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³ Trust in the Lord, and do good;
   so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
   trust in him, and he will act.
⁶ He will make your vindication shine like the light,
   and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

⁷ Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
   do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
   over those who carry out evil devices.

⁸ Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
   Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹ For the wicked shall be cut off,
   but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

¹⁰ Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
   though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the land,
   and delight in abundant prosperity.

¹² The wicked plot against the righteous,
   and gnash their teeth at them;
¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
   for he sees that their day is coming.

¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
   to bring down the poor and needy,
   to kill those who walk uprightly;
¹⁵ their sword shall enter their own heart,
   and their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶ Better is a little that the righteous person has
   than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
   but the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸ The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
   and their heritage will abide for ever;
¹⁹ they are not put to shame in evil times,
   in the days of famine they have abundance.

²⁰ But the wicked perish,
   and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
   they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

²¹ The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
   but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
²² for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
   but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

²³ Our steps^* are made firm by the Lord,
   when he delights in our^* way;
²⁴ though we stumble,^* we^* shall not fall headlong,
   for the Lord holds us^* by the hand.

²⁵ I have been young, and now am old,
   yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
   or their children begging bread.
²⁶ They are ever giving liberally and lending,
   and their children become a blessing.

²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good;
   so you shall abide for ever.
²⁸ For the Lord loves justice;
   he will not forsake his faithful ones.

The righteous shall be kept safe for ever,
   but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land,
   and live in it for ever.

³⁰ The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
   and their tongues speak justice.
³¹ The law of their God is in their hearts;
   their steps do not slip.

³² The wicked watch for the righteous,
   and seek to kill them.
³³ The Lord will not abandon them to their power,
   or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.

³⁴ Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way,
   and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
   you will look on the destruction of the wicked.

³⁵ I have seen the wicked oppressing,
   and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.^*
36 Again I^* passed by, and they were no more;
   though I sought them, they could not be found.

³⁷ Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,
   for there is posterity for the peaceable.
³⁸ But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
   the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹ The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
   he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The Lord helps them and rescues them;
   he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
   because they take refuge in him.