You who stand in the house of the Lord,
In the courts of the house of our God,

Who causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth;
Who makes lightning for the rain,
Who brings the wind from His storehouses;

Who struck the firstborn of Egypt,
Both of man and animal;

Who sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,
Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.

Who struck many nations
And killed mighty kings,

For the Lord will judge His people
And He will have compassion on His servants [revealing His mercy].

Those who make idols are like them [absolutely worthless—spiritually blind, deaf, and powerless];
So is everyone who trusts in and relies on them.

O house of Levi, bless the Lord;
You who fear the Lord [and worship Him with obedience], bless the Lord [with grateful praise]!

Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
Who dwells [with us] at Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His lovingkindness endures forever;

To Him who made the heavens with skill,
For His lovingkindness endures forever;

To Him who stretched out the earth upon the waters,
For His lovingkindness endures forever;

To Him who made the great lights,
For His lovingkindness endures forever;

To Him who struck the firstborn of Egypt,
For His lovingkindness endures forever;

To Him who divided the Red Sea into parts,
For His lovingkindness endures forever;

To Him who led His people through the wilderness,
For His lovingkindness endures forever;

To Him who struck down great kings,
For His lovingkindness endures forever;

Who [faithfully] remembered us in our lowly condition,
For His lovingkindness endures forever;

Who gives food to all flesh,
For His lovingkindness endures forever;

For there they who took us captive demanded of us a song with words,
And our tormentors [who made a mockery of us demanded] amusement, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

O daughter of Babylon, you devastator,
How blessed will be the one
Who repays you [with destruction] as you have repaid us.

How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock.

For they speak against You wickedly,
Your enemies take Your name in vain.

Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Protect me from violent men
Who intend to trip up my steps.

“Those who surround me raise their heads;
May the mischief of their own lips come upon them.

Do not incline my heart to [consent to or tolerate] any evil thing,
Or to practice deeds of wickedness
With men who plan and do evil;
And let me not eat of their delicacies (be tempted by their gain).

Look to the right [the point of attack] and see;
For there is no one who has regard for me [to act in my favor].
Escape has failed me and I have nowhere to run;
No one cares about my life.

For the enemy has persecuted me,
He has crushed my life down to the ground;
He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have been long dead.

Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails;
Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will become like those who go down into the pit (grave).

In your lovingkindness, silence and destroy my enemies
And destroy all those who afflict my life,
For I am Your servant.

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock and my great strength,
Who trains my hands for war
And my fingers for battle;

My [steadfast] lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my rescuer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.

Who gives salvation to kings,
Who sets David His servant free from the evil sword.

How blessed and favored are the people in such circumstance;
How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored] are the people whose God is the Lord!

The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who fall
And raises up all those who are bowed down.

The Lord is near to all who call on Him,
To all who call on Him in truth (without guile).

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear and worship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience];
He also will hear their cry and will save them.

The Lord keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.

Do not trust in princes,
In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation (help).

How blessed and graciously favored is he whose help is the God of Jacob (Israel),
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them,
Who keeps truth and is faithful forever,

Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets free the prisoners.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous [the upright in heart].

Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who provides rain for the earth,
Who makes grass grow on the mountains.

The Lord favors those who fear and worship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience],
Those who wait for His mercy and lovingkindness.

He casts out His ice like fragments;
Who can stand before His cold?

He has lifted up a horn for His people [giving them strength, prosperity, dignity, and preeminence],
Praise for all His godly ones;
For the people of Israel, a people near to Him.
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Let us swallow them alive like Sheol (the place of the dead),
Even whole, as those who go down to the pit [of death];

So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
Greed takes away the lives of its possessors.

He stores away sound wisdom for the righteous [those who are in right standing with Him];
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity [those of honorable character and moral courage],

To keep you from the way of evil and the evil man,
From the man who speaks perverse things;

From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness;

Who find joy in doing evil
And delight in the perversity of evil,

Whose paths are crooked,
And who are devious in their ways;

Who leaves the companion (husband) of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.

None who go to her return again,
Nor do they regain the paths of life—

For those whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

Happy [blessed, considered fortunate, to be admired] is the man who finds [skillful and godly] wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding and insight [learning from God’s word and life’s experiences],

She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy [blessed, considered fortunate, to be admired] is everyone who holds her tightly.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due [its rightful recipients],
When it is in your power to do it.

Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
Who lives securely beside you.

For the devious are repulsive to the Lord;
But His private counsel is with the upright [those with spiritual integrity and moral courage].

For they are life to those who find them,
And healing and health to all their flesh.

“I have not listened to the voice of my teachers,
Nor have I inclined my ear to those who instructed me.

For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord,
And He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings].

So your poverty will come like an approaching prowler who walks [slowly, but surely]
And your need [will come] like an armed man [making you helpless].

A worthless person, a wicked man,
Is one who walks with a perverse (corrupt, vulgar) mouth.

A false witness who breathes out lies [even half-truths],
And one who spreads discord (rumors) among brothers.

So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her will not be found innocent or go unpunished.

But whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks common sense and sound judgment and an understanding [of moral principles];
He who would destroy his soul does it.

That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the foreigner [who does not observe God’s laws and] who flatters with her [smooth] words.

“They are all straightforward to him who understands [with an open and willing mind],
And right to those who find knowledge and live by it.

“I love those who love me;
And those who seek me early and diligently will find me.

That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth and true riches,
And that I may fill their treasuries.

“Now therefore, O sons, listen to me,
For blessed [happy, prosperous, to be admired] are they who keep my ways.

“Blessed [happy, prosperous, to be admired] is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.

“But he who fails to find me or sins against me injures himself;
All those who hate me love and court death.”

“Whoever is naive or inexperienced, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says,

He who corrects and instructs a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man gets insults for himself.

Calling to those who pass by,
Who are making their paths straight:

“Whoever is naive or inexperienced, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks understanding (common sense), she says,

Poor is he who works with a negligent and idle hand,
But the hand of the diligent makes him rich.

He who gathers during summer and takes advantage of his opportunities is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps during harvest and ignores the moment of opportunity is a son who acts shamefully.

He who walks in integrity and with moral character walks securely,
But he who takes a crooked way will be discovered and punished.

He who [maliciously] winks the eye [of evil intent] causes trouble;
And the babbling fool [who is arrogant and thinks himself wise] will come to ruin.

On the lips of the discerning, [skillful and godly] wisdom is found,
But discipline and the rod are for the back of the one who is without common sense and understanding.

He who learns from instruction and correction is on the [right] path of life [and for others his example is a path toward wisdom and blessing],
But he who ignores and refuses correction goes off course [and for others his example is a path toward sin and ruin].

He who hides hatred has lying lips,
And he who spreads slander is a fool.

When there are many words, transgression and offense are unavoidable,
But he who controls his lips and keeps thoughtful silence is wise.

The tongue of the righteous is like precious silver (greatly valued);
The heart of the wicked is worth little.

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy one to those who send him to work.

The hope of the righteous [those of honorable character and integrity] is joy,
But the expectation of the wicked [those who oppose God and ignore His wisdom] comes to nothing.

When pride comes [boiling up with an arrogant attitude of self-importance], then come dishonor and shame,
But with the humble [the teachable who have been chiseled by trial and who have learned to walk humbly with God] there is wisdom and soundness of mind.

He who despises his neighbor lacks sense,
But a man of understanding keeps silent.

He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets,
But he who is trustworthy and faithful keeps a matter hidden.

He who puts up security and guarantees a debt for an outsider will surely suffer [for his foolishness],
But he who hates (declines) being a guarantor is secure [from its penalties].

A gracious and good woman attains honor,
And ruthless men attain riches [but not respect].

The merciful and generous man benefits his soul [for his behavior returns to bless him],
But the cruel and callous man does himself harm.

The wicked man earns deceptive wages,
But he who sows righteousness and lives his life with integrity will have a true reward [that is both permanent and satisfying].