Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness ¹  is righteous, just as Jesus ²  is righteous.

¹ The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight. ² 

(for while he lived among them day after day, that righteous man was tormented in his righteous soul ¹  by the lawless deeds he saw and heard ² )

Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever ¹  receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.

The righteous see their destruction ¹  and rejoice; the innocent mock them scornfully, ²  saying,

When the foundations ¹  are destroyed, what can the godly ²  accomplish?” ³ 

Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter – one that remains trustworthy.

Indeed, ¹  the scepter of a wicked king ²  will not settle ³  upon the allotted land of the godly. Otherwise the godly might do what is wrong. ⁴ 

Certainly ¹  the Lord is just; ²  he rewards godly deeds; ³  the upright will experience his favor. ⁴ 

The godly ¹  face many dangers, ²  but the Lord saves ³  them ⁴  from each one of them.

Evil people self-destruct; ¹  those who hate the godly are punished. ² 

The little bit that a godly man owns is better than the wealth of many evil men, ¹ 

for evil men will lose their power, ¹  but the Lord sustains ²  the godly.

The godly speak wise words and promote justice. ¹ 

Evil men set an ambush for the godly and try to kill them. ¹ 

When the godly see this, they will be filled with awe, and will mock the evildoer, saying: ¹ 

They conspire against ¹  the blameless, ²  and condemn to death the innocent. ³ 

For he will never be upended; others will always remember one who is just. ¹ 

I have vowed and solemnly sworn to keep your just regulations.

צ (Tsade) You are just, O Lord, and your judgments are fair.