THE PSALMS OF

SOLOMON
THIS c olle ction of e ighte en wa r songs a re the g ift o f an anc ient S emit ic writ er. The o rig inal manu sc ript h as p erish ed but fortunate ly Greek t ranslat ions h ave be en p re se rved , and re centl y a S yriac ve rsi on of the sa me song s ha s tu rned up and was publ ish ed in Eng li sh fo r the fi rst t ime in 1909 by Dr. Rendel Harri s. The date of the writin g may be e stabl ish ed at th e midd le o f th e Fi rst Cen tury B. C . b ecau se the th e me of the se song s i s that of Pompey 's ac tion s in Pa le stin e an d hi s d eath in Egypt in 48 B. C. The se p sal ms ha d an imp ort ant position and we re wi del y ci rcul ated in th e ea rly Chu rch . Th ey are f reque ntly refe rred to i n th e v ari ous Code xe s and hi sto rie s o f th e f irst fe w ce nturie s o f th e Ch ri stian Era. Late r, th ey be ca me lo st th rough i n expl icabl e rea son s; and hav e only be en re co v e red fo r ou r u se aft er the lap se of man y c ent u rie s. Beside s the li te rary valu e o f the t ru mpet -like rh yth m of the se v erse s, we ha ve he re a cha pte r of sti rring anci ent hi sto ry writ ten by an e ye wi tne ss. Po mp ey co mes ou t of th e We st. He u se s bat te ring -ra ms on the fo rti fica tion s. His soldi ers de fil e the alta r. He i s slain in Egypt afte r a fea rfu l ca ree r. In the "right eous" o f th ese p sal ms we se e the Pha ri see s; in the "sinn ers" we see th e Sa dduc ee s. It i s an epi c of a g reat peop le in th e th roe s o f a great crisi s.

PSALM I "Th ey became in so len t in th eir prospe rity . . . . " I cried u nto the Lord when I was in distress, Unto God when sinn ers assailed. Su ddenly the alarm of war was hea rd before me; I sa id, He will heark en to me for I a m fu ll of righteou sness. I thou ght in my heart that I was fu ll of righteou sness, Becau se I was well off and had b ecome rich in children. T heir wealth spread to the whole ea rth, And their glory u nto the end of the ea rth. T hey were exal ted u nto the stars; T hey said they wou ld never fall . Bu t they became insolent in their prosperity, And they were withou t u nderstan ding, T heir sins were in secret,

And even I had no k nowledge o f them. T heir transgressions went bey ond those of the h eat hen before them; T hey utterly polluted the holy things of the Lord. PSALM II The desecra tion of Jerusalem; ca ptiv ity, murder, and ra pin g. A psalm o f u tter despa ir. When the sinner waxed prou d, with a battering-ram he cast down fort ified walls, And thou didst not restrain him. Alien nations ascended T hine altar, T hey trampled it prou dly with their sandals; Becau se the sons of Jeru salem had defiled the holy things o f the Lord, Had profaned with iniqu ities the offerings o f God. T herefore He said: Cast them far from Me; . . . . . .

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It wa s set at nau ght before God, It wa s u tterly dishonou red; T he sons and the dau ghters were m grievou s captivity, Sea led was their neck , branded wa s it among the nations. According to their sins hath He done u nto them, For He hath left them in the hands of them that prevailed. He ha th turned away His face from pitying them, You ng and old and their children together; For they had done evil one and all, in not heark ening. And the heavens were angry, And the earth abhorred them; For no man u pon it had done what they did, And the earth recognized all T hy righteou s ju dgements, O God. T hey set the sons o f Jeru salem to be mock ed at in return for the harlots in her; Every wayfarer entered in in the fu ll light of day. T hey made mock with their tran sgression s, as they themselv es were wont to do; In the fu ll light of day they r evea led their iniqu ities. And the dau ghters of Jeru salem were defiled in accordance with T hy ju dgement, Becau se they had defiled them selves with u nnatu ral intercourse. I a m pa ined in my bowels and my inwa rd parts for these things. And yet I will ju stify T hee, O God, in u prightness o f heart, For in T hy ju dgements is T hy rig hteou sness displayed, O God. For T hou ha st rendered to the si nners a ccording to their deeds, Yea , according to their sins, which

were very wick ed. T hou hast u ncovered their sins, that T hy ju dgement might be manifest; T hou hast wiped ou t their memor ial from the earth. God is a righteou s ju dge, And he is no respecter of p erson s. For the nations reproached Jeru sa lem, trampling it down; Her beau ty was dragged down from the throne of glory. She girded on sack cloth instead of comely raiment, A rope was abou t her head instead of a crown. She pu t off the gloriou s diadem which God had set u pon her, In dishonou r was her beau ty cast u pon the grou nd. And I saw and entreated the Lord and said, Long enou gh, O Lord has T hine hand been heavy on Israel, in brin ging the nations u pon them. For they have made sport u nsparin gly in wrath and fierce anger; And they will mak e an u tter end, u nless T hou , O Lord, rebuk e them in T hy wrath. For they have done. it not in zeal, bu t in lu st of sou l, Pou ring ou t their wrath u pon u s with a view to rapine. Delay not, O God, to recompense them on their heads, To turn the pride of the dr agon into dishonou r. And I had not long to wait before God showed me the insolent one Slain on the mou ntains of Egypt, Esteemed o f less accou nt than the least, on land and sea; His body, too, borne hither and thither on the billows with mu ch i nsolence, With none to bury him, becau se He

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ha d rejected him with dishonou r. He reflected not that he was man, And reflected not on the latter end; He sa id: I will be lord of land and sea ; And he recog nized not that it is God who is great, Mighty in His great strength. He is k ing over the heavens, And ju dgeth k ings and k ingdoms. It is He who setteth me u p in glory, And bringeth down the prou d to eterna l destru ction in dishonou r, Becau se they k new Him not. And no w behold, ye princes of the ea rth, the ju dgement of the Lord, For a great king and righteou s is He, ju dging all that is u nder heaven. Bless God, ye that fear the Lord with wisdo m, For the mercy of the Lord will be u pon them that fear Him, in the Ju dgement; So tha t He will distinguish between the righteou s and the sinner, And recomp ense the sinners for ever a ccording to their deeds; And ha ve mercy on the righteou s, delivering him from the affliction of the sinner, And recomp ensing th e sinner for wha t he bath done to the righteou s. For the Lord is good to them that ca ll u pon Him in patience, Doing according to His mercy to His piou s ones, Esta blishing them at all times b efore Him in strength. Blessed be th e Lord for ever before His servants. PSALM III Righ teou sness versus S in . Why sleepest thou , O my sou l, And blessest not the Lord? Sing a new song,

Unto God who is worthy to be praised. Sing and be wak efu l against His awak ing, For good is a psalm su ng to God from a glad heart. T he righteou s remember the Lord at all times, With thank sgiving and declaration of the righteou sness of the Lord's ju dgements. T he righteou s despiseth not the cha stening of the Lord; His will is always before the Lord. T he righteou s stu mbleth and holdeth the Lord righteou s: He falleth and look eth ou t for what God will do to him; He seek eth ou t whence his delive rance will come. T he steadfastness of the righteou s is from God, their deliverer; T here lodgeth not in the hou se of the righteou s sin u pon sin. T he righteou s continually sea rcheth his hou se, To remove u tterly all iniqu ity done by him in error. He mak eth atonement for sins o f ignorance by fasting and afflicting his sou l, And the Lord cou nteth gu iltless every piou s man and h is hou se. T he sinner stu mbleth and cu rseth his life, T he day when he was begotten, and his mother's travail. He addeth sins to sins, while he liveth; He fallethverily grievou s is his falland riseth no more. T he destru ction of the sinner is for ever, And he shall not be remembered, when the righteou s is visited. T his is the portion of sinners for

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ever. Bu t they that fear the Lord shall rise to life eternal, And their life shall be in the light of the Lord, and shall come to an end no more. PSALM IV A con versa tion o f So lo mon with the Me n-p leasers . Wherefore sittest thou , O profane ma n, in the cou ncil of the piou s, Seeing that thy heart is far r emoved from the Lord, Provok ing with transgressions the God of Israel? Extra vagant in speech, extrava gant in ou tward seeming beyo nd all men, Is he that is severe of speech in condemning sinners in ju dgement. And his hand is first u pon him as thou gh he acted in zeal, And yet he is himself gu ilty in r espect o f manifold sins and of wa ntonness. His eyes a re u pon every woman withou t distinction; His tongu e lieth when he mak eth contra ct with an oath. By night and in secret he sinneth as thou gh u nseen, With his eyes he talk eth to every woma n of evil co mpacts. He is swift to enter every hou se with cheerfu l ness as thou gh gu il eless. Let God remove those that live in hypocrisy in the company of the piou s, Even the life of su ch an one with corru ption of his flesh and penu ry. Let God reveal the deeds o f the men-pleasers, T he deeds of su ch an one with lau ghter and derision; T ha t the piou s may cou nt righteou s

the ju dgement of their God, When sinners are removed from before the righteou s, Even the man-pleaser who u ttereth law gu ilefu lly. And their eyes are fixed u pon any man's hou se that is still secu re, T hat they may, lik e the Serpent, destroy the wisd om o f . . . with words o f transgressors, His words are deceitfu l that he may accomplish his wick ed desire. He never ceaseth from scattering families as thou gh they were o rphans, Yea, he layeth waste a hou se on a ccou nt of his lawless desire. He deceiveth with words, saying, T here is none that seeth, or ju dgeth. He fills one hou se with lawlessn ess, And then his ey es are fixed u pon the next hou se, To destroy it with words that give wing to desire. Yet with all these his sou l lik e Sheol, is not sated. Let his portion, O Lord, be dish onou red before thee; Let him go forth groaning, and come ho me cu rsed. Let his life be spent in anguish, and penu ry, and want, O Lord; Let his sleep be beset with pains and his awak ing with perplexities. Let sleep be withdrawn from hi s eyelids at night; Let him fail dishonou rably in every work of his hands. Let him come ho me empty -handed to his hou se, And his hou se be void o f ev er ything wherewith he cou ld sate his appetite. Let his old age be spent in childless loneliness u ntil his removal by death.

PSALMS OF SOLOMON

Let the flesh o f the men -pleasers b e rent by wild beasts, And let the bones o f the lawless lie dishonou red in the sight of the su n. Let ra vens peck out the eyes of the hypocrites. For they have laid waste many hou ses of men, in dishonou r, And scattered them in their lu st; And they have not remembered God, Nor feared God in all these things; But they have provok ed God's a nger a nd vexed Him. Ma y He remove them from o ff the ea rth, Becau se with deceit they begu iled the sou ls of the flawless. Blessed are they that fear the Lord in their flawlessness; T he Lord shall deliver them from gu ilefu l men and sinners, And deliver u s from every stu mbling-block of the lawless (men). Let God destroy them that insolently work all u nrighteou sness, For a great and mighty ju dge is the Lord ou r God in righteou sness. Let T hy mercy, O Lord, be u pon all them that love T hee. PSALM V A statement of th e ph ilosop hy o f the inde stru ctib ility o f ma tter. One o f the ten ets o f mod ern ph ysics . O Lord God, I will praise T hy name with joy, In the midst of them that k now T hy righteou s ju dgements. For T hou art good and mercifu l, the refu ge of the poor; When I cry to T hee, do not silently disrega rd me. For no man tak eth spoil from a mighty man; Who, then, can tak e au ght of a that T hou hast made, except T hou T h y-

self givest? For man and his portion lie before T hee in the balance; He cannot add to, so as to enlarge, what has been prescribed by T hee. O God, when we are in distress we call u pon T hee for help, And T hou dost not tu rn back ou r petition, for T hou art ou r God. Cau se not T hy hand to be heavy u pon u s, Lest throu gh necessity we sin. Even thou gh T hou restore u s not, we will not k eep away; But u nto T hee will we come. For if I hu nger, u nto T hee will I cry, O God; And Th ou wilt give to me. Birds and fish dost T hou nou rish, In that T hou givest rain to the steppes that green grass may spring u p, So to prepare fodder in the steppe for every living thing; And if they hu nger, u nto T hee do they lift u p their face. Kings and ru lers and peoples Th ou dost nou rish, O God; And who i s the help of the p oor and needy, if not T h ou , O Lord? And T hou wilt heark en for who is good and gentle bu t thou ? Mak ing glad the sou l of the hu mble by opening T hine hand in mercy. Man's goodn ess i s besto wed gru dgingly and ...; And if he repeat it withou t mu rmu ring, even that is marvellou s. Bu t T hy gift is great in goodness and wealth, And he whose h ope is set on T h ee shall have no lack of gifts. Upon the whole earth is T hy mercy, O Lord, in goodness. Happy is he whom God rememb ereth in granting to him a du e su ff i-

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ciency; If a man abou nd overmu ch, he si nneth. Su fficient are moderate means with righteou sness, And hereby the blessing o f the Lord becomes abu ndance with rig hteou sness. T hey that fear the Lord rejoice in good gifts, And thy goodn ess is u pon Israel in T hy k ingdom. Blessed is the glory o f the Lord, for He is ou r king. PSALM VI A song of hope and fea rles sness and pe ace . Ha ppy is the man whose heart is fixed to call u pon the name of the Lord; When he remembereth the name o f the Lord, he will be saved. His wa ys are made even by the Lord, And the work s of his hands are preserved by the Lord his God. At wha t he sees in his bad dreams, his sou l shall not be trou bled; When he passes throu gh rivers and the tossing o f the seas, he shall not be dismayed. He a riseth from his sleep, and ble sseth the name of the Lord: When his heart is at peace, he si ngeth to the name of his God, And he entreateth the Lord for all his hou se. And the Lord heareth the prayer of every one that feareth God, And every requ est of the sou l that hopes for Him doth the Lord acco mplish. Blessed is the Lord, who sho weth mercy to those who love Him in si ncerity.

PSALM VII The fin e o ld do ctrine "Thou art ou r Sh ield !" Mak e not T hy dwelling afar from u s, O God; Lest they assail u s that hate u s withou t cau se. For T hou hast rejected them, O God; Let not their foot trample u pon T hy holy inheritance. Chasten u s T hyself in T hy good pleasu re; But give u s not u p to the nations; For, if T hou sendest pestilence, T hou T hyself givest it charge co ncerning u s; For T hou art mercifu l, And wilt not be angry to the point of con su ming u s. While T hy name dwelleth in our midst, we shall find mercy; And the nations shall not prevail against u s. For T hou art ou r shield, And wh en we call u pon T hee, T hou heark enest to u s; For T hou wilt pity the seed of Isra el for ever And T hou wilt not reject them: Bu t we shall, be u nder T hy yok e for ever, And u nder the rod of T hy chaste ning. T hou wilt establish u s in the time that T hou helpest u s, Showing mercy to the hou se o f J a cob on the day wherein T hou didst promise to help them. PSALM VIII So me rema rka ble similes o f wa r creep ing on Jeru sa lem. A su rvey o f the sins tha t b rough t a ll this troub le. Distress and the sou nd of war hath

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my ea r heard, T he sou nd of a tru mpet annou ncing sla u ghter and calamity, T he sou nd of mu ch people as of an exceedin g high wind, As a tempest with mighty fire swe eping throu gh the Negeb. And I said in my heart, Surely God ju dgeth u s; A sou nd I hear moving towards J eru salem, the holy city. My loins were brok en at what I hea rd, my k nees tottered; My heart was afraid, my bones were dismayed lik e flax. I sa id: T hey establish their ways in righteou sness. I thou ght u pon the ju dgments of God since the creation of heaven a nd ea rth; I held God righteou s in His ju dg ements which have been from o f old. God ba re their sins in the fu ll ligh t of da y; All the earth came to k now the righteou s ju dgements o f God. In secret places u ndergrou nd their iniqu ities were committed to pr ovok e Him to anger; T hey wrou ght confu sion, son with mother and father with dau ghter; T hey committed adu ltery, every ma n with his neighhou r's wife. T hey conclu ded covenants with one a nother with an oath tou ching these things; T hey plu ndered the sanctuary of God, a s thou gh there was no ave nger. T hey trode the altar of the Lord, coming straight from all manner of u nclea nness; And with menstru al blood they d efiled the sacrifices, as thou gh these were common flesh. T hey left no sin u ndone, wherein

they su rpassed not the heathen. T herefore God mingled for them a spirit of wandering; And gave them to drink a cu p of u ndilu ted wine, that they might b ecome dru nk en. He brou ght him that is from the end of the earth, that smiteth mightily; He decreed war against Jeru salem, and against her land. T he princes of the land went to meet him with joy: they said u nto him: Blessed be thy way! Come ye, en ter ye in with peace. T hey made the rou gh ways even, b efore his entering in; T hey opened the gates to Jeru sa lem, they crowned its walls. As a father entereth the hou se of his sons, so he entered Jeru salem in peace; He established his feet there in great safety. He captu red her fortresses and the wall of Jeru salem; For God Himself led him in safety, while they wandered. He destroyed their princes and every one wise in cou nsel; He poured ou t the blood of the i nhabitants of Jeru salem, lik e the wa ter of u ncleanness. He led away their sons and dau g hters, whom they had begotten in d e filement. T hey did according to their u nclea nness, ev en as their fathers had done: T hey defiled Jeru salem and the things that had been hallowed to the name of God. Bu t God hath shown Himsel f rig hteou s in His ju dgements u pon the na tions of the earth; And the piou s servants of God are lik e innocent lambs in their midst.

PSALMS OF SOLOMON

Worthy to be praised is the Lord tha t ju dgeth the whole earth in His righteou sness. Behold, now, O God, T hou hast shown u s T hy ju dgement in T hy righteou sness; Ou r eyes have seen T hy ju dg ements, O God. We ha ve ju stified T hy name that is honou red for ever; For T hou are the God of rig hteou sness, ju dging Israel with cha stening. Turn, O God, T hy mercy u pon u s, a nd ha ve pity u pon u s; Gather together the dispersed of Isra el, with mercy and goodness; For T hy faithfu lness is with u s, And thou gh we have sti ffened ou r neck , yet T hou art ou r chastener; Overlook u s not, O ou r God, lest the na tions swallow u s u p, as thou gh there were none to deliver. Bu t T hou art our God from the b eginning, And u pon T hee is ou r hope set, O Lord; And we will not depart from T hee, For good are T hy ju dgements u pon u s. Ours a nd ou r children's be T hy good plea su re for ever; O Lord, our Saviour, we shall ne ver more be moved. T he Lord is worthy to be praised for His ju dgements with the mou th of His piou s ones; And blessed be Israel of the Lord for ever. PSALM IX The ex ile of the trib es o f Israel. A referen ce to the covenan t wh ich God made with Ada m. (See th e First Book o f Ad am an d Eve, Cha p. III, Ve rse 7).

When Israel was led away captive into a strange land, When they fell away from the Lord who redeemed them, T hey were cast away from the i nheritance, which the Lord had given them. Among every nation were the di spersed o f Israel according to the word of God, T hat T hou mightest be ju stified, O God, in T hy righteou sness by reason of ou r transgressions: For T hou art a ju st ju dge over all the peoples o f the ear th. For from T hy k nowledge none that doeth u nju stly is hidden, And the righteou s deeds o f T hy piou s ones are before T hee, O Lord; Where, then, can a man hide hi mself from T hy k nowledge, O God? Our work s are su bject to our own choice and power To do right or wrong in the work s of ou r hands; And in T hy righteou sness T hou v isitest the son s of men. He that doeth righteou sness layeth u p life for himself with the Lord; And he that doeth wrongly fo rfeits his life to destru ction; For the ju dgements of the Lord are given in righteou sness to every man and his hou se. Unto who m art T hou good, O God, except to them that call u pon the Lord? He cleanseth from sins a sou l when it mak eth confession, when it m a k eth ack nowledgement; For shame is u pon u s and u pon ou r faces on accou nt of all these things. And to who m doth He forgiv e sins, except to them that have sinned? T hou blessest the righteou s, and dost not reprove them for the sins

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tha t they have committed; And T hy goodness is u pon them tha t sin, when they repent. And, now, T hou art ou r God, and we the people wh om T hou hast loved: Behold and show pity, O God of Isra el, for we are T hine; And remove n ot T hy mercy from u s, lest they assail u s. For T hou didst choose the seed o f Abra ha m before all the nation s, And didst set T hy name u pon u s, O Lord, And T hou wilt not reject u s for e ver. T hou madest a covenant with ou r fa thers concerning u s; And we h ope in T hee, when ou r sou l tu rneth u nto T hee. T he mercy of the Lord be u pon the hou se of Israel for ever and ever. PSALM X A g lorio us hymn . Fu rther referen ce to th e eterna l coven an t between God and Man . Ha ppy is the man whom the Lord remembereth with reproving, And who m He restraineth from the wa y of evil with strok es. T ha t he may be cleansed from sin, tha t it may not be multiplied. He tha t mak eth ready his back for strok es shall be cleansed, For the Lord is good to them that endu re chastening. For He mak eth straight the ways of the righteou s, And doth not pervert them by His cha stening. And the merc y of the Lord is u pon them that love Him in tru th, And the Lord rememb ereth His serva nts in mercy. For the testimony is in the law of the eternal covenant,

T he testimony of the Lord is on the ways of men in His visitation. Ju st and k ind is our Lord in His ju dgements for ever, And Israel shall praise the name of the Lord in gladness. And the piou s shall give thank s in the assembly o f the people; And on the poor shall God have mercy in the gladness o f Israel; For good and mercifu l is God for ever, And the assemblies o f Israel shall glorify the name of the Lord. T he salvation of the Lord be u pon the hou se of Israel u nto everlasting gladness! PSALM XI Jeru sa lem hea rs a trump et and sta nds on tip to e to see her children retu rn ing fro m the North , Ea st and West. Blow ye in Zion on the tru mpet to su mmon the saints, Cau se ye to be heard in Jeru salem the voice of him that bringeth good tidings; For God hath had pity on Israel in visiting them. Stand on the height, O Jeru salem, and behold thy children, From the East and the West, g a thered together by the Lord; From the North they come in the gladness of their God, From the isles afar off God hath gathered them. High mou ntains hath He abased into a plain for them; T he hills fled at their entrance. T he woods gave them sh elter as they passed by; Every sweet -smelling tree God cau sed to spring u p for them, T hat Israel might pass by in the

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visita tion of the glory of their God. Pu t on, O Jeru salem, thy gloriou s ga rments; Mak e ready thy holy robe; For G od hath spok en good co ncerning Israel, for ever and ever. Let the Lord do what He hath sp ok en concerning Israel and Jeru s a lem; Let the Lord raise u p Israel by His gloriou s name. T he mercy of the Lord be u pon Isra el for ever and ever. PSALM XII An appea l fo r fa mily tran quility and pe ace an d quiet a t ho me . O Lord, deliver my sou l from the la wless and wick ed man, From the tongu e that is lawless a nd sla nderou s, and speak eth lies a nd deceit. Ma nifoldly twisted are the words of the tongu e of the wick ed man, Even as among a people a fire that bu rneth u p their beauty. So he delights to fill hou ses with a lying tongu e, To cu t down the trees of gladness which setteth on fire transgressors, To involve hou seholds in warfare by mea ns of slanderou s lips. Ma y God remove far from the inn ocent the lips of transgressors b y bringing them to want And may the bones of slanderers be sca ttered far away from them that fea r the Lord! In fla ming fire perish the slande rou s tongu e far away from the piou s! Ma y the Lord preserve the qu iet sou l that hateth the u nrighteou s; And may the Lord establish the ma n that followeth peace at home. T he sa lvation of the Lord be u pon Isra el His servant for ever;

And let the sinners perish tog ether at the presence of the Lord; But let the Lord's piou s ones inh e rit the promises of the Lord. PSALM XIII Of So lo mon . A Psa lm. Co mfort fo r the rig hteous . T he right hand of the Lord hath covered me; T he right hand of the Lord hath spared u s. T he arm of the Lord hath saved u s from the sword t hat passed throu gh, From famine and the death of si nners. Noisome beasts ran u pon them: With their teeth they tore their flesh, And with their molars cru shed their bones. Bu t from all these things the Lord delivered u s. T he righteou s was trou bled on a ccou nt of his errors, Lest he shou ld be tak en away along with the sinners; For terrible is the overthrow of the sinner; But not one of all these things to u cheth the righteou s. For not alik e are the chastening of the righteou s for sins done in ign orance, And the overthrow o f the sinners. Secretly is the righteou s chastened, Lest the sinner rejoice over the righteou s. For He correcteth the righteou s as a beloved so n. And his chastisement is as that of a first-born. For the Lord spareth His piou s on es, And blotteth ou t their errors by His chastening. For the life of the righteou s shall be

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for ever; But sinners shall be tak en away into destru ction,, And their memorial shall be fou nd no more. Bu t u pon the piou s is the mercy of the Lord, And u pon them that fear Him His mercy. PSALM XIV S inn ers "lo ve the brief day sp ent in co mpa nio nsh ip with their sin ." Pro found wisdo m, b eau tifu lly expressed . Fa ithfu l is the Lord to them that love Him in tru th, To them that endure His chaste ning, To them that walk in the righteou sness o f His commandments, In the law which He commanded u s that we might live. T he piou s of the Lord shall live by it for ever; T he Paradise of the Lord, the trees of life, are His piou s ones. T heir planting is rooted for ever; T hey shall not be plu ck ed u p all the da ys of heaven: For the portion and the inheritance of God is Israel. Bu t not so are the sinners and tran sgressors, Who love the brief day spent in compa nionship with their sin; T heir delight is in fleeting corru ption, And they remember not God. For the ways of men are k nown b efore Him at all times, And He k noweth the secret s of the hea rt before they come to pass. T herefore their inheritance is Sheol a nd da rk ness and destru ction And they shall not be fou nd in the

day when the righteou s obtain me rcy; Bu t the piou s of the Lord shall i nherit life in gladness. PSALM XV The psa lmist restates the grea t p h ilosophy o f Right a nd Wrong . When I was in distress I called u pon the name of the Lord, I hoped for the help of the God of Jacob and was saved; For the hope and refu ge of the poor art T hou , O God. For who, O God, is strong except to give thank s u nto T hee in tru th? And wh erein is a man powerfu l e xcept in giving thank s to T hy name? A new psalm with song in gladness of heart, T he fruit of the lips with the well tu ned instru ment of the tongu e, T he first fruits of the lips fro m a piou s and righteou s heart He that offereth these things shall never be shak en by evil; T he flame of fire and the wrath against the u nrighteou s shall not tou ch him, When it goeth forth from the face o f the Lord against sinners, To destroy all the su bstance of sinners, For the mark of God is u pon the righteou s that they may be saved. Famine and sword and pestilence shall be far from the rig hteou s, For they shall flee away from the piou s as men pu rsu ed in war; Bu t they shall pu rsu e sinners and overtak e them, And they that do lawlessness shall not escape the ju dgement of God; As by en emies experien ced in war shall they be overtak en, For the mark of destru ction is u pon

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their forehead. And the inheritance of sinn ers is d e stru ction and dark ness, And their iniqu ities shall pu rsu e them u nto Sheol beneath. T heir inheritance shall not be fou nd of their children, For sins shall lay waste the hou ses of sinner s. And sinn ers shall perish for ever in the da y of the Lord's ju dgement, When God visiteth the earth with His ju dgement. Bu t they that fear the Lord shall find mercy therein, And shall live by the compassion of their God; Bu t sinners shall perish for ever. PSALM XVI The psa lmist aga in expresses pro found tru th "For if Thou g ivest no t streng th , who can end ure ch astis e men t? " When my sou l slu mbered being afar from the Lord, I had all bu t slipped down to the pit, When I was far from God, m y sou l ha d been well -nigh p ou red ou t u nto dea th, I ha d been nigh u nto the gates of Sheol with the sinner, When my sou l departed from the Lord God of Israel Ha d not the Lord helped me with His everlasting mercy. He prick ed me, as a horse is prick ed, that I might serve Him, My saviour and helper at all times sa ved me. I will give thank s u nto T hee, O God, for T hou hast helped me to my sa lva tion; And hast not cou nted me with si nners to my destru ction. Remove not T hy mercy fro m me, O

God, Nor T hy memori al from my heart u ntil I die. Ru le me, O God, k eeping me back from wick ed sin, And from every wick ed wo man that cau seth the simple to stu mble. And let not the beau ty of a lawless woman begu ile me, Nor any one that is su bject to u nprofitable sin. Establish the work s of my hands b e fore T hee, And preserve my going s in the r emembrance o f T hee. Protect my tongu e and my lips with words o f tru th; Anger and u nreasoning wrath put far from me. Mu rmu ring, and impatience in a ffliction, remove far from me When, if I sin, T hou chastenest me that I may return u nto T hee. Bu t with goodwill and cheerfu lness su pport my sou l; When T hou strengthenest my sou l, what is given to me will be su ff icient for me. For if Thou givest not strength, Who can endu re chastisement w ith poverty? When a man is rebuk ed by means of his corru ption, T hy testing of him is in his flesh and in the affliction of poverty. If the righteou s endu reth in all these trials, he shall receive mercy from the Lord. PSALM XVII "They set a wo rldly mona rchy . . . . they la y waste the Thro ne o f Da vid !' A poetic na rra tive abou t the utter d isin tegra tion o f a grea t na tion . O Lord, T hou art ou r King for ever and ever,

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For in T hee, O God, doth ou r sou l glory. How long are the days of man's life u pon the earth? As a re his days, so is the hope set u pon him. Bu t we hope in God, our deliverer; For the might of ou r God is for ever with mercy, And the k ingdom of ou r God is for ever over the nations in ju dgement. T hou , O Lord, didst choose David to be k ing over I srael, And swaredst to him tou ching his seed that never shou ld his k ingdom fa il before T hee. Bu t, for our sins, sinners rose u p a ga inst u s; T hey assailed u s and thru st u s ou t; Wha t T hou hadst not promised to them, they took away from u s with violence. T hey in no wise glorified T hy h onou ra ble name; T hey set a worldly monarchy in pla ce of that which was their exce llency; T hey laid waste the throne of D a vid in tu mu ltu ou s arrogance. Bu t T hou , O God, didst cast them down, and remove their seed from the ea rth, In tha t there rose u p against them a ma n that was alien to our race. According to their sins didst T hou recompen se them, O God; So that it befell them according to their deeds. God showed them no pity; He sou ght ou t their seed and let not one of them go free. Fa ithfu l is the Lord in all His ju dgements Which He doeth u pon the earth. T he la wless one laid waste ou r land so tha t none inhabited it,

T hey destroyed you ng and old and their children together. In the heat of His anger He sent them a way even u nto the west, And He exposed the ru lers of the land u nsparingly to derision. Being an alien the enemy acted prou dly, And his heart was alien from Ou r God. And all things whatsoever he did in Jeru salem, As also the nations in the cities to their gods. And the children o f the covenant in the midst of the mingled peoples su rpassed them in evil. T here was not among them one that wrou ght in the midst of Jeru sa lem mercy and tru th. T hey that loved the synagogu es of the piou s fled from them, As sparrows that fly from their nest. T hey wandered in deserts that their lives might be saved fro m harm, And preciou s in the eyes o f them that lived abroad was any that e scaped alive from them. Over the whole earth were they scattered by lawless men. For the heavens withheld the rain from dropping u pon the earth, Springs were stopped that sprang perennially out of the deeps, that ran down from lofty mou ntains. For there was none among them that wrou ght righteou sness and ju stice; From the chief of th em to the lea st of them all were sinfu l; T he k ing was a transgressor, and the ju dge disobedient, and the people sin fu l. Behold, O Lord, and raise u p u nto them their k ing, the son of David, At the time in the which T hou

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see st, O God, that he may reign ov er Isra el T hy servant. And gird him with strength, that he ma y shatter u nrighteou s ru lers, And that he may pu rge Jeru salem from nations that trample her down to destru ction. Wisely, righteou sly he shall thru st ou t sinners from the inheritance, He shall destroy the pride of the sinner as a potter's vessel. With a rod of iron he shall break in pieces all their su bstance, He shall destroy the godless n a tions with the word of hi s mou th; At his rebu k e nations shall flee b efore him, And he shall reprove sinners for the thou ghts of their heart. And he shall gather together a holy people, who m he shall lead in rig hteou sness, And he shall ju dge the tribes of the people that has been sanctified by the Lord his God. And he shall not su ffer u nrighteou sness to lodg e any more in their midst, Nor shall there dwell with them a ny ma n that k noweth wick edness, For he shall k now them, that they a re a ll sons of their God. And he shall divide them according to their tribes u pon the land, And neither sojou rner nor a lien sha ll sojou rn with them any more. He sha ll ju dge peoples and nations in the wisdom o f his righteou sness. Se la h. And he shall have the heathen na tions to serve him u nder his yok e; And he shall glorify the Lord in a pla ce to be seen of all the earth; And he shall pu rge Jeru salem, ma k ing it holy as of old: So tha t nations shall come from the

ends o f the earth to see his glory, Bringing as gifts her sons who had fainted. And to see the glory o f the Lord, wherewith God hath glorified her. And he sha ll be a righteou s k ing, tau ght of God, over them, And there shall be no u nrighteou sness in his days in their midst, For all shall be holy and their king the anointed of the Lord. For he shall not pu t his tru st in horse and rider and bow, Nor shall he mu ltiply for himself gold and silver for war, Nor shall he gather confidence fro m a multitu de for the day of battle. T he Lord Himself is his k ing, the hope of hi m that is mighty throu gh his hope in God. All nations shall be in fear before him, For he will smite the earth with the word of his mou th for ever. He will bless the people o f the Lord with wisdo m and gladness, And he himself will be pu re from sin, so that he may ru le a great people. He will rebuk e rulers, and remove sinners by the might o f his word; And relying u pon his God, throu ghout his days he will not stu mble; For God will mak e him mighty by means of His holy spirit, And wise by means o f the spirit of u nderstanding, with strength and righteou sness. And the blessing o f the Lord will be with him: he will be strong and stu mble not; His hope will be in the Lord: who then can prevail against him? He will, be mighty in his work s, and strong in the fear of God,

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He will be shepherding the flock of the Lord faithfu lly and righteou sly, And will su ffer none among them to stu mble in their pasture. He will lead them all aright, And there will be no pride among them that any among them shou ld be oppressed. T his will be the majesty of the k ing of Isra el whom God k noweth; He will raise him u p o ver the hou se of Israel to correct him. His words shall be more refined tha n costly gold, the choicest; In the assemblies he will ju dge the peoples, the tribes o f the sanctified. His words shall be lik e the words of the holy ones in the mid st of sanct ified peoples. Blessed be th ey that shall be in those days, In tha t they shall see the good fo rtu ne of Israel which God shall bring to pa ss in the gathering together of the tribes. Ma y the Lord hasten His mercy u pon Israel! Ma y He deliver u s from the u nclea nness o f u nholy enemies! T he Lord Himself is ou r k ing for ever a nd ever. PSALM XVIII With th is p sa lm end the wa rlike Son gs o f So lo mon . Lord, T hy mercy is over the work s of T hy hands for ever; T hy goodness is ov er Israel with a rich gift. T hine eyes look u pon them, so that none of them su ffers want; T hine ears listen to the hopefu l pra yer of the poor. T hy ju dgements are execu ted u pon the whole earth in mercy;

And T hy love is toward the seed of Abraham, the children of Israel. T hy chastisement is u po n u s as u pon a first-born, only-begotten son, To turn back the obedient sou l from folly that is wrou ght in igno rance. May God cleanse Israel against the day of mercy and blessing, Against the day of choice wh en Blessed shall they be that shall be in those days, He bringeth back His anointed. In that they shall see the goodness of the Lord which He shall perform for the generation that is to come, Under the rod of chastenin g of the Lord's anointed in the fear of his God, In the spirit of wisdom and r ighteou sness and strength; T hat he may direct every man in the work s of righteou sness by th e fear of God, T hat he may establish them all b efore the Lord, A good gen eration living in the fear of God in the days of mercy. Selah. Great is our God and glor iou s, dwelling in the highest. It is He who hath established in their cou rses the lights of heaven for determining season s from y ear to year, And they have not tu rned aside from the way which He appointed them. In the fear of God they pu rsu e their path every day, From the day God created them and for evermore. And they have erred not since the day He created them. Since the generations of old they have not withdrawn from their path,

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Unless God co mmanded them so to do by the command of His servants.

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