Of David.

¹ Do not be angry because of the wrongdoers, or have envy of the workers of evil.

² For they will quickly be cut down like grass, and become dry like the green plants.

³ Have faith in the Lord, and do good; be at rest in the land, and go after righteousness.

⁴ So will your delight be in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires.

⁵ Put your life in the hands of the Lord; have faith in him and he will do it.

⁶ And he will make your righteousness be seen like the light, and your cause like the shining of the sun.

⁷ Take your rest in the Lord, waiting quietly for him; do not be angry because of the man who does well in his evil ways, and gives effect to his bad designs.

⁸ Put an end to your wrath and be no longer bitter; do not give way to angry feeling which is a cause of sin.

⁹ For the evil-doers will be cut off: but those who have faith in the Lord will have the earth for their heritage.

¹⁰ For in a short time the evil-doer will be gone: you will go searching for his place, and it will not be there.

¹¹ But the gentle will have the earth for their heritage; they will take their delight in peace without measure.

¹² The sinner has evil designs against the upright, lifting up the voice of wrath against him.

¹³ He will be laughed at by the Lord, who sees that his day is coming.

¹⁴ The evil-doers have taken out their swords, their bows are bent; for crushing the poor, and to put to death those who are upright in their ways.

¹⁵ But their swords will be turned into their hearts, and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶ The little which the good man has is better than the wealth of evil-doers.

¹⁷ For the arms of the evil-doers will be broken: but the Lord is the support of the good.

¹⁸ The days of the upright are numbered by the Lord, and their heritage will be for ever.

¹⁹ They will not be shamed in the evil time, and in the days when all are in need of food they will have enough.

²⁰ But the wrongdoers will come to destruction, and the haters of the Lord will be like the fat of lambs, they will be burned up; they will go up in smoke, and never again be seen.

²¹ The sinner takes money and does not give it back; but the upright man has mercy, and gives to others.

²² Those who have his blessing will have the earth for their heritage; but those who are cursed by him will be cut off.

²³ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he takes delight in his way.

²⁴ Even if he has a fall he will not be without help: for the hand of the Lord is supporting him.

²⁵ I have been young, and now am old, but I have not seen the good man without help, or his children looking for bread.

²⁶ All the day he is ready to have mercy and to give; his children are a blessing.

²⁷ Be turned from evil, and do good; and your place will be for ever.

²⁸ For the Lord is a lover of righteousness, and takes care of his saints; they will be kept safe for ever; but the seed of the evil-doers will be cut off.

²⁹ The upright will have the earth for their heritage, and will go on living there for ever.

³⁰ The mouth of the good man says words of wisdom; the talk of his tongue is of righteousness.

³¹ The law of his God is in his heart; he will never make a false step.

³² The sinners are watching the upright man, desiring to put him to death.

³³ The Lord will not give him into their hands, or be against him when he is judged.

³⁴ Be waiting for the Lord, and keep his way; and you will be lifted up, and have the land for your heritage: when the evil-doers are cut off, you will see it.

³⁵ I have seen the evil-doer in great power, covering the earth like a great tree.

³⁶ But he came to an end, and there was no sign of him; I made a search for him and he was not there.

³⁷ Give attention to the good man, and take note of the upright; because the end of that man is peace.

³⁸ But as for the sinners, they will be cut off together; the end of the wrongdoers is destruction.

³⁹ But the Lord is the saviour of the upright: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

⁴⁰ And the Lord will be their help, and keep them safe: he will take them out of the hands of the evil-doers, and be their saviour, because they had faith in him.