8 O daughter of Babylon, thou destroyer ! Happy may he be, who requiteth thee, As thou hast dealt with us! 9 Happy may he be, who taketh thy little ones, And dasheth them against the stones! PSALM CXXXVIII. Thanksgiving for deliverance. This psalm is commonly supposed to refer to the circumstances of David, when, after the death of Saul, he was established on the throne. De Wette thinks that it bears the marks of a later age than that of David. 1 A psalm of David. I WILL praise thee with my whole heart; 2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, And praise thee for thy goodness and thy truth; For thou hast made thy promise greater than all thy praise ! 3 In the day, when I called, thou didst hear me ; Thou didst strengthen me, and encourage my soul. 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, When they hear the promises of thy mouth; 5 Yea, they shall sing of the ways of Jehovah, For great is Jehovah's glory. 6 Jehovah is high, yet he looketh upon the humble, And the proud he knoweth from afar. 7 Though I walk through the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me ; Thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of my enemies; Thou wilt save me by thy right hand! 8 Jehovah will perform all things for me; Thy goodness, O Lord, endureth for ever; Forsake not the works of thine hands! PSALM CXXXIX. The universal presence and knowledge of God. On account of certain Chaldaic forms which occur in it, several critics assign this psalm to a later age than that of David. For the leader of the music. A psalm of David. 1 O LORD, thou hast searched me and known me. 2 Thou knowest my resting and my rising; Thou understandest my thoughts from afar. 3 Thou seest my path and my lying down, And art acquainted with all my ways! 4 Before the word is upon my tongue, Behold, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether! 5 Thou enclosest me behind and before, And layest thine hand upon me! 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain to it! 7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit, And whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed in Hades, behold, thou art there! 9 Should I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the remotest parts of the sea, 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me ! 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall conceal me; Even the night shall be light about me. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, But the night shineth as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to thee! 13 For thou didst form my reins; Thou didst shelter me in my mother's womb. 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvellous are thy works, And this my soul knoweth full well! 15 My substance was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret; When I was curiously wrought in the lower parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, while yet unformed; And in thy book was every thing written; My days were appointed, before one of them existed. 17 How incomprehensible to me are thy thoughts, O God! How immense their sum! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the 19 sand; When I awake, I am still with thee! O that thou wouldst slay the wicked, O God! 20 For they speak evil against thee; Thine enemies are lifted up to utter impiety. 21 Do I not hate them that hate thee, O Jehovah ? Do I not abhor them, that rise up against thee? 22 Yea, I hate them with perfect hatred ; I count them mine enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my thoughts ; 24 And see, if there be any idolatrous way in me, And lead me in the ancient way! V. 8. Hades, i. e. a place very deep under ground, supposed by the ancient Hebrews to be the receptable of all the dead without distinction of character. V. 13. Didst shelter, otherwise, didst weave. PSALM CXL. Prayer for aid against the wicked. Commonly supposed to have been composed by David, in reference to the persecution of Saul and his courtiers. 1 For the leader of the music. A psalm of David. DELIVER me, O God, from the evil man ; Save me from the man of violence! 2 Who meditate mischief in their hearts, And daily stir up war. 3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; The poison of the adder is under their lips. 4 Defend me, O God, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from men of violence, Who have resolved to cause my fall! 5 The proud have hidden snares and cords for me; 6 I say to Jehovah, Thou art my God; Hear, O Jehovah, the voice of my supplication! 7 O Lord Jehovah, thou art my powerful aid ; Thou shelterest my head in the day of battle. 8 Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; Let not their devices prosper; Let them not exalt themselves! 9 As for the heads of those, that encompass me, Let the mischief of their own lips cover them. 10 Let burning coals fall upon them; May they be cast into the fire ; And into deep waters, from which they shall never arise! 11 The slanderer shall not be established upon the earth; Evil shall pursue the violent man to destruction. 12 I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And defend the rights of the poor. 13 Yea, the righteous shall praise thy name; The upright shall dwell in thy presence! PSALM CXLI. A prayer for deliverance. Some suppose it to be a composition of David, having reference to his distress caused by the persecution of Saul; others, that it was written by an exile during the captivity. 1 For the leader of the music. A psalm of David. I CRY to thee, O Lord! make haste unto me ! Give ear to my voice, when I cry unto thee! 2 Let my prayer come before thee as incense, And the lifting up of my hands, as the evening sacrifice! 3 Set a watch, O Jehovah, before my mouth ; Keep the door of my lips! 4 Let not my heart incline to any evil thing; Let me not practise wickedness with the impious; 5 Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness; 6 Their judges were dismissed by the side of the rock; They heard my words, which were peaceful. 7 Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, Like clods of earth, and chips of wood upon the ground. |