1 XXXV. By David. JUDGE them, O Lord, who do me wrong. Fight against 2 them who are at war with me. Take hold of the shield and 3 buckler; and stand up in my defence. Unsheath the sword and 4 stop my pursuers: say to my soul, I am thy safety. Let them who seek my life be shamed and confounded: let them be turned back and put to shame; who are devising evils against me. 5 Let them be like dust before the wind, when the angel of the 6 Lord is afflicting them. Let their way be dark and slippery, 7 when the angel of the Lord is pursuing them. Seeing they have without cause, hid for me their destructive snare-have, with8 out reason, reproached my soul; let a snare, which they know not, come upon them, and the gin catch them, which they have hidden; and by that very snare let them fall. 9 But let my soul rejoice in the Lord, and be delighted with 10 his salvation. Let all my bones say, O Lord, who is like thee, who deliverest the afflicted from the hand of them who are stronger than he―the afflicted and needy from them who spoil 11 him? False witnesses having risen up against me, laid to my 12 charge things which I knew not; they returned me evil for good, 13 even bereavement to my soul. As for me, while they were rais ing troubles against me I cloathed myself with sackcloth, and humbled my soul with fasting. Though my prayer is to 14 return into mine own bosom, as I would a friend, as I would an own brother, so did I endeavour to conciliate. I humbled 15 myself as one in mourning and deep sorrow. But against me they rejoiced and gathered together; for me, scourges were collected and I did not know: they were split-and they had 16 no compunction. They tortured me-with scoffs they derided me; they gnashed their teeth at me. 17 O Lord, when wilt thou look down-rescue my soul from 18 their malice. This only begotten of mine, from lions. I will render thee thanks in a great congregation; among a mighty 19 people I will praise thee. Over me, let not these, my bitter enemies, vainly rejoice; who hate me without cause, and give 20 assent with their eyes. For to me indeed they spoke words of 21 peace, while with wrath they were contriving plots. Then they opened their mouth wide against me; they said, Aha! aha! our eyes have seen. 22 Thou, O Lord, hast seen; keep silence no longer. O Lord, 23 stand not at a distance from me. Arise, O Lord, and attend to my trial, O my God and my Lord, for my justification. 24 Judge me, O Lord, according to thy righteousness, O Lord 25 my God! and let them not rejoice over me. Let them not say in their hearts, "Aha! aha! it is to our mind;" nor let them 26 say, We have swallowed him up. Let them who rejoice at my calamities be shamed, and confounded together; let them be cloathed with shame and confusion, who magnify themselves 27 against me. Let them who desire my justification, exult with joy and be gladdened. Let them who wish the peace of thy 28 servant, say continually, The Lord be magnified. So shall my tongue speak of thy righteousness-of thy praise all the day long. XXXVI. For the conclusion. By David the servant of the Lord. 1 THE transgressor, in order that he may sin, saith within him2 self," He hath, before his eyes, no fear of God's finding out and hating his iniquity:" because, before him, he hath acted 3 with deceit. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. 4 He would not be wise to do good. He contrived mischief on his bed; he persisted in every course which was not good, and did not abhor wickedness. 5 O Lord, thy mercy is in the heavens, and thy truth reach6 eth to the clouds. Thy saving goodness is like the mountains of God, and thy judgments like the vasty deep. Thou, O 7 Lord, preservest men and beasts. As thou, O Lord, hast multiplied thy mercy: let the sons of men therefore trust in the 8 shelter of thy wings. With the fatness of thy house they shall be plentifully fed; and thou wilt give them for drink, the full 9 flowing stream of thy pleasures: for with thee there is a foun10 tain of life, and by thy light we shall see light. Extend thy mercy to them that know thee, and thy goodness to them who 11 are upright in heart. Let not the foot of pride come against 12 me, nor the hand of sinners shake me. There all the workers of iniquity are fallen! they were thrust out and could not stand. 1 XXXVII. By David. FRET not because of evil doers: nor envy them who com2 mit iniquity. For like grass, they shall quickly wither: and 3 like the tender herb, they shall quickly fall.. Trust in the Lord and exercise kindness; dwell in the land and thou shalt be fed 4 with the riches thereof. Indulge thyself with delight in the 5 Lord, and he will give thee the desires of thy heart. Lay open thy way before the Lord, and trust in him; and he will accom6 plish-he will indeed bring forth thy righteousness like light, 7 and thy judgment, as the noon day. Submit thyself to the Lord, and supplicate him; fret not at the man who prospereth in his 8 way at the man who committeth iniquity. Cease from anger 9 and forsake wrath-be not fretted so as to do evil; for they who do evil shall be cut off: but they who wait for the Lord 10 shall inherit the land. Yet a little while, and the sinner shall be no more; though thou mayst seek his place, thou shalt not find 11 it. But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves 12 in the abundance of peace. The sinner may watch the right13 cous, and gnash his teeth at him; but the Lord will laugh him 14 to scorn, for he foreseeth that his day will come. The sinners drew the sword—they bent their bow, to overthrow the afflict15 ed and needy-to slay the upright in heart. Let their sword pierce their own heart; and their bows be broken to shivers. 16 Better is the little which a righteous man hath, than the abun17 dant wealth of sinners. For the arms of sinners shall be broken; 18 but the Lord supporteth the righteous. The Lord knoweth the ways of the spotless; and their inheritance shall last forever. 19 In time of troubles they shall not be shamed, and in days of 20 famine they shall be plentifully fed. Because the sinners shall perish. Therefore when the enemies of the Lord were exalted and glorified-they were flitting away like smoke, and vanish21 ing. The sinner borroweth and will not repay; but the right 22 cous sheweth mercy and giveth. Hence they who bless him shall inherit the land; but they who curse him shall be rooted 23 out. The steps of a man will be directed by the Lord, when 24 he taketh delight in his way. When he happeneth to fall, he shall not fall with violence; for the Lord is a stay to his hand. 25 I have been young and am now old, yet I have never seen the 26 righteous utterly forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. All the day long he is merciful and lendeth, and his seed shall be 27 entitled to a blessing. Depart from evil and do good and dwell 28 for evermore. Because the Lord loveth judgment and will not forsake his saints; they shall be preserved forever. The spotless shall be avenged, when the seed of the wicked shall be ut29 terly cut off; the righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell 30 therein forever. The mouth of the righteous will speak wis31 dom, and his tongue will talk of justice. The law of his God 32 is in his heart, and his footsteps shall not slide. The sinner 33 watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to kill him; but the Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor suffer him to condemn him 34 when he is judged. Wait on the Lord and keep his way: and he will exalt thee to inherit the land. When sinners are cut 35 off, thou shalt see it. I have seen the wicked highly exalted, 36 towering aloft like the cedars of Lebanon. Again I passed by, and lo! he was gone. Though I sought him, his place could 37 not be found. Preserve innocence and eye rectitude; for there 38 is a remnant for the man of peace. But transgressors shall be cut off together-the remnants of the wicked shall be rooted 39 out. The safety of the righteous is from the Lord; and he is 40 their protector in time of trouble. The Lord will help them and deliver them; he will rescue them from sinners, and save them because in him they have put their trust. 1 XXXVIII. A Psalm for remembrance, respecting rest. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath; nor chasten me in 2 thine anger. For in me thy shafts are deeply fixed-and on 3 me thou hast heavily laid thy hand. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger-no rest to my bones, because 4 of my sins. Because mine iniquities mounted above my head; 5 like a heavy burden they were heavy on me. The wounds, on 6 account of my folly putrefied and became corrupt. I was in 7 misery and wholly bent down: all the longsome day I went mourning. For my soul was filled with illusions; and there 8 was no soundness in my flesh. I was afflicted and exceedingly 9 depressed: I roared because of the groans of my heart. Now 10 all my desire was before thee, and my groans were not hid from thee. My heart panted, my strength failed me: and the 11 light of mine eyes is no more with me. My friends and my neighbours stood over against me: they drew near and stopt12 even my near relations stood aloof. But they who seek my life pressed forward and they who seek my ruin spake vani13 ties. All the day long they studied deceits. As for me, I, as if deaf, did not hear: and like one dumb I opened not my mouth. 14 I became indeed like a man who heareth not; and in whose 15 mouth there are no reproofs; for in thee, O Lord, I put my 16 trust. (Thou O Lord my God wilt hearken-) for I said, Per haps mine enemies may rejoice over me: (Indeed when my 17 feet slipped, they used swelling words against me) for I was prepared for stripes, and my sorrowful situation was conti18 nually before me; that I might declare mine iniquity, and ex19 press my sorrow for my sin. But as for mine enemies they live and are stronger than I: and they who hate me wrongful20 ly are multiplied. They who reward me evil for good, traduc21 ed me: because I followed righteousness. Forsake me not utterly, O Lord, my God: stand not at a distance from me. 22 Draw near to my assistance, O Lord of my salvation. XXXIX. For the conclusion. For Idithun. An Ode by David. 1 I SAID, Let me watch my ways; that I may not sin with my tongue. I set a guard on my mouth; when the sinner stood 2 before me. I was dumb and humbled and silent from good 3 things; and my grief was renewed. My heart was warmed within me. That by my meditation a fire might be kindled; 4 I spake with my tongue-Make known to me, O Lord mine end; and the number of my days, what it is. That I may know |