A prayer of David.

¹Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;

listen to my cry.

Hear my prayer –

it does not rise from deceitful lips.

²Let my vindication come from you;

may your eyes see what is right.

³Though you probe my heart,

though you examine me at night and test me,

you will find that I have planned no evil;

my mouth has not transgressed.

⁴Though people tried to bribe me,

I have kept myself from the ways of the violent

through what your lips have commanded.

⁵My steps have held to your paths;

my feet have not stumbled.

⁶I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;

turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

⁷Show me the wonders of your great love,

you who save by your right hand

those who take refuge in you from their foes.

⁸Keep me as the apple of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings

⁹from the wicked who are out to destroy me,

from my mortal enemies who surround me.

¹⁰They close up their callous hearts,

and their mouths speak with arrogance.

¹¹They have tracked me down, they now surround me,

with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

¹²They are like a lion hungry for prey,

like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

¹³Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down;

with your sword rescue me from the wicked.

¹⁴By your hand save me from such people, Lord,

from those of this world whose reward is in this life.

May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;

may their children gorge themselves on it,

and may there be leftovers for their little ones.

¹⁵As for me, I shall be vindicated and shall see your face;

when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

¹ Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?

Who may live on your holy mountain?

²The one whose way of life is blameless,

who does what is righteous,

who speaks the truth from their heart;

³whose tongue utters no slander,

who does no wrong to a neighbour,

and casts no slur on others;

⁴who despises a vile person

but honours those who fear the Lord;

who keeps an oath even when it hurts,

and does not change their mind;

⁵who lends money to the poor without interest;

who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things

will never be shaken.

¹The fool says in his heart,

‘There is no God.’

They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;

there is no-one who does good.

²The Lord looks down from heaven

on all mankind

to see if there are any who understand,

any who seek God.

³All have turned away, all have become corrupt;

there is no-one who does good,

not even one.

⁴Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;

they never call on the Lord.

⁵But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,

for God is present in the company of the righteous.

⁶You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,

but the Lord is their refuge.

⁷Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the Lord restores his people,

let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

¹In the Lord I take refuge.

How then can you say to me:

‘Flee like a bird to your mountain.

²For look, the wicked bend their bows;

they set their arrows against the strings

to shoot from the shadows

at the upright in heart.

³When the foundations are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?’

⁴The Lord is in his holy temple;

the Lord is on his heavenly throne.

He observes everyone on earth;

his eyes examine them.

⁵The Lord examines the righteous,

but the wicked, those who love violence,

he hates with a passion.

⁶On the wicked he will rain

fiery coals and burning sulphur;

a scorching wind will be their lot.

⁷For the Lord is righteous,

he loves justice;

the upright will see his face.

¹Listen to my words, Lord,

consider my lament.

²Hear my cry for help,

my King and my God,

for to you I pray.

³In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you

and wait expectantly.

⁴For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;

with you, evil people are not welcome.

⁵The arrogant cannot stand

in your presence.

You hate all who do wrong;

⁶you destroy those who tell lies.

The bloodthirsty and deceitful

you, Lord, detest.

⁷But I, by your great love,

can come into your house;

in reverence I bow down

towards your holy temple.

⁸Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness

because of my enemies –

make your way straight before me.

⁹Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;

their heart is filled with malice.

Their throat is an open grave;

with their tongues they tell lies.

¹⁰Declare them guilty, O God!

Let their intrigues be their downfall.

Banish them for their many sins,

for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹But let all who take refuge in you be glad;

let them ever sing for joy.

Spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

¹²Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;

you surround them with your favour as with a shield.

¹Answer me when I call to you,

my righteous God.

Give me relief from my distress;

have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

²How long will you people turn my glory into shame?

How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?

³Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;

the Lord hears when I call to him.

⁴Tremble and do not sin;

when you are on your beds,

search your hearts and be silent.

⁵Offer the sacrifices of the righteous

and trust in the Lord.

⁶Many, Lord, are asking, ‘Who will bring us prosperity?’

Let the light of your face shine on us.

⁷Fill my heart with joy

when their grain and new wine abound.

⁸In peace I will lie down and sleep,

for you alone, Lord,

make me dwell in safety.

Book I

Psalms 1–41

¹Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

²but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

³That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither –

whatever they do prospers.

⁴Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

¹The wicked flee though no-one pursues,

but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

²When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,

but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.

³A ruler who oppresses the poor

is like driving rain that leaves no crops.

⁴Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked,

but those who heed it resist them.

⁵Evildoers do not understand what is right,

but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.

⁶Better the poor whose way of life is blameless

than the rich whose ways are perverse.

⁷A discerning son heeds instruction,

but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

⁸Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor

amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

⁹If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction,

even their prayers are detestable.

¹⁰Whoever leads the upright along an evil path

will fall into their own trap,

but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

¹¹The rich are wise in their own eyes;

one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.

¹²When the righteous triumph, there is great elation;

but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.

¹³Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,

but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

¹⁴Blessed is the one who always trembles before God,

but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.

¹⁵Like a roaring lion or a charging bear

is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

¹⁶A tyrannical ruler practises extortion,

but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.

¹⁷Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder

will seek refuge in the grave;

let no-one hold them back.

¹⁸The one whose way of life is blameless is kept safe,

but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit.

¹⁹Those who work their land will have abundant food,

but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.

²⁰A faithful person will be richly blessed,

but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To show partiality is not good –

yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.

²²The stingy are eager to get rich

and are unaware that poverty awaits them.

²³Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favour

rather than one who has a flattering tongue.

²⁴Whoever robs their father or mother

and says, ‘It’s not wrong,’

is partner to one who destroys.

²⁵The greedy stir up conflict,

but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.

²⁶Those who trust in themselves are fools,

but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

²⁷Those who give to the poor will lack nothing,

but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.

²⁸When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding;

but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.

¹In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water

that he channels towards all who please him.

²A person may think their own ways are right,

but the Lord weighs the heart.

³To do what is right and just

is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

⁴Haughty eyes and a proud heart –

the unploughed field of the wicked – produce sin.

⁵The plans of the diligent lead to profit

as surely as haste leads to poverty.

⁶A fortune made by a lying tongue

is a fleeting vapour and a deadly snare.

⁷The violence of the wicked will drag them away,

for they refuse to do what is right.

⁸The way of the guilty is devious,

but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

⁹Better to live on a corner of the roof

than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

¹⁰The wicked crave evil;

their neighbours get no mercy from them.

¹¹When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;

by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.

¹²The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked

and brings the wicked to ruin.

¹³Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor

will also cry out and not be answered.

¹⁴A gift given in secret soothes anger,

and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

¹⁵When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous

but terror to evildoers.

¹⁶Whoever strays from the path of prudence

comes to rest in the company of the dead.

¹⁷Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;

whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.

¹⁸The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,

and the unfaithful for the upright.

¹⁹Better to live in a desert

than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.

²⁰The wise store up choice food and olive oil,

but fools gulp theirs down.

²¹Whoever pursues righteousness and love

finds life, prosperity and honour.

²²One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty

and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.

²³Those who guard their mouths and their tongues

keep themselves from calamity.

²⁴The proud and arrogant person – ‘Mocker’ is his name –

behaves with insolent fury.

²⁵The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him,

because his hands refuse to work.

²⁶All day long he craves for more,

but the righteous give without sparing.

²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable –

how much more so when brought with evil intent!

²⁸A false witness will perish,

but a careful listener will testify successfully.

²⁹The wicked put up a bold front,

but the upright give thought to their ways.

³⁰There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan

that can succeed against the Lord.

³¹The horse is made ready for the day of battle,

but victory rests with the Lord.

¹The Lord detests dishonest scales,

but accurate weights find favour with him.

²When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with humility comes wisdom.

³The integrity of the upright guides them,

but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

⁴Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,

but righteousness delivers from death.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,

but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright delivers them,

but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.

⁷Hopes placed in mortals die with them;

all the promise of their power comes to nothing.

⁸The righteous person is rescued from trouble,

and it falls on the wicked instead.

⁹With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbours,

but through knowledge the righteous escape.

¹⁰When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;

when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

¹¹Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

¹²Whoever derides their neighbour has no sense,

but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.

¹³A gossip betrays a confidence,

but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

¹⁴For lack of guidance a nation falls,

but victory is won through many advisors.

¹⁵Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,

but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.

¹⁶A kind-hearted woman gains honour,

but ruthless men gain only wealth.

¹⁷Those who are kind benefit themselves,

but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.

¹⁸A wicked person earns deceptive wages,

but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

¹⁹Truly the righteous attain life,

but whoever pursues evil finds death.

²⁰The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,

but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

²¹Be sure of this: the wicked will not go unpunished,

but those who are righteous will go free.

²²Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

²⁴One person gives freely, yet gains even more;

another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

²⁵A generous person will prosper;

whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

²⁶People curse the one who hoards grain,

but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.

²⁷Whoever seeks good finds favour,

but evil comes to one who searches for it.

²⁸Those who trust in their riches will fall,

but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

²⁹Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

and the one who is wise saves lives.

³¹If the righteous receive their due on earth,

how much more the ungodly and the sinner!