Psalm 1

Blest with happiness and good fortune is the man
Who will not walk in the footsteps of evil doers,
Or conform to their counsels of iniquity, 
Who will not stand silent, impassive, and yielding
As sinners go on their way to evil doings,
Who will not sit complacent in the company
Of those who scorn the truth and mock the just and good.

This man's joy and heart's delight is in divine law.
The teachings of religion he ponders and studies,
And upon them he meditates both day and night.

Like a tree he is, that grows by a nurturing brook,
Firmly planted, well watered, and carefully tended,
Ready to bear its fruit in the proper season,
With leaves that will never wither, or fade, or fall:
And all his endeavors will flower with success.

Not so with the wicked, for they are like the chaff,
Weightless and worthless and wholly without substance,
Blown into the air and swept away by gusts of wind.

The wicked will not be absolved when they are judged,
For when they rise to speak, their pleadings will come to naught:
They will never find themselves among the righteous.

For God recognizes the ways of the righteous
And that the ways of the wicked lead to ruin.