FRET not thyself because of the ungodly; * neither be thou envious against the evil doers.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, * and be withered even as the green herb.
Put thou thy trust in the LORD, and be doing good; * dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Delight thou in the LORD, * and he shall give thee thy heart's desire.
Commit thy way unto the LORD, and put thy trust in him, * and he shall bring it to pass.
He shall make thy righteousness as clear as the light, * and thy just dealing as the noon-day.
Hold thee still in the LORD, and abide patiently upon him: * but grieve not thyself at him whose way doth prosper, against the man that doeth after evil counsels.
Leave off from wrath, and let go displeasure: * fret not thyself, else shalt thou be moved to do evil.
Wicked doers shall be rooted out; * and they that patiently abide the LORD, those shall inherit the land.
Yet a little while, and the ungodly shall be clean gone: * thou shalt look after his place, and he shall be away.
But the meek-spirited shall possess the earth, * and shall be refreshed in the multitude of peace.
The ungodly seeketh counsel against the just, * and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
The Lord shall laugh him to scorn; * for he hath seen that his day is coming.
The ungodly have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, * to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be upright in their ways.
Their sword shall go through their own heart, * and their bow shall be broken.
A small thing that the righteous hath, * is better than great riches of the ungodly.
For the arms of the ungodly shall be broken, * and the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
The LORD knoweth the days of the godly; * and their inheritance shall endure for ever.
They shall not be confounded in the perilous time; * and in the days of dearth they shall have enough.
As for the ungodly, they shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall consume as the fat of lambs: * yea, even as the smoke shall they consume away.
The ungodly borroweth, and payeth not again; * but the righteous is merciful and liberal.
Such as are blessed of God, shall possess the land; * and they that are cursed of him, shall be rooted out.
The LORD ordereth a good man's going, * and maketh his way acceptable to himself.
Though he fall, he shall not be cast away; * for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

vs 25 I have been young, and now am old; * and yet saw I never the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread.

vs 26 The righteous is ever merciful, and lendeth; * and his seed is blessed.
Flee from evil, and do the thing that is good; * and dwell for evermore.
For the LORD loveth the thing that is right; * he forsaketh not his that be godly, but they are preserved for ever.
The unrighteous shall be punished; * as for the seed of the ungodly, it shall be rooted out.
The righteous shall inherit the land, * and dwell therein for ever.
The mouth of the righteous is exercised in wisdom, * and his tongue will be talking of judgment.
The law of his God is in his heart, * and his goings shall not slide.
The ungodly watcheth the righteous, * and seeketh occasion to slay him.
The LORD will not leave him in his hand, * nor condemn him when he is judged.
Hope thou in the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall promote thee, that thou shalt possess the land: * when the ungodly shall perish, thou shalt see it.
I myself have seen the ungodly in great power, * and flourishing like a green bay-tree.
I went by, and lo, he was gone: * I sought him, but his place could no where be found.
Keep innocency, and take heed unto the thing that is right; * for that shall bring a man peace at the last.
As for the transgressors, they shall perish together; * and the end of the ungodly is, they shall be rooted out at the last.
But the salvation of the righteous cometh of the LORD; * who is also their strength in the time of trouble.
And the LORD shall stand by them, and save them: * he shall deliver them from the ungodly, and shall save them, because they put their trust in him.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people. And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the Lord will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place. And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth?

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

O GOD, the strength of all those who put their trust in thee; Mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature, we can do no good thing without thee, grant us the help of thy grace, that in keeping thy commandments we may please thee, both in will and in deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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