Print Page Options

Psalm 112[a]

The Blessings of the Just

Hallelujah!

Blessed the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his commands.(A)
His descendants shall be mighty in the land,
    a generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
    his righteousness[b] shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;(B)
    gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
It is good for the man gracious in lending,
    who conducts his affairs with justice.
For he shall never be shaken;
    the righteous shall be remembered forever.(C)
He shall not fear an ill report;
    his heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord.
His heart is tranquil, without fear,
    till at last he looks down on his foes.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
    his righteousness shall endure forever;(D)
    his horn[c] shall be exalted in honor.
10 The wicked sees and is angry;
    gnashes his teeth and wastes away;
    the desire of the wicked come to nothing.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 112 An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111.
  2. 112:3 Righteousness: in the Second Temple period the word acquired the nuance of liberality and almsgiving, cf. Sir 3:30; 7:10; Mt 6:1–4.
  3. 112:9 His horn: the symbol for vitality and honor.

The Happiness of a Good Person

112 Praise the Lord!

Happy is the person who honors the Lord,
    who takes pleasure in obeying his commands.
The good man's children will be powerful in the land;
    his descendants will be blessed.
His family will be wealthy and rich,
    and he will be prosperous forever.

Light shines in the darkness for good people,
    for those who are merciful, kind, and just.
Happy is the person who is generous with his loans,
    who runs his business honestly.
A good person will never fail;
    he will always be remembered.

He is not afraid of receiving bad news;
    his faith is strong, and he trusts in the Lord.
He is not worried or afraid;
    he is certain to see his enemies defeated.
(A)He gives generously to the needy,
    and his kindness never fails;
    he will be powerful and respected.
10 The wicked see this and are angry;
    they glare in hate and disappear;
    their hopes are gone forever.

Psalm 112

Blessings of the Righteous

Praise the Lord!
    Happy are those who fear the Lord,
    who greatly delight in his commandments.
Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in their houses,
    and their righteousness endures forever.
They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
    they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
    who conduct their affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
    they will be remembered forever.
They are not afraid of evil tidings;
    their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever;
    their horn is exalted in honor.
10 The wicked see it and are angry;
    they gnash their teeth and melt away;
    the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.

Prosperity of One Who Fears the Lord.

112 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Blessed is a person who [c]fears the Lord,
Who greatly (B)delights in His commandments.
His [d](C)descendants will be mighty [e]on the earth;
The generation of the (D)upright will be blessed.
(E)Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
Light shines in the darkness (F)for the upright;
He is (G)gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
It goes well for a person who (H)is gracious and lends;
He will [f]maintain his cause in judgment.
For he will (I)never be shaken;
The (J)righteous will be [g]remembered forever.

He will not fear (K)bad news;
His (L)heart is steadfast, (M)trusting in the Lord.
His (N)heart is firm, he (O)will not fear,
[h]But will (P)look with satisfaction on his enemies.
[i]He (Q)has given freely to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever;
His (R)horn will be exalted in honor.

10 The (S)wicked will see it and be [j]vexed,
He will (T)gnash his teeth and (U)melt away;
The (V)desire of the wicked will perish.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 112:1 Or Hallelujah! Blessed
  2. Psalm 112:1 Heb Yah
  3. Psalm 112:1 Or reveres
  4. Psalm 112:2 Lit seed
  5. Psalm 112:2 Or in the land
  6. Psalm 112:5 Or conduct his affairs with justice
  7. Psalm 112:6 Lit for an eternal remembrance
  8. Psalm 112:8 Lit until he looks
  9. Psalm 112:9 Lit He has scattered, he has given to...
  10. Psalm 112:10 Or angry

Psalm 112[a]

Praise the Lord.[b](A)

Blessed are those(B) who fear the Lord,(C)
    who find great delight(D) in his commands.

Their children(E) will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches(F) are in their houses,
    and their righteousness endures(G) forever.
Even in darkness light dawns(H) for the upright,
    for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.(I)
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,(J)
    who conduct their affairs with justice.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;(K)
    they will be remembered(L) forever.
They will have no fear of bad news;
    their hearts are steadfast,(M) trusting in the Lord.(N)
Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;(O)
    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.(P)
They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,(Q)
    their righteousness endures(R) forever;
    their horn[c] will be lifted(S) high in honor.

10 The wicked will see(T) and be vexed,
    they will gnash their teeth(U) and waste away;(V)
    the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.(W)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  2. Psalm 112:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
  3. Psalm 112:9 Horn here symbolizes dignity.