STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

Why should I vex my soul and fret First Part The cure of envy, fretfulness, and unbelief; or, The rewards of the righteous, and the wicked; or, The world's hatred, and the saint's patience

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 37:1–15, printed in 1719 in The Psalms of David Imitated, where he set the psalms "in the language of the New Testament".

WRITTEN BY

Isaac Watts 1674–1748

PRINTED

1719 The Psalms of David Imitated · no. 1

METRE

Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 10 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 37:1–15 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 10 stanzas as Watts printed them, with the verses their lines echo beside them. Point at a line to join it to its verse; click to read the passage.

SHARED WORDSthe verse shares the line's wording ECHOproposed by an AI model, confirmed by a separate check Not the author's own notes

AMONG THE SCRIPTURES

The stanzas at the centre; around them, every book its heading and its echoes come from, Old Testament on the left and New on the right. Choose a stanza or a book.

a line echoes this verse its heading or an echo comes from here

STANZA I

Why should I vex my soul and fret

To see the wicked rise?

Or envy sinners waxing great,

By violence and lies.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 37:1–15, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1Do not fret over those who do evil; do not envy those who do wrong. 2For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender plants. 3Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 5Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it. 6He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun. 7Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes. 8Refrain from anger and abandon wrath; do not fret—it can only bring harm. 9For the evildoers will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. 10Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11But the meek will inherit the land and delight in abundant prosperity. 12The wicked scheme against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them, 13but the Lord laughs, seeing that their day is coming. 14The wicked have drawn the sword and bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. PSALM 37:1–15 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 37

Why should I vex my soul and fret To see the wicked rise? Or envy sinners waxing great, By violence and lies. STANZA I

Its place in the book

Watts's psalms run from Psalm 1 to Psalm 150, several settings to many psalms: 367 hymns. This is number 1. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 1 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN Why should I vex my soul and fret

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