Psalm 112

The Traits of the Righteous

Hallelujah![a]
Happy is the man who fears the Lord,
taking great delight in His commands.(A)

His descendants will be powerful in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.(B)
Wealth and riches are in his house,(C)
and his righteousness endures forever.(D)
Light shines in the darkness for the upright.(E)
He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous.(F)
Good will come to a man who lends generously
and conducts his business fairly.(G)
He will never be shaken.(H)
The righteous man will be remembered forever.(I)
He will not fear bad news;
his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord.(J)
His heart is assured; he will not fear.(K)
In the end he will look in triumph on his foes.(L)
He distributes freely to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.(M)
His horn will be exalted in honor.(N)

10 The wicked man will see it and be angry;
he will gnash his teeth in despair.(O)
The desire of the wicked man will come to nothing.(P)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 112:1 The lines of this poem form an acrostic.

Psalm 112[a]

112 Praise the Lord!
    Those who honor the Lord,
    who adore God’s commandments, are truly happy!
Their descendants will be strong throughout the land.
    The offspring of those who do right will be blessed;
    wealth and riches will be in their houses.
    Their righteousness stands forever.
They shine in the dark for others who do right.
    They are merciful, compassionate, and righteous.
Those who lend generously are good people—
    as are those who conduct their affairs with justice.
Yes, these sorts of people will never be shaken;
    the righteous will be remembered forever!
They won’t be frightened at bad news.
    Their hearts are steady, trusting in the Lord.
Their hearts are firm; they aren’t afraid.
    In the end, they will witness their enemies’ defeat.
They give freely to those in need.
    Their righteousness stands forever.
    Their strength increases gloriously.
10 The wicked see all this and fume;
        they grind their teeth, but disappear to nothing.
    What the wicked want to see happen comes to nothing!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 112:1 Ps 112 is an alphabetic acrostic poem; see the note at Pss 9–10.