“He deprives the trusted ones of speech
And takes away the discernment and discretion of the aged.

“Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his ways,
And he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.

“Those who live [temporarily] in my house and my maids consider me a stranger;
I am a foreigner in their sight.

“All the men of my council hate me;
Those I love have turned against me.

Yet he perishes forever like his own refuse;
Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

“Can anyone teach God knowledge,
Seeing that He judges those on high?

“Have you not asked those who travel this way,
And do you not recognize their witness?

‘Surely our adversaries are cut off and destroyed,
And fire has consumed their abundance.’

“Why does the Almighty not set seasons for judgment?
Why do those who know Him not see His days [for punishment of the wicked]?

“Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor stay in its paths.

“Drought and heat consume the snow waters;
So does Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) [consume] those who have sinned.

“Those who survive him will be buried because of the plague,
And [their] widows will not be able to weep.

“Therefore my lyre (harp) is used for [the sound of] mourning,
And my flute for the [sound of the] voices of those who weep.

“They die in youth,
And their life ends among the cult prostitutes.

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.

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

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

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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,

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.

There they tremble with great fear,
For God is with the [consistently] righteous generation.

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];

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.

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

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

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

To you I call, O Lord,
My rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You are silent to me,
I will become like those who go down to the pit (grave).

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

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!

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].

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

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).

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.”

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.

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.”

O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness (salvation) to the upright in heart.

Do not worry because of evildoers,
Nor be envious toward wrongdoers;

For those who do evil will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To cast down the afflicted and the needy,
To slaughter those who are upright in conduct [those with personal integrity and godly character].

But my [numerous] enemies are vigorous and strong,
And those who hate me without cause are many.

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

You have made us the reproach and taunt of our neighbors,
A scoffing and a derision to those around us.

Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the wickedness of those who would betray me surrounds me [on every side],

Even those who trust in and rely on their wealth
And boast of the abundance of their riches?

This is the fate of those who are foolishly confident,
And of those after them who approve [and are influenced by] their words. Selah.

“Gather My godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”

Have workers of wickedness no knowledge or no understanding?
They eat up My people as though they ate bread
And have not called upon God.

He [my companion] has put out his hands against those who were at peace with him;
He has broken his covenant [of friendship and loyalty].

My life is among lions;
I must lie among those who breathe out fire—
The sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Set me securely on an inaccessibly high place away from those who rise up against me.

Deliver me from those who practice wrongdoing,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.

My God in His [steadfast] lovingkindness will meet me;
God will let me look triumphantly on my enemies [who lie in wait for me].

You have set up a banner for those who fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder—a banner to shield them from attack],
A banner that may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

For You have heard my vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name [with reverence].

But those who seek my life to destroy it
Will [be destroyed and] go into the depths of the earth [into the underworld].

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.

By awesome and wondrous things You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation,
You who are the trust and hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;

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.

Rebuke the beasts [living] among the reeds [in Egypt],
The herd of bulls (the leaders) with the calves of the peoples;
Trampling underfoot the pieces of silver;
He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.

Those who hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would destroy me are powerful, being my enemies wrongfully;
I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

Do not let those who wait [confidently] for You be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts;
Do not let those who seek You [as necessary for life itself] be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,

For zeal for Your house has consumed me,
And the [mocking] insults of those who insult You have fallen on me.

Rescue me from the mire and do not let me sink;
Let me be rescued from those who hate me and from the deep waters.

For they have persecuted him whom You have struck,
And they tell of the pain of those whom You have pierced and wounded.

May they be blotted out of the book of life [and their lives come to an end]
And may they not be recorded with the righteous (those in right standing with God).

The descendants of His servants will inherit it,
And those who love His name will dwell in it.

May all those who seek You [as life’s first priority] rejoice and be glad in You;
May those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”

For my enemies have spoken against me;
Those who watch for my life have consulted together,

The nomads of the desert will bow before him,
And his enemies will lick the dust.

Truly God is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart.

For behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful and have abandoned You.

Do not forget the [clamoring] voices of Your adversaries,
The uproar of those who rise against You, which ascends continually [to Your ears].

He also drove out the nations before the sons of Israel
And allotted their land as an inheritance, measured out and partitioned;
And He had the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents [the tents of those who had been dispossessed].

We have become an object of taunting to our neighbors [because of our humiliation],
A derision and mockery to those who encircle us.

Let the groaning and sighing of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your power keep safe those who are doomed to die.

Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him and cringe before Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.

For behold, Your enemies are in tumult,
And those who hate You have raised their heads [in hatred of You].

Blessed and greatly favored are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence;
They will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord bestows grace and favor and honor;
No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

I will hear [with expectant hope] what God the Lord will say,
For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones—
But let them not turn again to folly.