1 Happy are those who reject the advice of evil men, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God. 

2 Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night. 

3 They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do. 

4 But evil men are not like this at all; they are like straw that the wind blows away. 

5 Sinners will be condemned by God and kept apart from God's own people. 

6 The righteous are guided and protected by the LORD, but the evil are on the way to their doom.