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¹Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers).

²But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night.

³And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].

⁴The 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.

⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand [unpunished] in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶For the LORD knows and fully approves the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked shall perish.

¹Why are the nations in an uproar [in turmoil against God], And why do the people devise a vain and hopeless plot?

²The kings of the earth take their stand; And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and His Anointed (the Davidic King, the Messiah, the Christ), saying,

³"Let us break apart their [divine] bands [of restraint] And cast away their cords [of control] from us."

⁴He who sits [enthroned] in the heavens laughs [at their rebellion]; The [Sovereign] Lord scoffs at them [and in supreme contempt He mocks them].

⁵Then He will speak to them in His [profound] anger And terrify them with His displeasure, saying,

⁶"Yet as for Me, I have anointed and firmly installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."

⁷"I will declare the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son; This day [I proclaim] I have begotten You.

⁸'Ask of Me, and I will assuredly give [You] the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession.

⁹'You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall shatter them [in pieces] like earthenware.'"

¹⁰Now therefore, O kings, act wisely; Be instructed and take warning, O leaders (judges, rulers) of the earth.

¹¹Worship the LORD and serve Him with reverence [with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder]; Rejoice [yet do so] with trembling.

¹²Kiss (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!

¹A Psalm of David. When he fled from Absalom his son. O LORD, how my enemies have increased! Many are rising up against me.

²Many are saying of me, "There is no help [no salvation] for him in God." Selah.

³But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory [and my honor], and the One who lifts my head.

⁴With my voice I was crying to the LORD, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.

⁵I lay down and slept [safely]; I awakened, for the LORD sustains me.

⁶I will not be intimidated or afraid of the ten thousands Who have set themselves against me all around.

⁷Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.

⁸Salvation belongs to the LORD; May Your blessing be upon Your people. Selah.

¹To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have freed me when I was hemmed in and relieved me when I was in distress; Be gracious to me and hear [and respond to] my prayer.

²O sons of men, how long will my honor and glory be [turned into] shame? How long will you [my enemies] love worthless (vain, futile) things and seek deception and lies? Selah.

³But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself [and dealt wonderfully with] the godly man [the one of honorable character and moral courage—the one who does right]. The LORD hears and responds when I call to Him.

⁴Tremble [with anger or fear], and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still [reflect on your sin and repent of your rebellion]. Selah.

⁵Offer righteous sacrifices; Trust [confidently] in the LORD.

⁶Many are saying, "Oh, that we might see some good!" Lift up the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.

⁷You have put joy in my heart, More than [others know] when their wheat and new wine have yielded abundantly.

⁸In peace [and with a tranquil heart] I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety and confident trust.

¹To the Chief Musician; on wind instruments. A Psalm of David. Listen to my words, O LORD, Consider my groaning and sighing.

²Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to You I pray.

³In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will prepare [a prayer and a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].

⁴For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil [person] dwells with You.

⁵The boastful and the arrogant will not stand in Your sight; You hate all who do evil.

⁶You destroy those who tell lies; The LORD detests and rejects the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

⁷But as for me, I will enter Your house through the abundance of Your steadfast love and tender mercy; At Your holy temple I will bow [obediently] in reverence for You.

⁸O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight (direct, right) before me.

⁹For there is nothing trustworthy or reliable or truthful in what they say; Their heart is destruction [just a treacherous chasm, a yawning gulf of lies]. Their throat is an open grave; They [glibly] flatter with their [silken] tongue.

¹⁰Hold them guilty, O God; Let them fall by their own designs and councils! Cast them out because of the abundance of their transgressions, For they are mutinous and have rebelled against You.

¹¹But 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.

¹²For You, O LORD, bless the righteous man [the one who is in right standing with You]; You surround him with favor as with a shield.

¹To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, set [possibly] an octave below. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do not rebuke or punish me in Your anger, Nor discipline me in Your wrath.

²Have mercy on me and be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am weak (faint, frail); Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed and anguished.

³My soul [as well as my body] is greatly dismayed. But as for You, O LORD—how long [until You act on my behalf]?

⁴Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your [unfailing] steadfast love and mercy.

⁵For in death there is no mention of You; In Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) who will praise You and give You thanks?

⁶I am weary with my groaning; Every night I soak my bed with tears, I drench my couch with my weeping.

⁷My eye grows dim with grief; It grows old because of all my enemies.

⁸Depart from me, all you who do evil, For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.

⁹The LORD has heard my supplication [my plea for grace]; The LORD receives my prayer.

¹⁰Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly horrified; Let them turn back, let them suddenly be ashamed [of what they have done].

¹An Ode of David, [perhaps in a wild, irregular, enthusiastic strain,] which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite. O LORD my God, in You I take refuge; Save me and rescue me from all those who pursue me,

²So that my enemy will not tear me like a lion, Dragging me away while there is no one to rescue [me].

³O LORD my God, if I have done this, If there is injustice in my hands,

⁴If I have done evil to him who was at peace with me, Or without cause robbed him who was my enemy,

⁵Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; And let him trample my life to the ground And lay my honor in the dust. Selah.

⁶Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; Lift up Yourself against the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me; You have commanded judgment and vindication.

⁷Let the assembly of the nations be gathered around You, And return on high over them.

⁸The LORD judges the peoples; Judge me, O LORD, and grant me justice according to my righteousness and according to the integrity within me.

⁹Oh, 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.

¹⁰My shield and my defense depend on God, Who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹God is a righteous judge, And a God who is indignant every day.

¹²If a man does not repent, God will sharpen His sword; He has strung and bent His [mighty] bow and made it ready.

¹³He has also prepared [other] deadly weapons for Himself; He makes His arrows fiery shafts [aimed at the unrepentant].

¹⁴Behold, the [wicked and irreverent] man is pregnant with sin, And he conceives mischief and gives birth to lies.

¹⁵He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the [very] pit which he made [as a trap].

¹⁶His mischief will return on his own head, And his violence will come down on the top of his head [like loose dirt].

¹⁷I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness and justice, And I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

¹To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute [or perhaps to a particular Hittite tune]. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have displayed Your splendor above the heavens.

²Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, That You might silence the enemy and make the revengeful cease.

³When I see and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have established,

⁴What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?

⁵Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

⁶You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,

⁷All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field,

⁸The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

⁹O LORD, our Lord, How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth!