¹ Truly God is good to Israel,
    to those whose hearts are pure.
² But as for me, I almost lost my footing.
    My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
³ For I envied the proud
    when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
⁴ They seem to live such painless lives;
    their bodies are so healthy and strong.
⁵ They don’t have troubles like other people;
    they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
⁶ They wear pride like a jeweled necklace
    and clothe themselves with cruelty.
⁷ These fat cats have everything
    their hearts could ever wish for!
⁸ They scoff and speak only evil;
    in their pride they seek to crush others.
⁹ They boast against the very heavens,
    and their words strut throughout the earth.
¹⁰ And so the people are dismayed and confused,
    drinking in all their words.
¹¹ “What does God know?” they ask.
    “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
¹² Look at these wicked people—
    enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

¹³ Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
    Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
¹⁴ I get nothing but trouble all day long;
    every morning brings me pain.

¹⁵ If I had really spoken this way to others,
    I would have been a traitor to your people.
¹⁶ So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
    But what a difficult task it is!
¹⁷ Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
    and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
¹⁸ Truly, you put them on a slippery path
    and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
¹⁹ In an instant they are destroyed,
    completely swept away by terrors.
²⁰ When you arise, O Lord,
    you will laugh at their silly ideas
    as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.

²¹ Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
    and I was all torn up inside.
²² I was so foolish and ignorant—
    I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
²³ Yet I still belong to you;
    you hold my right hand.
²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
    leading me to a glorious destiny.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
    I desire you more than anything on earth.
²⁶ My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
    but God remains the strength of my heart;
    he is mine forever.

²⁷ Those who desert him will perish,
    for you destroy those who abandon you.
²⁸ But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
    and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

¹ Don’t worry about the wicked
    or envy those who do wrong.
² For like grass, they soon fade away.
    Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good.
    Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you your heart’s desires.

⁵ Commit everything you do to the Lord.
    Trust him, and he will help you.
⁶ He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
    and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still in the presence of the Lord,
    and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
    or fret about their wicked schemes.

⁸ Stop being angry!
    Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
    it only leads to harm.
⁹ For the wicked will be destroyed,
    but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

¹⁰ Soon the wicked will disappear.
    Though you look for them, they will be gone.
¹¹ The lowly will possess the land
    and will live in peace and prosperity.

¹² The wicked plot against the godly;
    they snarl at them in defiance.
¹³ But the Lord just laughs,
    for he sees their day of judgment coming.

¹⁴ The wicked draw their swords
    and string their bows
to kill the poor and the oppressed,
    to slaughter those who do right.
¹⁵ But their swords will stab their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶ It is better to be godly and have little
    than to be evil and rich.
¹⁷ For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
    but the Lord takes care of the godly.

¹⁸ Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,
    and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
¹⁹ They will not be disgraced in hard times;
    even in famine they will have more than enough.

²⁰ But the wicked will die.
    The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—
    they will disappear like smoke.

²¹ The wicked borrow and never repay,
    but the godly are generous givers.
²² Those the Lord blesses will possess the land,
    but those he curses will die.

²³ The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.
²⁴ Though they stumble, they will never fall,
    for the Lord holds them by the hand.

²⁵ Once I was young, and now I am old.
    Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
    or their children begging for bread.
²⁶ The godly always give generous loans to others,
    and their children are a blessing.

²⁷ Turn from evil and do good,
    and you will live in the land forever.
²⁸ For the Lord loves justice,
    and he will never abandon the godly.

He will keep them safe forever,
    but the children of the wicked will die.
²⁹ The godly will possess the land
    and will live there forever.

³⁰ The godly offer good counsel;
    they teach right from wrong.
³¹ They have made God’s law their own,
    so they will never slip from his path.

³² The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
    looking for an excuse to kill them.
³³ But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed
    or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

³⁴ Put your hope in the Lord.
    Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
    You will see the wicked destroyed.

³⁵ I have seen wicked and ruthless people
    flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
³⁶ But when I looked again, they were gone!
    Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

³⁷ Look at those who are honest and good,
    for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
³⁸ But the rebellious will be destroyed;
    they have no future.

³⁹ The Lord rescues the godly;
    he is their fortress in times of trouble.
⁴⁰ The Lord helps them,
    rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
    and they find shelter in him.