1  In the Lord I take refuge;

how can you say to my soul,

^z“Flee like a bird to your mountain,

2  for behold, the wicked ^abend the bow;

^bthey have fitted their arrow to the string

to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;

3  if ^cthe foundations are destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”¹

4  ^dThe Lord is in his holy temple;

the Lord’s ^ethrone is in heaven;

his eyes see, his eyelids ^ftest the children of man.

5  The Lord ^gtests the righteous,

but ^hhis soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

6  Let him rain coals on the wicked;

ⁱfire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be ^jthe portion of their cup.

7  For the Lord is righteous;

he ^kloves righteous deeds;

^lthe upright shall behold his face.

1  Save, O Lord, for ^mthe godly one is gone;

for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

2  Everyone ⁿutters lies to his neighbor;

with ^oflattering lips and ^pa double heart they speak.

3  May the Lord cut off all ^oflattering lips,

the tongue that makes ^qgreat boasts,

4  those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,

our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

5  “Because ^rthe poor are plundered, because the needy groan,

^sI will now arise,” says the Lord;

“I will place him in the ^tsafety for which he longs.”

6  ^uThe words of the Lord are pure words,

like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,

purified seven times.

7  You, O Lord, will keep them;

you will guard us³ from this generation forever.

8  On every side the wicked prowl,

as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

2  It is the glory of God to ⁿconceal things,

but the glory of kings is to ^osearch things out.

3  As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,

so the heart of kings is ^punsearchable.

4  Take away ^qthe dross from the silver,

and ^rthe smith has material for a vessel;

5  take away ^sthe wicked from the presence of the king,

and his ^tthrone will be established in righteousness.

6  Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence

or stand in the place of the great,

7  for ^uit is better to be told, “Come up here,”

than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen

8  ^wdo not hastily bring into court,¹

for² what will you do in the end,

when your neighbor puts you to shame?

9  ^xArgue your case with your neighbor himself,

and do not reveal another’s secret,

10  lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,

and your ill repute have no end.

11  ^yA word fitly spoken

is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

12  Like ^za gold ring or an ornament of gold

is a wise reprover to ^aa listening ear.

13  Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest

is ^ba faithful messenger to those who send him;

he refreshes the soul of his masters.

14  Like ^cclouds and wind without rain

is a man who ^dboasts of a gift he does not give.

15  With ^epatience a ruler may be persuaded,

and a soft tongue will break a bone.

16  If you have ^ffound honey, eat ^gonly enough for you,

lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.

17  Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,

lest he have his fill of you and hate you.

18  A man who ^hbears false witness against his neighbor

is like a war club, or ⁱa sword, or a sharp arrow.

19  Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble

is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

20  Whoever ^jsings songs to a heavy heart

is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,

and like vinegar on soda.

21  ^kIf your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

22  for you will heap ^lburning coals on his head,

and the Lord will reward you.

23  The north wind brings forth rain,

and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

24  ^mIt is better to live in a corner of the housetop

than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

25  Like cold water to ⁿa thirsty soul,

so is ^ogood news from a far country.

26  Like ^pa muddied spring or a polluted fountain

is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

27  It is ^qnot good to eat much honey,

nor is it glorious to ^rseek one’s own glory.³

28  A man ^swithout self-control

is like ^ta city broken into and left without walls.