27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause;

Let them ever say, "Exalted be Jehovah,

'Who delighteth in the prosperity of his servant! " 28 So shall my tongue speak of thy righteousness, And daily repeat thy praise.

V. 13. My prayer, &c. i. e. I sat on the ground and prayed with my head bent toward my bosom. This was a posture in prayer common amongst the Orientals. - V. 21. Our eye seeth it, i. e. what we have long wished

to see.

PSALM XXXVI.

Complaint of the wickedness of men; description of the goodness of God; prayer for help.

For the leader of the music. A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord.

1

FROM the heart of the wicked proceed impious

counsels;

He hath no fear of God before his eyes.

2 He flattereth himself in his own eyes,

That God will not discover and hate his iniquity.

3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit ; He neglecteth to be wise and to do good.

4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed;

He persevereth in an evil way;

He hath no abhorrence of sin.

5 Thy goodness, O Lord, reacheth to the heavens, And thy faithfulness to the clouds;

6 Thy righteousness is like the high mountains; Thy judgments are a great deep;

Thou, O Lord, preservest man and beast!

7 How precious is thy goodness, O God!

The sons of men seek refuge under the shadow of thy wings.

8 They are satisfied with the abundance of thy house; And thou causest them to drink of the full stream of

thy pleasures.

9 For with thee is the fountain of life;

10

Through thy light we see light.

O continue thy goodness to them, that know thee; And thy favor to the upright in heart!

11 Let not the foot of the proud come upon me, Nor the hand of the wicked remove me!

12 Lo! already are the workers of iniquity fallen ; They are cast down; they are unable to rise.

V. 8. The abundance of thy house : A figurative expression, by which God is represented under the image of a rich and hospitable master of a house. There is no allusion to a place of worship. — V. 9. Of life, i. e. of happiness. Through thy light, i. e. thy favor. We see light, i. e. we enjoy prosperity. V. 11. Remove me, i. e. persecute me from house and home.

PSALM XXXVII.

A didactic psalm on the rewards of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked. It is the third alphabetic psalm. In this each of the Hebrew letters includes two verses.

A psalm of David.

1 Be not angry on account of the wicked, Nor be envious of those, who do iniquity.

2 For soon shall they be cut down, like grass, like the green herb.

And wither,

3

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Abide in the land, and pursue righteousness.

4 Place thy delight in the Lord,

And he will give thee thy heart's desires.

5 Cast thy cares upon the Lord;

Trust in him, and he will give thee success.

6 He will cause thy justice to shine forth like the light, And thy righteousness like the noonday's brightness.

7

8

Repose thou on the Lord,

And in him place thy trust;

Be not angry on account of the prosperous;

On account of him that deviseth deceit.

Cease from anger; give not way to wrath ;

Be not provoked to do evil thyself;

9 For evil-doers shall be rooted out;

But they who trust in Jehovah, they shall inherit the land.

10 Yet a little while, and the wicked shall be no more ; Thou mayest look for his place, and he will not be found.

11 But the meek shall inherit the land,

And delight themselves in the fulness of prosperity.

12 The wicked man plotteth against the just, And gnasheth at him with his teeth.

13 Jehovah laugheth at him;

14

For he seeth that his day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword,

And bend their bow,

To cast down the afflicted and the needy,
And to slay the upright.

15 Their swords shall enter their own hearts, And their bows shall be broken in pieces.

16

Better is the little of the righteous man Than the great abundance of the wicked; 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But Jehovah will sustain the righteous.

18

Jehovah careth for the life of the upright, And their inheritance shall endure for ever. 19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall have enough.

Yea, the enemies of Jehovah shall be consumed, like

the glory of the fields;

They shall be consumed into smoke.

21 The wicked borroweth, and repayeth not;

But the righteous is merciful and liberal.

22 For they, who are blessed by God, shall inherit the land,

And they, who are cursed by him, shall be rooted out.

23 The steps of the good man are directed by Jehovah ; He delighteth himself in his way.

24 Though he fall, he shall not be left prostrate,

25

For Jehovah holdeth him by the hand.

I have been young, and now am old;
Yet have I never seen the righteous forsaken,

Nor his posterity begging bread.

26 He is ever merciful and lendeth,

And his posterity is greatly blessed.

27

Depart from evil and do good,

And thou shalt dwell in the land for ever.

28 For Jehovah loveth righteousness,

And forsaketh not his servants;

They are preserved for ever;

But the posterity of the wicked shall be rooted out. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land,

30

And dwell therein for ever.

The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom,
And his tongue speaketh what is right.

31 The law of his God is in his heart;
His footsteps never slip.

32

The wicked watcheth the righteous,
And seeketh to slay him;

33 Jehovah will not leave him in his hand,

34

35

Nor suffer him to be condemned, when he is judged.

Trust in Jehovah, and keep his way,

And he will raise thee to the possession of the land;
Whilst thou shalt see the destruction of the wicked.

I have seen a wicked man in great power,
And spreading himself like a green cedar;
36 But he passed away, and lo! he was no more;
Yea, I sought him, but he was not found.

37

Maintain uprightness, and observe integrity; For the man of peace hath descendants. 38 But transgressors will all be destroyed;

The posterity of the wicked shall be rooted out.