1 Don't be annoyed by anyone

who does wrong,

and don't envy them.

2 They will soon disappear

like grass without rain.

3 Trust the Lord and live right!

The land will be yours,

and you will be safe.

4 Do what the Lord wants,

and he will give you

your heart's desire.

5 Let the Lord lead you

and trust him to help.

6 Then it will be as clear

as the noonday sun

that you were right.

7 Be patient and trust the Lord.

Don't let it bother you

when all goes well for those

who do sinful things.

8 Don't be angry or furious.

Anger can lead to sin.

9 All sinners will disappear,

but if you trust the Lord,

the land will be yours.

10 Sinners will soon disappear,

never to be found,

11 * but the poor will take the land

and enjoy a big harvest.

12 Merciless people make plots

against good people

and snarl like animals,

13 but the Lord laughs and knows

their time is coming soon.

14 The wicked kill with swords

and shoot arrows to murder

the poor and the needy

and all who do right.

15 But they will be killed

by their own swords,

and their arrows

will be broken.

16 It is better to live right

and be poor

than to be sinful and rich.

17 The wicked will lose all

of their power,

but the Lord gives strength

to everyone who is good.

18 Those who obey the Lord

are daily in his care,

and what he has given them

will be theirs forever.

19 They won't be in trouble

when times are bad,

and they will have plenty

when food is scarce.

20 Wicked people are enemies

of the Lord

and will vanish like smoke

from a field on fire.

21 An evil person borrows

and never pays back;

a good person is generous

and never stops giving.

22 Everyone the Lord blesses

will receive the land;

everyone the Lord curses

will be destroyed.

23 If you do what the Lord wants,

he will make certain

each step you take is sure.

24 The Lord will hold your hand,

and if you stumble,

you still won't fall.

25 As long as I can remember,

good people have never

been left helpless,

and their children have never

gone begging for food.

26 They gladly give and lend,

and their children

turn out good.

27 If you stop sinning

and start doing right,

you will keep living

and be secure forever.

28 The Lord loves justice,

and he won't ever desert

his faithful people.

He always protects them,

but destroys the children

of the wicked.

29 God's people will own the land

and live here forever.

30 Words of wisdom come

when good people speak

for justice.

31 They remember God's teachings,

and they never take

a wrong step.

32 The wicked try to trap

and kill good people,

33 but the Lord is on their side,

and he will defend them

when they are on trial.

34 Trust the Lord and follow him.

He will give you the land,

and you will see

the wicked destroyed.

35 I have seen brutal people

abuse others and grow strong

like trees in rich soil.*

36 Suddenly they disappeared!

I looked, but they were gone

and no longer there.

37 Think of the bright future

waiting for all the families

of honest, innocent,

and peace-loving people.

38 But not a trace will be left

of the wicked

or their families.

39 The Lord protects his people,

and they can come to him

in times of trouble.

40 The Lord helps his people

and saves them from the wicked

because they run to him.