Psalm 37
1Do not fret yourself because of evildoers;
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
2For they shall soon wither like the grass,
and like the green grass fade away.
3Put your trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
4Take delight in the Lord,
and he shall give you your heart’s desire.
5Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him,
and he will bring it to pass.
6He will make your righteousness as clear as the light
and your just dealing as the noonday.
7Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him.
8Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers,
the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
9Refrain from anger, leave rage alone;
do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.
10For evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.
11In a little while the wicked shall be no more;
you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.
12But the lowly shall possess the land;
they will delight in abundance of peace.
13The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash at them with their teeth.
14The Lord laughs at the wicked,
because he sees that their day will come.
15The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow
to strike down the poor and needy,
to slaughter those who are upright in their ways.
16Their sword shall go through their own heart,
and their bow shall be broken.
17The little that the righteous has
is better than great riches of the wicked.
18For the power of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
A Collect for the Renewal of Life
O God, the King eternal,
who divides the day from the night
and turns the shadow of death into the morning:
Drive far from us all wrong desires,
incline our hearts to keep your law,
and guide our feet into the way of peace;
that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes,
rejoice to give you thanks;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
