The Insecurity of the Wicked

371 Do not fret because of evildoers , Be not envious toward wrongdoers . 2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb . 3 Trust in the Lord and do good ; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness . 4 Delight yourself in the Lord ; And He will give you the desires of your heart . 5 Commit your way to the Lord , Trust also in Him, and He will do it. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday .

7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way , Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes . 8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath ; Do not fret ; it leads only to evildoing . 9 For evildoers will be cut off , But those who wait for the Lord , they will inherit the land . 10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more ; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. 11 But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity . 12 The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth . 13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming . 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy , To slay those who are upright in conduct . 15 Their sword will enter their own heart , And their bows will be broken . 16 Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked . 17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken , But the Lord sustains the righteous . 18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless , And their inheritance will be forever . 19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil , And in the days of famine they will have abundance . 20 But the wicked will perish ; And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures , They vanish - like smoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back , But the righteous is gracious and gives . 22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land , But those cursed by Him will be cut off . 23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord , And He delights in his way . 24 When he falls , he will not be hurled headlong , Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand . 25 I have been young and now I am old , Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread . 26 All day long he is gracious and lends , And his descendants are a blessing . 27 Depart from evil and do good , So you will abide forever . 28 For the Lord loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones ; They are preserved forever , But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off . 29 The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever . 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom , And his tongue speaks justice . 31 The law of his God is in his heart ; His steps do not slip . 32 The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to kill him. 33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand Or let him be condemned when he is judged .

34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way , And He will exalt you to inherit the land ; When the wicked are cut off , you will see it. 35 I have seen a wicked , violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. 36 Then he passed away , and lo , he was no more ; I sought for him, but he could not be found . 37 Mark the blameless man , and behold the upright ; For the man of peace will have a posterity . 38 But transgressors will be altogether destroyed ; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off . 39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord ; He is their strength in time of trouble . 40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.