King James Version KJV
Good News Translation GNT
1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
1
Don't be worried on account of the wicked; don't be jealous of those who do wrong.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
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They will soon disappear like grass that dries up; they will die like plants that wither.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
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Trust in the Lord and do good; live in the land and be safe.
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
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Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desire.
5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
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Give yourself to the Lord; trust in him, and he will help you;
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
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he will make your righteousness shine like the noonday sun.
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
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Be patient and wait for the Lord to act; don't be worried about those who prosper or those who succeed in their evil plans.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
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Don't give in to worry or anger; it only leads to trouble.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
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Those who trust in the Lord will possess the land, but the wicked will be driven out.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
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Soon the wicked will disappear; you may look for them, but you won't find them;
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
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but the humble will possess the land and enjoy prosperity and peace.
12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
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The wicked plot against good people and glare at them with hate.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
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But the Lord laughs at wicked people, because he knows they will soon be destroyed.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
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The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows to kill the poor and needy, to slaughter those who do what is right;
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
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but they will be killed by their own swords, and their bows will be smashed.
16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
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The little that a good person owns is worth more than the wealth of all the wicked,
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
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because the Lord will take away the strength of the wicked, but protect those who are good.
18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
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The Lord takes care of those who obey him, and the land will be theirs forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
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They will not suffer when times are bad; they will have enough in time of famine.
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
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But the wicked will die; the enemies of the Lord will vanish like wild flowers; they will disappear like smoke.
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
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The wicked borrow and never pay back, but good people are generous with their gifts.
22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
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Those who are blessed by the Lord will possess the land, but those who are cursed by him will be driven out.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
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The Lord guides us in the way we should go and protects those who please him.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
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If they fall, they will not stay down, because the Lord will help them up.
25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
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I am old now; I have lived a long time, but I have never seen good people abandoned by the Lord or their children begging for food.
26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
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At all times they give freely and lend to others, and their children are a blessing.
27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
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Turn away from evil and do good, and your descendants will always live in the land;
28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
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for the Lord loves what is right and does not abandon his faithful people. He protects them forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be driven out.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
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The righteous will possess the land and live in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
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The words of good people are wise, and they are always fair.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
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They keep the law of their God in their hearts and never depart from it.
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
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Wicked people watch good people and try to kill them;
33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
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but the Lord will not abandon them to their enemy's power or let them be condemned when they are on trial.
34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
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Put your hope in the Lord and obey his commands; he will honor you by giving you the land, and you will see the wicked driven out.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
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I once knew someone wicked who was a tyrant; he towered over everyone like a cedar of Lebanon;
36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
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but later I passed by, and he wasn't there; I looked for him, but couldn't find him.
37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
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Notice good people, observe the righteous; peaceful people have descendants,
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
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but sinners are completely destroyed, and their descendants are wiped out.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
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The Lord saves the righteous and protects them in times of trouble.
40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
40
He helps them and rescues them; he saves them from the wicked, because they go to him for protection.
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.