be cut off.
23 The steps of a man are established by our Father, and he delights in his way; 24 though he stumble, he will not fall headlong, for our Father holds his hand.
25 I was young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 All day long he is gracious and lends, and his children become a blessing.
27 Turn from evil and do good, and you will dwell forever. 28 For our Father loves justice and will not forsake his faithful ones; they are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.
29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 31 The instruction of his Father is in his heart; his steps do not slip.
32 The wicked lies in wait for the righteous and seeks to put him to death; 33 but our Father will not abandon him to his hand or let him be condemned when he is judged.
34 Wait for our Father and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man spreading himself like a luxuriant native tree; 36 but he passed away, and suddenly he was no more; I looked for him, but he could not be found.
37 Watch the blameless and observe the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. 38 But transgressors will be destroyed altogether; the future of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from our Father; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. 40 Our Father helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.