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Psalm 36 (37)

The lot of the evil and the just compared
“Blessed are the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage” (Mt 5, 5).

Do not fret because of the wicked;                                                I
  do not envy those who do evil,
for they wither quickly like grass
  and fade like the green of the fields.

If you trust in the Lord and do good,
  then you will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord,
  he will grant your heart’s desire.

Commit your life to the Lord,
  trust in him and he will act,
so that your justice breaks forth like the light,
  your cause like the noon-day sun.

Be still before the Lord and wait in patience;
  do not fret at the man who prospers;
a man who makes evil plots
  to bring down the needy and the poor.

Calm your anger and forget your rage;
  do not fret, it only leads to evil.
For those who do evil shall perish;
  the patient shall inherit the land.

A little longer – and the wicked shall have gone.
  Look at his place, he is not there.
But the humble shall own the land
  and enjoy the fullness of peace.

The wicked man plots against the just                                                II
  and gnashes his teeth against him;
but the Lord laughs at the wicked
  for he sees that his day is at hand.

The sword of the wicked is drawn,
  his bow is bent to slaughter the upright.
Their sword shall pierce their own hearts
  and their bows shall be broken to pieces.

The just man’s few possessions
  are better than the wicked man’s wealth;
for the power of the wicked shall be broken
  and the Lord will support the just.

He protects the lives of the upright,
  their heritage will last for ever.
They shall not be put to shame in evil days,
  in time of famine their food shall not fail.

But all the wicked shall perish
  and all the enemies of the Lord.
They are like the beauty of the meadows,
  they shall vanish, they shall vanish like smoke.

The wicked man borrows without repaying,
  but the just man is generous and gives.
Those blessed by the Lord shall own the land,
  but those he has cursed shall be destroyed.

The Lord guides the steps of a man
  and makes safe the path of one he loves.
Though he stumble he shall never fall
  for the Lord holds him by the hand.

I was young and now I am old,
  but I have never seen the just man forsaken
  nor his children begging for bread.
All the day he is generous and lends
  and his children become a blessing.

Then turn away from evil and do good
  and you shall have a home for ever;
for the Lord loves justice
  and will never forsake his friends.

The unjust shall be wiped out for ever
  and the children of the wicked destroyed.
The just shall inherit the land;
  there they shall live for ever.

The just man’s mouth utters wisdom                                               III
  and his lips speak what is right;
the law of his God is in his heart,
  his steps shall be saved from stumbling.

The wicked man watches for the just
  and seeks occasion to kill him.
The Lord will not leave him in his power
  nor let him be condemned when he is judged.

Then wait for the Lord, keep to his way.
  It is he who will free you from the wicked,
raise you up to possess the land
  and see the wicked destroyed.

I have seen the wicked triumphant,
  towering like a cedar of Lebanon.
I passed by again; he was gone.
  I searched; he was nowhere to be found.

See the just man, mark the upright,
  for the peaceful man a future lies in store,
but sinners shall all be destroyed.
  No future lies in store for the wicked.

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord,
  their stronghold in time of distress.
The Lord helps them and delivers them
  and saves them: for their refuge is in him.