Psalm 1–2

BOOK 1

PSALM 1

The Way of the Righteous and Wicked

¹How blessed is the man who ^adoes not walk in the ^bcounsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the ^cway of sinners,

Nor ^dsit in the seat of scoffers!

²But his ^adelight is ^bin the law of ¹Yahweh,

And in His law he meditates ^cday and ^dnight.

³And he will be like ^aa tree firmly planted by ¹streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its ²leaf does not wither;

And ³in whatever he does, ^bhe prospers.

⁴The wicked are not so,

But they are like ^achaff which the wind drives away.

⁵Therefore ^athe wicked will not rise in the ^bjudgment,

Nor sinners in ^cthe congregation of the righteous.

⁶For Yahweh ^1aknows the way of the righteous,

But the way of ^bthe wicked will perish.

PSALM 2

The Reign of Yahweh’s Anointed

¹Why do ^athe ¹nations rage

And the peoples ^bmeditate on a vain thing?

²The ^akings of the earth take their stand

And the rulers take counsel together

^bAgainst Yahweh and against His ^1cAnointed, saying,

³“Let us ^atear their fetters apart

And cast away their cords from us!”

⁴He who ¹sits in the heavens ^alaughs,

The Lord ^bmocks them.

⁵Then He speaks to them in His ^aanger

And ^bterrifies them in His fury, saying,

⁶“But as for Me, I have ¹installed ^aMy King

Upon Zion, ^bMy holy mountain.”

⁷“I will surely tell of the ¹decree of Yahweh:

He said to Me, ‘You are ^aMy Son,

Today I have begotten You.

⁸‘Ask of Me, and ^aI will surely give ^bthe ¹nations as Your inheritance,

And the ^cends of the earth as Your possession.

⁹‘You shall ^1abreak them with a ²rod of iron,

You shall ^bshatter them like a potter’s vessel.’”

¹⁰So now, O kings, ^ashow insight;

Take warning, O ¹judges of the earth.

¹¹Serve Yahweh with ^afear

And rejoice with ^btrembling.

¹²¹Kiss ^athe Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way,

For ^bHis ²wrath may ³soon be kindled.

How blessed are all who ^ctake refuge in Him!