Righteousness guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.”
This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth.
He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.
Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.
May slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down the violent.
The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;
May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.
Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.
The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless, but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.
The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast.