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).

Therefore the wicked will not stand [unpunished] in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

He who sits [enthroned] in the heavens laughs [at their rebellion];
The [Sovereign] Lord scoffs at them [and in supreme contempt He mocks them].

Kiss (pay respect to) the Son, so that He does not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled and set aflame.
How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] are all those who take refuge in Him!

O Lord, how my enemies have increased!
Many are rising up against me.

I will not be intimidated or afraid of the ten thousands
Who have set themselves against me all around.

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.

But let all who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice,
Let them ever sing for joy;
Because You cover and shelter them,
Let those who love Your name be joyful and exult in You.

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.

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?

O Lord my God, in You I take refuge;
Save me and rescue me from all those who pursue me,

If I have done evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or without cause robbed him who was my enemy,

Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous [those in right standing with You];
For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.

My shield and my defense depend on God,
Who saves the upright in heart.

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

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.

Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;
Declare among the peoples His [great and wondrous] deeds.

For He who avenges blood [unjustly shed] remembers them (His people);
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted and abused.

Have mercy on me and be gracious to me, O Lord;
See how I am afflicted by those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,

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 tests the righteous and the wicked,
And His soul hates the [malevolent] one who loves violence.

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

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].

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?

O Lord, who may lodge [as a guest] in Your tent?
Who may dwell [continually] on Your holy hill?

He who walks with integrity and strength of character, and works righteousness,
And speaks and holds truth in his heart.

He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

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];

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.

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 sorrows [pain and suffering] of those who have chosen another god will be multiplied [because of their idolatry];
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.

I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my heart (mind) instructs me in the night.

My steps have held closely to Your paths;
My feet have not staggered.

Wondrously show Your [marvelous and amazing] lovingkindness,
O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand
From those who rise up against them.

From the wicked who despoil and deal violently with me,
My deadly enemies who surround me.

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 rescued me from my strong enemy,
And from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

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,

The God who encircles me with strength
And makes my way blameless?

For You have encircled me with strength for the battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me [in defeat],
And I silenced and destroyed those who hated me.

The God who avenges me,
And subdues peoples (nations) under me.

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.

Who can understand his errors or omissions? Acquit me of hidden (unconscious, unintended) faults.

Your hand will reach out and defeat all your enemies;
Your right hand will reach those who hate you.

But You are holy,
O You who are enthroned in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered].

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.

You who fear the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence], praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him.
Fear Him [with submissive wonder], all you descendants of Israel.

My praise will be of You in the great assembly.
I will pay my vows [made in the time of trouble] before those who [reverently] fear Him.

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!

All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship;
All those who go down to the dust (the dead) will bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.

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

Who may ascend onto the mountain of the Lord?
And who may stand in His holy place?

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.

Indeed, none of those who [expectantly] wait for You will be ashamed;
Those who turn away from what is right and deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed (humiliated, embarrassed).

All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and goodness and truth and faithfulness
To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

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.

The secret [of the wise counsel] of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
And He will let them know His covenant and reveal to them [through His word] its [deep, inner] meaning.

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?

Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not abandon me nor leave me,
O God of my salvation!

Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me on a level path
Because of my enemies [who lie in wait].

Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who do evil,
Who speak peace with their neighbors,
While malice and mischief are in their hearts.

I hate those who pay regard to vain (empty, worthless) idols;
But I trust in the Lord [and rely on Him with unwavering confidence].

Because of all my enemies I have become a reproach and disgrace,
Especially to my neighbors,
And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
Those who see me on the street run from me.

My times are in Your hands;
Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue and persecute me.

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!

O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!
The Lord preserves the faithful [those with moral and spiritual integrity]
And fully repays the [self-righteousness of the] arrogant.

Be strong and let your hearts take courage,
All you who wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, favored by God] is he whose transgression is forgiven,
And whose sin is covered.

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

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [for forgiveness] in a time when You [are near and] may be found;
Surely when the great waters [of trial and distressing times] overflow they will not reach [the spirit in] him.

Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in and relies on the Lord shall be surrounded with compassion and lovingkindness.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous [who actively seek right standing with Him];
Shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming and appropriate for those who are upright [in heart—those with moral integrity and godly character].

He who fashions the hearts of them all,
Who considers and understands all that they do.

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,

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience],
And He rescues [each of] them.

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.

O [reverently] fear the Lord, you His saints (believers, holy ones);
For to those who fear Him there is no want.

The young lions lack [food] and grow hungry,
But they who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.

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

The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The Lord is near to the heartbroken
And He saves those who are crushed in spirit (contrite in heart, truly sorry for their sin).

Evil will cause the death of the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be held guilty and will be condemned.

The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.

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

Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;
Let those be turned back [in defeat] and humiliated who plot evil against me.

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?”

I behaved as if grieving for my friend or my brother;
I bowed down in mourning, as one who sorrows for his mother.

Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;
Nor let those who hate me without cause wink their eye [maliciously].

For they do not speak peace,
But they devise deceitful words [half-truths and lies] against those who are quiet in the land.