26:7. Hear, O Lord, my voice, with which I have cried to thee: have mercy on me and hear me.
26:8. My heart hath said to thee: My face hath sought thee: thy face, O Lord, will I still seek.
26:9. Turn not away thy face from me; decline not in thy wrath from thy servant. Be thou my helper, forsake me not; do not thou despise me, O God my Saviour.
26:10. For my father and my mother have left me: but the Lord hath taken me up.
26:11. Set me, O Lord, a law in thy way, and guide me in the right path, because of my enemies.
26:12. Deliver me not over to the will of them that trouble me; for unjust witnesses have risen up against me; and iniquity hath lied to itself.
26:13. I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
26:14. Expect the Lord, do manfully, and let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord.
Psalms Chapter 27
Ad te, Domine, clamabo.
David's prayer that his enemies may not prevail over him.
27:1. A psalm for David himself. Unto thee will I cry, O Lord: O my God, be not thou silent to me: lest if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
27:2. Hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication, when I pray to thee; when I lift up my hands to thy holy temple.
27:3. Draw me not away together with the wicked; and with the workers of iniquity destroy me not: Who speak peace with their neighbour, but evils are in their hearts.
27:4. Give them according to their works, and according to the wickedness of their inventions. According to the works of their hands give thou to them: render to them their reward.
27:5. Because they have not understood the works of the Lord, and the operations of his hands: thou shalt destroy them, and shalt not build them up.
27:6. Blessed be the Lord, for he hath heard the voice of my supplication.
27:7. The Lord is my helper andmy protector: in him hath my heart confided, and I have been helped. And my flesh hath flourished again, and with my will I will give praise to him.
27:8. The Lord is the strength of his people, and the protector of the salvation of his anointed.
27:9. Save, O Lord, thy people, and bless thy inheritance: and rule them and exalt them for ever.
Psalms Chapter 28
Afferte Domino.
An invitation to glorify God, with a commemoration of his mighty works.
28:1. A psalm for David, at the finishing of the tabernacle. Bring to the Lord, O ye children of God: bring to the Lord the offspring of rams.
28:2. Bring to the Lord glory and honour: bring to the Lord glory to his name: adore ye the Lord in his holy court.
28:3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of majesty hath thundered, The Lord is upon many waters.
28:4. The voice of the Lord is in power; the voice of the Lord in magnificence.
28:5. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars: yea, the Lord shall break the cedars of Libanus.
28:6. And shall reduce them to pieces, as a calf of Libanus, and as the beloved son of unicorns.
Shall reduce them to pieces, etc... In Hebrew, shall make them to skip like a calf. The psalmist here describes the effects of thunder (which he calls the voice of the Lord) which sometimes breaks down the tallest and strongest trees; and makes their broken branches skip, etc. All this is to be understood mystically of the powerful voice of God's word in his church; which has broken the pride of the great ones of this world, and brought many of them meekly and joyfully to submit their necks to the sweet yoke of Christ.
28:7. The voice of the Lord divideth the flame of fire:
28:8. The voice of the Lord shaketh the desert: and the Lord shall shake the desert of Cades.
28:9. The voice of the Lord prepareth the stags: and he will discover the thick woods: and in his temple all shall speak his glory.
28:10. The Lord maketh the flood to dwell: and the Lord shall sit king for ever. The Lord will give strength to his people: the Lord will bless his people with peace.
Psalms Chapter 29
Exaltabo te, Domine.
David praiseth God for his deliverance, and his merciful dealings with him.
29:1. A psalm of a canticle, at the dedication of David's house.
29:2. I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast upheld me: and hast not made my enemies to rejoice over me.
29:3. O Lord my God, I have cried to thee, and thou hast healed me.
29:4. Thou hast brought forth, O Lord, my soul from hell: thou hast saved me from them that go down into the pit.
29:5. Sing to the Lord, O ye his saints: and give praise to the memory of his holiness.
29:6. For wrath is in his indignation; and life in his good will. In the evening weeping shall have place, and in the morning gladness.
29:7. And in my abundance I said: I shall never be moved.
29:8. O Lord, in thy favour, thou gavest strength to my beauty. Thou turnedst away thy face from me, and I became troubled.
29:9. To thee, O Lord, will I cry: and I will make supplication to my God.
29:10. What profit is there in my blood, whilst I go down to corruption? Shall dust confess to thee, or declare thy truth?
29:11. The Lord hath heard, and hath had mercy on me: the Lord became my helper.
29:12. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into joy: thou hast cut my sackcloth, and hast compassed me with gladness:
29:13. To the end that my glory may sing to thee, and I may not regret: O Lord my God, I will give praise to thee for ever.
Psalms Chapter 30
In te, Domine, speravi.
A prayer of a just man under affliction.
30:1. Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy.
30:2. In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in thy justice.
30:3. Bow down thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.
30:4. For thou art my strength and my refuge; and for thy name's sake thou wilt lead me, and nourish me.
30:5. Thou wilt bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for thou art my protector.
30:6. Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.
30:7. Thou hast hated them that regard vanities, to no purpose. But I have hoped in the Lord:
30:8. I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy. For thou hast regarded my humility, thou hast saved my soul out of distresses.
30:9. And thou hast not shut me up in the hands of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a spacious place.
30:10. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with wrath, my soul, and my belly:
30:11. For my life is wasted with grief: and my years in sighs. My strength is weakened through poverty and my bones are disturbed.
30:12. I am become a reproach among all my enemies, and very much to my neighbours; and a fear to my acquaintance. They that saw me without fled from me.
30:13. I am forgotten as one dead from the heart. I am become as a vessel that is destroyed.
30:14. For I have heard the blame of many that dwell round about. While they assembled together against me, they consulted to take away my life.
30:15. But I have put my trust in thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my God.
30:16. My lots are in thy hands. Deliver me out of the hands of my enemies; and from them that persecute me.
30:17. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; save me in thy mercy.
30:18. Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee. Let the wicked be ashamed, and be brought down to hell.
30:19. Let deceitful lips be made dumb. Which speak iniquity against the just, with pride and abuse.
30:20. O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee! Which thou hast wrougth for them that hope inthee, in the sight of the sons of men.
30:21. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face, from the disturbance of men. Thoushalt protect them in thy tabernacle form the contradiction of tongues.
30:22. Blessed be the Lord, for he hath shewn his wonderful mercy to me in a fortified city.
30:23. But I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before thy eyes. Therefore thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to thee.
30:24. O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord will require truth, and will repay them abundantly that act proudly.
30:25. Do ye manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.
Psalms Chapter 31
Beati quorum.
The second penitential psalm.
31:1. To David himself, understanding. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
31:2. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not inputed sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
31:3. Because I was silent my bones grew old; whilst I cried out all the day long.
Because I was silent, etc... That is, whilst I kept silence, by concealing, or refusing to confess my sins, thy hand was heavy upon me, etc.
31:4. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: I am turned in my anguish, whilst the thorn is fastened.
I am turned, etc... That is, I turn and roll about in my bed to seek for ease in my pain whilst the thorn of thy justice pierces my flesh, and sticks fast in me. Or, I am turned: that is, I am converted to thee, my God, by being brought to a better understanding by thy chastisements. In the Hebrew it is, my moisture is turned into the droughts of the summer.
31:5. I have acknowledged my sin to thee, and my injustice I have not concealed. I said I will confess against my self my injustice to the Lord: and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin.
31:6. For this shall every one that is holy pray to thee in a seasonable time. And yet in a flood of many waters, they shall not come nigh unto him.
31:7. Thou art my fefuge from the trouble which hath eencompassed me: my joy, deliver me from them that surround me.
31:8. I will give thee understanding, and I will instruct thee in this way, in which thou shalt go: I will fix my eyes upon thee.
31:9. Do not become like the horse and the mule, who have no understanding. With bit and bridle bind fast their jaws, who come not near unto thee.
31:10. Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mercy shall encompass him that hopeth in the Lord.
31:11. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye just, and glory, all ye right of heart.
Psalms Chapter 32
Exultate, justi.
An exhortation to praise God, and to trust in him.
32:1. A psalm for David. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just: praise becometh the upright.
32:2. Give praise to the Lord on the harp; sing to him with the psaltery, the instrument of ten strings.
32:3. Sing to him a new canticle, sing well unto him with a loud noise.
32:4. For the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are done with faithfulness.
32:5. He loveth mercy and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.
32:6. By the word of the Lord the heavens were established; and all the power of them by the spirit of his mouth:
32:7. Gathering together the waters of the sea, as in a vessel; laying up the depths in storehouses.
32:8. Let all the earth fear the Lord, and let all the inhabitants of the world be in awe of him.
32:9. For he spoke and they were made: he commanded and they were created.
32:10. The Lord bringeth to nought the counsels of nations; and he rejecteth the devices of people, and casteth away the counsels of princes.
32:11. But the counsel of the Lord standeth for ever: the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
32:12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance.
32:13. The Lord hath looked from heaven: he hath beheld all the sons of men.
32:14. From his habitation which he hath prepared, he hath looked upon all that dwell on the earth.
32:15. He who hath made the hearts of every one of them: who understandeth all their works.
32:16. The king is not saved by a great army: nor shall the giant be saved by his own great strength.
32:17. Vain is the horse for safety: neither shall he be saved by the abundance of his strength.
32:18. Behold the eyes of the Lord are on them that fear him: and on them that hope in his mercy.
32:19. To deliver their souls from death; and feed them in famine.
32:20. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: for he is our helper and protector.
32:21. For in him our heart shall rejoice: and in his holy name we have trusted.
32:22. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hooped in thee.
Psalms Chapter 33
Benedicam Dominum.
An exhortation to the praise, and service of God.
33:1. For David, when he changed his countenance before Achimelech, who dismissed him, and he went his way. [1 Kings 21.]
33:2. I will belss the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth.
33:3. In the Lord shall my soul be praised: let the meek hear and rejoice.
33:4. O magnify the Lord with me; and let us extol his name together.
33:5. I sought the Lord, and he heard me; and he delivered me from all my troubles.
33:6. Come ye to him and be enlightened: and your faces shall not be confounded.
33:7. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him: and saved him out of all his troubles.
33:8. The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him: and shall deliver them.
33:9. O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the man that hopeth in him.
33:10. Fear the Lord, all ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
33:11. The rich have wanted, and have suffered hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good.
33:12. Come, children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
33:13. Who is the man that desireth life: who liveth to see good days?
33:14. Keep thy tongue form evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
33:15. Tkurn away from evil and do good: seek after peace and pursue it.
33:16. The eyes of the Lord are upon the just: and his ears unto their prayers.
33:17. But the countenance of the Lord is against them that do evil things: to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
33:18. The just cried, and the Lord heard them: and delivered them out of all their troubles.
33:19. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart: and he will save the humble of spirit.
33:20. Many are the afflictions of the just; but out of them all will the Lord deliver them.
33:21. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart: and he will save the humble of spirit.
33:22. The death of the wicked is very evil: and they that hate the just shall be guilty.
33:23. The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall offend.
Psalms Chapter 34
Judica, Domine, nocentes me.
David, in the person of Christ, prayeth against his persecutors: prophetecally foreshewing the punishments that shall fall upon them.
34:1. For David himself. Judge thou, O Lord, them that wrong me: overthrow them that fight against me.
34:2. Take hold of arms and shield: and rise up to help me.
34:3. Bring out the sword, and shut up the way against them that persecute me: say to my soul: I am thy salvation.
34:4. Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek after my soul. Let them be turned back and be confounded that devise evil against me.
34:5. Let them become as dust before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord straiten them.
34:6. Let their way become dark and slippery; and let the angel of the Lord pursue them.
34:7. For without cause they have hidden their net for me unto destruction: without cause they have upbraided my soul.
34:8. Let the snae which he knoweth not come upon him: and let the net which he hath hidden catch him: and into that very snare let them fall.
34:9. But my soul shall rejoice in the Lord; and shall be delighted in his salvation.
34:10. All my bones shall say: Lord, who is like to thee? Who deliverest the poor from the hand of them that are stronger than he; the needy and the poor from them that strip him.
34:11. Unjust witnesses rising up have asked me things I knew not.
34:12. They repaid me evil for good: to the depriving me of my soul.
34:13. But as for me, when they were troublesome to me, I was clothed with haircloth. I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer shall be turned into my bosom.
34:14. As a neighbour and as an own brother, so did I please: as one mourning and sorrowful so was I humbled.
34:15. But they rejoiced against me, and came together: scourges were gathered together upon me, and I knew not.
34:16. They were separated, and repented not: they tempted me, they scoffed at me with scorn: they gnashed ukpon me with their teeth.
34:17. Lord, when wilt thou look upon me? rescue thou my soul from their malice: my only one from the lions.
34:18. I will give thanks to thee in a great church; I will praise thee in a strong people.
34:19. Let not them that are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: who have hated me without cause, and wink with the eyes.
34:20. For they spoke indeed peaceably to me; and speaking in the anger of the earth they devised guile.
34:21. And they opened their mouth wide against me; they said: Well done, well done, our eyes have seen it.
34:22. Thou hast seen, O Lord, be not thou silent: O Lord, depart not from me.
34:23. Arise, and be attentive to my judgment: to my cause, my God, and my Lord.
34:24. Judge me, O Lord my God according to thy justice, and let them not rejoice over me.
34:25. Let them not say in their hearts: It is well, it is well, to our mind: neither let them say: We have swallowed him up.
34:26. Let them blush: and be ashamed to gether, who rejoice at my evils. Let them be clothed with confusion and shame, who speak great things against me.
34:27. Let them rejoice and be glad, who are well pleased with my justice, and let them say always: The Lord be magnified, who delights in the peace of his servant.
34:28. And my tongue shall meditate thy justice, thy praise all the day long.
Psalms Chapter 35
Dixit injustus.
The malice of sinners, and the goodness of God.
35:1. Unto the end, for the servant of God, David himself.
35:2. The unjust hath said within himself, that he would sin: there is no fear of God before his eyes.
35:3. For in his sight he hath done deceitfully, that his iniquity may be found unto hatred.
Unto hatred... That is, hateful to God.
35:4. The words of his mouth are iniquity and guile: he would not understand that he might do well.
35:5. He hath devised iniquity on his bed, he hath set himself on every way that is not good: but evil he hath not hated.
35:6. O Lord, thy mercy is in heaven, and thy truth reacheth even to the clouds.
35:7. Thy justice is as the mountains of God, thy judgments are a great deep. Men and beasts thou wilt preserve, O Lord:
35:8. O how hast thou multiplied thy mercy, O God! But the children of men shall put their trust under the covert of thy wings.
35:9. They shall be inebriated with the plenty of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure.
35:10. For with thee is the fountain of life; and in thy light we shall see light.
35:11. Extend thy mercy to them that know thee, and thy justice to them that are right in heart.
35:12. Let not the foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the sinner move me.
35:13. There the workers of iniquity are fallen, they are cast out, and could not stand.
Psalms Chapter 36
Noli aemulari.
An exhortation to despise this world; and the short prosperity of the wicked; and to trust in Providence.
36:1. Be not emulous of evildoers; nor envy them that work iniquity.
36:2. For they shall shortly wither away as grass, and as the green herbs shall quickly fall.
36:3. Trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land, and thou shalt be fed with its riches.
36:4. Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart.
36:5. Commit thy way to the Lord, and trust in him, and he will do it.
36:6. And he will bring forth thy justice as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
36:7. Be subject to the Lord and pray to him. Envy not the man who prospereth in his way; the man who doth unjust things.
36:8. Cease from anger, and leave rage; have no emulation to do evil.
36:9. For evildoers shall be cut off: but they that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the land.
36:10. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: and thou shalt seek his place, and shalt not find it.
36:11. But the meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight in abundance of peace.
36:12. The sinner shall watch the just man: and shall gnash upon him with his teeth.
36:13. But the Lord shall laugh at him: for he foreseeth that his day shall come.
36:14. The wicked have drawn out the sword: they have bent their bow. To cast down the poor and needy, to kill the upright of heart.
36:15. Let their sword enter into their own hearts, andlet their bow be broken.
36:16. Better is a little to the just, than the great riches of the wicked.
36:17. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken in pieces; but the Lord strengtheneth the just.
36:18. The Lord knoweth the days of the undefiled; and their inheritance shall be for ever.
36:19. They shall not be confounded in the evil time; and in the days of famine they shall be filled:
36:20. Because the wicked shall perish. And the enemies of the Lord, presently after they shall be honoured and exalted, shall come to nothing and vanish like smoke.
36:21. The sinner shall borrow, and not pay again; but the just sheweth mercy and shall give.
36:22. For such as bless him shall inherit the land: but such as curse him shall perish.
36:23. With the Lord shall the steps of a man be directed, and he shall like well his way.
36:24. When he shall fall he shall not be bruised, for the Lord putteth his hand under him.
36:25. I have been young and now am old; and I have not seen the just forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread.
36:26. He sheweth mercy, and lendeth all the day long; and his seed shall be in blessing.
36:27. Decline from evil and do good, and dwell for ever and ever.
36:28. For the Lord loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints: they shall be preserved for ever. The unjust shall be punished, and the seed of the wicked shall perish.
36:29. But the just shall inherit the land, and shall dwell therein for evermore.
36:30. The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom: and his tongue shall speak judgment.
36:31. The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be supplanted.
36:32. The wicked watcheth the just man, and seeketh to put him to death,
36:33. But the Lord will not leave him in his hands; nor condemn him when he shall be judged.
36:34. Expect the Lord and keep his way: and he will exalt thee to inherit the land: when the sinners shall perish thou shalt see.
36:35. I have seen the wicked highly exalted, and lifted ukp like the cedars of Libanus.
36:36. And I passed by, and lo, he was not: and I sought him and his place was not found.
36:37. Keep innocence, and behold justice: for there are remnants for the peaceable man.
36:38. But the unjust shall be destroyed to gether: the remnants of the wicked shall perish.
36:39. But the salvation of the just is from the Lord, and he is their protector in the time of trouble.
36:40. And the Lord will help them and deliver them: and he will rescue them from the wicked, and save them because they have hoped in him.
Psalms Chapter 37
Domine, ne in furore.
A prayer of a penitent for the remission of his sins. The third penitential psalm.
37:1. A psalm for David, for a remembrance of the sabbath.
For a remembrance... Viz., of our miseries and sins: and to be sung on the sabbath day.
37:2. Rebuke me not, O Lord, in thy indignation; nor chastise me in thy wrath.
37:3. For thy arrows are fastened in me: and thy hand hath been strong upon me.
37:4. There is no health in my flesh, because of thy wrath: there is no peace for my bones, because of my sins.
37:5. For my iniquities are gone over my head: and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me.
37:6. My sores are putrified and corrupted, because of my foolishness.
37:7. I am bcome miserable, and am bowed down even to the end: I walked sorrowfull all the day long.
37:8. For my loins are filled with illusions; and there isno health in my flesh.
37:9. I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly: I roared with the groaning of my heart.
37:10. Lord, all my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not hidden from thee.
37:11. My heart is troubled, my strength hath left me, and the light of my eyes itself is not with me.
37:12. My friends and my neighbours have drawn near, and stood against me. And they that were near me stood afar off:
37:13. And they that sought my soul used violence. And they that sought evils to me spoke vain things, and studied deceits all the day long.
37:14. But I, as a deaf man, heard not: and as a dumb man not opening his mouth.
37:15. And I became as a man that heareth not: and that hath no reproofs in his mouth.
37:16. For in thee, O Lord, have I hoped: thou wilt hear me, O Lord my God.
37:17. For I said: Lest at any time my enemies rejoice over me: and whilst my feet are moved, they speak great things against me.
37:18. For I am ready for scourges: and my sorrow is continually before me.
37:19. For I will declare my iniquity: and I will think formy sin.
37:20. But my enemies live, and are stronger than I: and they that hate me wrongfully are ultiplied.
37:21. They that render evil for good, have detracted me, because I followed goodness.
37:22. For sake me not, O Lord my God: do not thou depart from me.
37:23. Attend unto my help, O Lord, the God of my salvation.
Psalms Chapter 38
Dixi custodiam.
A just man's peace and patience in his sufferings; considering the vanity of the world, and the providence of God.
38:1. Unto the end, for Idithun himself, a canticle of David.
38:2. I said: I will take heed to my ways: that I sin not with my tongue. I have set a guard to my mouth, when the sinner stood against me.
38:3. I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things: and my sorrow was renewed.
38:4. My heart grew hot within me: and in my meditqation a fire shall flame out.
38:5. I spoke with my tongue: O Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number of my days: that I may know what is wanting to me.
38:6. Behold thou hast made my days measurable and my substance is as nothing before thee. And indeed all things are vantiy: every man living.
38:7. Surely man passeth as an image: yea, and he is disquieted in vain. He storeth up: and he knoweth not for whom he shall gather these things.
38:8. And now what is my hope? is it not the Lord? and my substance is with thee.
38:9. Deliver thou me from all my iniquities: thou hast made me a reproach to the fool.
38:10. I was dumb, and I opened not my mouth, because thou hast done it.
38:11. Remove thy scourges from me. The strength of thy hand hath made me faint in rebukes:
38:12. Thou hast corrected man for iniquity. And thou hast made his soul to waste away like a spider: surely in vain is any man disquieted.
38:13. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and my supplication: give ear to my tears. Be no silent: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers were.
38:14. O forgive me, that I may be refreshed, before I go hence, and be no more.
Psalms Chapter 39
Expectans expectavi.
Christ's coming, and redeeming mankind.
39:1. Unto the end, a psalm for David himself.
39:2. With expectation I have waited for the Lord, and he was attentive to me.
39:3. And he heard my prayers, and brought me out of the pit of misery and the mire of dregs. And he set my feet upon a rock, and directed my steps.
39:4. And he put a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God. Many shall see, and shall fear: and they shall hope in the Lord.
39:5. Blessed is the man whose trust is in the name of the Lord; and who hath not had regard to vanities, and lying follies.
39:6. Thou hast multiplied thy wonderful works, O Lord my God: and in thy thoughts there is no one like to thee. I have declared and I have spoken they are multiplied above number.
39:7. Sacrifice and oblation thou didst not desire; but thou hast pierced ears for me. Burnt offering and sin offering thou didst not require:
39:8. Then said I, Behold I come. In the head of the book it is written of me
39:9. That I should do thy will: O my God, I have desired it, and thy law in the midst of my heart.
39:10. I have declared thy justice in a great church, lo, I will not restrain my lips: O Lord, thou knowest it.
39:11. I have not hid thy justice within my heart: I have declared thy truth and thy salvation. I have not concealed thy mercy and thy truth from a great council.
39:12. Withhold not thou, O Lord, thy tender mercies from me: thy mercy and thy truth have always upheld me.
39:13. For evils without number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I was not able to see. They are multiplied above the hairs of my head: and my heart hath forsaken me.
My iniquities... That is, the sins of all mankind, which I have taken upon me.
39:14. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me. Look down, O Lord, to help me.
39:15. Let them be confounded and ashamed together, that seek after my soul to take it away. Let them be turned backward and be ashamed that desire evils to me.
39:16. Let them immediately bear their confusion, that say to me: 'T is well, t' is well.
'T is well... The Hebrew here is an interjection of insult and derision, like the Vah. Matt. 27.49.
39:17. Let all that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified.
39:18. But I am a beggar and poor: the Lord is careful for me. Thou art my helper and my protector: O my God, be not slack.
Psalms Chapter 40
Beatus qui intelligit.
The happiness of him that shall believe in Christ; notwithstanding the humility and poverty in which he shall come: the malice of his enemies, especially of the traitor Judas.
40:1. Unto the end, a psalm for David himself.
40:2. Blessed is he that understandeth concerning the needy and the poor: the Lord will deliver him in the evil day.
40:3. The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth: and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.
40:4. The Lord help him on his bed of sorrow: thou hast turned all his couch in his sickness.
40:5. I said: O Lord, be thou merciful to me: heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee.
40:6. My enemies have spoken evils against me: when shall he die and his name perish?
40:7. And if he came in to see me, he spoke vain things: his heart gathered together iniquity to itself. He went out and spoke to the same purpose.
40:8. All my enemies whispered together against me: they devised evils to me.
40:9. They determined against me an unjust word: shall he that sleepeth rise again no more?
40:10. For even the man of my peace, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, hath greatly supplanted me.
40:11. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on me, and raise my up again: and I will requite them.
40:12. By this I know, that thou hast had a good will for me: because my enemy shall not rejoice over me.
40:13. But thou hast upheldme by reason of my innocence: and hast established me in thy sight for ever.
40:14. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel from eternity to eternity. So be it. So be it.
Psalms Chapter 41
Quemadmodum desiderat.
The fervent desire of the just after God: hope in afflictions.
41:1. Unto the end, understanding for the sons of Core.
41:2. As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God.
41:3. My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?
41:4. My tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is thy God?
41:5. These things I remembered, and poured out my soul in me: for I shall go over into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, even to the house of God: With the voice of joy and praise; the noise of one feasting.
41:6. Why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou trouble me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance,
41:7. And my God. My soul is troubled within my self: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan and Hermoniim, from the little hill.
41:8. Deep calleth on deep, at the noise of thy flood-gates. All thy heights and thy billows have passed over me.
41:9. In the daytime the Lord hath commanded hismercy; and a canticle to him in the night. With me is prayer to the God of my life.
41:10. I will say to God: Thou art my support. Why hast thou forgotten me? and why go I mourning, whilst my enemy afflicteth me?
41:11. Whilst my bones are broken, my enemies who troubleme have reproached me; Whilst they say to me day be day: Where is thy God?
41:12. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope thou in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.
Psalms Chapter 42
Judica me, Deus.
The prophet aspireth after the temple and altar of God.
42:1. A psalm for David. Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy: deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man.
42:2. For thou art God my strrength: why hast thou cast me off? and why do I go sorrowful whilst the enemy afflicteth me?
42:3. Sent forth thy light and thy truth: they have conducted me, and brought me unto thy holy hill, and into thy tabernacles.
42:4. And I will go in to the altar of God: to God who giveth joy to my youth.
42:5. To thee, O God my God, I will give praise upon the harp: why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me?
42:6. Hope in God, for I will still give pralise to him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.
Psalms Chapter 43
Deus auribus nostris.
The church commemorates former favours, and present afflictions; under which she prays for succour.
43:1. Unto the end, for the sons of Core, to give understanding.
43:2. We have heard, O God, with our ears: our fathers have declared to us, The work thou hast wrought in their days, and in the days of old.
43:3. Thy hand destroyed the Gentiles, and thou plantedst them: thou didst aflict the people and cast them out.
43:4. For they got not the possession of the land by their own sword: neither did their own arm save them. But thy right hand and thy arm, and the light of thy countenance: because thou wast pleased with them.
43:5. Thou art thyself my king andmy God, who commandest the saving of Jacob.
43:6. Through thee we will push down our enemies with the horn: and through thy name we will despise them that rise up against us.
43:7. For I will not trust in my bow: neither shall my sword save me.
43:8. But thou hast saved us from them that afflict us: and hast put them to shame that hate us.
43:9. In God shall we glory all the day long: and in thy name we will give praise for ever.
43:10. But now thou hast cast us off, and put us to shame: and thou, O God, wilt not go out with our armies.
43:11. Thou hast made kus turn our back to our enemies: and they that hated us plundered for themselves.
43:12. Thou hast given us up like sheep to be eaten: thou hast scattered us among the nations.
43:13. Thou hast sold thy people for no price: and there was no reckoning in the exchange of them.
43:14. Thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbours, a scoff and derision to them that are round about us.
43:15. Thou hast made us a byword among the Gentiles: a shaking of the head among the people.
43:16. All the day long my shame is before me: and the confusion of my face hath covered me,
43:17. At the voice of him that reproacheth and detracteth me: at the face of the enemy and persecutor.
43:18. All these things have come upon us, yet we have not forgotten thee: and we have not done wickedly in thy covenant.
43:19. And our heart hath not turned back: neither hast thou turned aside our steps from thy way.
43:20. For thou hast humbled us in the place of affliction: and the shadow of death hath covered us.
43:21. If we have forgotten the name of our God, and if we have spread forth our hands to a strange god:
43:22. Shall not God search out thesethings: for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. Because for thy sake we are killed all the day long: we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
43:23. Arise, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, and cast us not off to the end.
43:24. Why turnest thou thy face away? and forgettest our want and our trouble?
43:25. For our soul is humbled down to the dust: our belly cleaveth to the earth.
43:26. Arise, O Lord, help us and redeem us for thy name's sake.
Psalms Chapter 44
Eructavit cor meum.
The excellence of Christ's kingdom, and the endowments of his church.
44:1. Unto the end, for them that shall be changed, for the sons of Core, for understanding. A canticle for the Beloved.
For them that shall be changed... i.e., for souls happily changed, by being converted to God.-Ibid. The Beloved... Viz., Our Lord Jesus Christ.
44:2. My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak my works to the king: My tongue is the pen of a scrivener that writeth swiftly.
44:3. Thou art beautiful above the sons of men: grace is poured abroad in thy lips; therefore hath God blessed thee for ever.
44:4. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O thou most mighty.
44:5. With thy comeliness and thy beauty set out, proceed prosperously, and reign. Because of truth and meekness and justice: and thy right hand shall conduct thee wonderfully.
44:6. Thy arrows are sharp: under thee shall people fall, into the hearts of the king's enemies.
44:7. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre of uprightness.
44:8. Thou hast loved justice, and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
44:9. Myrrh and stacte and cassia perfume thy garments, from the ivory houses: out of which
44:10. The daughters of kings have delighted thee in thy glory. The queen stood on thy right hand, in gilded clothing; surrounded with variety.
44:11. Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear: and forget thy people and thy father's house.
44:12. And the king shall greatly desire thy beauty; for he is the Lord thy God, and him they shall adore.
44:13. And the daughters of Tyre with gifts, yea, all the rich among the people, shall entreat thy countenance.
44:14. All the glory of the king's daughter is within in golden borders,
44:15. Clothed round about with varieties. After her shall virgins be brought to the king: her neighbours shall be brought to thee.
44:16. They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing: they shall be brought into the temple of the king.
44:17. Instead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee: thou shalt make them princes over all the earth.
44:18. They shall remember thy name throughout all generations. Therefore shall people praise thee for ever; yea, for ever and ever.
Psalms Chapter 45
Deus noster refugium.
The church in persecution trusteth in the protection of God.
45:1. Unto the end, for the sons of Core, for the hidden.
45:2. Our God is our refuge and strength: a helper in troubles, which have found us exceedingly.
45:3. Therefore we will not fear, when the earth shall be troubled; and the mountains shall be removed into the heart of the sea.
45:4. Their waters roared and were troubled: the mountains were troubled with his strength.
45:5. The stream of the river maketh the city of God joyful: the most High hath sanctified his own tabernacle.
45:6. God is in the midst thereof, it shall not be moved: God will help it in the lmorning early.
45:7. Nations were troubled, and kingdoms were bowed down: he uttered his voice, the earth trembled.
45:8. The Lord of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our protector.
45:9. Come and behold ye the works of the Lord: what wonders he hath done upon earth,
45:10. Making wars to cease even to the end of the earth. He shall destroy the bow, and break the weapons: and the shield he shall burn in the fire.
45:11. Be still and see that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.
45:12. The Lord of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our protector.
Psalms Chapter 46
Omnes gentes, plaudite.
The Gentiles are invited to praise God for the establishment of the kingdom of Christ.
46:1. Unto the end, for the sons of Core.
46:2. O clap your hands, all ye nations: shout unto God with the voice of joy,
46:3. For the Lord is high, terrible: a great king over all the earth.
46:4. He hath subdued the people under jus; and the nations under our feet.
46:5. He hath chosen for us his inheritance, the beauty of Jacob which he hath love.
46:6. God is ascended with jubilee, and the Lord with the sound of trumpet.
46:7. Sing praises to our God, sing ye: sing praises to our king, sing ye.
46:8. For God is the king of all the earth: sing ye wisely.
46:9. God shall reign over the nations: God sitteth on his holy throne.
46:10. The princes of the people are gathered together, with the God of Abraham: for the strong gods of the earth are exceedingly exalted.
Psalms Chapter 47
Magnus Dominus.
God is greatly to be praised for the establishment of his church.
47:1. A psalm of a canticle, for the sons of Core, on the second day of the week.
47:2. Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.
47:3. With the joy of the whole earth is mount Sion founded, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king.
47:4. In her houses shall God be known, when he shall protect her.
47:5. For behold the kings of the earth assembled themselves: they gathered together.
47:6. So they saw, and they wondered, they were troubled, they were moved:
47:7. Trembling took hold of them. There were pains as of a woman in labour.
47:8. With a vehement wind thou shalt break in pieces the ships of Tharsis.
47:9. As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God hath founded it for ever.
47:10. We have received thy mercy, O God, in the midst of thy temple.
47:11. According to thy name, O God, so also is thy praise kunto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of justice.
47:12. Let mount Sion rejoice, and the daughters of Juda be glad; because of thy judgments, O Lord.
47:13. Surround Sion, and encompass her: tell lye in her towers.
47:14. Set your hearts on her strength; and distribute her houses, that ye may relate it in another generation.
47:15. For this is God, our God unto eternity, and for ever and ever: he shall rule us for evermore.
Psalms Chapter 48
Audite haec, omnes gentes.
The folly of worldlings, who live on in sin, without thinking of death or hell.
48:1. Unto the end, a psalm for the sons of Core.
48:2. Hear these things, all ye nations: give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world.
48:3. All you that are earthborn, and you sons of men: both rich and poor together.
48:4. My mouth shall speak wisdom: and the meditation of my heart understanding.
48:5. I will incline my ear to a parable; I will open my proposition on the psaltery.
48:6. Why shall I fear in the evil day? the iniquity of my heel shall encompass me.
The iniquity of my heel... That is, the iniquity of my steps or ways: or the iniquity of my pride, with which as with the heel, I have spurned and kicked at my neighbours: or the iniquity of my heel, that is, the iniquity in which I shall be found in death. The meaning of this verse is, Why should I now indulge those passions and sinful affections, or commit now those sins, which will cause me so much fear and anguish in the evil day; when the sorrows of death shall compass me, and the perils of hell shall find me?
48:7. They that trust in their own strength, and glory in the multitude of their riches,
They that trust, etc... As much as to say, let them fear that trust in their strength or riches: for they have great reason to fear: seeing no brother or other man, how much a friend soever, can by any price or labour rescue them from death.
48:8. No brother can redeem, nor shall man redeem: he shall not give to God his ransom,
48:9. Nor the price of the redemption of his soul: and shall labour for ever,
And shall labour for ever, etc... This seems to be a continuation of the foregoing sentence: as much as to say no man can by any price or ransom prolong his life, that so he may still continue to labour here, and live to the end of the world. Others understand it of the eternal sorrows, and dying life of hell, which is the dreadful consequence of dying in sin.
48:10. And shall still live unto the end.
48:11. He shall not see destruction, when he shall see the wise dying: the senseless and the fool shall perish together: And they shall leave their riches to strangers:
He shall not see destruction, etc... Or, shall he not see destruction? As much as to say, however thoughtless he may be of his death, he must not expect to escape; when even the wise and the good are not exempt from dying.
48:12. And their sepulchres shall be their houses for ever. Their dwelling places to all generations: they have called their lands by their names.
They have called, etc... That is, they have left their names on their graves, which alone remain of their lands.