³ Let not ^(E)steadfast love and ^(F)faithfulness forsake you;
    ^(G)bind them around your neck;
    ^(H)write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ So you will ^(I)find favor and ^(J)good success^[a]
    in the sight of God and man.

^5 (K)Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and ^(L)do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways ^(M)acknowledge him,
    and he ^(N)will make straight your paths.
^7 (O)Be not wise in your own eyes;
    ^(P)fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸ It will be ^(Q)healing to your flesh^[b]
    and ^(R)refreshment^[c] to your bones.

⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth
    and with ^(S)the firstfruits of all your produce;
¹⁰ then your ^(T)barns will be filled with plenty,
    and your vats will be bursting with wine.

^11 (U)My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
    or be weary of his reproof,
¹² for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
    as ^(V)a father the son in whom he delights.

^19 (AG)The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
    by understanding ^(AH)he established the heavens;
²⁰ by his knowledge ^(AI)the deeps broke open,
    and ^(AJ)the clouds drop down the dew.

²¹ My son, ^(AK)do not lose sight of these—
    keep sound wisdom and discretion,
²² and they will be ^(AL)life for your soul
    and ^(AM)adornment for your neck.
^23 (AN)Then you will walk on your way securely,
    ^(AO)and your foot will not stumble.
^24 (AP)If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
    when you lie down, ^(AQ)your sleep will be sweet.
^25 (AR)Do not be afraid of sudden terror
    or of ^(AS)the ruin^[d] of the wicked, when it comes,
²⁶ for the Lord will be your confidence
    and will ^(AT)keep your foot from being caught.
^27 (AU)Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,^[e]
    when it is in your power to do it.

^28 (AV)Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
    tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
^29 (AW)Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
    who ^(AX)dwells trustingly beside you.
^30 (AY)Do not contend with a man for no reason,
    when he has done you no harm.
^31 (AZ)Do not envy ^(BA)a man of violence
    and do not choose any of his ways,
³² for ^(BB)the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
    but the upright are ^(BC)in his confidence.
^33 (BD)The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
    but he ^(BE)blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
³⁴ Toward the ^(BF)scorners he ^(BG)is scornful,
    ^(BH)but to the humble he gives favor.^[f]
35 The wise will inherit honor,
    but fools get^[g] disgrace.

^3 (F)Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    ^(G)dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.^[b]
4 (H)Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will ^(I)give you the desires of your heart.

^5 (J)Commit your way to the Lord;
    ^(K)trust in him, and he will act.
^6 (L)He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as ^(M)the noonday.

^7 (N)Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    ^(O)fret not yourself over the one who ^(P)prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

^8 (Q)Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    ^(R)Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
^9 (S)For the evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall ^(T)inherit the land.

¹⁰ In ^(U)just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
    though you look carefully at ^(V)his place, he will not be there.
¹¹ But ^(W)the meek shall inherit the land
    and delight themselves in ^(X)abundant peace.

¹² The wicked ^(Y)plots against the righteous
    and ^(Z)gnashes his teeth at him,
¹³ but the Lord ^(AA)laughs at the wicked,
    for he sees that his ^(AB)day is coming.

¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and ^(AC)bend their bows
    to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose ^(AD)way is upright;
¹⁵ their sword shall enter their own heart,
    and their ^(AE)bows shall be broken.

^16 (AF)Better is the little that the righteous has
    than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷ For ^(AG)the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
    but the Lord ^(AH)upholds the righteous.

¹⁸ The Lord ^(AI)knows the days of the blameless,
    and their ^(AJ)heritage will remain forever;
¹⁹ they are not put to shame in evil times;
    in ^(AK)the days of famine they have abundance.

²⁰ But the wicked will perish;
    the enemies of the Lord are like ^(AL)the glory of the pastures;
    they vanish—like ^(AM)smoke they vanish away.

²¹ The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
    but the righteous ^(AN)is generous and gives;
²² for those blessed by the Lord^[c] shall ^(AO)inherit the land,
    but those cursed by him ^(AP)shall be cut off.

²³ The ^(AQ)steps of a man are ^(AR)established by the Lord,
    when he delights in his way;
^24 (AS)though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
    for the Lord ^(AT)upholds his hand.

²⁵ I have been young, and now am old,
    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
    or his children ^(AU)begging for bread.
²⁶ He is ever ^(AV)lending generously,
    and his children become a blessing.

^27 (AW)Turn away from evil and do good;
    so shall you ^(AX)dwell forever.
²⁸ For the Lord ^(AY)loves justice;
    he will not forsake his ^(AZ)saints.
They are preserved forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be ^(BA)cut off.
²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land
    and ^(BB)dwell upon it forever.

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
    and his tongue speaks justice.
^31 (BC)The law of his God is in his heart;
    his ^(BD)steps do not slip.

³² The wicked ^(BE)watches for the righteous
    and seeks to put him to death.
³³ The Lord will not ^(BF)abandon him to his power
    or let him ^(BG)be condemned when he is brought to trial.

^34 (BH)Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
    and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
    you will look on ^(BI)when the wicked are cut off.

^35 (BJ)I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
    spreading himself like ^(BK)a green laurel tree.^[d]
36 But he passed away,^[e] and behold, ^(BL)he was no more;
    though I sought him, he could not be found.

³⁷ Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
    for there is a future for the man of ^(BM)peace.
³⁸ But ^(BN)transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
    the future of the wicked ^(BO)shall be cut off.

^39 (BP)The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in ^(BQ)the time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The Lord helps them and ^(BR)delivers them;
    ^(BS)he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they ^(BT)take refuge in him.