1Happy are those who don't follow the advice of the wicked. They refuse to adopt the ways of sinful people, and they don't make fun of others.
2Instead they love to do what the law of the Lord says, and they think about it day and night.
3They're like trees growing by flowing rivers, producing fruit every season. Their leaves never wither, and they are successful in all they do.
4But it's not like that for the wicked! They are like chaff, blown away by the wind.
5For this reason the wicked will not survive the judgment—sinners have no place among those who live right.1:5. “Those who live right”: literally, “the righteous.” However, this term is little used in general non-church language and so in this translation it is replaced with phrases such as “those who live right” or “those who do good/right” etc. This is more than being correct, it means living a life that is morally right.
6For the Lord watches over those who follow the right way, but the way of the wicked leads to death.