Give thanks to the God of heaven,
For His lovingkindness (graciousness, mercy, compassion) endures forever.

By the rivers of Babylon,
There we [captives] sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion [the city God imprinted on our hearts].

I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I sing praises to You before the [pagan] gods.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

O that You would kill the wicked, O God;
Go away from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.

Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts;

I said to the Lord, “You are my God;
Listen to the voice of my supplications, O Lord.

“O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.

For my eyes are toward You, O God, the Lord;
In You I take refuge; do not pour out my life nor leave me defenseless.

Teach me to do Your will [so that I may please You],
For You are my God;
Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

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

I will sing a new song to You, O God;
Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,

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

I will exalt You, my God, O King,
And [with gratitude and submissive wonder] I will bless Your name forever and ever.

The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].

To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts
And the glorious majesty of Your kingdom.

While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.

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

The Lord shall reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our [gracious and majestic] God;
Praise is becoming and appropriate.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God with the lyre,

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!

Let the godly ones exult in glory;
Let them sing for joy on their beds.

Let the high praises of God be in their throats,
And a two-edged sword in their hands,

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty heavens.

“But whoever listens to me (Wisdom) will live securely and in confident trust
And will be at ease, without fear or dread of evil.”

Then you will understand the [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome]
And discover the knowledge of God.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice [in every circumstance]
And integrity and every good path.

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

So you will walk in the way of good men [that is, those of personal integrity, moral courage and honorable character],
And keep to the paths of the righteous.

For the upright [those who are in right standing with God] will live in the land
And those [of integrity] who are blameless [in God’s sight] will remain in it;

But the wicked will be cut off from the land
And the treacherous shall be [forcibly] uprooted and removed from it.

So find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.

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],

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

The wise will inherit honor and glory,
But dishonor and shame is conferred on fools.

For I give you good doctrine;
Do not turn away from my instruction.

“Get [skillful and godly] wisdom! Acquire understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation]!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

“The beginning of wisdom is: Get [skillful and godly] wisdom [it is preeminent]!
And with all your acquiring, get understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation].

I have instructed you in the way of [skillful and godly] wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.

And strangers will be filled with your strength
And your hard-earned wealth will go to the house of a foreigner [who does not know God];

My son, be guided by your father’s [God-given] commandment (instruction)
And do not reject the teaching of your mother;

When you walk about, they (the godly teachings of your parents) will guide you;
When you sleep, they will keep watch over you;
And when you awake, they will talk to you.

Wounds and disgrace he will find,
And his reproach (blame) will not be blotted out.

And among the naive [the inexperienced and gullible],
I saw among the youths
A young man lacking [good] sense,

“All the words of my mouth are in righteousness (upright, in right standing with God);
There is nothing contrary to truth or perverted (crooked) in them.

“I, [godly] wisdom, reside with prudence [good judgment, moral courage and astute common sense],
And I find knowledge and discretion.

“Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring wealth and righteousness (right standing with God).

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

Give instruction to a wise man and he will become even wiser;
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

For by me (wisdom from God) your days will be multiplied,
And years of life shall be increased.

Blessings are on the head of the righteous [the upright, those in right standing with God],
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

The wages of the righteous [the upright, those in right standing with God] is [a worthwhile, meaningful] life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.

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

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.

The mouth of the righteous flows with [skillful and godly] wisdom,
But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

Riches will not provide security in the day of wrath and judgment,
But righteousness rescues from death.

By the blessing [of the influence] of the upright the city is exalted,
But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

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

He who is steadfast in righteousness attains life,
But he who pursues evil attains his own death.

The desire of the righteous brings only good,
But the expectation of the wicked brings wrath.

The people curse him who holds back grain [when the public needs it],
But a blessing [from God and man] is upon the head of him who sells it.

He who diligently seeks good seeks favor and grace,
But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.

The fruit of the [consistently] righteous is a tree of life,
And he who is wise captures and wins souls [for God—he gathers them for eternity].

A good man will obtain favor from the Lord,
But He will condemn a man who devises evil.

A man will be commended according to his insight and sound judgment,
But the one who is of a perverse mind will be despised.

A man will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words,
And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him [as a harvest].

He who speaks truth [when he testifies] tells what is right,
But a false witness utters deceit [in court].

From the fruit of his mouth a [wise] man enjoys good,
But the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself,
But he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] will be rewarded.

Good understanding wins favor [from others],
But the way of the unfaithful is hard [like barren, dry soil].

Adversity pursues sinners,
But the [consistently] upright will be rewarded with prosperity.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for [the hands of] the righteous.

The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But the foolishness of [shortsighted] fools is deceit.

Fools mock sin [but sin mocks the fools],
But among the upright there is good will and the favor and blessing of God.

The backslider in heart will have his fill with his own [rotten] ways,
But a good man will be satisfied with his ways [the godly thought and action which his heart pursues and in which he delights].

The evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked [will bow down] at the gates of the righteous.

He who despises his neighbor sins [against God and his fellow man],
But happy [blessed and favored by God] is he who is gracious and merciful to the poor.

Do they not go astray who devise evil and wander from the way of righteousness?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good [in all their endeavors].

There is severe discipline for him who turns from the way [of righteousness];
And he who hates correction will die.

A man has joy in giving an appropriate answer,
And how good and delightful is a word spoken at the right moment—how good it is!

The light of the eyes rejoices the hearts of others,
And good news puts fat on the bones.

By mercy and lovingkindness and truth [not superficial ritual] wickedness is cleansed from the heart,
And by the fear of the Lord one avoids evil.

Better is a little with righteousness
Than great income [gained] with injustice.

It is repulsive [to God and man] for kings to behave wickedly,
For a throne is established on righteousness (right standing with God).

How much better it is to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.

He who pays attention to the word [of God] will find good,
And blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who trusts [confidently] in the Lord.

A violent and exceedingly covetous man entices his neighbor [to sin],
And leads him in a way that is not good.

Whoever returns evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

A man lacking common sense gives a pledge
And becomes guarantor [for the debt of another] in the presence of his neighbor.

He who loves transgression loves strife and is quarrelsome;
He who [proudly] raises his gate seeks destruction [because of his arrogant pride].

He who has a crooked mind finds no good,
And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.

A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

It is also not good to fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

He who [willfully] separates himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire,
He quarrels against all sound wisdom.

When the wicked man comes [to the depth of evil], contempt [of all that is pure and good] also comes,
And with inner baseness (dishonor) comes outer shame (scorn).

To show respect to the wicked person is not good,
Nor to push aside and deprive the righteous of justice.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous runs to it and is safe and set on high [far above evil].