Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example],
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers).

For the Lord knows and fully approves the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked shall perish.

“Let us break apart their [divine] bands [of restraint]
And cast away their cords [of control] from us.”

‘Ask of Me, and I will assuredly give [You] the nations as Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth as Your possession.

Many are saying of me,
“There is no help [no salvation] for him in God.” Selah.

But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself [and dealt wonderfully with] the godly man [the one of honorable character and moral courage—the one who does right].
The Lord hears and responds when I call to Him.

Many are saying, “Oh, that we might see some good!”
Lift up the light of Your face upon us, O Lord.

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil [person] dwells with You.

But as for me, I will enter Your house through the abundance of Your steadfast love and tender mercy;
At Your holy temple I will bow [obediently] in reverence for You.

For there is nothing trustworthy or reliable or truthful in what they say;
Their heart is destruction [just a treacherous chasm, a yawning gulf of lies].
Their throat is an open grave;
They [glibly] flatter with their [silken] tongue.

For You, O Lord, bless the righteous man [the one who is in right standing with You];
You surround him with favor as with a shield.

My soul [as well as my body] is greatly dismayed.
But as for You, O Lord—how long [until You act on my behalf]?

For in death there is no mention of You;
In Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) who will praise You and give You thanks?

So that my enemy will not tear me like a lion,
Dragging me away while there is no one to rescue [me].

O Lord my God, if I have done this,
If there is injustice in my hands,

The Lord judges the peoples;
Judge me, O Lord, and grant me justice according to my righteousness and according to the integrity within me.

God is a righteous judge,
And a God who is indignant every day.

Behold, the [wicked and irreverent] man is pregnant with sin,
And he conceives mischief and gives birth to lies.

O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth!
You have displayed Your splendor above the heavens.

What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?

O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth!

The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.

The wicked, in the haughtiness of his face, will not seek nor inquire for Him;
All his thoughts are, “There is no God [so there is no accountability or punishment].”

His ways prosper at all times;
Your judgments [Lord] are on high, out of his sight [so he never thinks about them];
As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.

His mouth is full of curses and deceit (fraud) and oppression;
Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness [injustice and sin].

He crushes [his prey] and crouches;
And the unfortunate fall by his mighty claws.

Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
Seek out his wickedness until You find no more.

The Lord is King forever and ever;
The nations will perish from His land.

To vindicate and obtain justice for the fatherless and the oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth will no longer terrify them.

The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
His eyes see, His eyelids test the children of men.

For the Lord is [absolutely] righteous, He loves righteousness (virtue, morality, justice);
The upright shall see His face.

They speak deceitful and worthless words to one another;
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own; who is lord and master over us?”

You, O Lord, will preserve and keep them;
You will protect him from this [evil] generation forever.

The wicked strut about [in pompous self-importance] on every side,
As vileness is exalted and baseness is prized among the sons of men.

The [spiritually ignorant] fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed repulsive and unspeakable deeds;
There is no one who does good.

They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.

Have all the workers of wickedness and injustice no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon the Lord?

There they tremble with great fear,
For God is with the [consistently] righteous generation.

You [evildoers] shamefully plan against the poor,
But the Lord is his safe refuge.

In his eyes an evil person is despised,
But he honors those who fear the Lord [and obediently worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].
He keeps his word even to his own disadvantage and does not change it [for his own benefit];

As for the saints (godly people) who are in the land,
They are the majestic and the noble and the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, my cup [He is all I need];
You support my lot.

I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my glory [my innermost self] rejoices;
My body too will dwell [confidently] in safety,

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Keep me [in Your affectionate care, protect me] as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me in the [protective] shadow of Your wings

They track us down and have now surrounded us in our steps;
They set their eyes to force us to the ground,

He is like a lion eager to tear [his prey],
And like a young lion lurking in hiding places.

From men with Your hand, O Lord,
From men of the world [these moths of the night] whose portion [of enjoyment] is in this life—idle and vain,
And whose belly You fill with Your treasure;
They are satisfied with children,
And they leave what they have left [of wealth] to their children.

As for me, I shall see Your face in righteousness;
I will be [fully] satisfied when I awake [to find myself] seeing Your likeness.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me;
My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge;
My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
And I am saved from my enemies.

He made darkness His hiding place (covering); His pavilion (canopy) around Him,
The darkness of the waters, the thick clouds of the skies.

As for God, His way is blameless.
The word of the Lord is tested [it is perfect, it is faultless];
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

For who is God, but the Lord?
Or who is a rock, except our God,

Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind;
I emptied them out as the dirt of the streets.

As soon as they hear me, they respond and obey me;
Foreigners feign obedience to me.

There is no speech, nor are there [spoken] words [from the stars];
Their voice is not heard.

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.

The sun’s rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect (flawless), restoring and refreshing the soul;
The statutes of the Lord are reliable and trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether.

Moreover, by them Your servant is warned [reminded, illuminated, and instructed];
In keeping them there is great reward.

O Lord, save [the king];
May the King answer us in the day we call.

His glory is great because of Your victory;
Splendor and majesty You bestow upon him.

For the king [confidently] trusts in the Lord,
And through the lovingkindness (faithfulness, goodness) of the Most High he will never be shaken.

You will make them as [if in] a blazing oven in the time of your anger;
The Lord will swallow them up in His wrath,
And the fire will devour them.

Do not be far from me, for trouble is near;
And there is no one to help.

I am poured out like water,
And all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax;
It is melted [by anguish] within me.

My strength is dried up like a fragment of clay pottery;
And my [dry] tongue clings to my jaws;
And You have laid me in the dust of death.

The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;
Those who [diligently] seek Him and require Him [as their greatest need] will praise the Lord.
May your hearts live forever!

For the kingship and the kingdom are the Lord’s
And He rules over the nations.

They will come and declare His righteousness
To a people yet to be born—that He has done it [and that it is finished].

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],
I shall not want.

The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it,
The world, and those who dwell in it.

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to what is false,
Nor has sworn [oaths] deceitfully.

This is the generation (description) of those who diligently seek Him and require Him as their greatest need,
Who seek Your face, even [as did] Jacob. Selah.

Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.

Who is [He then] this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory [who rules over all creation with His heavenly armies]. Selah.

Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.

He leads the humble in justice,
And He teaches the humble His way.

Who is the man who fears the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with submissive wonder]?
He will teach him [through His word] in the way he should choose.

For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked [faithfully] in Your truth.

In whose hands is a wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of bribes.

But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be merciful and gracious to me.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the refuge and fortress of my life—
Whom shall I dread?

When You said, “Seek My face [in prayer, require My presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You,
“Your face, O Lord, I will seek [on the authority of Your word].”

Although my father and my mother have abandoned me,
Yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child].

Hear the voice of my supplication (specific requests, humble entreaties) as I cry to You for help,
As I lift up my hands and heart toward Your innermost sanctuary (Holy of Holies).

The Lord is my strength and my [impenetrable] shield;
My heart trusts [with unwavering confidence] in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I shall thank Him and praise Him.

The Lord is their [unyielding] strength,
And He is the fortress of salvation to His anointed.

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.

The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord makes the doe labor and give birth
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple all are saying, “Glory!”

The Lord sat as King at the flood;
Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.

For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may endure for a night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

As for me, in my prosperity I said,
“I shall never be moved.”

By Your favor and grace, O Lord, you have made my mountain stand strong;
You hid Your face, and I was horrified.