Psalm 37
Part I
Noli æmulari
1
Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; *
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
2
For they shall soon wither like the grass, *
and like the green grass fade away.
3
Put your trust in the Lord and do good; *
dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
4
Take delight in the Lord, *
and he shall give you your heart’s desire.
5
Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, *
and he will bring it to pass.
6
He will make your righteousness as clear as the light *
and your just dealing as the noonday.
7
Be still before the Lord *
and wait patiently for him.
8
Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, *
the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
9
Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.
10
For evildoers shall be cut off, *
but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.
11
In a little while the wicked shall be no more; *
you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.
12
But the lowly shall possess the land; *
they will delight in abundance of peace.
13
The wicked plot against the righteous *
and gnash at them with their teeth.
14
The Lord laughs at the wicked, *
because he sees that their day will come.
15
The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow
to strike down the poor and needy, *
to slaughter those who are upright in their ways.
16
Their sword shall go through their own heart, *
and their bow shall be broken.
17
The little that the righteous has *
is better than great riches of the wicked.
18
For the power of the wicked shall be broken, *
but the Lord upholds the righteous.