Trusting in God

¹My child, if you come to serve the Lord,

prepare yourself for testing.

²Set your heart straight, be steadfast,

and don’t act hastily in a time of distress.

³Hold fast to God

and don’t keep your distance from him,

so that you may find strength

at your end.

⁴Accept whatever happens to you,

and be patient

when you suffer humiliation,

⁶Trust him, and he will help you;

make your ways straight,

and hope in him.

⁷You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy,

and don’t turn aside

or else you might fall.

⁸You who fear the Lord, trust him,

and you won’t lose your reward.

⁹You who fear the Lord,

hope for good things,

for unending joy and mercy.

¹⁰Look at the people

from long ago and see:

Who trusted in the Lord

and was put to shame?

Or who remained firm in godly fear

and was left behind?

Or who called upon the Lord, and the Lord

overlooked him?

¹¹After all, the Lord is compassionate

and merciful;

he forgives sins and rescues people

in a time of hardship.

¹²How terrible it will be

for cowardly hearts and idle hands

and for a sinner who sets foot

upon two paths.

¹³How terrible it will be for the timid heart.

Because it doesn’t trust,

therefore it won’t be protected.

¹⁴How terrible it will be for you

who have lost your stamina.

What will you do when the Lord comes for his inspection?

¹⁵Those who fear the Lord

won’t disobey his words,

and those who love him

will keep his ways.

¹⁶Those who fear the Lord

will try to please him,

and those who love him will be fully occupied with observing the Law.

¹⁷Those who fear the Lord

will prepare their hearts,

and they will humble themselves before him.

¹⁸May we fall into the hands of the Lord

and not into the hands of human beings,

because his mercy

is equal to his greatness.