Dual Panel1<> Don’t worry about the wicked. Don’t envy those who do wrong.
2For like grass, they soon fade away. Like springtime flowers, they soon wither.
3Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.
6He will make your innocence as clear as the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
7Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.
8Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others––it only leads to harm.
9For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land.
10In a little while, the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone.
11Those who are gentle and lowly will possess the land; they will live in prosperous security.
12The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance.
13But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.
14The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right.
15But they will be stabbed through the heart with their own swords, and their bows will be broken.
16It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and possess much.
17For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the LORD takes care of the godly.
18Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent, and they will receive a reward that lasts forever.
19They will survive through hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.
20But the wicked will perish. The LORD’s enemies are like flowers in a field––they will disappear like smoke.
21The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.
22Those blessed by the LORD will inherit the land, but those cursed by him will die.
23The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives.
24Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.
25Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly forsaken, nor seen their children begging for bread.
26The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing.
27Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever.
28For the LORD loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will perish.
29The godly will inherit the land and will live there forever.
30The godly offer good counsel; they know what is right from wrong.
31They fill their hearts with God’s law, so they will never slip from his path.
32Those who are evil spy on the godly, waiting for an excuse to kill them.
33But the LORD will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are brought before the judge.
34Don’t be impatient for the LORD to act! Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you, giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.
35I myself have seen it happen––proud and evil people thriving like mighty trees.
36But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them!
37Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future lies before those who love peace.
38But the wicked will be destroyed; they have no future.
39The LORD saves the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble.
40The LORD helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him.