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).

O sons of men, how long will my honor and glory be [turned into] shame?
How long will you [my enemies] love worthless (vain, futile) things and seek deception and lies? 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.

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

You destroy those who tell lies;
The Lord detests and rejects the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

If a man does not repent, God will sharpen His sword;
He has strung and bent His [mighty] bow and made it ready.

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

When I see and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have established,

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

Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged before You.

Put them in [reverent] fear of You, O Lord,
So that the nations may know they are but [frail and mortal] men. Selah.

For the wicked boasts and sings the praises of his heart’s desire,
And the greedy man curses and spurns [and even despises] the Lord.

Why has the wicked spurned and shown disrespect to God?
He has said to himself, “You will not require me to account.”

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

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.

Save and help and rescue, Lord, for godly people cease to be,
For the faithful vanish from among the sons of men.

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 Lord has looked down from heaven upon the children of men
To see if there are any who understand (act wisely),
Who [truly] seek after God, [longing for His wisdom and guidance].

He does not put out his money at interest [to a fellow Israelite],
And does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken.

Concerning the deeds of men, by the word of Your lips
I have kept away from the paths of the violent.

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.

With the kind (merciful, faithful, loyal) You show Yourself kind,
With the blameless You show Yourself blameless,

He rescues me from my enemies;
Yes, You lift me up above those who rise up against me;
You deliver me from the man of violence.

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

Their offspring You will destroy from the earth,
And their descendants from the sons of men.

But I am [treated as] a worm [insignificant and powerless] and not a man;
I am the scorn of men and despised by the people.

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.

Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
Nor [sweep away] my life with men of bloodshed,

“What profit is there in my blood (death), if I go down to the pit (grave)?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness [to man]?

I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.

How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who [reverently] fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of man!

In the secret place of Your presence You hide them from the plots and conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a shelter (pavilion) from the strife of tongues.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute wickedness,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

The Lord looks [down] from heaven;
He sees all the sons of man;

The king is not saved by the great size of his army;
A warrior is not rescued by his great strength.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
And saved him from all his troubles.

O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good;
How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who takes refuge in Him.

Who is the man who desires life
And loves many days, that he may see good?

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God,
Your judgments are like the great deep.
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

Be still before the Lord; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him;
Do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord,
And He delights in his way [and blesses his path].

I have seen a wicked, violent man [with great power]
Spreading and flaunting himself like a cedar in its native soil,

Mark the blameless man [who is spiritually complete], and behold the upright [who walks in moral integrity];
There is a [good] future for the man of peace [because a life of honor blesses one’s descendants].

But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
In whose mouth are no arguments.

“Behold, You have made my days as [short as] hand widths,
And my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight.
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]! Selah.

“Surely every man walks around like a shadow [in a charade];
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
Each one builds up riches, not knowing who will receive them.

“With rebukes You discipline man for sin;
You consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Surely every man is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]. Selah.

Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not regard the proud nor those who lapse into lies.

My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become restless and disturbed within me?
Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall again praise Him
For the help of His presence.

Why are you in despair, O my soul?
Why have you become restless and disquieted within me?
Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

Judge and vindicate me, O God; plead my case against an ungodly nation.
O rescue me from the deceitful and unjust man!

Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why are you restless and disturbed within me?
Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall again praise Him,
The help of my [sad] countenance and my God.

You are fairer than the sons of men;
Graciousness is poured upon Your lips;
Therefore God has blessed You forever.

For he sees that even wise men die;
The fool and the stupid alike perish
And leave their wealth to others.

But man, with all his [self] honor and pomp, will not endure;
He is like the beasts that perish.

This is the fate of those who are foolishly confident,
And of those after them who approve [and are influenced by] their words. Selah.

Though while he lives he counts himself happy and prosperous—
And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—

A man [who is held] in honor,
Yet who lacks [spiritual] understanding and a teachable heart, is like the beasts that perish.

“For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.

“I know every bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
For the world and all it contains are Mine.

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.

“Look, [this is] the man who would not make God his strength [his stronghold and fortress],
But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
Taking refuge in his wealth.”

God has looked down from heaven upon the children of men
To see if there is anyone who understands,
Who seeks after God [who requires Him, who longs for Him as essential to life].

For strangers have risen against me
And violent men have sought my life;
They have not set God before them. Selah.

Listen to me and answer me;
I am restless and distraught in my complaint and distracted

But it is you, a man my equal and my counsel,
My companion and my familiar friend;

Evening and morning and at noon I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.

But You, O God, will bring down the wicked to the pit of destruction;
Men of blood and treachery will not live out half their days.
But I will [boldly and unwaveringly] trust in You.

Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled on me;
All day long the adversary oppresses and torments me.

In God, whose word I praise;
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not fear.
What can mere man do to me?

In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

My life is among lions;
I must lie among those who breathe out fire—
The sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.

Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods (heavenly beings)?
Do you judge fairly, O sons of men?

Men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely there is a God who judges on the earth.”

Deliver me from those who practice wrongdoing,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.

Look! They lie in wait for my life;
Fierce and powerful men [are uniting together to] launch an attack against me,
Not for my wrongdoing nor for any sin of mine, O Lord.

“Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim is My helmet;
Judah is My scepter.

Give us help against the enemy,
For the help of man is worthless (ineffectual, without purpose).

How long will you attack a man
So that you may murder him, all of you,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

Men of low degree are only a breath (emptiness), and men of [high] rank are a lie (delusion).
In the balances they go up [because they have no measurable weight or value];
They are together lighter than a breath.

Also to You, O Lord, belong lovingkindness and compassion,
For You compensate every man according to [the value of] his work.

To shoot from ambush at the blameless [one];
Suddenly they shoot at him, without fear.

Then all men will fear [God’s judgment];
They will declare the work of God,
And they will consider and wisely acknowledge what He has done.

Blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near
To dwell in Your courts.
We will be filled with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.

Come and see the works of God,
He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of men.

You made men (charioteers) ride over our heads [in defeat];
We went through fire and through water,
Yet You brought us out into a [broad] place of abundance [to be refreshed].

You have ascended on high, You have led away captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among men,
Even from the rebellious also, that the Lord God may dwell there.

Rebuke the beasts [living] among the reeds [in Egypt],
The herd of bulls (the leaders) with the calves of the peoples;
Trampling underfoot the pieces of silver;
He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked (godless),
From the grasp of the unrighteous and ruthless man.

Let them fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and worship You with obedience] while the sun endures,
And as long as the moon [reflects light], throughout all generations.

May he come down like rain on the mown grass,
Like showers that water the earth.

In his days may the righteous flourish,
And peace abound until the moon is no more.

May his name endure forever;
May his name continue as long as the sun;
And let men bless themselves by him;
Let all nations call him blessed.

They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like mankind.

It seems as if one had lifted up
An axe in a forest of trees [to set a record of destruction].