The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
1[a]Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example],Nor stand in the path of sinners,Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of[b]scoffers (ridiculers).2But his delight is in the law of the LORD,And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night.3And he will be like a treefirmly planted [and fed] by streams of water,Which yields its fruit in its season;Its leaf does not wither;And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].4The wicked [those who live in disobedience to God’s law] are not so,But they are like the chaff [worthless and without substance] which the wind blows away.5Therefore the wicked will not stand [unpunished] in the judgment,Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.6For the LORD knowsand fully approves the way of the righteous,But the way of the wicked shall perish.
[a]1 This has been called “The Preface Psalm” because in some respects it introduces the complete book of Psalms as a godly message. It opens with a benediction, “Blessed,” as does the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:3).
[b]1 I.e. shallow thinkers who are quick to mock or disdain.
