Psalm 1 Text

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Simple Reading (Hebrew)	Simple Reading (English)
Dramatic Reading (Hebrew)	Dramatic Reading (English)

Text Only (Hebrew and English) The text below is divided according to the psalm's poetic lines. For additional information, see our Poetic Structure layer.

Text (Hebrew)	Verse	Text (CBC) The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources.
אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים	1a	Happy is the one who has not walked in the counsel of wicked people,
וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד	1b	has not taken a stand in the way of sinful people,
וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃	1c	and has not settled in the dwelling place of insolent people!
כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ	2a	Instead, his delight is in YHWH's instruction,
וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃	2b	and he meditates on his instruction day and night.
וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם	3a	And he will become like a tree transplanted beside water channels
אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ	3b	that gives its fruit in its season
וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל	3c	and whose leaves do not wither.
וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃	3d	And he will cause all that he does to flourish.
לֹא־כֵ֥ן הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים	4a	Not so the wicked people!
כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃	4b	Instead, they will be like chaff that the wind drives away.
עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ לֹא־יָקֻ֣מוּ רְ֭שָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט	5a	Therefore, wicked people will not stand firm in the judgment,
וְ֝ חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּ עֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃	5b	and sinful people [will not stand] in the group of righteous people.
כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים	6a	Because YHWH cares for the way of righteous people,
וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃	6b	and the way of wicked people will come to an end.

Structure Overlay Below, the text has been overlaid with our summary structural analysis. For details on the structure, see the Structure At-a-Glance here.

Speaker	Structure	Hebrew	Line	English		Addressee
Psalmist	Happy is the one	אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים	1a	Happy is the one who has not walked in the counsel of wicked people,	admiration	General audience
		וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד	1b	has not taken a stand in the way of sinful people,
		וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃	1c	and has not settled in the dwelling place of insolent people!
		כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ	2a	Instead, his delight is in YHWH's instruction,
		וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃	2b	and he meditates on his instruction day and night.
		וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם	3a	And he will become like a tree transplanted beside water channels
		אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ	3b	that gives its fruit in its season
		וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל	3c	and whose leaves do not wither.
		וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃	3d	And he will cause all that he does to flourish.
	Not so the wicked	לֹא־כֵ֥ן הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים	4a	Not so the wicked people!	contempt
		כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃	4b	Instead, they will be like chaff that the wind drives away.
		עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ לֹא־יָקֻ֣מוּ רְ֭שָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט	5a	Therefore, wicked people will not stand firm in the judgment,
		וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃	5b	and sinful people [will not stand] in the group of righteous people.
	Because YHWH	כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים	6a	Because YHWH cares for the way of righteous people,	confidence
	Because YHWH	וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃	6b	and the way of wicked people will come to an end.	confidence

Expanded paraphrase The expanded paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today. It is based on the CBC translation and uses italic text to provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences.

Text (Hebrew)	Verse	Expanded Paraphrase
אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃	1	When someone's position in life is admirable and desirable, that person is declared "happy" (cf. 1 Kgs 10:8). Wicked people are sometimes declared "happy," since their position in life can seem admirable and desirable (cf. Mal 3:14-15). But I do not call the wicked "happy." Instead, I say, Happy is the one who, by the end of life's journey, has not walked in the counsel of wicked people and lived his life according to what wicked people say should or should not be done, has not taken a stand in the way of sinful people and committed to living a sinful lifestyle, and has not settled in the dwelling place of insolent people and adopted the character of an insolent person who mocks YHWH's instruction and those who follow it.
כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃	2	Instead of receiving instruction for life's journey from wicked people, he receives instruction from YHWH. And his delight is in YHWH's instruction, and, because he delights in it, he meditates on his instruction day and night. And so he lives life's journey according to YHWH's instruction, walking on the way of the righteous and forming a character shaped by YHWH's instruction.
וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃	3	And YHWH's instruction leads him ultimately to life in YHWH's life-giving presence, symbolized by the Garden of Eden (cf. Gen 2; Ps 36:8-10). And so I say of the person who rejects wickedness and chooses to follow YHWH's instruction that he will become like a life-giving tree in YHWH's garden (cf. Pss 52:10; 92:13-15; Ezek 47:12), a tree that has been removed from a waterless place, where it could not flourish, and transplanted by YHWH on water channels which YHWH dug to irrigate the trees in his garden. These water channels represent YHWH's instruction, which daily nourishes a person so that he becomes like a well-watered tree that gives its fruit in its season for others to eat and enjoy, and whose leaves, a source of shade and healing (cf. Ezek 47:12) do not wither. And he (i.e., the person, but ultimately, YHWH) will cause all that he does to flourish just as a healthy tree flourishes .
לֹא־כֵ֥ן הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃	4	Not so the wicked people! Why would anyone consider them "happy"? They do not meditate on YHWH's instruction, and so they will not, in the end, flourish like trees in YHWH's garden. Instead, when the time of threshing and winnowing comes, they will be like chaff that, thrown up into the air with a winnowing fork, the wind drives away from the threshing floor. Just as chaff grows together with the grain in a field, so the wicked currently live together with the righteous. But the day is coming when YHWH will execute judgment and separate the wicked from the righteous, just as chaff is separated from grain at the harvest.
עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ לֹא־יָקֻ֣מוּ רְ֭שָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃	5	Therefore, because wicked people will be like chaff that is separated from the grain and blown away, wicked people will not stand firm in the judgment. When YHWH judges between the wicked and the righteous, they will not be able to escape YHWH's verdict and sentence. Unable to stand firm, they will be "blown away," removed from the land and from YHWH's life-giving presence. And sinful people [will not be declared righteous and stand] in the group of righteous people, because YHWH is just and will never declare the guilty to be righteous.
כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃	6	Here, then, is the reason why I declare the righteous, and not the wicked, to be "happy": Because YHWH cares for the way of righteous people, and although it can seem as though wicked people are the ones flourishing, the way of wicked people will come to an end.

Psalm 1/Prominence/Text

Participant Tracking Text Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? Our full analysis can be found in the Participant Analysis layer.

Participant Color-Coding

Speaker	Text (Hebrew)	Verse	Text (CBC) The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources.	Addressee
Psalmist	אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים	1a	Happy is the one who has not walked in the counsel of wicked people,	Community
	וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד	1b	has not taken a stand in the way of sinful people,
	וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃	1c	and has not settled in the dwelling place of insolent people!
	כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ	2a	Instead, his delight is in YHWH's instruction,
	וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃	2b	and he meditates on his instruction day and night.
	וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם	3a	And he will become like a tree transplanted beside water channels
	אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ	3b	that gives its fruit in its season
	וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל	3c	and whose leaves do not wither.
	וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃	3d	And he will cause all that he does to flourish.
	לֹא־כֵ֥ן הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים	4a	Not so the wicked people!
	כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃	4b	Instead, they will be like chaff that the wind drives away.
	עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ לֹא־יָקֻ֣מוּ רְ֭שָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט	5a	Therefore, wicked people will not stand firm in the judgment,
	וְ֝ חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּ עֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃	5b	and sinful people [will not stand] in the group of righteous people.
	כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים	6a	Because YHWH cares for the way of righteous people,
	וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃	6b	and the way of wicked people will come to an end.

Psalm 1 Text

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Happy is the one

Psalm 1

Listen & Read: Psalm 1

Text Only (Hebrew and English) The text below is divided according to the psalm's poetic lines. For additional information, see our Poetic Structure layer.

Structure Overlay Below, the text has been overlaid with our summary structural analysis. For details on the structure, see the Structure At-a-Glance here.

Expanded paraphrase The expanded paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today. It is based on the CBC translation and uses italic text to provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences.

Participant Tracking Text Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? Our full analysis can be found in the Participant Analysis layer.

Participant Set List

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