Psalm 37

Refrain:    The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord.

1    Fret not because of evildoers;  

be not jealous of those who do wrong.

2    For they shall soon wither like grass  

and like the green herb fade away.

3    Trust in the Lord and be doing good;  

dwell in the land and be nourished with truth.

4    Let your delight be in the Lord  

and he will 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. [R]

7    Be still before the Lord and wait for him;  

do not fret over those that prosper

as they follow their evil schemes.

8    Refrain from anger and abandon wrath;  

do not fret, lest you be moved to do evil.

9    For evildoers shall be cut off,  

but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.

10  Yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;  

you will search for their place and find them gone.

11  But the lowly shall possess the land  

and shall delight in abundance of peace. [R]

12  The wicked plot against the righteous  

and gnash at them with their teeth.

13  The Lord shall laugh at the wicked,  

for he sees that their day is coming.

14  The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow

to strike down the poor and needy,  

to slaughter those who walk in truth.

15  Their sword shall go through their own heart  

and their bows shall be broken.

16  The little that the righteous have  

is better than great riches of the wicked.

17  For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,  

but the Lord upholds the righteous. [R]

18  The Lord knows the days of the godly,  

and their inheritance shall stand for ever.

19  They shall not be put to shame in the perilous time,  

and in days of famine they shall have enough.

20  But the wicked shall perish;

like the glory of the meadows

the enemies of the Lord shall vanish;  

they shall vanish like smoke.

21  The wicked borrow and do not repay,  

but the righteous are generous in giving.

22  For those who are blest by God shall possess the land,  

but those who are cursed by him shall be rooted out. [R]

23  When your steps are guided by the Lord  

and you delight in his way,

24  Though you stumble, you shall not fall headlong,  

for the Lord holds you fast by the hand.

25  I have been young and now am old,  

yet never have I seen the righteous forsaken,

or their children begging their bread.

26  All the day long they are generous in lending,  

and their children also shall be blest. [R]

27  Depart from evil and do good  

and you shall abide for ever.

28  For the Lord loves the thing that is right  

and will not forsake his faithful ones.

29  The unjust shall be destroyed for ever,  

and the offspring of the wicked shall be rooted out.

30  The righteous shall possess the land  

and dwell in it for ever. [R]

31  The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,  

and their tongue speaks the thing that is right.

32  The law of their God is in their heart  

and their footsteps shall not slide.

33  The wicked spy on the righteous  

and seek occasion to slay them.

34  The Lord will not leave them in their hand,  

nor let them be condemned when they are judged. [R]

35  Wait upon the Lord and keep his way;  

he will raise you up to possess the land,

and when the wicked are uprooted, you shall see it.

36  I myself have seen the wicked in great power  

and flourishing like a tree in full leaf.

37  I went by and lo, they were gone;  

I sought them, but they could nowhere be found.

38  Keep innocence and heed the thing that is right,  

for that will bring you peace at the last. [R]

39  But the sinners shall perish together,  

and the posterity of the wicked shall be rooted out.

40  The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;  

he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

41  The Lord shall stand by them and deliver them;  

he shall deliver them from the wicked and shall save them,

because they have put their trust in him.

Refrain:    The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord.

Blessed and holy God,

ever merciful and forgiving,

may we turn from what is evil

and do what is good in your sight,

for you have saved us by the cross of your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

 

Common Worship: Daily Prayer, material from which is included here,
is copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2005 and published by Church House Publishing.

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