Psalms 1:6

Certainly ¹  the Lord guards the way of the godly, ²  but the way of the wicked ends in destruction. ³ 

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.

For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

GOD charts the road you take. The road [they] take is Skid Row.

Because the Lord sees the way of the upright, but the end of the sinner is destruction.

for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Certainly ¹  the Lord guards the way of the godly, ²  but the way of the wicked ends in destruction. ³ 

¹ tn The translation understands כי as asseverative. Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 6 as a theological explanation for vv. 3-5, which contrasts the respective destinies of the godly and the wicked.

² tn Heb “the Lord knows the way of the righteous.” To “know a way” means, in its most basic sense, “to recognize/acknowledge a pathway, route, or prescribed way of life” (see Josh 3:4; Job 21:14; Ps 67:2; Isa 42:16; Jer 5:4-5). Here it could refer to the Lord recognizing the behavior of the godly and, by metonymy, rewarding their godliness with security and prosperity (resulting in the translation, “the Lord rewards the behavior of the godly”). The present translation takes the verb in the sense of “mark out” (cf. Job 23:10), which metonymically could mean “watch over, protect, guard.” In this case the “way of the godly” is not their behavior, but their course of life or destiny; a translation reflecting this would be “the Lord protects the lives of the godly” or “the Lord watches over the destiny of the godly” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The Hebrew active participle יוֹדֵעַ (yodea’, “knows”) has here a characteristic durative force.

³ tn Heb “but the way of the wicked perishes.” The “way of the wicked” may refer to their course of life (Ps 146:9; Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1) or their sinful behavior (Prov 12:26; 15:9). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form probably describes here what typically happens, though one could take the form as indicating what will happen (“will perish”).