37:1   (By David.) Don't be annoyed by anyone who does wrong, and don't envy them.

37:2   They will soon disappear like grass without rain.

37:3   Trust the LORD and live right! The land will be yours, and you will be safe.

37:4   Do what the LORD wants, and he will give you your heart's desire.

37:5   Let the LORD lead you and trust him to help.

37:6   Then it will be as clear as the noonday sun that you were right.

37:7   Be patient and trust the LORD. Don't let it bother you when all goes well for those who do sinful things.

37:8   Don't be angry or furious. Anger can lead to sin.

37:9   All sinners will disappear, but if you trust the LORD, the land will be yours.

37:10   Sinners will soon disappear, never to be found,

37:11   but the poor will take the land and enjoy a big harvest.

37:12   Merciless people make plots against good people and snarl like animals,

37:13   but the Lord laughs and knows their time is coming soon.

37:14   The wicked kill with swords and shoot arrows to murder the poor and the needy and all who do right.

37:15   But they will be killed by their own swords, and their arrows will be broken.

37:16   It is better to live right and be poor than to be sinful and rich.

37:17   The wicked will lose all of their power, but the LORD gives strength to everyone who is good.

37:18   Those who obey the LORD are daily in his care, and what he has given them will be theirs forever.

37:19   They won't be in trouble when times are bad, and they will have plenty when food is scarce.

37:20   Wicked people are enemies of the LORD and will vanish like smoke from a field on fire.

37:21   An evil person borrows and never pays back; a good person is generous and never stops giving.

37:22   Everyone the LORD blesses will receive the land; everyone the LORD curses will be destroyed.

37:23   If you do what the LORD wants, he will make certain each step you take is sure.

37:24   The LORD will hold your hand, and if you stumble, you still won't fall.

37:25   As long as I can remember, good people have never been left helpless, and their children have never gone begging for food.

37:26   They gladly give and lend, and their children turn out good.

37:27   If you stop sinning and start doing right, you will keep living and be secure forever.

37:28   The LORD loves justice, and he won't ever desert his faithful people. He always protects them, but destroys the children of the wicked.

37:29   God's people will own the land and live here forever.

37:30   Words of wisdom come when good people speak for justice.

37:31   They remember God's teachings, and they never take a wrong step.

37:32   The wicked try to trap and kill good people,

37:33   but the LORD is on their side, and he will defend them when they are on trial.

37:34   Trust the LORD and follow him. He will give you the land, and you will see the wicked destroyed.

37:35   I have seen brutal people abuse others and grow strong like trees in rich soil.

37:36   Suddenly they disappeared! I looked, but they were gone and no longer there.

37:37   Think of the bright future waiting for all the families of honest and innocent and peace-loving people.

37:38   But not a trace will be left of the wicked or their families.

37:39   The LORD protects his people, and they can come to him in times of trouble.

37:40   The LORD helps them and saves them from the wicked because they run to him.