1  Why, O Lord, do you stand ^kfar away?

Why ^ldo you hide yourself in ^mtimes of trouble?

2  In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;

let them ⁿbe caught in the schemes that they have devised.

3  For the wicked ^oboasts of the desires of his soul,

and the one greedy for gain ^pcurses¹ and ^qrenounces the Lord.

4  In the pride of his face² the wicked does not ^qseek him;³

all his thoughts are, ^r“There is no God.”

5  His ways prosper at all times;

your judgments are on high, ^sout of his sight;

as for all his foes, he ^tpuffs at them.

6  He ^usays in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

throughout all generations I ^vshall not meet adversity.”

7  ^wHis mouth is filled with cursing and ^xdeceit and ^yoppression;

^zunder his tongue are ^amischief and ^biniquity.

8  He sits in ambush in the villages;

in ^chiding places he murders the innocent.

His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;

9  he lurks in ambush like ^da lion in his ^ethicket;

he ^flurks that he may seize the poor;

he seizes the poor when he draws him into his ^gnet.

10  The helpless are crushed, sink down,

and fall by his might.

11  He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,

he has ^hhidden his face, he ⁱwill never see it.”

12  ^jArise, O Lord; O God, ^klift up your hand;

^lforget not the afflicted.

13  Why does the wicked ^mrenounce God

and say in his heart, “You will not ⁿcall to account”?

14  But you do see, for you ^onote mischief and vexation,

that you may take it into your hands;

to you the helpless ^pcommits himself;

you have been ^qthe helper of the fatherless.

15  ^rBreak the arm of the wicked and evildoer;

^scall his wickedness to account till you find none.

16  ^tThe Lord is king forever and ever;

the ^unations perish from his land.

17  O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

you will ^vstrengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

18  to ^wdo justice to the fatherless and ^xthe oppressed,

so that ^yman who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

^dA wise son makes a glad father,

^ebut a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

2  ^fTreasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

^gbut righteousness delivers from death.

3  ^hThe Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,

ⁱbut he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

4  A slack hand ^jcauses poverty,

^kbut the hand of the diligent makes rich.

5  He who ^lgathers in summer is a prudent son,

but he who sleeps in harvest is ^ma son who brings shame.

6  Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

but ⁿthe mouth of the wicked conceals violence.¹

7  ^oThe memory of the righteous is a blessing,

but ^pthe name of the wicked will rot.

8  ^qThe wise of heart will receive commandments,

but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

9  ^rWhoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked ^swill be found out.

10  Whoever ^twinks the eye causes trouble,

and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

11  ^uThe mouth of the righteous is ^va fountain of life,

but the mouth of the wicked ⁿconceals violence.

12  Hatred stirs up strife,

but ^wlove covers all offenses.

13  On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,

but ^xa rod is for the back of him who ^ylacks sense.

14  The wise ^zlay up knowledge,

but ^athe mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

15  ^bA rich man’s wealth is his strong city;

the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

16  The wage of the righteous leads ^cto life,

the gain of the wicked to sin.

17  Whoever heeds instruction is on ^dthe path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

18  The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

19  ^eWhen words are many, transgression is not lacking,

^fbut whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

20  The tongue of the righteous is ^gchoice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

21  The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for ^hlack of sense.

22  ⁱThe blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.²

23  Doing wrong is ^jlike a joke to a fool,

but ^kwisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

24  ^lWhat the wicked dreads ^mwill come upon him,

but ⁿthe desire of the righteous will be granted.

25  When ^othe tempest passes, the wicked is no more,

but ^pthe righteous is established forever.

26  Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the sluggard to those who send him.

27  ^qThe fear of the Lord prolongs life,

^rbut the years of the wicked will be short.

28  ^sThe hope of the righteous brings joy,

^tbut the expectation of the wicked will perish.

29  ^uThe way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,

but destruction to evildoers.

30  ^vThe righteous will never be removed,

but ^wthe wicked will not dwell in the land.

31  ^xThe mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

32  The lips of the righteous ^yknow what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked, ^zwhat is perverse.