Psalm 1
King James Version
The opening psalm, contrasting the righteous and the ungodly with the image of a tree planted by rivers of water.
Download the handwriting worksheet (PDF)Printable, ruled for handwriting: copy it by hand, then type it here.
About this text
Psalm 1 stands at the head of the whole Book of Psalms and is widely read as a kind of preface to it, setting up the contrast — between the righteous and the ungodly — that recurs throughout the collection. The Psalms are a compilation of songs and prayers written over centuries by multiple authors, not a single sustained work, and placing this psalm first was an editorial choice made when the collection was assembled.
The psalm's central image, a tree planted by rivers of water, is a complete extended metaphor within six verses: rootedness, fruit in season, and leaves that do not wither, set against chaff blown away by wind. It's a good text for noticing how a short passage can hold one image all the way through rather than piling up several unrelated ones.
What to watch for
- 3 semicolons: a semicolon joins two complete thoughts that belong together, a pause longer than a comma but shorter than a period.
- 2 colons: a colon points ahead to what explains or completes the first half of the sentence.
- Capital letters in the middle of a sentence: LORD. Ask why each one is capitalized before typing it.
- Old-fashioned words: walketh, standeth, sitteth, doth, bringeth, driveth, knoweth. These are easy to "correct" by accident into modern spelling, so copy them exactly as written.
- Longest word: "congregation" (12 letters). Try spelling it aloud once before reaching it.
- 6 lines averaging about 22 words each. Long lines: a younger child may do half the text per sitting.
Full text (reference)
1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.