Book One
The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked
1 Blessed is the man1
who awalks not in bthe counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in cthe way of sinners,
nor dsits in ethe seat of fscoffers;
2 but his gdelight is in the law2 of the Lord,
and on his hlaw he meditates day and night.
3 He is like ia tree
planted by jstreams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its kleaf does not wither.
lIn all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like mchaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked nwill not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in othe congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord pknows qthe way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
The Restoration for Judah and Israel
1 Ask rain bfrom the Lord
in the season of cthe spring rain,
from the Lord dwho makes the storm clouds,
and ehe will give them showers of rain,
to everyone the vegetation in the field.
2 For fthe household gods gutter nonsense,
and the diviners see lies;
hthey tell false dreams
and give empty consolation.
Therefore ithe people wander like sheep;
they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.
3 j“My anger is hot against the shepherds,
and kI will punish the leaders;1
for lthe Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
4 From him shall come mthe cornerstone,
from him nthe tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
from him every ruler—oall of them together.
5 They shall be like mighty men in battle,
ptrampling the foe in the mud of the streets;
they shall fight because the Lord is with them,
and they shall put to shame qthe riders on horses.
6 r“I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and sI will save the house of Joseph.
tI will bring them back ubecause I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
for vI am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
7 Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior,
and wtheir hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and be glad;
their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.
8 x“I will whistle for them and ygather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and zthey shall be as many as they were before.
9 aThough I scattered them among the nations,
yet in far countries bthey shall remember me,
and with their children they shall live and return.
10 cI will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
and gather them from Assyria,
and dI will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
etill there is no room for them.
11 fHe shall pass through the sea of troubles
and strike down the waves of the sea,
gand all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up.
The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,
and hthe scepter of Egypt shall depart.
12 iI will make them strong in the Lord,
and jthey shall walk in his name,”
declares the Lord.