¹By David. Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed. Do not envy evildoers. ²For they will quickly dry up like grass, and wither away like plants. ³Trust in the Lord and do what is right. Settle in the land and maintain your integrity. ⁴Then you will take delight in the Lord, and he will answer your prayers. ⁵Commit your future to the Lord. Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.⁶He will vindicate you in broad daylight, and publicly defend your just cause. ⁷Wait patiently for the Lord! Wait confidently for him! Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, a man who carries out wicked schemes. ⁸Do not be angry and frustrated. Do not fret. That only leads to trouble. ⁹Wicked men will be wiped out, but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land. ¹⁰Evil men will soon disappear; you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. ¹¹But the oppressed will possess the land and enjoy great prosperity. ¹²Evil men plot against the godly and viciously attack them. ¹³The Lord laughs in disgust at them, for he knows that their day is coming. ¹⁴Evil men draw their swords and prepare their bows, to bring down the oppressed and needy, and to slaughter those who are godly. ¹⁵Their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. ¹⁶The little bit that a godly man owns is better than the wealth of many evil men,¹⁷for evil men will lose their power, but the Lord sustains the godly. ¹⁸The Lord watches over the innocent day by day, and they possess a permanent inheritance. ¹⁹They will not be ashamed when hard times come; when famine comes they will have enough to eat. ²⁰But evil men will die; the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated— they will go up in smoke. ²¹Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt, but the godly show compassion and are generous. ²²Surely those favored by the Lord will possess the land, but those rejected by him will be wiped out.²³The Lord grants success to the one whose behavior he finds commendable.²⁴Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong, for the Lord holds his hand. ²⁵I was once young, now I am old. I have never seen the godly abandoned, or their children forced to search for food. ²⁶All day long they show compassion and lend to others, and their children are blessed. ²⁷Turn away from evil. Do what is right. Then you will enjoy lasting security. ²⁸For the Lord promotes justice, and never abandons his faithful followers. They are permanently secure, but the children of the wicked are wiped out.²⁹The godly will possess the land and will dwell in it permanently. ³⁰The godly speak wise words and promote justice. ³¹The law of their God controls their thinking; their feet do not slip. ³²The wicked set an ambush for the godly and try to kill them.³³But the Lord does not surrender the godly, or allow them to be condemned in a court of law.³⁴Rely on the Lord. Obey his commands. Then he will permit you to possess the land; you will see the demise of the wicked.³⁵I have seen ruthless, wicked people growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil.³⁶But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared. I looked for them, but they could not be found. ³⁷Take note of the one who has integrity. Observe the upright. For the one who promotes peace has a future. ³⁸Sinful rebels are totally destroyed; the wicked have no future. ³⁹But the Lord delivers the godly; he protects them in times of trouble. ⁴⁰The Lord helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked and delivers them, for they seek his protection.