Trust [rely on and have confidence] in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and feed [securely] on His faithfulness.
He will make your righteousness [your pursuit of right standing with God] like the light,
And your judgment like [the shining of] the noonday [sun].
Be still before the LORD; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him;
Do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
For those who do evil will be cut off,
But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
For yet a little while and the wicked one will be gone [forever];
Though you look carefully where he used to be, he will not be [found].
But the humble will [at last] inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity and peace.
The Lord laughs at him [the wicked one—the one who oppresses the righteous],
For He sees that his day [of defeat] is coming.
The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To cast down the afflicted and the needy,
To slaughter those who are upright in conduct [those with personal integrity and godly character].
Better is the little of the righteous [who seek the will of God]
Than the abundance (riches) of many wicked (godless).
For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the LORD upholds and sustains the righteous [who seek Him].
For those blessed by God will [at last] inherit the land,
But those cursed by Him will be cut off.
The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the LORD,
And He delights in his way [and blesses his path].
When he falls, he will not be hurled down,
Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.
I have been young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous (those in right standing with God) abandoned
Or his descendants pleading for bread.
For the LORD delights in justice
And does not abandon His saints (faithful ones);
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked will [in time] be cut off.
Wait for and expect the LORD and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
[In the end] when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
I have seen a wicked, violent man [with great power]
Spreading and flaunting himself like a cedar in its native soil,
Mark the blameless man [who is spiritually complete], and behold the upright [who walks in moral integrity];
There is a [good] future for the man of peace [because a life of honor blesses one’s descendants].
As for transgressors, they will be completely destroyed;
The future of the wicked will be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
He is their refuge and stronghold in the time of trouble.
Amplified Bible Copyright © 2015 by
The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631 All rights reserved.
For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.