Read the Bible

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