1 F ret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

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 the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

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

4 D elight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

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

5 C ommit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

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

6 A nd he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

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

7 R est in the Lord, 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 in any wise to do evil.

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

9 F or evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

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 it 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 earth; 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 shall 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, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

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 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches 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 the Lord upholdeth the righteous.

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

18 T he Lord knoweth the days of the upright: 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 ashamed in the evil time: 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 the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into 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 sheweth mercy, 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 be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be 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 T he steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: 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 the Lord 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 H e is ever merciful, 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 the Lord loveth judgment, 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 speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

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 T he Lord 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 on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall 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 bay tree.

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

36 Y et he passed away, 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 the end of that man is 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 B ut the transgressors 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 the Lord: he is their strength 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 the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust 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.