I fay: "JEHOVAH is my hope, and my fortrefs, "my GoD, in whom I put my trust!"

He, indeed, will deliver thee from the fnare of the 3

fowler,

and from every mischievous defign:

with his plumage he will cover thee,
and under his wings thou fhalt be fecure.
His truth being thy fhield and buckler,
thou needeft not dread the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flieth by day:

neither the mischief that ftalketh in darkness,
nor the deftruction that wasteth at noon-day.
A thousand shall fall, by thy fide,

and ten thousand on thy right hand:

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5

6

7

but to thee harm fhall not approach.

Thou fhalt only behold with thine eyes,

and fee the recompenfe of the wicked.

Because thou haft made JEHOVAH thy refuge,

the Moft High thy shelter,

no evil fhall befall thee,

nor any plague come near thy dwelling.

For he will give his angels charge over thee,

to preferve thee in all thy ways:

in their hands they will bear thee up,

left thou dash thy foot against a stone.

On the adder and the afpic thou mayst tread :

8

9

ΙΟ

II

12

13

on the water-fnake and crocodile thou mayft trample ! "Because he loveth me (faith God) I will refcue 14

❝ him :

❝ will protect him, because he owneth my name.

15

16

"When he invoketh me, I will anfwer him :
"I will be with him in his diftrefs:

"I will deliver and bring him to honour.
"With a long life I will fatisfy him,

❝ and will manifest to him my faving power."

NOTES.

Ver. 13. The adder. This is commonly rendered the lion: but wrongly. The parallelism is thereby loft: and one is not apt to tread on lions, but very apt to tread on the serpentine kind. I am inclined to think that the pfalmift meant to exprefs two generical forts of reptiles; the viper and the ferpent: the former a viviparous, the latter an oviparous animal.—Ib. the water-fnake. This too is rendered a young lion. But I think it must be the water-fnake, in parallelism with the croco dile; commonly rendered dragon.

I

2

PSALM XCII.-al. XCI.

A PSALM-SONG, FOR THE SABBATH DAY.
IT is right to give thanks to JEHOVAH!
to fing pfalms to thy name, thou Most High!
to celebrate thy bounty in the morning,

3

and thy faithfulness every evening;

4

on the decachord, and on the lute,

with the sweet melody of the harp !

5

for thou delighteft me by thy wonderful doings; in the works of thine hands I exult for joy.

6

7

How great thy works, JEHOVAH! how deep thy

designs!

But the ftupid man obferveth not;

the fool understandeth not this.

8

When the wicked spring up like the herbs,

and the workers of iniquity flourish :
it is but to be extirpated for ever!
But thou, JEHOVAH! art for ever exalted.
While, lo! thine enemies, JEHOVAH!
while, lo! thine enemies perifh,

and difperfed are the workers of iniquity:
Thou exalteft mine horn, like the buffalo's.
With fresh oil I am anointed:

mine eye hath feen the fate of mine enemies:
mine ears have heard the fate of malignant foes.
The juft fhall flourish like a palm-tree;
fhall grow up like a cedar of Lebanon:
Planted by the houfe of JEHOVAH,

they shall flourish in the courts of our GOD!
In their old age, even, they fhall bloffom;
full of fap, and green they fhall remain :

to manifeft the juftice of JEHOVAH, my rock; in whom there is nothing unrighteous.

16

NOTES.

Ver. 11. With fresh oil thou anointeft me. The meaning is, that I am as much comforted by thy bounty, as if I were anointed with fresh oil. A metaphor drawn from oriental ufage, and not hard to be understood.

PSALM XCIII.-al. XCII.

This psalm bas no title: nor is it easy to guess when, or by whom, it was composed. I would give it to David.

JEHOVAH reigneth, clothed in excellency: JEHOVAH is clothed and begirt with power.

The globe he hath fo fixed, that it cannot be removed; thy throne, JEHOVAH ! was established of old : thou art from all eternity.

2

3

The floods, JEHOVAH! the floods may raise their

Ver. 5.

NOTE.

I have tranfpofed Jehovah from the 2d comma, for the greater perfpicuity: and in rendering the comma, I differ fomewhat from all the verfions. See C. R.

PSALM XCIV.-al, XCIII.

This psalm bas no title in the original: but in Sep. Syr. Arab. it is ascribed to David. I believe it to have been composed during the persecution of Antiocbus.

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2

O GOD of avengeance, JEHOVAH !
O GOD of avengeance! fhine forth!
Rouse thyfelf, thou judge of the earth!
to the proud retaliate a recompense.
JEHOVAH! how long fhall the wicked-
how long fhall the wicked triumph ?—

3

4

fhall they prate, and speak bitter reproach?

shall all the workers of iniquity infolently boast?

5

Thy people, JEHOVAH! they harass s;

and thine heritage they aggrieve:

6

The widow and the pilgrim they slay;
and the fatherless they maffacre!

7

Yet they fay: "JEHOVAH will not fee:

"the GOD of Jacob will not observe us." Be inftructed, ye most stupid of peoples! Ah! when, ye fools, will ye be wife? Shall HE, who planted the ear, not hear? fhall HE, who formed the eye, not fee?

fhall not HE, who chaftifeth nations, correct?

8

9

10

fhall not HE, who teacheth man knowledge, know? Well knoweth JEHOVAH, how vain the defigns of man. 11 Happy is the man,

whom thou, JEHOVAH! inftructeft,

and to whom thou giveft leffons from thy law;

to make him tranquil in the days of adverfity:

while a pit is digging for the wicked.

12

13

For JEHOVAH will not forfake his people, nor abandon his own heritage;

14

but to the juft fhall justice be rendered,

15

and his adherents fhall be all the upright of heart.

Who, for me, will oppose the malignant?

16

who, for me, refift the workers of iniquity?

If JEHOVAH come not to mine aid,

17

I fhall foon be in my filent grave.

When I think that my foot is already flipping,

18

thy bounty, JEHOVAH! fupporteth me. In the multitude of mine inward anxieties,

19

thy confolations delight my foul.

Wilt thou favour the throne of tyrants,

20

and my GOD is the rock of my refuge.