Judaism
Psalms 37
Text
[A Psalm] of David. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness.
For they shall soon wither like the grass, and fade as the green herb.
Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and cherish faithfulness.
So shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and He shall give thee the petitions of thy heart.
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass.
And He will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light, and thy right as the noonday.
Resign thyself unto the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing.
For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait for the LORD, they shall inherit the land.
And yet a little while, and the wicked is no more; yea, thou shalt look well at his place, and he is not.
But the humble shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
The wicked plotteth against the righteous, and gnasheth at him with his teeth.
The Lord doth laugh at him; for He seeth that his day is coming.
The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow; to cast down the poor and needy, to slay such as are upright in the way;
Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
Better is a little that the righteous hath than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken; but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
The LORD knoweth the days of them that are wholehearted; and their inheritance shall be for ever.
They shall not be ashamed in the time of evil; and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs— They shall pass away in smoke, they shall pass away.
The wicked borroweth, and payeth not; but the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth.
For such as are blessed of Him shall inherit the land; and they that are cursed of Him shall be cut off.
It is of the LORD that a man's goings are established; and He delighted in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholdeth his hand.
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
For the LORD loveth justice, And forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved for ever; but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, and his tongue speaketh justice.
The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps slide.
The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor suffer him to be condemned when he is judged.
Wait for the LORD, and keep His way, and He will exalt thee to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a leafy tree in its native soil.
But one passed by, and, lo, he was not; yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
Mark the man of integrity, and behold the upright; for there is a future for the man of peace.
But transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD; He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
And the LORD helpeth them, and delivereth them; He delivereth them from the wicked, and saveth them, because they have taken refuge in Him.
Text: The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society (1917), public domain, via Sefaria.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
The Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”
Hadith (An-Nawawi 13)
“None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”
Mahabharata 5.1517
“One should never do to another what one regards as injurious to oneself.”
Dhammapada 129 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“All tremble at the rod, all fear death. Treating others like oneself, neither kill nor incite to kill.”
Divine Compassion & Mercy
Quran 1:1
“In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.”
Luke 6:36
“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
Snp 1.8 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“Even as a mother would protect with her life her child, her only child, so too for all creatures unfold a boundless heart.”
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1
“ik oankaar sat naam: one Creator, whose Name is Truth, beyond fear and enmity.”
Impermanence & Letting Go
Dhammapada 20:277 (trans. F. Max Müller)
“‘All created things perish,’ he who knows and sees this becomes passive in pain; this is the way to purity.”
Tao Te Ching 76 (trans. James Legge)
“Man at his birth is supple and weak; at his death, firm and strong. (So it is with) all things. Trees and plants, in their early growth, are soft and brittle; at their death, dry and withered.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“Nay, but as when one layeth His worn-out robes away, And taking new ones, sayeth, "These will I wear to-day!" So putteth by the spirit Lightly its garb of flesh, And passeth to inherit A residence afresh.”
The Path to Wisdom
Dhammapada 20:282 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“From meditation springs wisdom, without meditation, wisdom ends.”
Analects 2:11 (trans. James Legge)
“If a man keeps cherishing his old knowledge, so as continually to be acquiring new, he may be a teacher of others.”
Tao Te Ching 33 (trans. James Legge)
“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent.”
Quran 39:9
“Are those who know equal with those who know not?”
Humility & Surrender
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“And let go those, Rites and writ duties! Fly to Me alone! Make Me thy single refuge! I will free Thy soul from all its sins! Be of good cheer!”
Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
Tao Te Ching 22 (trans. James Legge)
“The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes astray.”
Quran 2:45
“Seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard save for the humble-minded.”
Good vs Evil / Light vs Darkness
Yasna 30:3
“Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action.”
John 1:5
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
Dhammapada 2 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“Intention is the leader of things; intention is first, they’re made by intention. If with pure intent you speak or act, happiness follows you like a shadow that never leaves.”
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“The Doors of Hell Are threefold, whereby men to ruin pass, The door of Lust, the door of Wrath, the door Of Avarice. Let a man shun those three!”