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37 [1] **By David. Contend not with the wicked. **Do not compare your situation with that of evildoers. Do not compete with them nor emulate them,** nor be envious of evildoers. **A person who is not evil is harmed by putting himself in the same arena as the wicked; his image is damaged and his desires are corrupted.
[2] In addition, while it may appear that the wicked always succeed, their success is fleeting:** They will soon be cut down like grass **that is cut while still green and used** **for animal feed, and they will** wither like the green herb. **They are like fields that turn a vibrant green after the rains begin, but, as experience shows, quickly dry out and turn brown.
[3] **Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land. **Avoid self-aggrandizement; instead, associate with the humbler people of the land **and cultivate faithfulness. **The literal meaning of the verb *re’eh*, translated here as “cultivate,” is “to herd,” “to graze,” or “to feed oneself.” A person who “grazes in faithfulness” is nourished and sustained by his faith in God. The phrase is thus a call to live modestly, subsisting on faithfulness, rather than seeking to attain material affluence.
[4] **Take pleasure in the Lord **from being close to Him, **and **ultimately **He will grant you the desires of your heart. **
[5] **Cast the path of your life onto the Lord. ***Gol*,** **translated here as “cast,” literally means to roll something. The psalmist here encourages us to roll over, or transfer, the burdens of our daily life onto God, and to rely solely upon Him. **Trust in Him and He will act **in response, assisting you.
[6] Even if others behave toward you with deceit, maintain your own goodness and innocence, and** He will bring your righteousness to light,** **your vindication bright as noon. **
[7] **Be silent before the Lord and wait for Him; do not contend with one who prospers **through unjust means **or the man who is busy with intrigue. **
[8] Maintain your righteousness not only in the realm of action but also in your emotions:* ***Leave off anger and forsake wrath, **both of which** **often cause a person to stray from the proper path.** Do not contend **and compete with the wicked, even if you do so **merely to make things go badly **for them, to avenge misdeeds they may have committed against you.** **
[9] It is unnecessary for you to take revenge or punish those who have wronged you, **for evildoers will be cut off **even without your efforts,** while those who place their hope in the Lord will inherit the earth, **including the portions owned by those evildoers.
[10] **Soon the wicked man will be no more; you will gaze at his **former **place and he will be gone. **This can mean that he will no longer be alive, or that he will no longer be enjoying his former state of power and prosperity,
[11] **while the humble, **as opposed to those sinners, will enjoy stability and** inherit the earth, delighting in abundant peace** and well-being.
[12] **The wicked man plots against the righteous man, **menacingly **gnashing his teeth at him. **
[13] But** the Lord laughs at him** and his evil schemes; **He sees his day **of downfall **coming. **
[14] **The wicked draw their swords and stretch their bows **in order **to cast down the poor and the needy, to slaughter those who are upright in conduct. **
[15] But ultimately **their swords will come into their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. **
[16] **Better a little for the righteous man than abundance for many wicked people. **The goods and property possessed by the wicked are ephemeral,
[17] **for the arms of the wicked will be broken, while the Lord supports the righteous. **
[18] **The Lord knows **and loves **the days **and ways of life **of the blameless; **consequently, **their portion will last forever. **
[19] **They are not put to shame **even **in difficult times; in days of famine they eat their fill. **
[20] **But the wicked will perish, and the enemies of the Lord will be like the fat of rams, **consumed by others; **they** **will utterly vanish in smoke. **
[21] **The wicked one borrows and does not repay. **It is typical of evil people to take whatever they can and not give to others even what they owe them. **The righteous one, **in contrast,** is gracious and gives **of** **his possessions to others,** **either as a loan or, if needed, as an outright gift.
[22] **Those whom he, **the righteous man,** blesses inherit the earth; those whom he curses are cut off. **
[23] **The Lord sets the footsteps of man; He desires his path, **the upright path of the righteous man.
[24] **When he,** the righteous man,** stumbles, he will not fall down, because the Lord supports his hand. **The image here is of a father holding his child’s hand; even if the child trips, he does not fall to the ground, since his father is supporting him.
[25] **I was once a youth, **and **now I have grown old; and I have never seen a righteous man forsaken, nor his children seeking bread. **Even if a righteous person may not be counted among the prominent, wealthy people of his time, he and his children are never entirely forsaken. This is in contrast to the wicked, who ultimately experience utter ruin.
[26] **All day long he is gracious and lending, and his children become a blessing. **The children of the righteous “become a blessing,” not only in the sense of God rewarding them for their father’s beneficence, but also, more practically, because people who benefited from their father’s generosity will look after them.
[27] **Turn from evil and do good, and **thereby **dwell securely forever, **
[28] **for the Lord loves justice and does not forsake His pious ones. They are guarded forever, while the seed of the wicked is cut off. **
[29] **The righteous will inherit the earth and dwell on it forever. **
[30] The psalmist now describes the behavior of the righteous:* ***The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice, **voicing** **proper and just statements.
[31] **The teaching of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter. **
[32] To be sure,* ***the wicked man spies out the righteous man and seeks to kill him, **
[33] **but the Lord will not leave him in his hand. **He will not abandon the righteous to the hands of the wicked **or let him be condemned when judged. **
[34] **Put your hope in the Lord and follow His way, and **if you do,** He will **ultimately **raise you up **from your lowly position **to inherit the earth. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it*****. ***
[35] **I have seen a cruel and wicked man firmly rooted like a well-watered tree in its native soil. **
[36] Yet, later I saw that despite his apparent sturdiness and robustness, **he passed away and was gone; I looked for him but he was no longer to be found. **
[37] **Maintain **the path of **innocence, seek **the path of** integrity, for there is a **bright** future for the man of peace. **
[38] **But transgressors,** in contrast,** will be altogether destroyed, the future of the wicked cut off. **
[39] **The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in times of trouble. **
[40] **The Lord helps them and rescues them; He will rescue and deliver them from the wicked, because they took refuge in Him. **
Version: The Steinsaltz Tanakh - English
Source: https://korenpub.com/collections/the-steinsaltz-tanakh/products/steinsaltz-tanakh
License: Copyright: Steinsaltz Center