Psalm 112

The Traits of the Righteous

Hallelujah![a]
Happy is the person who fears the Lord,
taking great delight in his commands.(A)
His descendants will be powerful in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.(B)
Wealth and riches are in his house,(C)
and his righteousness endures forever.(D)
Light shines in the darkness for the upright.(E)
He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous.(F)
Good will come to the one who lends generously
and conducts his business fairly.(G)
He will never be shaken.(H)
The righteous one will be remembered forever.(I)
He will not fear bad news;
his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord.(J)
His heart is assured; he will not fear.(K)
In the end he will look in triumph on his foes.(L)
He distributes freely to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.(M)
His horn will be exalted in honor.(N)

10 The wicked one will see it and be angry;
he will gnash his teeth in despair.(O)
The desire of the wicked leads to ruin.(P)

Footnotes

  1. 112:1 The lines of this poem form an acrostic.

Psalm 112[a]

Praise the Lord.[b](A)

Blessed are those(B) who fear the Lord,(C)
    who find great delight(D) in his commands.

Their children(E) will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches(F) are in their houses,
    and their righteousness endures(G) forever.
Even in darkness light dawns(H) for the upright,
    for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.(I)
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,(J)
    who conduct their affairs with justice.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;(K)
    they will be remembered(L) forever.
They will have no fear of bad news;
    their hearts are steadfast,(M) trusting in the Lord.(N)
Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;(O)
    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.(P)
They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,(Q)
    their righteousness endures(R) forever;
    their horn[c] will be lifted(S) high in honor.

10 The wicked will see(T) and be vexed,
    they will gnash their teeth(U) and waste away;(V)
    the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.(W)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  2. Psalm 112:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
  3. Psalm 112:9 Horn here symbolizes dignity.