Psalm 1

happy, desire, delight, purpose, instruction, God's promises, righteous

New International Version

1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.


Amplified Bible (AMP)

1[a]BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.

2But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.(A)

3And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].(B)

4Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]. But they are like the chaff [worthless, dead, without substance] which the wind drives away.

5Therefore the wicked [those disobedient and living without God] shall not stand [justified] in the judgment, nor [b]sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God].

6For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly [those living outside God's will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought).

.

2 Peter 1

freedom from fear and decay
self control

(Amplified Bible)

1SIMON PETER, a servant and apostle (special messenger) of Jesus Christ, to those who have received (obtained an equal privilege of) like precious faith with ourselves in and through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is [a]perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and [b]freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, [c]precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

3For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [[d]full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).

4By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.

5For this very reason, [e]adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in [f]exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),

6And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),

7And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.

8For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [[g]full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

9For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [[h]spiritually] shortsighted, [i]seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.

10Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall.

11Thus there will be richly and abundantly provided for you entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

12So I intend always to remind you about these things, although indeed you know them and are firm in the truth that [you] now [hold].

13I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle (tent, body), to stir you up by way of remembrance,

14Since I know that the laying aside of this body of mine will come speedily, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.

15Moreover, I will diligently endeavor [to see to it] that [even] after my departure (decease) you may be able at all times to call these things to mind.

16For we were not following cleverly devised stories when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty (grandeur, authority of sovereign power).

17For when He was invested with honor and glory from God the Father and a voice was borne to Him by the [splendid] Majestic Glory [in the bright cloud that overshadowed Him, saying], This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased and delight,

18We [actually] heard this voice borne out of heaven, for we were together with Him on the holy mountain.

19And we have the prophetic word [made] firmer still. You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place, until the day breaks through [the gloom] and the Morning Star rises ([j]comes into being) in your hearts.

20[Yet] first [you must] understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of any personal or private or special interpretation (loosening, solving).

21For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so--it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.

.

Psalm 37

(English Standard Version)

He Will Not Forsake His Saints

Of David.

¹Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
²For they will soon fade like the grass
and witherlike the green herb.

³ Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
⁴Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

⁸ Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
^R Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
⁹ For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall^T)">(T) inherit the land.

¹⁰In^U)">(U) just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at^V)">(V) his place, he will not be there.
¹¹But^W)">(W) the meek (those who know there power but choose to not use it without God's wisdom) shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in^X)">(X) abundant peace.

¹²The wicked^Y)">(Y) plots against the righteous
and^Z)">(Z) gnashes his teeth at him,
¹³but the Lord^AA)">(AA) laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his^AB)">(AB) day is coming.

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword and^AC)">(AC) bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose^AD)">(AD) way is upright;
¹⁵their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their^AE)">(AE) bows shall be broken.

¹⁶^AF)">(AF) Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷For^AG)">(AG) the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD^AH)">(AH) upholds the righteous.

¹⁸The LORD^AI)">(AI) knows the days of the blameless,
and their^AJ)">(AJ) heritage will remain forever;
¹⁹they are not put to shame in evil times;
in^AK)">(AK) the days of famine they have abundance.

²⁰But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the LORD are like^AL)">(AL) the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like^AM)">(AM) smoke they vanish away.

²¹The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous^AN)">(AN) is generous and gives;
²²for those blessed by the LORD^c]">[c] shall^AO)">(AO) inherit the land,
but those cursed by him^AP)">(AP) shall be cut off.

²³The^AQ)">(AQ) steps of a man are^AR)">(AR) established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;
²⁴^AS)">(AS) though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the LORD^AT)">(AT) upholds his hand.

²⁵I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children^AU)">(AU) begging for bread.
²⁶He is ever^AV)">(AV) lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.

²⁷^AW)">(AW) Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you^AX)">(AX) dwell forever.
²⁸For the LORD^AY)">(AY) loves justice;
he will not forsake his^AZ)">(AZ) saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be^BA)">(BA) cut off.
²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land
and^BB)">(BB) dwell upon it forever.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
³¹^BC)">(BC) The law of his God is in his heart;
his^BD)">(BD) steps do not slip.

³²The wicked^BE)">(BE) watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
³³The LORD will not^BF)">(BF) abandon him to his power
or let him^BG)">(BG) be condemned when he is brought to trial.

³⁴^BH)">(BH) Wait for the LORD and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on^BI)">(BI) when the wicked are cut off.

³⁵^BJ)">(BJ) I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like^BK)">(BK) a green laurel tree.^d]">[d]
³⁶But he passed away,^e]">[e] and behold,^BL)">(BL) he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.

³⁷Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of^BM)">(BM) peace.
³⁸But^BN)">(BN) transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked^BO)">(BO) shall be cut off.

³⁹^BP)">(BP) The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in^BQ)">(BQ) the time of trouble.
⁴⁰The LORD helps them and^BR)">(BR) delivers them;
^BS)">(BS) he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they^BT)">(BT) take refuge in him.

Psalm 51:6

(English Standard Version)

6Behold, you delight in truth in(A) the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.