Psalms 37:12-29
Psalms 37:12-29 The Message (MSG)
Bad guys have it in for the good guys, obsessed with doing them in. But GOD isn’t losing any sleep; to him they’re a joke with no punch line. Bullies brandish their swords, pull back on their bows with a flourish. They’re out to beat up on the harmless, or mug that nice man out walking his dog. A banana peel lands them flat on their faces— slapstick figures in a moral circus. Less is more and more is less. One righteous will outclass fifty wicked, For the wicked are moral weaklings but the righteous are GOD-strong. GOD keeps track of the decent folk; what they do won’t soon be forgotten. In hard times, they’ll hold their heads high; when the shelves are bare, they’ll be full. God-despisers have had it; GOD’s enemies are finished— Stripped bare like vineyards at harvest time, vanished like smoke in thin air. Wicked borrows and never returns; Righteous gives and gives. Generous gets it all in the end; Stingy is cut off at the pass. Stalwart walks in step with GOD; his path blazed by GOD, he’s happy. If he stumbles, he’s not down for long; GOD has a grip on his hand. I once was young, now I’m a graybeard— not once have I seen an abandoned believer, or his kids out roaming the streets. Every day he’s out giving and lending, his children making him proud. Turn your back on evil, work for the good and don’t quit. GOD loves this kind of thing, never turns away from his friends. Live this way and you’ve got it made, but bad eggs will be tossed out. The good get planted on good land and put down healthy roots.
Psalms 37:12-29 King James Version (KJV)
The wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: For he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. A little that a righteous man hath is better Than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: But the LORD upholdeth the righteous. The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: And their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: But the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; And they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: And he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: For the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; And his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell for evermore. For the LORD loveth judgment, And forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell therein for ever.
Psalms 37:12-29 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken. Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the LORD sustains the righteous. The LORD knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have abundance. But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off. The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing. Depart from evil and do good, So you will abide forever. For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever.
Psalms 37:12-29 New Century Version (NCV)
The wicked make evil plans against good people. They grind their teeth at them in anger. But the Lord laughs at the wicked, because he sees that their day is coming. The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows to kill the poor and helpless, to kill those who are honest. But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will break. It is better to have little and be right than to have much and be wrong. The power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD supports those who do right. The LORD watches over the lives of the innocent, and their reward will last forever. They will not be ashamed when trouble comes. They will be full in times of hunger. But the wicked will die. The LORD’s enemies will be like the flowers of the fields; they will disappear like smoke. The wicked borrow and don’t pay back, but those who do right give freely to others. Those whom the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be sent away. When people’s steps follow the LORD, God is pleased with their ways. If they stumble, they will not fall, because the LORD holds their hand. I was young, and now I am old, but I have never seen good people left helpless or their children begging for food. Good people always lend freely to others, and their children are a blessing. Stop doing evil and do good, so you will live forever. The LORD loves justice and will not leave those who worship him. He will always protect them, but the children of the wicked will die. Good people will inherit the land and will live in it forever.
Psalms 37:12-29 American Standard Version (ASV)
The wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord will laugh at him; For he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay such as are upright in the way. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. Better is a little that the righteous hath Than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken; But Jehovah upholdeth the righteous. Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; And their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; in smoke shall they consume away. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; But the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth. For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land; And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off. A man’s goings are established of Jehovah; And he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For Jehovah upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his seed begging bread. All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth; And his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell for evermore. For Jehovah loveth justice, And forsaketh not his saints; They are preserved for ever: But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell therein for ever.
Psalms 37:12-29 New International Version (NIV)
The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. But the wicked will perish: Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke. The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed. The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing. Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
Psalms 37:12-29 New King James Version (NKJV)
The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholds the righteous. The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.
Psalms 37:12-29 Amplified Bible (AMP)
¶The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him [the wicked one—the one who oppresses the righteous], For He sees that his day [of defeat] is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slaughter those who are upright in conduct [those with personal integrity and godly character]. The sword [of the ungodly] will enter their own heart, And their bow will be broken. ¶Better is the little of the righteous [who seek the will of God] Than the abundance (riches) of many wicked (godless). [1 Tim 6:6, 7] For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the LORD upholds and sustains the righteous [who seek Him]. The LORD knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will continue forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have plenty and be satisfied. But the wicked (ungodly) will perish, And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures and like the fat of lambs [that is consumed in smoke], They vanish—like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and kind and gives. For those blessed by God will [at last] inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off. [Is 57:13c] ¶The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the LORD, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path]. When he falls, he will not be hurled down, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand and sustains him. I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous (those in right standing with God) abandoned Or his descendants pleading for bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing. ¶Depart from evil and do good; And you will dwell [securely in the land] forever. For the LORD delights in justice And does not abandon His saints (faithful ones); They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will [in time] be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land And live in it forever.
Psalms 37:12-29 New Living Translation (NLT)
The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right. But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the LORD takes care of the godly. Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough. But the wicked will die. The LORD’s enemies are like flowers in a field— they will disappear like smoke. The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. Those the LORD blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die. The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing. Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever. For the LORD loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die. The godly will possess the land and will live there forever.
Psalms 37:12-29 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Let the wicked keep plotting against the godly with all their sneers and arrogant jeers. God laughs at the wicked and their plans, for he knows their day is coming! Evil ones take aim at the poor and helpless; they are ready to slaughter those who do right. But the Lord will turn all their weapons of wickedness back on themselves, piercing their pride-filled hearts until they are helpless. It is much better to have little combined with much of God than to have the fabulous wealth of the wicked and nothing else. For the Lord takes care of all his forgiven ones while the strength of evil men will surely slip away. Day by day the Lord watches the good deeds of the godly, and he prepares for them his forever-reward. Even in a time of disaster he will watch over them, and they will always have more than enough no matter what happens. All the enemies of God will perish. For the wicked have only a momentary value, a fading glory. Then one day they vanish! Here today, gone tomorrow. They break their promises, borrowing money but never paying it back. The good man returns what he owes with some extra besides. YAHWEH’s blessed ones receive the land, but the cursed ones will be cut off with nothing to show for themselves. When YAHWEH delights in how you live your life, he establishes your every step. If they stumble badly they will still survive, for the Lord lifts them up with his hands. I was once inexperienced, but now I’m old. Not once have I found a lover of God forsaken by him, nor have any of their children gone hungry. Instead, I’ve found the godly ones to be the generous ones who give freely to others. Their children are blessed and become a blessing. If you truly want to dwell forever in God’s presence, forsake evil and do what is right in his eyes. The Lord loves it when he sees us walking in his justice. He will never desert his devoted lovers; they will be kept forever in his faithful care, but the descendants of the wicked will be banished. The faithful lovers of God will inherit the earth and enjoy every promise of God’s care, dwelling in peace forever.
Psalms 37:12-29 English Standard Version Revision 2016 (ESV)
The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance. But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.