1 F ret not thyself because of evil-doers, Neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness.

Do not trouble yourself because of sinful men. Do not want to be like those who do wrong.

2 F or they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.

For they will soon dry up like the grass. Like the green plant they will soon die.

3 T rust in Jehovah, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness.

Trust in the Lord, and do good. So you will live in the land and will be fed.

4 D elight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart.

Be happy in the Lord. And He will give you the desires of your heart.

5 C ommit thy way unto Jehovah; Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass.

Give your way over to the Lord. Trust in Him also. And He will do it.

6 A nd he will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light, And thy justice as the noon-day.

He will make your being right and good show as the light, and your wise actions as the noon day.

7 R est in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Rest in the Lord and be willing to wait for Him. Do not trouble yourself when all goes well with the one who carries out his sinful plans.

8 C ease from anger, and forsake wrath: Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing.

Stop being angry. Turn away from fighting. Do not trouble yourself. It leads only to wrong-doing.

9 F or evil-doers shall be cut off; But those that wait for Jehovah, they shall inherit the land.

For those who do wrong will be cut off. But those who wait for the Lord will be given the earth.

10 F or yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be.

A little while, and the sinful man will be no more. You will look for his place, and he will not be there.

11 B ut the meek shall inherit the land, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

But those who have no pride will be given the earth. And they will be happy and have much more than they need.

12 T he wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

The sinful man plans against him who is right with God. And he grinds his teeth at him.

13 T he Lord will laugh at him; For he seeth that his day is coming.

The Lord laughs at him because He sees his day is coming.

14 T he wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay such as are upright in the way.

The sinful have taken up their sword and their bow, to bring down the poor and those in need, and to kill those whose ways are right.

15 T heir sword shall enter into their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.

Their sword will cut into their own heart, and their bows will be broken.

16 B etter is a little that the righteous hath Than the abundance of many wicked.

The few things that the man right with God has is better than the riches of many sinful men.

17 F or the arms of the wicked shall be broken; But Jehovah upholdeth the righteous.

For the arms of the sinful will be broken. But the Lord holds up those who are right with Him.

18 J ehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; And their inheritance shall be for ever.

The Lord knows the days of those who are without blame. And what is theirs will last forever.

19 T hey shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

They will not be ashamed in the time of trouble. And in days when there is no food they will have enough.

20 B ut the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; In smoke shall they consume away.

But the sinful will be lost forever. Those who hate the Lord will be like the beauty of the fields. They will be gone. Like smoke they will be gone.

21 T he wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; But the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth.

The sinful ask for something, but do not return it. But those who are right with God are kind and give.

22 F or such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land; And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off.

For those who are made happy by Him will be given the land. But those who are being punished by Him will be cut off.

23 A man's goings are established of Jehovah; And he delighteth in his way.

The steps of a good man are led by the Lord. And He is happy in his way.

24 T hough he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For Jehovah upholdeth him with his hand.

When he falls, he will not be thrown down, because the Lord holds his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his seed begging bread.

I have been young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the man who is right with God left alone, or his children begging for bread.

26 A ll the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth; And his seed is blessed.

All day long he is kind and lets others use what he has. And his children make him happy.

27 D epart from evil, and do good; And dwell for evermore.

Turn from sin, and do good, so you will live forever.

28 F or Jehovah loveth justice, And forsaketh not his saints; They are preserved for ever: But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

For the Lord loves what is fair and right. He does not leave the people alone who belong to Him. They are kept forever. But the children of the sinful will be cut off.

29 T he righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell therein for ever.

Those who are right with God will be given the land, and live on it forever.

30 T he mouth of the righteous talketh of wisdom, And his tongue speaketh justice.

The mouth of the man who is right with God speaks wisdom. And his tongue speaks what is fair and right.

31 T he law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.

The Law of his God is in his heart. His steps do not leave it.

32 T he wicked watcheth the righteous, And seeketh to slay him.

The sinful lie in wait for the man who is right with God, and want to kill him.

33 J ehovah will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged.

The Lord will not leave him in his power. He will not let him be found guilty when he is judged.

34 W ait for Jehovah, and keep his way, And he will exalt thee to inherit the land: When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

Wait for the Lord. Keep His way. And He will give you a high place to receive the land. When the sinful are cut off, you will see it.

35 I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.

I have seen a very sinful man spreading himself like a green tree in its home land.

36 B ut one passed by, and, lo, he was not: Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

Then he passed away and was no more. I looked for him. But he could not be found.

37 M ark the perfect man, and behold the upright; For there is a happy end to the man of peace.

Look at the man without blame. And watch the man who is right and good. For the man of peace will have much family to follow him.

38 A s for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together; The end of the wicked shall be cut off.

But all the sinners will be destroyed. The family of the sinful will be cut off.

39 B ut the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah; He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

But the saving of those who are right with God is from the Lord. He is their strength in time of trouble.

40 A nd Jehovah helpeth them, and rescueth them; He rescueth them from the wicked, and saveth them, Because they have taken refuge in him.

The Lord helps them and takes them out of trouble. He takes them away from the sinful, and saves them, because they go to Him for a safe place.