1  ^qVindicate me, O Lord,

for I have ^rwalked in my integrity,

and I have ^strusted in the Lord without wavering.

2  ^tProve me, O Lord, and try me;

test my heart and ^umy mind.¹

3  For your ^vsteadfast love is before my eyes,

and I ^wwalk in your ^vfaithfulness.

4  I do not ^xsit with men of ^yfalsehood,

nor do I consort with hypocrites.

5  I ^zhate the assembly of evildoers,

and I will not sit with the wicked.

6  I ^awash my hands in innocence

and go around your altar, O Lord,

7  proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,

and telling all your ^bwondrous deeds.

8  O Lord, I ^clove the habitation of your house

and the place where your glory dwells.

9  ^dDo not sweep my soul away with sinners,

nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

10  in whose hands are evil devices,

and whose right hands are full of ^ebribes.

11  But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;

redeem me, and be gracious to me.

12  My foot stands on ^flevel ground;

in ^gthe great assembly I will bless the Lord.

2  ^a“Can a man be profitable to God?

Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.

3  Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,

or is it gain to him if you ^bmake your ways blameless?

4  Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you

and ^centers into judgment with you?

5  Is not your evil abundant?

There is no end to your iniquities.

6  For you have ^dexacted pledges of your brothers for nothing

^eand stripped the naked of their clothing.

7  You have given no water to the weary to drink,

and you have ^fwithheld bread from the hungry.

8  ^gThe man with power possessed the land,

and ^hthe favored man lived in it.

9  You have ⁱsent widows away empty,

and ^jthe arms of ^kthe fatherless were crushed.

10  Therefore ^lsnares are all around you,

and sudden terror overwhelms you,

11  or ^mdarkness, so that you cannot see,

and a ⁿflood of ^owater covers you.

12  “Is not God high in the heavens?

See ^pthe highest stars, how lofty they are!

13  But you say, ^q‘What does God know?

Can he judge through ^rthe deep darkness?

14  ^sThick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,

and he walks on the vault of heaven.’

15  Will you keep to the old way

that wicked men have trod?

16  They were snatched away ^tbefore their time;

their foundation was washed away.¹

17  They said to God, ^u‘Depart from us,’

and ^v‘What can the Almighty do to us?’²

18  Yet he filled their houses with good things—

but ^wthe counsel of the wicked is far from me.

19  ^xThe righteous see it and are glad;

the innocent one ^ymocks at them,

20  saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,

and what they left ^zthe fire has consumed.’

21  ^a“Agree with God, and ^bbe at peace;

thereby good will come to you.

22  Receive instruction from ^chis mouth,

and ^dlay up his words in your heart.

23  If you ^ereturn to the Almighty you will be ^fbuilt up;

if you ^gremove injustice far from your tents,

24  if you lay gold in ^hthe dust,

and gold of ⁱOphir among the stones of the torrent-bed,

25  then the Almighty will be your gold

and your precious silver.

26  For then you ^jwill delight yourself in the Almighty

and ^klift up your face to God.

27  You will ^lmake your prayer to him, and he will hear you,

and you will ^mpay your vows.

28  You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,

and ⁿlight will shine on your ways.

29  For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;³

but he saves ^othe lowly.

30  He ^pdelivers even the one who is not innocent,

who will be delivered through ^qthe cleanness of your hands.”