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

“I will declare the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son;
This day [I proclaim] I have begotten You.

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

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

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.

In peace [and with a tranquil heart] I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety and confident trust.

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 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 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?

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

I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness and justice,
And I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

I will give thanks and praise the Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell aloud all Your wonders and marvelous deeds.

I will rejoice and exult in you;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

And He will judge the world in righteousness;
He will execute judgment for the nations with fairness (equity).

The Lord also will be a refuge and a stronghold for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble;

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.

That I may tell aloud all Your praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion (Jerusalem)
I may rejoice in Your salvation and Your help.

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].”

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

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

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

O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble and oppressed;
You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear to hear,

Upon the wicked (godless) He will rain coals of fire;
Fire and brimstone and a dreadful scorching wind will be the portion of their cup [of doom].

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

“Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

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

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?

I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

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.

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.

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.

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

I have called upon You, for You, O God, will answer me;
Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.

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.

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

With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the crooked You show Yourself astute.

For You save an afflicted and humble people,
But bring down those [arrogant fools] with haughty eyes.

Therefore will I give thanks and praise You, O Lord, among the nations,
And sing praises to Your name.

We will sing joyously over your victory,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
But we will remember and trust in the name of the Lord our God.

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.

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

For You will make them turn their backs [in defeat];
You will aim Your bowstring [of divine justice] at their faces.

Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength;
We will sing and praise Your power.

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

I will tell of Your name to my countrymen;
In the midst of the congregation I will praise You.

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.

Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.

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

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.

My eyes are continually toward the Lord,
For He will bring my feet out of the net.

I hate the company of evildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked.

I will wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go about Your altar, O Lord,

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

My foot stands on a level place;
In the congregations I will bless the Lord.

Though an army encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
Even in this I am confident.

One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life,
To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.

For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.

And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
In His tent I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

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].

Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
For false witnesses have come against me;
They breathe out violence.

Because they have no regard for the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not rebuild them.

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.

He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion (Mount Hermon) like a young, wild ox.

The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.

I will extol and praise You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

“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]?

That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

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,

I acknowledged my sin to You,
And I did not hide my wickedness;
I said, “I will confess [all] my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you.

Do not be like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bridle and rein to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you to fear the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience].

Lord, how long will You look on [without action]?
Rescue my life from their destructions,
My only life from the young lions.

I will give You thanks in the great congregation;
I will praise You among a mighty people.

For he flatters and deceives himself in his own eyes
Thinking that his sinfulness will not be discovered and hated [by God].

Delight yourself in the Lord,
And He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
Trust in Him also and He will do it.

He will make your righteousness [your pursuit of right standing with God] like the light,
And your judgment like [the shining of] the noonday [sun].

For yet a little while and the wicked one will be gone [forever];
Though you look carefully where he used to be, he will not be [found].

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
And their inheritance will continue forever.

Depart from evil and do good;
And you will dwell [securely in the land] forever.

The Lord will not leave him in his hand
Or let him be condemned when he is judged.

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.

For in You, O Lord, I hope;
You will answer, O Lord my God.

I said, “I will guard my ways
That I may not sin with my tongue;
I will muzzle my mouth
While the wicked are in my presence.”

“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.

“I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your law is within my heart.”

Blessed [by God’s grace and compassion] is he who considers the helpless;
The Lord will save him in the day of trouble.

The Lord will protect him and keep him alive;
And he will be called blessed in the land;
You do not hand him over to the desire of his enemies.

The Lord will sustain and strengthen him on his sickbed;
In his illness, You will restore him to health.