1 Call out, then {qera-na: urgent challenge}—will anyone answer you? To which of the holy ones {mikdoshim: set-apart beings} will you turn?
2 For anger kills a fool {eviyl: stubbornly unwise}, and envy puts to death a simple one {foteh: naïve, inexperienced}.
3 I myself have seen a fool {eviyl: morally stubborn} taking root, but I cursed his dwelling suddenly {pitom: all at once}.
4 His sons are far from deliverance, and they are crushed in the gate{shaar: public court}, and there is no deliverer{matzil: rescuing protector}.
5 That his harvest {ketsir: gathered crop} will be eaten by the hungry, and even from among the thorns it will be taken, and the thirsty will pant after their wealth {cheilam: stored strength/resources}.
6 For iniquity {aven: moral wrongdoing} does not come forth from the dust, and trouble does not sprout from the ground {adamah: cultivated earth}.
7 For man is born for trouble, and the sons of flame {reshef: fiery spark} soar upward {yagbihu: are lifted high}.
8 But as for me, I would seek God {El, Sovereign Refuge}, and to God {Elohim, Wise Judge} I would set forth my case {divrati: personal petition}.
9 He does great things beyond searching out {kheqer: exhaustive inquiry}, wondrous things {nifleot: awe-inspiring deeds} without number.
10 He {YHWH, Rain Giver} gives rain upon the face of the earth and sends water upon the face of the open fields {chutsot: unsheltered areas}.
11 To set the lowly {shefalim: humbled ones} on high, and those who mourn are exalted in safety {yesha: secure deliverance}.
12 He overturns the plans {machshevot: designs} of the crafty {arumim: morally shrewd}, so their hands cannot complete what they set out to do.
13 He {YHWH, Judge of Cunning} seizes the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel {atsat: hidden plotting} of the devious is rushed headlong.
14 In the daytime {yomam: expected light} they encounter darkness, and at noon they grope as in the night {laylah: hours of darkness}.
15 But He {hu: Divine Protector} saves the needy {evyon: utterly helpless} from the sword of their mouth and from the hand of the strong.
16 And so hope {tikvah: steady expectation} came to the poor, and injustice {olah: oppressive wrong} closed its mouth.
17 Behold, blessed {ashrei: deep spiritual happiness} is the man whom God {Eloah, Wise Corrector} corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty {Shaddai, Gracious Trainer}.
18 For he causes pain, yet he binds up {yechbash: wound dressing}; he crushes, but his hands heal {tirpenah: full restoration}.
19 In six troubles{tsarot: pressing hardships}, He will deliver you, and in seven no evil{ra: calamity} will touch you.
20 In famine He will redeem you from death, and in battle {milchamah: armed conflict} from the power of the sword {cherev: instrument of war}.
21 At the scourge of the tongue you will be hidden {techave: kept safely concealed}, and you will not fear destruction when it comes {shod: sudden ruin}.
22 At destruction {shod: violent devastation} and famine you will laugh, and from the beast {chayat: predatory wildlife} of the earth you will not fear.
23 For you will have a covenant {berit: binding agreement} with the stones of the field, and the wild animal of the field will be at peace {hashlemah: settled peace} with you.
24 And you will know that your tent {aholekha: family dwelling place} is at peace, and you will inspect your habitation, and nothing will be found amiss {techeta: come up lacking}.
25 And you will know that your descendants {zera: enduring family line} will be many, and your offspring will be like the grass {esev: countless ground shoots} of the earth.
26 You will come in full vigor {bekhelakh: mature strength} to the grave, as a stack is gathered up in its season {be'ito: appointed time}.
27 Behold, this we have examined {chakarnuha: carefully investigated}; so it is. Hear it, and you, know it {da: personal recognition} for yourself.