Surely His salvation is near to those who [reverently] fear Him [and obey Him with submissive wonder],
That glory [the manifest presence of God] may dwell in our land.

For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our sins, sending them away, completely letting them go forever and ever];
And abundant in lovingkindness and overflowing in mercy to all those who call upon You.

Show me a sign of [Your] goodwill,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, O Lord, helped and comforted me.

“I will mention Rahab (Egypt) and Babylon among those who know Me—
Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia (Cush)—
‘This one was born there.’”

I am counted among those who go down to the pit (grave);
I am like a man who has no strength [a mere shadow],

A God greatly feared and reverently worshiped in the council of the holy [angelic] ones,
And awesome above all those who are around Him?

“I will crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.

My eye has looked on my foes;
My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me.

Let all those be [deeply] ashamed who serve carved images,
Who boast in idols.
Worship Him, all you gods!

Let the sea thunder and roar, and all the things it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.

Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
And Samuel was among those who called on His name;
They called upon the Lord and He answered them.

To hear the sighing of the prisoner,
To set free those who were doomed to death,

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence].

Just as a father loves his children,
So the Lord loves those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence].

But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who [reverently] fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,

To those who honor and keep His covenant,
And remember to do His commandments [imprinting His word on their hearts].

Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those who seek and require the Lord [as their most essential need] rejoice.

He gave them the lands of the nations [of Canaan],
So that they would possess the fruits of those peoples’ labor,

Blessed are those who observe justice [by honoring God’s precepts],
Who practice righteousness at all times.

He also made them objects of compassion
Among those who had carried them away captive.

They went up toward the heavens [on the crest of the wave], they went down again to the depths [of the watery trough];
Their courage melted away in their misery.

A productive land into a [barren] salt waste,
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

Let this be the reward of my attackers from the Lord,
And of those who speak evil against my life.

For He will stand at the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who judge his soul.

Great are the works of the Lord,
Studied by all those who delight in them.

He has given food to those who fear Him [with awe-inspired reverence];
He will remember His covenant forever.

The [reverent] fear of the Lord is the beginning (the prerequisite, the absolute essential, the alphabet) of wisdom;
A good understanding and a teachable heart are possessed by all those who do the will of the Lord;
His praise endures forever.

He will bless those who fear and worship the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder],
Both the small and the great.

Oh let those who [reverently] fear the Lord, say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”

The Lord is on my side, He is among those who help me;
Therefore I will look [in triumph] on those who hate me.

Establish Your word and confirm Your promise to Your servant,
As that which produces [awe-inspired] reverence for You.

So I will have an answer for the one who taunts me,
For I trust [completely] in Your word [and its reliability].

I am a companion of all who [reverently] fear You,
And of those who keep and honor Your precepts.

May those who [reverently] fear You see me and be glad,
Because I wait for Your word.

May those who fear You [with submissive wonder] turn to me,
Even those who have known Your testimonies.

How many are the days of Your servant [which he must endure]?
When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?

You have turned Your back on all those who wander from Your statutes,
For their deceitfulness is useless.

Ayin.
I have done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to those who oppress me.

Turn to me and be gracious to me and show me favor,
As is Your way to those who love Your name.

Our soul is greatly filled
With the scoffing of those who are at ease,
And with the contempt of the proud [who disregard God’s law].

Those who trust in and rely on the Lord [with confident expectation]
Are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but remains forever.

Do good, O Lord, to those who are good
And to those who are upright in their hearts.

When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion (Jerusalem),
We were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal].

Nor do those who pass by say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord.”

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.

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

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

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.

Let our sons in their youth be like plants full grown,
And our daughters like corner pillars fashioned for a palace;

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

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.

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].

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

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

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],

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.

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.

Or you will give your honor to others,
And your years to the cruel one,

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

“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.

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

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.

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

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.

There is the one who [generously] scatters [abroad], and yet increases all the more;
And there is the one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want and poverty.

There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.

Abundant food is in the fallow (uncultivated) ground of the poor,
But [without protection] it is swept away by injustice.

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.

Understanding (spiritual insight) is a [refreshing and boundless] wellspring of life to those who have it,
But to give instruction and correction to fools is foolishness.

Acquiring treasures by a lying tongue
Is a fleeting vapor, the seeking and pursuit of death.

To let you know the certainty of the words of truth,
That you may give a correct answer to him who sent you?

For the Lord will plead their case
And take the life of those who rob them.

Do not be among those who give pledges [involving themselves in others’ finances],
Or among those who become guarantors for others’ debts.

Those who linger long over wine,
Those who go to taste mixed wine.

Rescue those who are being taken away to death,
And those who stagger to the slaughter, Oh hold them back [from their doom]!

My son, fear the Lord and the king;
And do not associate with those who are given to change [of allegiance, and are revolutionary],

But to those [honorable judges] who rebuke the wicked, it will go well with them and they will find delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.

Like the cold of snow [brought from the mountains] in the time of harvest,
So is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
For he refreshes the life of his masters.

A lying tongue hates those it wounds and crushes,
And a flattering mouth works ruin.

Those who set aside the law [of God and man] praise the wicked,
But those who keep the law [of God and man] struggle with them.

Every word of God is tested and refined [like silver];
He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him.

Do not give your [generative] strength to women [neither foreign wives in marriages of alliances, nor concubines],
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

Open your mouth for the mute,
For the rights of all who are unfortunate and defenseless;

There is no remembrance of earlier things,
Nor also of the later things that are to come;
There will be for them no remembrance
By generations who will come after them.

So I congratulated and thought more fortunate are those who are already dead than the living who are still living.

There is no end to all the people; to all who were before them. Yet those who come later will not be happy with him. Surely this also is vanity (emptiness) and chasing after the wind.

When you make a vow or a pledge to God, do not put off paying it; for God takes no pleasure in fools [who thoughtlessly mock Him]. Pay what you vow.

If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight [of corruption]; for a higher official watches over another official, and there are higher ones over them [looking out for one another].