A psalm by Asaph. Certainly God is good to Israel, and to those whose motives are pure!

For I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked.

Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer.

Yes, look! Those far from you die; you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you.

Do not disregard what your enemies say, or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you.

Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them! Let all those who surround him bring tribute to the awesome one!

We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors; those who live on our borders taunt and insult us.

Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners! Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die!

(May those who hate the Lord cower in fear before him! May they be permanently humiliated!)

For look, your enemies are making a commotion; those who hate you are hostile.

How blessed are those who live in your temple and praise you continually! (Selah)

How blessed are those who find their strength in you, and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple!

For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. The Lord bestows favor and honor; he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.

O Lord who rules over all, how blessed are those who trust in you!

Show me evidence of your favor! Then those who hate me will see it and be ashamed, for you, O Lord, will help me and comfort me.

They treat me like those who descend into the grave. I am like a helpless man,

You cause those who know me to keep their distance; you make me an appalling sight to them. I am trapped and cannot get free.

You cause my friends and neighbors to keep their distance; those who know me leave me alone in the darkness.

I will crush his enemies before him; I will strike down those who hate him.

I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me; I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me.

Cruel rulers are not your allies, those who make oppressive laws.

All who worship idols are ashamed, those who boast about worthless idols. All the gods bow down before him.

Let the sea and everything in it shout, along with the world and those who live in it!

Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel was one of those who prayed to him. They prayed to the Lord and he answered them.

I will favor the honest people of the land, and allow them to live with me. Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me.

All day long my enemies taunt me; those who mock me use my name in their curses.

in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners, and to set free those condemned to die,

to those who keep his covenant, who are careful to obey his commands.

Boast about his holy name! Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

How blessed are those who promote justice, and do what is right all the time!

He handed them over to the nations, and those who hated them ruled over them.

Let those delivered by the Lord speak out, those whom he delivered from the power of the enemy,

For he has satisfied those who thirst, and those who hunger he has filled with food.

He loved to curse others, so those curses have come upon him. He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings.

May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, those who say evil things about me!

because he stands at the right hand of the needy, to deliver him from those who threaten his life.

Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in them.

The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any of those who descend into the silence of death.

The Lord is on my side as my helper. I look in triumph on those who hate me.

(Alef) How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, who obey the law of the Lord.

How blessed are those who observe his rules, and seek him with all their heart,

You reprimand arrogant people. Those who stray from your commands are doomed.

Rage takes hold of me because of the wicked, those who reject your law.

I am a friend to all your loyal followers, and to those who keep your precepts.

May your loyal followers turn to me, those who know your rules.

How long must your servant endure this? When will you judge those who pursue me?

I am more discerning than those older than I, for I observe your precepts.

Those who are eager to do wrong draw near; they are far from your law.

Those who love your law are completely secure; nothing causes them to stumble.

I said, "O Lord, rescue me from those who lie with their lips and those who deceive with their tongue.

For too long I have had to reside with those who hate peace.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May those who love her prosper!

A song of ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion; it cannot be upended and will endure forever.

Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, to the morally upright!

As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path, may the Lord remove them, along with those who behave wickedly! May Israel experience peace!

Those who shed tears as they plant will shout for joy when they reap the harvest.

A song of ascents, by Solomon. If the Lord does not build a house, then those who build it work in vain. If the Lord does not guard a city, then the watchman stands guard in vain.

It is vain for you to rise early, come home late, and work so hard for your food. Yes, he can provide for those whom he loves even when they sleep.

Those who pass by will not say, "May you experience the Lord's blessing! We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord."

Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in them.

for there our captors ask us to compose songs; those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying: "Sing for us a song about Zion!"

The Lord avenges me. O Lord, your loyal love endures. Do not abandon those whom you have made!

O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you, and despise those who oppose you?

As for the heads of those who surround me -- may the harm done by their lips overwhelm them!

Listen to my cry for help, for I am in serious trouble! Rescue me from those who chase me, for they are stronger than I am.

Certainly my enemies chase me. They smash me into the ground. They force me to live in dark regions, like those who have been dead for ages.

Answer me quickly, Lord! My strength is fading. Do not reject me, or I will join those descending into the grave.

Then our sons will be like plants, that quickly grow to full size. Our daughters will be like corner pillars, carved like those in a palace.

The Lord protects those who love him, but he destroys all the wicked.

The Lord protects those residing outside their native land; he lifts up the fatherless and the widow, but he opposes the wicked.

The Lord takes delight in his faithful followers, and in those who wait for his loyal love.

We will swallow them alive like Sheol, those full of vigor like those going down to the Pit.

Such are the ways of all who gain profit unjustly; it takes away the life of those who obtain it!

He stores up effective counsel for the upright, and is like a shield for those who live with integrity,

to deliver you from the way of the wicked, from those speaking perversity,

For the upright will reside in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it,

For the Lord disciplines those he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.

She is like a tree of life to those who obtain her, and everyone who grasps hold of her will be blessed.

Do not withhold good from those who need it, when you have the ability to help.

Do not enter the path of the wicked or walk in the way of those who are evil.

for they are life to those who find them and healing to one's entire body.

for she has brought down many fatally wounded, and all those she has slain are many.

All of them are clear to the discerning and upright to those who find knowledge.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.

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

"So now, children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.

"Whoever is naive, let him turn in here," she says to those who lack understanding.

calling out to those who are passing by her in the way, who go straight on their way.

"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here," she says to those who lack understanding.

Those who are wise store up knowledge, but foolish speech leads to imminent destruction.

Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.

The Lord abhors those who are perverse in heart, but those who are blameless in their ways are his delight.

Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.

The Lord abhors a person who lies, but those who deal truthfully are his delight.

Those who are evil will bow before those who are good, and the wicked will bow at the gates of the righteous.

A poor person is disliked even by his neighbors, but those who love the rich are many.

Do not those who devise evil go astray? But those who plan good exhibit faithful covenant love.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on those who are evil and those who are good.

The Lord abhors the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love its use will eat its fruit.