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II

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I will exult and rejoice in thy goodness-
when thou haft feen mine affliction,
adverted to the diftrefs of my foul,

refcued me from the hand of mine enemy,
and fet my feet in a freer space.

Pity me, JEHOVAH! for in diftress I am:
Mine eye, my foul, and my body
are wafted with vexation!

My life is confumed with forrow,
and my years with fighing!

My vigour is exhausted by affliction,

and my bones are corroded with grief!
Of all my foes I am the reproach;

to my neighbours a burthen,

to mine acquaintance a dread!

They, who see me abroad, fhun me;

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like a veffel that has been loft.

When I hear the reproaches of the many,
terror encompaffeth me on every fide;
while against me they confult together;
and lay plots to take away my life!

Yet in thee, JEHOVAH! I confide:
I fay: "My God thou art:

"My fate is in thine hands:

"Rescue me from the

"fecutors.

power

of my

foes and per

"Make thy countenance to fhine on thy fervant : "Save me, JEHOVAH! for thy goodnefs' fake; "let me not be confounded, fince thee I invoke. "Be the wicked confounded,

"and drop filently down to Hadés!

"dumb be the lips of falfehood

"that speak harshly against the innocent,

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❝ with haughtiness and contempt."

How many, † JEHOVAH! are the good things which thou referveft for those who revere thee

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haft prepared for those who make thee their refuge, in despite of the fons of man!

In the covert of thine own countenance thou hideft them,

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Although this pfalm is not hard to be understood by the Hebrew scholar, many paffages are not easily rendered into any modern tongue. I have laboured to make them intelligible, without much deviation from the letter: yet a few explanatory notes may be not unneceffary. Ver. 9. Refcued me from the band of mine enemy. Lit. " haft not shut me up in the hand of mine enemy:" but as negative propositions in Hebrew are often equivalent in sense to opposite positives, I deemed it better to use an equivalent, as more agreeable to what precedes and follows.-Ver. 12. Nothing could better paint the distressful fituation of David, than the emphatic terms which he uses in this and the two fol

lowing verses. Ver. 20. The word Jehovah is authorised by Sep. Arab. and one MS.-Ver. 21. Thou hideft me in thine inmost sanctuary. This is to be considered as a mere metaphor; allufive, however, to the inner part, or Holy of Holies, of the real tabernacle. - Ver. 22. In a fortified city. The original here has been fuppofed by Houbigant, and others, to be corrupted: but I fee no reason for such a fuppofition. The words refer, I think, to the city of Ziklag, which was by Achish affigned to David, and where he was no more molested by Saul.

PSALM XXXII.-al. XXXI.

This psalm seems to bave been composed after David's repentance for bis adultery with Uriab's wife, and the consequent murder of Uriab.-It is the second of the psalms called Penitential. The title is :

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2

3

5

6

AN INSTRUCTIVE PSALM OF DAVID.
HAPPY is he-

whofe tranfgreffion is pardoned, and fin forgiven.
Happy is the man—

to whom JEHOVAH imputeth not iniquity;

and whose foul is void of deceit.

While I was deaf to remorse, my bones were wasted from my roaring all the day long!

for day and night thine hand aggrieved me;
moisture was turned into fummer-drought.
My fin, at length, to thee I confeffed;

my

mine iniquity I ftrove not to conceal.

I faid: "TO JEHOVAH I will own my trefpaffes:" and straight thou remittedft the guilt of my fin. Whofoever fhall piously thus to thee pray,

(at a feafon when favour may yet be found)

him the greatest flood of waters shall not reach.

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Thou art my refuge-from trouble thou haft freed

me

and given me caufe for fongs of deliverance.

E

"I myself (faidft thou) will inftruct thee,
"and fhow thee the way thou shouldst go:
"mine eye on thee I will keep.

"That thou be not like a horfe-like a mule-
"which, untaught to the bridle and rein,
❝ will not come near one, to be jaw-bound.”
Many are the forrows of the wicked:

but

mercy will attend him who trusteth in JEHOVAH. In JEHOVAH be glad and rejoice, ye just;

and fhout for joy, all ye upright in heart.

NOTES.

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II.

Ver. 6. The greatest flood of waters, i. e. the greatest calarnities; a very common Hebrew metaphor.-Ver. 9. The common rendering of this verse is to me unintelligible; yet the meaning is obvious; nor is there any need for correcting the text as it now stands. The bridles of that age were not like our bridles: they had neither bit nor chain. They were forts of halters, or head-stalls, which are still used as bridles in fome parts of this ifland. The metaphor is natural and ex. preffive. Ver. 11. This verfe is by fome thought to belong to the next pfalm, and is there placed by Green and Street.

PSALM XXXIII.-al. XXXII.

In the Hebrew copy this psalm has no title, but in Sep. Syr. and Vulg. it is called

A PSALM OF DAVID.

REJOICE, ye juft, in JEHOVAH:

praise becometh the righteous.

Praise JEHOVAH on the harp;

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fing to him with the ten-ftringed pfaltery.

Sing to him a new song :

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ftrike up a tuneful melody.

For upright is the word of JEHOVAH ; and faithful are all his works.

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of the goodness of JEHOVAH the earth is full.

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By the word of JEHOVAH the heavens were made;
and all their hofts by the breath of his mouth.
The waters of the fea he collected, as in a bottle:
in store-houses he depofited the depths.

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Let the whole earth revere JEHOVAH !

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II

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fear him, all the inhabitants of the globe!
For he spoke and it was made!

he commanded-and it arofe into exiftence.
JEHOVAH fruftrateth the purposes of nations;
disappointeth the defigns of peoples.

The purpose of JEHOVAH standeth for ever:
the defigns of his heart from generation to generation.
Happy the nation whofe God is JEHOVAH;
the people, he hath chofen for his heritage.

From the heavens JEHOVAH looketh down;
beholdeth all the children of man :

14 from the place of his own refidence,
vicweth all the inhabitants of the globe:
15 directing the bent of every heart;
and attending to all their operations.

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No king is faved by a numerous hoft, nor hero by greatness of might :

17 impotent is the fteed to fave his rider;

and, with all his strength, unable to rescue.

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Lo! the eye of JEHOVAH is on thofe who fear

him;

on those who truft to his benevolence;

to fecure their lives from death,

and preferve them even in a famine.

Our foul's hope is in JEHOVAH: our help and our shield is HE.

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