Psalms 37:1

By David. Do not fret ²  when wicked men seem to succeed! ³  Do not envy evildoers!

Of David. Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;

<< A Psalm of David.>> Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.

<<A psalm of David.>> Don’t worry about the wicked. Don’t envy those who do wrong.

Don't bother your head with braggarts or wish you could succeed like the wicked.

<Of David.> Do not be angry because of the wrongdoers, or have envy of the workers of evil.

Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers,

<< A Psalm of David.>> Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

By David. Do not fret ²  when wicked men seem to succeed! ³  Do not envy evildoers!

¹ sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

² tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.

³ tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.