A few weeks ago I wrote about how praying Psalm 37 is keeping me from flying off the planet.
Here's another version, from The Order of St. Helena Psalter
Psalm 37
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 God and do good; *
dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
4 Take delight in God, *
who shall give you your heart’s desire.
5 Commit your way to God and put your trust in God, *
who will bring it to pass.
6 God will make your righteousness as clear as the light *
and your just dealing as the noonday.
7 Be still before God; *
for God wait patiently.
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 God 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 God laughs at the wicked, *
seeing 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 God upholds the righteous.
19 God cares for the lives of the faithful, *
and their inheritance shall last for ever.
20 They shall not be ashamed in bad times, *
and in days of famine they shall have enough.
21 As for the wicked, they shall perish, *
and the enemies of God, like the glory of the meadows, shall vanish;
they shall vanish like smoke.
22 The wicked borrow and do not repay, *
but the righteous are generous in giving.
23 Those who are blest by God shall possess the land, *
but those who are cursed shall be destroyed.
24 Our steps are directed by God, *
who strengthens those whose ways are upright.
25 If they stumble, they shall not fall headlong, *
for God holds them by the hand.
26 I have been young and now I am old, *
but never have I seen the righteous forsaken,
or their children begging bread.
27 The righteous are always generous in their lending, *
and their children shall be a blessing.
28 Turn from evil and do good, *
and dwell in the land for ever.
29 For God loves justice *
and does not forsake the faithful ones.
30 They shall be kept safe for ever, *
but the offspring of the wicked shall be destroyed.
31 The righteous shall possess the land *
and dwell in it for ever.
32 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, *
and their tongue speaks what is right.
33 The law of their God is in their heart, *
and their footsteps shall not falter.
34 The wicked spy on the righteous *
and seek occasion to kill them.
35 But God will not abandon them to their hand, *
nor let them be found guilty when brought to trial.
36 Wait upon God and keep God’s way; *
you will be raised up to possess the land,
and when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
37 I have seen the wicked in their arrogance, *
flourishing like a tree in full leaf.
38 I went by, and behold, they were not there; *
I searched for them, but they could not be found.
39 Mark those who are honest;
observe the upright; *
for there is a future for the peaceable.
40 Transgressors shall be destroyed, one and all; *
the future of the wicked is cut off.
41 But the deliverance of the righteous comes from God *
who is their stronghold in time of trouble.
42 God will help them and rescue them; *
the Holy One will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them,
because they seek refuge in God.
© Order of Saint Helena, used by permission
