1  O God, why do you ^scast us off forever?

Why does your anger ^tsmoke against ^uthe sheep of your pasture?

2  ^vRemember your congregation, which you have ^wpurchased of old,

which you have ^xredeemed to be ^ythe tribe of your heritage!

Remember Mount Zion, ^zwhere you have dwelt.

3  Direct your steps to ^athe perpetual ruins;

the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

4  Your foes have ^broared in the midst of your meeting place;

^cthey set up their ^down signs for ^esigns.

5  They were like those who swing ^faxes

in a forest of trees.²

6  And all its ^gcarved wood

they broke down with hatchets and hammers.

7  They ^hset your sanctuary on fire;

they ⁱprofaned ^jthe dwelling place of your name,

bringing it down to the ground.

8  They ^ksaid to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;

they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

9  We do not see our ^lsigns;

^mthere is no longer any prophet,

and there is none among us who knows how long.

10  How long, O God, ⁿis the foe to scoff?

Is the enemy to revile your name forever?

11  Why ^odo you hold back your hand, your right hand?

Take it from the fold of your garment³ and destroy them!

12  Yet ^pGod my King is from of old,

working salvation in the midst of the earth.

13  You ^qdivided the sea by your might;

you ^rbroke the heads of ^sthe sea monsters⁴ on the waters.

14  You crushed the heads of ^tLeviathan;

you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

15  You ^usplit open springs and brooks;

you ^vdried up ever-flowing streams.

16  Yours is the day, yours also the night;

you have established ^wthe heavenly lights and the sun.

17  You have ^xfixed all the boundaries of the earth;

you have made ^ysummer and winter.

18  ^zRemember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs,

and ^aa foolish people reviles your name.

19  Do not deliver the soul of your ^bdove to the wild beasts;

^cdo not forget the life of your poor forever.

20  Have regard for ^dthe covenant,

for ^ethe dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.

21  Let not ^fthe downtrodden ^gturn back in shame;

let ^hthe poor and needy praise your name.

22  Arise, O God, ⁱdefend your cause;

^jremember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!

23  Do not forget the clamor of your foes,

^kthe uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

1  ^yMy son, do not forget my teaching,

^zbut let your heart keep my commandments,

2  for ^alength of days and years of life

and ^bpeace they will add to you.

3  Let not ^csteadfast love and ^dfaithfulness forsake you;

^ebind them around your neck;

^fwrite them on the tablet of your heart.

4  So you will ^gfind favor and ^hgood success¹

in the sight of God and man.

5  ⁱTrust in the Lord with all your heart,

and ^jdo not lean on your own understanding.

6  In all your ways ^kacknowledge him,

and he ^lwill make straight your paths.

7  ^mBe not wise in your own eyes;

ⁿfear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

8  It will be ^ohealing to your flesh²

and ^prefreshment³ to your bones.

9  Honor the Lord with your wealth

and with ^qthe firstfruits of all your produce;

10  then your ^rbarns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will be bursting with wine.

11  ^sMy son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

12  for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as ^ta father the son in whom he delights.

13  ^uBlessed is the one who finds wisdom,

and the one who gets understanding,

14  ^vfor the gain from her is better than gain from silver

and her profit better than ^wgold.

15  She is more precious than ^xjewels,

and ^ynothing you desire can compare with her.

16  ^zLong life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are ^ariches and honor.

17  Her ^bways are ways of pleasantness,

and all her paths are peace.

18  She is ^ca tree of life to those who ^dlay hold of her;

those who hold her fast are called blessed.

19  ^eThe Lord by wisdom founded the earth;

by understanding ^ehe established the heavens;

20  by his knowledge ^fthe deeps broke open,

and ^gthe clouds drop down the dew.

21  My son, ^hdo not lose sight of these—

keep sound wisdom and discretion,

22  and they will be ⁱlife for your soul

and ^jadornment for your neck.

23  ^kThen you will walk on your way securely,

^land your foot will not stumble.

24  ^mIf you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, ⁿyour sleep will be sweet.

25  ^oDo not be afraid of sudden terror

or of ^pthe ruin⁴ of the wicked, when it comes,

26  for the Lord will be your confidence

and will ^qkeep your foot from being caught.

27  ^rDo not withhold good from those to whom it is due,⁵

when it is in your power to do it.

28  ^sDo not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,

tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.

29  ^tDo not plan evil against your neighbor,

who ^udwells trustingly beside you.

30  ^vDo not contend with a man for no reason,

when he has done you no harm.

31  ^wDo not envy ^xa man of violence

and do not choose any of his ways,

32  for ^ythe devious person is an abomination to the Lord,

but the upright are ^zin his confidence.

33  ^aThe Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,

but he ^bblesses the dwelling of the righteous.

34  Toward the ^cscorners he ^dis scornful,

^ebut to the humble he gives favor.⁶

35  The wise will inherit honor,

but fools get⁷ disgrace.