1  Blessed is the man¹

who ^awalks not in ^bthe counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in ^cthe way of sinners,

nor ^dsits in ^ethe seat of ^fscoffers;

2  but his ^gdelight is in the law² of the Lord,

and on his ^hlaw he meditates day and night.

3  He is like ⁱa tree

planted by ^jstreams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its ^kleaf does not wither.

^lIn all that he does, he prospers.

4  The wicked are not so,

but are like ^mchaff that the wind drives away.

5  Therefore the wicked ⁿwill not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in ^othe congregation of the righteous;

6  for the Lord ^pknows ^qthe way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

1  Transgression speaks to the wicked

deep in his heart;¹

^ythere is no fear of God

before his eyes.

2  ^zFor he flatters himself in his own eyes

that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

3  The words of his mouth are ^atrouble and deceit;

^bhe has ceased to act wisely and do good.

4  He ^cplots ^dtrouble while on his bed;

he sets himself in ^ea way that is not good;

^fhe does not reject evil.

5  Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

6  ^gYour righteousness is like the mountains of God;

^hyour judgments are like the great deep;

man and beast you ⁱsave, O Lord.

7  ^jHow precious is your steadfast love, O God!

The children of mankind take refuge ^kin the shadow of your wings.

8  They feast on ^lthe abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from ^mthe river of ⁿyour delights.

9  For with you is ^othe fountain of life;

^pin your light do we see light.

10  Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who ^qknow you,

and your righteousness to ^rthe upright of heart!

11  Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,

nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12  There ^sthe evildoers lie fallen;

they are thrust down, ^tunable to rise.

1  ^uFret not yourself because of evildoers;

be not ^venvious of wrongdoers!

2  For they will soon ^wfade like ^xthe grass

and wither ^ylike the green herb.

3  ^zTrust in the Lord, and do good;

^adwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.²

4  ^bDelight yourself in the Lord,

and he will ^cgive you the desires of your heart.

5  ^dCommit your way to the Lord;

^ztrust in him, and he will act.

6  ^eHe will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as ^fthe noonday.

7  ^gBe still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

^hfret not yourself over the one who ⁱprospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

8  ^jRefrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

^hFret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

9  ^kFor the evildoers shall be cut off,

but those who wait for the Lord shall ^linherit the land.

10  In ^mjust a little while, the wicked will be no more;

though you look carefully at ⁿhis place, he will not be there.

11  But ^othe meek shall inherit the land

and delight themselves in ^pabundant peace.

12  The wicked ^qplots against the righteous

and ^rgnashes his teeth at him,

13  but the Lord ^slaughs at the wicked,

for he sees that his ^tday is coming.

14  The wicked draw the sword and ^ubend their bows

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ^vway is upright;

15  their sword shall enter their own heart,

and their ^wbows shall be broken.

16  ^xBetter is the little that the righteous has

than the abundance of many wicked.

17  For ^ythe arms of the wicked shall be broken,

but the Lord ^zupholds the righteous.

18  The Lord ^aknows the days of the blameless,

and their ^bheritage will remain forever;

19  they are not put to shame in evil times;

in ^cthe days of famine they have abundance.

20  But the wicked will perish;

the enemies of the Lord are like ^dthe glory of the pastures;

they vanish—like ^esmoke they vanish away.

21  The wicked borrows but does not pay back,

but the righteous ^fis generous and gives;

22  for those blessed by the Lord³ shall ^ginherit the land,

but those cursed by him ^hshall be cut off.

23  The ⁱsteps of a man are ^jestablished by the Lord,

when he delights in his way;

24  ^kthough he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

for the Lord ^lupholds his hand.

25  I have been young, and now am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

or his children ^mbegging for bread.

26  He is ever ⁿlending generously,

and his children become a blessing.

27  ^oTurn away from evil and do good;

so shall you ^pdwell forever.

28  For the Lord ^qloves justice;

he will not forsake his ^rsaints.

They are preserved forever,

but the children of the wicked shall be ^scut off.

29  The righteous shall inherit the land

and ^pdwell upon it forever.

30  The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,

and his tongue speaks justice.

31  ^tThe law of his God is in his heart;

his ^usteps do not slip.

32  The wicked ^vwatches for the righteous

and seeks to put him to death.

33  The Lord will not ^wabandon him to his power

or let him ^xbe condemned when he is brought to trial.

34  ^yWait for the Lord and keep his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land;

you will look on ^zwhen the wicked are cut off.

35  ^aI have seen a wicked, ruthless man,

spreading himself like ^ba green laurel tree.⁴

36  But he passed away,⁵ and behold, ^che was no more;

though I sought him, he could not be found.

37  Mark the blameless and behold the upright,

for there is a future for the man of ^dpeace.

38  But ^etransgressors shall be altogether destroyed;

the future of the wicked ^fshall be cut off.

39  ^gThe salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

he is their stronghold in ^hthe time of trouble.

40  The Lord helps them and ⁱdelivers them;

^jhe delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they ^ktake refuge in him.

1  My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;

I address my verses to the king;

my tongue is like the pen of ^wa ready scribe.

2  You are ^xthe most handsome of the sons of men;

^ygrace is poured upon your lips;

therefore God has blessed you forever.

3  ^zGird your ^asword on your thigh, O ^bmighty one,

in ^cyour splendor and majesty!

4  In your majesty ^dride out victoriously

for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;

let your right hand teach you ^eawesome deeds!

5  Your arrows are sharp

in the heart of the king’s enemies;

the peoples fall under you.

6  ^fYour throne, O God, is forever and ever.

The ^gscepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;

7  ^hyou have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

Therefore ⁱGod, your God, has ^janointed you

with the oil of ^kgladness ^lbeyond your companions;

8  your robes are all fragrant with ^mmyrrh and aloes and cassia.

From ivory palaces ⁿstringed instruments make you glad;

9  daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;

^oat your right hand stands the queen in ^pgold of Ophir.

10  Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:

forget your people and your father’s house,

11  and the king will desire your beauty.

Since he is your ^qlord, ^rbow to him.

12  The people² of Tyre will ^sseek your favor with ^tgifts,

^uthe richest of the people.³

13  All glorious is ^vthe princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.

14  ^wIn many-colored robes ^xshe is led to the king,

with her virgin companions following behind her.

15  With joy and gladness they are led along

as they enter the palace of the king.

16  In place of your fathers shall be your sons;

you will make them ^yprinces in all the earth.

17  ^zI will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;

therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

1  ^gHear this, all peoples!

Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

2  ^hboth low and high,

rich and poor together!

3  My mouth shall speak ⁱwisdom;

the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

4  I will incline my ear to ^ja proverb;

I will solve my ^kriddle to the music of the lyre.

5  ^lWhy should I fear in ^mtimes of trouble,

when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,

6  those who ⁿtrust in their wealth

and boast of the abundance of their riches?

7  Truly no man ^ocan ransom another,

or ^pgive to God ^qthe price of his life,

8  for ^rthe ransom of their life is costly

and can never suffice,

9  that he should live on forever

and ^snever see the pit.

10  For he sees ^tthat even the wise die;

^uthe fool and the stupid alike must perish

and ^vleave their wealth to others.

11  Their ^wgraves are their homes forever,¹

their dwelling places ^xto all generations,

though they ^ycalled lands by their own names.

12  Man in his pomp ^zwill not remain;

^ahe is like the beasts that perish.

13  This is the path of those who have ^bfoolish confidence;

yet after them people approve of their boasts.² Selah

14  Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;

death shall be their shepherd,

and the upright ^cshall rule over them in the morning.

^dTheir form shall be consumed ^ein Sheol, with no place to dwell.

15  But God will ^fransom my soul from the power of Sheol,

for he will ^greceive me. Selah

16  Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,

when the glory of his house increases.

17  ^hFor when he dies he will ⁱcarry nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

18  For though, while he lives, he counts himself ^jblessed—

and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—

19  his soul will ^kgo to the generation of his fathers,

who will never again ^lsee light.

20  ^mMan in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

1  Truly God is good to ^cIsrael,

to those who are ^dpure in heart.

2  But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,

my steps had nearly slipped.

3  ^eFor I was ^fenvious of the arrogant

when I saw the ^gprosperity of the wicked.

4  For they have no pangs until death;

their bodies are fat and sleek.

5  They are not in trouble as others are;

they are not ^hstricken like the rest of mankind.

6  Therefore pride is ⁱtheir necklace;

violence covers them as ^ja garment.

7  Their ^keyes swell out through fatness;

their hearts overflow with follies.

8  They scoff and ^lspeak with malice;

loftily they threaten oppression.

9  They set their mouths against the heavens,

and their tongue struts through the earth.

10  Therefore his people turn back to them,

and find ^mno fault in them.¹

11  And they say, ⁿ“How can God know?

Is there knowledge in the Most High?”

12  Behold, these are the wicked;

always at ease, they ^oincrease in riches.

13  All in vain have I ^pkept my heart clean

and ^qwashed my hands in innocence.

14  For all the day long I have been ^hstricken

and ^rrebuked ^severy morning.

15  If I had said, “I will speak thus,”

I would have betrayed ^tthe generation of your children.

16  But when I thought how to understand this,

it seemed to me ^ua wearisome task,

17  until I went into ^vthe sanctuary of God;

then I discerned their ^wend.

18  Truly you set them in ^xslippery places;

you make them fall to ruin.

19  How they are destroyed ^yin a moment,

swept away utterly by ^zterrors!

20  Like ^aa dream when one awakes,

O Lord, when ^byou rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.

21  When my soul was embittered,

when I was pricked in heart,

22  I was ^cbrutish and ignorant;

I was like ^da beast toward you.

23  Nevertheless, I am continually with you;

you ^ehold my right hand.

24  You ^fguide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will ^greceive me to glory.

25  ^hWhom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

26  ⁱMy flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is ^jthe strength² of my heart and my ^kportion ^lforever.

27  For behold, those who are ^mfar from you shall perish;

you put an end to everyone who is ⁿunfaithful to you.

28  But for me it is good to ^obe near God;

I have made the Lord God my ^prefuge,

that I may ^qtell of all your works.

1  ^{1 h}Praise the Lord!

ⁱBlessed is the man who fears the Lord,

who ^jgreatly delights in his commandments!

2  His ^koffspring will be mighty in the land;

^lthe generation of the upright will be blessed.

3  ^mWealth and riches are in his house,

and his ⁿrighteousness endures forever.

4  Light dawns in the darkness ^ofor the upright;

he is gracious, merciful, and ^prighteous.

5  It is well with the man who ^qdeals generously and lends;

who conducts his affairs with justice.

6  For the righteous will ^rnever be moved;

^she will be remembered forever.

7  He is not ^tafraid of bad news;

his ^uheart is firm, ^vtrusting in the Lord.

8  His heart is steady;² he will not be afraid,

until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

9  He has ^wdistributed freely; he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever;

his ^xhorn is exalted in honor.

10  The wicked man sees it and is angry;

he ^ygnashes his teeth and ^zmelts away;

^athe desire of the wicked will perish!

1  ¹ Blessed are those whose ^kway is blameless,

who ^lwalk in the law of the Lord!

2  Blessed are those who ^mkeep his ⁿtestimonies,

who ^oseek him with their whole heart,

3  who also ^pdo no wrong,

but walk in his ways!

4  You have commanded your ^qprecepts

to be kept diligently.

5  Oh that my ways may ^rbe steadfast

in keeping your statutes!

6  ^sThen I shall not be put to shame,

having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

7  I will praise you with an upright heart,

when I learn ^tyour righteous rules.²

8  I will keep your statutes;

^udo not utterly forsake me!

9  How can ^va young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to your word.

10  ^wWith my whole heart I seek you;

let me not ^xwander from your commandments!

11  I have ^ystored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you.

12  Blessed are you, O Lord;

^zteach me your statutes!

13  With my lips I ^adeclare

all the rules³ of your mouth.

14  In the way of your testimonies I ^bdelight

as much as in all ^criches.

15  I will ^dmeditate on your precepts

and fix my eyes on your ^eways.

16  I will ^fdelight in your statutes;

I will not forget your word.

17  ^gDeal bountifully with your servant,

^hthat I may live and keep your word.

18  Open my eyes, that I may behold

wondrous things out of your law.

19  I am ⁱa sojourner on the earth;

^jhide not your commandments from me!

20  My soul is consumed with ^klonging

for your rules⁴ at all times.

21  You rebuke ^lthe insolent, ^maccursed ones,

who ⁿwander from your commandments.

22  Take away from me ^oscorn and contempt,

^pfor I have kept your testimonies.

23  Even though ^qprinces sit plotting against me,

your servant will ^rmeditate on your statutes.

24  Your testimonies are my ^sdelight;

they are my ^tcounselors.

25  ^uMy soul clings to the dust;

^vgive me life ^waccording to your word!

26  When ^xI told of my ways, you answered me;

^yteach me your statutes!

27  ^zMake me understand the way of your precepts,

and I will ^ameditate on your wondrous works.

28  ^bMy soul melts away for sorrow;

strengthen me according to your word!

29  Put false ways far from me

and graciously ^cteach me your law!

30  I have chosen the way of faithfulness;

I ^dset your rules before me.

31  I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;

^elet me not be put to shame!

32  I will run in the way of your commandments

when you ^fenlarge my heart!⁵

33  ^gTeach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;

and I will keep it ^hto the end.⁶

34  ⁱGive me understanding, that I may keep your law

and observe it with my whole heart.

35  ^jLead me in the path of your commandments,

for I ^kdelight in it.

36  ^lIncline my heart to your testimonies,

and not to ^mselfish gain!

37  ⁿTurn my eyes from looking at worthless things;

and ^ogive me life in your ways.

38  ^pConfirm to your servant your promise,

^qthat you may be feared.

39  Turn away the ^rreproach that I dread,

for your rules are good.

40  Behold, I ^slong for your precepts;

^tin your righteousness give me life!

41  Let your ^usteadfast love come to me, O Lord,

your salvation ^vaccording to your promise;

42  then ^wshall I have an answer for him ^rwho taunts me,

for I trust in your word.

43  And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,

for my ^xhope is in your rules.

44  I will keep your law continually,

forever and ever,

45  and I shall walk ^yin a wide place,

for I have ^zsought your precepts.

46  I will also speak of your testimonies ^abefore kings

and shall not be put to shame,

47  for I ^bfind my delight in your commandments,

which I love.

48  I will ^clift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,

and I will ^dmeditate on your statutes.

49  Remember ^eyour word to your servant,

in which you have made me ^fhope.

50  This is ^gmy comfort in my affliction,

that your promise ^hgives me life.

51  ⁱThe insolent utterly deride me,

but I do not ^jturn away from your law.

52  When I think of your rules from of old,

I take comfort, O Lord.

53  ^kHot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,

who forsake your law.

54  Your statutes have been my songs

in the house of my ^lsojourning.

55  I ^mremember your name in the night, O Lord,

and keep your law.

56  This blessing has fallen to me,

that ⁿI have kept your precepts.

57  ^oThe Lord is my portion;

I promise to keep your words.

58  I ^pentreat your favor with all my heart;

be gracious to me ^qaccording to your promise.

59  When I ^rthink on my ways,