The wicked [those who live in disobedience to God’s law] are not so,
But they are like the chaff [worthless and without substance] which the wind blows away.

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

The kings of the earth take their stand;
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the Lord and His Anointed (the Davidic King, the Messiah, the Christ), saying,

Tremble [with anger or fear], and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still [reflect on your sin and repent of your rebellion]. Selah.

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.

The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

And those who know Your name [who have experienced Your precious mercy] will put their confident trust in You,
For You, O Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You.

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.

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.

He says to himself, “God has [quite] forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see my deed.”

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

In the Lord I take refuge [and put my trust];
How can you say to me, “Flee like a bird to your mountain;

For look, the wicked are bending the bow;
They take aim with their arrow on the string
To shoot [by stealth] in darkness at the upright in heart.

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

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

And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

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].

I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good besides You.”

For You will not abandon me to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

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

Then the stream beds of the waters appeared,
And the foundations of the world were laid bare
At Your rebuke, O Lord,
At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

He trains my hands for war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

I shattered them so that they were not able to rise;
They fell [wounded] under my feet.

May He grant you your heart’s desire
And fulfill all your plans.

You have given him his heart’s desire,
And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?

All who see me laugh at me and mock me;
They [insultingly] open their lips, they shake their head, saying,

Yet You are He who pulled me out of the womb;
You made me trust when on my mother’s breasts.

I was cast upon You from birth;
From my mother’s womb You have been my God.

Save me from the lion’s mouth;
From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.

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

He refreshes and restores my soul (life);
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.

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

For Your name’s sake, O Lord,
Pardon my wickedness and my guilt, for they are great.

I would have despaired had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

Yes, You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.

I will rejoice and be glad in Your steadfast love,
Because You have seen my affliction;
You have taken note of my life’s distresses,

Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me in Your lovingkindness.

He gathers the waters of the sea together as in a wineskin;
He puts the deeps in storehouses.

Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him [and worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and obedience],
On those who hope [confidently] in His compassion and lovingkindness,

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?

Draw also the spear and javelin to meet those who pursue me.
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

All my bones will say, “Lord, who is like You,
Who rescues the afflicted from him who is too strong for him [to resist alone],
And the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?”

They open their mouths wide against me;
They say, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!”

Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, that is what we wanted!”
Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up and destroyed him.”

Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication and want what is right for me;
Let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, who delights and takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

For with You is the fountain of life [the fountain of life-giving water];
In Your light we see light.

Trust [rely on and have confidence] in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and feed [securely] on His faithfulness.

Wait for and expect the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
[In the end] when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear [with great reverence]
And will trust confidently in the Lord.

Let those be appalled and desolate because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha [rejoicing in my misfortune]!”

Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”

And when one comes to see me, he speaks empty words,
While his heart gathers malicious gossip [against me];
When he goes away, he tells it [everywhere].

“A wicked thing is poured out upon him and holds him;
And when he lies down, he will not rise up again.”

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting [from this age to the next, and forever].
Amen and Amen (so be it).

As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks,
So my soul pants [longingly] for You, O God.

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

I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

As a crushing of my bones [with a sword], my adversaries taunt me,
While they say continually to me, “Where is your God?”

Rise up! Come be our help,
And ransom us for the sake of Your steadfast love.

Your arrows are sharp;
The peoples (nations) fall under You;
Your arrows pierce the hearts of the King’s enemies.

Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear [to my instruction]:
Forget your people and your father’s house;

Then the King will desire your beauty;
Because He is your Lord, bow down and honor Him.

Glorious is the King’s daughter within [the palace];
Her robe is interwoven with gold.

With gladness and rejoicing will they be led;
They will enter into the King’s palace.

As we have heard, so have we seen
In the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God:
God will establish her forever. Selah.

As is Your name, O God,
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness (rightness, justice).

So that he should live on eternally,
That he should never see the pit (grave) and undergo decay.

He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never again see the light.

“When you see a thief, you are pleased with him and condone his behavior,
And you associate with adulterers.

“You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.

Against You, You only, have I sinned
And done that which is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak [Your sentence]
And faultless in Your judgment.

The righteous will see it and fear,
And will [scoffingly] laugh, saying,

“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].

And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.

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

He has redeemed my life in peace from the battle that was against me,
For there were many against me.

So that it does not listen to the voice of charmers,
Or of the skillful enchanter casting [cunning] spells.

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

They run and set themselves against me though there is no guilt in me;
Stir Yourself to meet and help me, and see [what they are doing]!

Destroy them in wrath, destroy them so that they may be no more;
Let them know that God rules over Jacob (Israel)
To the ends of the earth. Selah.

You will prolong the king’s life [adding days upon days];
His years will be like many generations.

So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
Paying my vows day by day.

So I have gazed upon You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.

So will I bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.

But the king will rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him [honoring the true God, acknowledging His authority and majesty] will glory,
For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

They encourage themselves in [their pursuit of] an evil agenda;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, “Who will discover us?”

They devise acts of injustice, saying,
“We are ready with a well-conceived plan.”
For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep (mysterious, unsearchable).

So they who dwell at the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs [the evidence of Your presence].
You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

You visit the earth and make it overflow [with water];
You greatly enrich it;
The stream of God is full of water;
You provide their grain, when You have prepared the earth.

You water its furrows abundantly,
You smooth its ridges;
You soften it with showers,
You bless its growth.

Say to God, “How awesome and fearfully glorious are Your works!
Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will pretend to be obedient to You.

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

He turned the sea into dry land;
They crossed through the river on foot;
There we rejoiced in Him.

The earth has yielded its harvest [as evidence of His approval];
God, our God, blesses us.

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked and guilty perish before [the presence of] God.