Book One

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.

The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

The Faithful Have Vanished

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.

Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.

Blessed Are the Forgiven

A Maskil of David.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.

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

O Lord, Be Gracious to Me

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;

And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad.

Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty!

God Himself Is Judge

A Psalm of Asaph.

The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

“Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”

These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us!