⁶ Seek the Lord when he can still be found;
    call him while he is yet near.
⁷ Let the wicked abandon their ways
    and the sinful their schemes.
Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them,
    to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness.
⁸ My plans aren’t your plans,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
⁹ Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways,
    and my plans than your plans.
¹⁰ Just as the rain and the snow come down from the sky
        and don’t return there without watering the earth,
        making it conceive and yield plants
        and providing seed to the sower and food to the eater,
¹¹     so is my word that comes from my mouth;
        it does not return to me empty.
        Instead, it does what I want,
        and accomplishes what I intend.

¹⁵ The Lord’s eyes watch the righteous,
    his ears listen to their cries for help.
¹⁶ But the Lord’s face is set against those who do evil,
    to eliminate even the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷ When the righteous cry out, the Lord listens;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
    he saves those whose spirits are crushed.

¹⁹ The righteous have many problems,
    but the Lord delivers them from every one.
²⁰ He protects all their bones;
    not even one will be broken.
²¹ But just one problem will kill the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be held responsible.
²² The Lord saves his servants’ lives;
    all those who take refuge in him
    won’t be held responsible for anything.