assisted Mr. Book and transcribed selections from the first editions included as appendices.
HISTORY
This three volume e-text set comes from multiple editions of Challoner’s revised Douay-Rheims Version of the Holy Bible. The division of the Old Testaments into two parts follows the two tome format of the 1609/1610 printing of the Old Testament. In 1568 English exiles, many from Oxford, established the English College of Douay (Douai/Doway), Flanders, under William (later Cardinal) Allen. In October, 1578, Gregory Martin began the work of preparing an English translation of the Bible for Catholic readers, the first such translation into Modern English. Assisting were William Allen, Richard Bristow, Thomas Worthington, and William Reynolds who revised, criticized, and corrected Dr. Martin’s work. The college published the New Testament at Rheims (Reims/Rhemes), France, in 1582 through John Fogny with a preface and explanatory notes, authored chiefly by Bristol, Allen, and Worthington. Later the Old Testament was published at Douay in two parts (1609 and 1610) by Laurence Kellam through the efforts of Dr. Worthington, then superior of the seminary. The translation had been prepared before the appearance of the New Testament, but the publication was delayed due to financial difficulties. The religious and scholarly adherence to the Latin Vulgate text led to the less elegant and idiomatic words and phrases often found in the translation. In some instances where no English word conveyed the full meaning of the Latin, a Latin word was Anglicized and its meaning defined in a glossary. Although ridiculed by critics, many of these words later found common usage in the English language. Spellings of proper names and the numbering of the Psalms are adopted from the Latin Vulgate.
In 1749 Dr. Richard Challoner began a major revision of the Douay and Rheims texts, the spellings and phrasing of which had become increasingly archaic in the almost two centuries since the translations were first produced. He modernized the diction and introduced a more fluid style, while faithfully maintaining the accuracy of Dr. Martin’s texts. This revision became the ‘de facto’ standard text for English speaking Catholics until the twentieth century. It is still highly regarded by many for its style, although it is now rarely used for liturgical purposes. The notes included in this electronic edition are generally attributed to Bishop Challoner.
The 1610 printing of the second tome of the Old Testament includes an appendix containing the non-canonical books ‘Prayer of Manasses,’ ‘Third Booke of Esdras,’ and ‘Fourth Booke of Esdras.’ While not part of Challoner’s revision, the 1610 texts are placed in the appendices of Vol. II of this e-text set. Also included are the original texts of two short books, ‘The Prophecie of Abdias’ (Vol. II) and ‘The Catholike Epistle of Iude the Apostle’ (Vol. III), to give the reader a sense of the language of the first editions in comparison to the Challoner revision. Further background on the Douay-Rheims version may be found in a selection from the preface to the 1582 edition and the original glossary included in the appendices of Vol. III.
CONTENTS
The Second Part of the Old Testament
Book of Psalms
Book of Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Solomon’s Canticle of Canticles
Book of Wisdom
Ecclesiasticus
Prophecy of Isaias
Prophecy of Jeremias
Lamentations of Jeremias
Prophecy of Baruch
Prophecy of Ezechiel
Prophecy of Daniel
Prophecy of Osee
Prophecy of Joel
Prophecy of Amos
Prophecy of Abdias
Prophecy of Jonas
Prophecy of Micheas
Prophecy of Nahum
Prophecy of Habacuc
Prophecy of Sophonias
Prophecy of Aggeus
Prophecy of Zacharias
Prophecy of Malachias
First Book of Machabees
Second Book of Machabees
Appendices
The Prayer of Manasses
The Third Booke of Esdras
The Fourth Booke of Esdras
The Prophecie of Abdias
THE BOOK OF PSALMS
The psalms are called by the Hebrews TEHILLIM, that is, Hymns of Praise. The author, of a great part of them at least, was king David: but many are of opinion that some of them were made by Asaph, and others whose names are prefixed in the titles.
Psalms Chapter 1
Beatus vir.
The happiness of the just and the evil state of the wicked.
1:1. Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence:
1:2. But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.
1:3. And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season. And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.
1:4. Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth.
1:5. Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment: nor sinners in the council of the just.
1:6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.
Psalms Chapter 2
Quare fremuerunt.
The vain efforts of persecutors against Christ and his church.
2:1. Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?
2:2. The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord, and against his Christ.
2:3. Let us break their bonds asunder: and let us cast away their yoke from us.
2:4. He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them: and the Lord shall deride them.
2:5. Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage.
2:6. But I am appointed king by him over Sion, his holy mountain, preaching his commandment.
2:7. The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.
2:8. Ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession.
2:9. Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron, and shalt break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
2:10. And now, O ye kings, understand: receive instruction, you that judge the earth.
2:11. Serve ye the Lord with fear: and rejoice unto him with trembling.
2:12. Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way.
2:13. When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him.
Psalms Chapter 3
Domine, quid multiplicati.
The prophet’s danger and delivery from his son Absalom: mystically, the passion and resurrection of Christ.
3:1. The psalm of David when he fled from the face of his son Absalom.
3:2. Many say to my soul: There is no salvation for him in his God.
3:4. But thou, O Lord, art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.
3:5. I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill.
3:6. I have slept and have taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me.
3:7. I will not fear thousands of the people surrounding me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.
3:8. For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.
3:9. Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people.
Psalms Chapter 4
Cum invocarem.
The prophet teacheth us to flee to God in tribulation, with confidence in him.
4:1. Unto the end, in verses. A psalm for David.
Unto the end. . .Or, as St. Jerome renders it, victori, to him that overcometh: which some understand of the chief musician; to whom they suppose the psalms, which bear that title, were given to be sung: we rather understand the psalms thus inscribed to refer to Christ, who is the end of the law, and the great conqueror of death and hell, and to the New Testament.–Ibid. In verses, in carminibus. . .In the Hebrew, it is neghinoth, supposed by some to be a musical instrument, with which this psalm was to be sung.–Ibid. For David, or to David. . .That is, inspired to David himself, or to be sung.
4:2. When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress, thou hast enlarged me. Have mercy on me: and hear my prayer.
4:3. O ye sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? why do you love vanity, and seek after lying?
4:4. Know ye also that the Lord hath made his holy one wonderful: the Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him.
4:5. Be ye angry, and sin not: the things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds.
4:6. Offer up the sacrifice of justice, and trust in the Lord: many say, Who sheweth us good things?
4:7. The light of thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us: thou hast given gladness in my heart.
4:8. By the fruit of their corn, their wine, and oil, they rest:
4:9. In peace in the self same I will sleep, and I will rest:
4:10. For thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.
Psalms Chapter 5
Verba mea auribul.
A prayer to God against the iniquities of men.
5:1. Unto the end, for her that obtaineth the inheritance. A psalm for David.
For her that obtaineth the inheritance. . .That is, for the church of Christ.
5:2. Give ear, O Lord, to my words, understand my cry.
5:3. Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God.
5:4. For to thee will I pray: O Lord, in the morning thou shalt hear my voice.
5:5. In the morning I will stand before thee, and I will see: because thou art not a God that willest iniquity.
5:6. Neither shall the wicked dwell near thee: nor shall the unjust abide before thy eyes.
5:7. Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity: thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie. The bloody and the deceitful man the Lord will abhor.
5:8. But as for me in the multitude of thy mercy, I will come into thy house; I will worship towards thy holy temple, in thy fear.
5:9. Conduct me, O Lord, in thy justice: because of my enemies, direct my way in thy sight.
5:10. For there is no truth in their mouth: their heart is vain.
5:11. Their throat is an open sepulchre: they dealt deceitfully with their tongues: judge them, O God. Let them fall from their devices: according to the multitude of their wickednesses cast them out: for they have provoked thee, O Lord.
5:12. But let all them be glad that hope in thee: they shall rejoice for ever, and thou shalt dwell in them. And all they that love thy name shall glory in thee.
5:13. For thou wilt bless the just. O Lord, thou hast crowned us, as with a shield of thy good will.
Psalms Chapter 6
Domine, ne in furore.
A prayer of a penitent sinner, under the scourge of God. The first penitential psalm.
6:1. Unto the end, in verses, a psalm for David, for the octave.
For the octave. . .That is, to be sung on an instrument of eight strings. St. Augustine understands it mystically, of the last resurrection, and the world to come; which is, as it were, the octave, or eighth day, after the seven days of this mortal life: and for this octave, sinners must dispose themselves, like David, by bewailing their sins, whilst they are here upon earth.
6:2. O Lord, rebuke me not in thy indignation, nor chastise me in thy wrath.
6:3. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
6:4. And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but thou, O Lord, how long?
6:5. Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for thy mercy’s sake.
6:6. For there is no one in death, that is mindful of thee: and who shall confess to thee in hell?
6:7. I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears.
6:8. My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies.
6:9. Depart from em, all ye workers of iniquity: for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.
6:10. The Lord hath heard my supplication: the Lord hath received my prayer.
6:11. Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much troubled: let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.
Psalms Chapter 7
Domine, Deus meus.
David, trusting in the justice of his cause, prayeth for God’s help against his enemies.
7:1. The psalm of David, which he sung to the Lord, for the words of Chusi, the son of Jemini.
7:2. O Lord, my God, in thee have I put my trust; same me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.
7:3. Lest at any time he seize upon my soul like a lion, while there is no one to redeem me, nor to save.
7:4. O Lord, my God, if I have done this thing, if there be iniquity in my hands:
7:5. If I have rendered to them that repaid me evils, let me deservedly fall empty before my enemies.
7:6. Let the enemy pursue my soul, and take it, and tread down my life, on the earth, and bring down my glory to the dust.
7:7. Rise up, O Lord, in thy anger: and be thou exalted in the borders of my enemies. And arise, O Lord, my God, in the precept which thou hast commanded:
7:8. And a congregation of people shall surround thee. And for their sakes return thou on high.
7:9. The Lord judgeth the people. Judge me, O Lord, according to my justice, and according to my innocence in me.
7:10. The wickedness of sinners shall be brought to nought; and thou shalt direct the just: the searcher of hearts and reins is God. Just
7:11. Is my help from the Lord; who saveth the upright of heart.
7:12. God is a just judge, strong and patient: is he angry every day?
7:13. Except you will be converted, he will brandish his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
7:14. And in it he hath prepared to instruments of death, he hath made ready his arrows for them that burn.
For them that burn. . .That is, against the persecutors of his saints.
7:15. Behold he hath been in labour with injustice: he hath conceived sorrow, and brought forth iniquity.
7:16. He hath opened a pit and dug it: and he is fallen into the hole he made.
7:17. His sorrow shall be turned on his own head: and his iniquity shall come down upon his crown.
7:18. I will give glory to the Lord according to his justice: and will sing to the name of the Lord the most high.
Psalms Chapter 8
Domine, Dominus noster.
God is wonderful in his works; especially in mankind, singularly exalted by the incarnation of Christ.
8:1. Unto the end, for the presses: a psalm for David.
The presses. . .In Hebrew, Gittith, supposed to be a musical instrument.
8:2. O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth! For thy magnificence is elevated above the heavens.
8:3. Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise, because of thy enemies, that thou mayst destroy the enemy and the avenger.
8:4. For I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded.
8:5. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
8:6. Thou hast made him a little less than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honour:
8:7. And hast set him over the works of thy hands.
8:8. Thou hast subjected all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen: moreover, the beasts also of the fields.
8:9. The birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, that pass through the paths of the sea.
8:10. O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth!
Psalms Chapter 9
Confitebor tibi, Domine. The church praiseth God for his protection against her enemies.
9:1. Unto the end, for the hidden things of the Son. A psalm for David.
The hidden things of the Son. . .The humility and sufferings of Christ, the Son of God; and of good Christians, who are his sons by adoption; are called hidden things, with regard to the children of this world, who know not the value and merit of them.
9:2. I will give praise to thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: I will relate all thy wonders.
9:3. I will be glad, and rejoice in thee: I will sing to thy name, O thou most high.
9:4. When my enemy shall be turned back: they shall be weakened, and perish before thy face.
9:5. For thou hast maintained my judgment and my cause: thou hast sat on the throne, who judgest justice.
9:6. Thou hast rebuked the Gentiles, and the wicked one hath perished; thou hast blotted out their name for ever and ever.
9:7. The swords of the enemy have failed unto the end: and their cities thou hast destroyed. Their memory hath perished with a noise:
9:8. But the Lord remaineth for ever. He hath prepared his throne in judgment:
9:9. And he shall judge the world in equity, he shall judge the people in justice.
9:10. And the Lord is become a refuge for the poor: a helper in due time in tribulation.
9:11. And let them trust in thee who know thy name: for thou hast not forsaken them that seek thee, O Lord.
9:12. Sing ye to the Lord, who dwelleth in Sion: declare his ways among the Gentiles:
9:13. For requiring their blood, he hath remembered them: he hath not forgotten the cry of the poor.
9:14. Have mercy on me, O Lord: see my humiliation which I suffer from my enemies.
9:15. Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death, that I may declare all thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Sion.
9:16. I will rejoice in thy salvation: the Gentiles have stuck fast in the destruction which they prepared. Their foot hath been taken in the very snare which they hid.
9:17. The Lord shall be known when he executeth judgments: the sinner hath been caught in the works of his own hands.
9:18. The wicked shall be turned into hell, all the nations that forget God.
9:19. For the poor man shall not be forgotten to the end: the patience of the poor shall not perish for ever.
9:20. Arise, O Lord, let not man be strengthened: let the Gentiles be judged in thy sight.
9:21. Appoint, O Lord, a lawgiver over them: that the Gentiles may know themselves to be but men.
Here the late Hebrew doctors divide this psalm into two, making ver. 22 the beginning of Psalm 10. And again they join Psalms 146 and 147 into one, in order that the whole number of psalms should not exceed 150. And in this manner the psalms are numbered in the Protestant Bible.
Psalm 10 according to the Hebrews.
9a:1. Why, O Lord, hast thou retired afar off? why dost thou slight us in our wants, in the time of trouble?
9a:2. Whilst the wicked man is proud, the poor is set on fire: they are caught in the counsels which they devise.
9a:3. For the sinner is praised in the desires of his soul: and the unjust man is blessed.
9a:4. The sinner hath provoked the Lord, according to the multitude of his wrath, he will not seek him:
9a:5. God is not before his eyes: his ways are filthy at all times. Thy judgments are removed form his sight: he shall rule over all his enemies.
9a:6. For he hath said in his heart: I shall not be moved from generation to generation, and shall be without evil.
9a:7. His mouth is full of cursing, and of bitterness, and of deceit: under his tongue are labour and sorrow.
9a:8. He sitteth in ambush with the rich, in private places, that he may kill the innocent.
9a:9. His eyes are upon the poor man: he lieth in wait, in secret, like a lion in his den. He lieth in ambush, that he may catch the poor man: so catch the poor, whilst he draweth him to him.
9a:10. In his net he will bring him down, he will crouch and fall, when he shall have power over the poor.
9a:11. For he hath said in his heart: God hath forgotten, he hath turned away his face, not to see to the end.
9a:12. Arise, O Lord God, let thy hand be exalted: forget not the poor.
9a:13. Wherefore hath the wicked provoked God? for he hath said in his heart: He will not require it.
9a:14. Thou seest it, for thou considerest labour and sorrow: that thou mayst deliver them into thy hands. To thee is the poor man left: thou wilt be a helper to the orphan.
9a:15. Break thou the arm of the sinner and of the malignant: his sin shall be sought, and shall not be found.
9a:16. The Lord shall reign to eternity, yea, for ever and ever: ye Gentiles shall perish from his land.
9a:17. The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor: thy ear hath heard the preparation of their heart.
9a:18. To judge for the fatherless and for the humble, that man may no more presume to magnify himself upon earth.
Psalms Chapter 10
In Domino confido.
The just man’s confidence in God in the midst of persecutions.
10:1. Unto the end. A psalm to David.
10:2. In the Lord I put my trust: how then do you say to my soul: Get thee away from hence to the mountain, like a sparrow.
10:3. For, lo, the wicked have bent their bow: they have prepared their arrows in the quiver, to shoot in the dark the upright of heart.
10:4. For they have destroyed the things which thou hast made: but what has the just man done?
10:5. The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes look on the poor man: his eyelids examine the sons of men.
10:6. The Lord trieth the just and the wicked: but he that loveth iniquity, hateth his own soul.
10:7. He shall rain snares upon sinners: fire and brimstone, and storms of winds, shall be the portion of their cup.
10:8. For the Lord is just, and hath loved justice: his countenance hath beheld righteousness.
Psalms Chapter 11
Salvum me fac.
The prophet calls for God’s help against the wicked.
11:1. Unto the end: for the octave, a psalm for David.
11:2. Save me, O Lord, for there is now no saint: truths are decayed from among the children of men.
11:3. They have spoken vain things, every one to his neighbour: with deceitful lips, and with a double heart have they spoken.
11:4. May the Lord destroy all deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.
11:5. Who have said: We will magnify our tongue: our lips are our own: who is Lord over us?
11:6. By reason of the misery of the needy, and the groans of the poor, now will I arise, saith the Lord. I will set him in safety: I will deal confidently in his regard.
11:7. The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried by the fire, purged from the earth, refined seven times.
11:8. Thou, O Lord, wilt preserve us: and keep us from this generation for ever.
11:9. The wicked walk round about: according to thy highness, thou hast multiplied the children of men.
Psalms Chapter 12
Usquequo, Domine.
A prayer in tribulation.
12:1. Unto the end, a psalm for David. How long, O Lord, wilt thou forget me unto the end? how long dost thou turn away thy face from me?
12:2. How long shall I take counsels in my soul, sorrow in my heart all the day?
12:3. How long shall my enemy be exalted over Me?
12:4. Consider, and hear me, O Lord, my God. Enlighten my eyes, that I never sleep in death:
12:5. Lest at any time my enemy say: I have prevailed against him. They that trouble me, will rejoice when I am moved:
12:6. But I have trusted in thy mercy. My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation: I will sing to the Lord, who giveth me good things: yea, I will sing to the name of the Lord, the most high.
Psalms Chapter 13
Dixit insipiens.
The general corruption of man before our redemption by Christ.
13:1. Unto the end, a psalm for David. The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God. They are corrupt, and are become abominable in their ways: there is none that doth good, no not one.
13:2. The Lord hath looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there be any that understand and seek God.
13:3. They are all gone aside, they are become unprofitable together: there is none that doth good: no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they acted deceitfully: the poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and unhappiness in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes.
13:4. Shall not all they know that work iniquity, who devour my people as they eat bread?
13:5. They have not called upon the Lord: there have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear.
13:6. For the Lord is in the just generation: you have confounded the counsel of the poor man; but the Lord is his hope.
13:7. Who shall give out of Sion the salvation of Israel? when the Lord shall have turned away the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
Psalms Chapter 14
Domine, quis habitabit.
What kind of men shall dwell in the heavenly Sion.
14:1. A psalm for David. Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle? or who shall rest in thy holy hill?
14:2. He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:
14:3. He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.
14:4. In his sight the malignant is brought to nothing: but he glorifieth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his neighbour, and deceiveth not;
14:5. He that hath not put out his money to usury, nortaken bribes against the innocent: He that doth these things, shall not be moved for ever.
Psalms Chapter 15
Conserva me, Domine.
Christ’s future victory and triumph over the world and death.
15:1. The inscription of a title to David himself. Preserve me, O Lord, for I have put my trust in thee.
The inscription of a title. . .That is, of a pillar or monument, staylographia: which is as much as to say, that this psalm is most worthy to be engraved on an everlasting monument.
15:2. I have said to the Lord, thou art my God, for thou hast no need of my goods.
15:3. To the saints, who are in his land, he hath made wonderful all my desires in them.
15:4. Their infirmities were multiplied: afterwards they made haste. I will not gather together their meetings for bloodofferings: nor will I be mindful of their names by my lips.
15:5. The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me.
15:6. The lines are fallen unto me in goodly places: for my inheritance is goodly to me.
15:7. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me understanding: moreover, my reins also have corrected me even till night.
15:8. I set the Lord always in my sight: for he is at my right hand, that I be not moved.
15:9. Therefore my heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced: moreover, my flesh also shall rest in hope.
15:10. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; nor wilt thou give thy holy one to see corruption.
15:11. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life, thou shalt fill me with joy with thy countenance: at thy right hand are delights even to the end.
Psalms Chapter 16
Exaudi, Domine, justitiam.
A just man’s prayer in tribulation against the malice of his enemy.
16:1. The prayer of David. Hear, O Lord, my justice: attend to my supplication. Give ear unto my prayer, which proceedeth not from deceitful lips.
16:2. Let my judgment come forth from thy countenance: let thy eyes behold the things that are equitable.
16:3. Thou hast proved my heart, and visited it by night, thou hast tried me by fire: and iniquity hath not been found in me.
16:4. That my mouth may not speak the works of men: for the sake of the words of thy lips, I have kept hard ways.
16:5. Perfect thou my goings in thy paths: that my footsteps be not moved.
16:6. I have cried to thee, for thou, O God, hast heard me: O incline thy ear unto me, and hear my words.
16:7. Shew forth thy wonderful mercies; thou who savest them that trust in thee.
16:8. From them that resist thy right hand keep me, as the apple of thy eye. Protect me under the shadow of thy wings.
16:9. From the face of the wicked who have afflicted me. My enemies have surrounded my soul:
16:10. They have shut up their fat: their mouth hath spoken proudly.
Their fat. . .That is, their bowels of compassion: for they have none for me.
16:11. They have cast me forth, and now they have surrounded me: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth.
16:12. They have taken me, as a lion prepared for the prey; and as a young lion dwelling in secret places.
16:13. Arise, O Lord, disappoint him and supplant him; deliver my soul from the wicked one; thy sword
16:14. From the enemies of thy hand. O Lord, divide them from the few of the earth in their life: their belly is filled from thy hidden stores. They are full of children: and they have left to their little ones the rest of their substance.
Divide them from the few, etc. . .That is, cut them off from the earth, and the few trifling things thereof; which they are so proud of, or divide them from the few; that is, from thy elect, who are but few; that they may no longer have it in their power to oppress them. It is not meant by way of a curse or imprecation; but, as many other the like passages in the psalms, by way of a prediction, or prophecy of what should come upon them, in punishment of their wickedness. Ibid. Thy hidden stores. . .Thy secret treasures, out of which thou furnishest those earthly goods, which, with a bountiful hand thou hast distributed both to the good and the bad.
16:15. But as for me, I will appear before thy sight in justice: I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.
Psalms Chapter 17
Diligam te, Domine.
David’s thanks to God for his delivery from all his enemies.
17:1. Unto the end, for David, the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: and he said:
17:2. I will love thee, O Lord, my strength:
17:3. The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer. My God is my helper, and in him will I put my trust. My protector, and the horn of my salvation, and my support.
17:4. Praising, I will call upon the Lord: and I shall be saved from my enemies.
17:5. The sorrows of death surrounded me: and the torrents of iniquity troubled me.
17:6. The sorrows of hell encompassed me: and the snares of death prevented me.
17:7. In my affliction I called upon the Lord, and I cried to my God: And he heard my voice from his holy temple: and my cry before him came into his ears.
17:8. The earth shook and trembled: the foundations of the mountains were troubled and were moved, because he was angry with them.
17:9. There went up a smoke in his wrath: and a fire flamed from his face: coals were kindled by it.
17:10. He bowed the heavens, and came down, and darkness was under his feet.
17:11. And he ascended upon the cherubim, and he flew; he flew upon the wings of the winds.
17:12. And he made darkness his covert, his pavilion round about him: dark waters in the clouds of the air.
17:13. At the brightness that was before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
17:14. And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the Highest gave his voice: hail and coals of fire.
17:15. And he sent forth his arrows, and he scattered them: he multiplied lightnings, and troubled them.
17:16. Then the fountains of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were discovered: At thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the spirit of thy wrath.
17:17. He sent from on high, and took me: and received me out of many waters.
17:18. He delivered me from my strongest enemies, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
17:19. They prevented me in the day of my affliction: and the Lord became my protector.
17:20. And he brought me forth into a large place: he saved me, because he was well pleased with me.
17:21. And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and will repay me according to the cleanness of my hands:
17:22. Because I have kept the ways of the Lord; and have not done wickedly against my God.
17:23. For all his judgments are in my sight: and his justices I have not put away from me.
17:24. And I shall be spotless with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity.
17:25. And the Lord will reward me according to my justice: and according to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.
17:26. With the holy thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent:
17:27. And withe the elect thou wilt be elect: and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted.
17:28. For thou wilt save the humble people; but wilt bring down the eyes of the proud.
17:29. For thou lightest my lamp, O Lord: O my God, enlighten my darkness.
17:30. For by thee I shall be delivered from temptation; and through my God I shall go over a wall.
17:31. As for my God, his way is undefiled: the words of the Lord are fire-tried: he is the protector of all that trust in him.
17:32. For who is God but the Lord? or who is God but our God?
17:33. God, who hath girt me with strength; and made my way blameless.
17:34. Who hath made my feet like the feet of harts: and who setteth me upon high places.
17:35. Who teacheth my hands to war: and thou hast made my arms like a brazen bow.
17:36. And thou hast given me the protection of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath held me up: And thy discipline hath corrected me unto the end: and thy discipline, the same shall teach me.
17:37. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; and my feet are not weakened.
17:38. I will pursue after my enemies, and overtake them: and I will not turn again till they are consumed.
17:39. I will break them, and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.
17:40. And thou hast girded me with strength unto battle; and hast subdued under me them that rose up against me.
17:41. And thou hast made my enemies furn their back upon me, and hast destroyed them that hated me.
17:42. They cried, but there was none to save them, to the Lord: but he heard them not.
17:43. And I shall beat them as small as the dust before the wind; I shall bring them to nought, like the dirt in the streets.
17:44. Thou wilt deliver me from the contradictions of the people; thou wilt make me head of the Gentiles.
17:45. A people which I knew not, hath served me: at the hearing of the ear they have obeyed me.
17:46. The children that are strangers have lied to me, strange children have faded away, and have halted from their paths.
17:47. The Lord liveth, and blessed by my God, and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
17:48. O God, who avengest me, and subduest the people under me, my deliverer from my enraged enemies.
17:49. And thou wilt lift me up above them that rise up against me: from the unjust man thou wilt deliver me.
17:50. Therefore will I give glory to thee, O Lord, among the nations, and I will sing a psalm to thy name.
17:51. Giving great deliverance to his king, and shewing mercy to David, his anointed: and to his seed for ever.
Psalms Chapter 18
Coeli enarrant.
The works of God shew forth his glory: his law is greatly to be esteemed and loved.
18:1. Unto the end. A Psalm for David.
18:2. The heavens shew forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of his hands.
18:3. Day to day uttereth speech, and night to night sheweth knowledge.
18:4. There are no speeches nor languages, where their voices are not heard.
18:5. Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world.
18:6. He hath set his tabernacle in the sun: and he as a bridegroom coming out of his bridechamber, Hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way:
18:7. His going out is from the end of heaven, And his circuit even to the end thereof: and there is no one that can hide himself from his heat.
18:8. The law of the Lord is unspotted, converting souls: the testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to little ones.
18:9. The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts: the commandment of the Lord is lightsome, enlightening the eyes.
18:10. The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring for ever and ever: the judgments of the Lord are true, justified in themselves.
18:11. More to be desired than gold and many precious stones: and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.
18:12. For thy servant keepeth them, and in keeping them there is a great reward.
18:13. Who can understand sins? from my secret ones cleanse me, O Lord:
18:14. And from those of others spare thy servant. If they shall have no dominion over me, then shall I be without spot: and I shall be cleansed form the greatest sin.
18:15. And the words of my mouth shall be such as may please: and the meditation of my heart always in thy sight. O Lord, my helper and my Redeemer.
Psalms Chapter 19
Exaudiat te Dominus.
A prayer for the king.
19:1. Unto the end. A psalm for David.
19:2. May the Lord hear thee in the day of tribulation: may the name of the God of Jacob protect thee.
19:3. May he send thee help from the sanctuary: and defend thee out of Sion.
19:4. May he be mindful of all thy sacrifices: and may thy whole burntoffering be made fat.
19:5. May he give thee according to thy own heart; and confirm all thy counsels.
19:6. We will rejoice in thy salvation; and in the name of our God we shall be exalted.
19:7. The Lord fulfil all thy petitions: now have I known that the Lord hath saved his anointed. He will hear him from his holy heaven: the salvation of his right hand is in powers.
The salvation of his right hand is in powers. . .That is, in strength. His right hand is strong and mighty to save them that trust in him.
19:8. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will call upon the name of the Lord, our God.
19:9. They are bound, and have fallen: but we are risen, and are set upright. O Lord, save the king: and hear us in the day that we shall call upon thee.
Psalms Chapter 20
Domine, in virtute.
Praise to God for Christ’s exaltation after his passion.
20:1. Unto the end. A psalm for David.
20:2. In thy strength, O Lord, the king shall joy; and in thy salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly.
20:3. Thou hast given him his heart’s desire: and hast not withholden from him the will of his lips.
20:4. For thou hast prevented him with blessings of sweetness: thou hast set on his head a crown of precious stones.
20:5. He asked life of thee: and thou hast given him length of days for ever and ever.
20:6. His glory is great in thy salvation: glory and great beauty shalt thou lay upon him.
20:7. For thou shalt give him to be a blessing for ever and ever: thou shalt make him joyful in gladness with thy countenance.
20:8. For the king hopeth in the Lord: and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.
20:9. Let thy hand be found by all thy enemies: let thy right hand find out all them that hate thee.
20:10. Thou shalt make them as an oven of fire, in the time of thy anger: the Lord shall trouble them in his wrath, and fire shall devour them.
20:11. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth: and their seed from among the children of men.
20:12. For they have intended evils against thee: they have devised counsels which they have not been able to establish.
20:13. For thou shalt make them turn their back: in thy remnants thou shalt prepare their face.
In thy remnants thou shalt prepare their face. . .Or thou shalt set thy remnants against their faces. That is, thou shalt make them see what punishments remain for them hereafter from thy justice. Instead of remnants, St. Jerome renders it funes, that is, cords or strings, viz., of the bow of divine justice, from which God directs his arrows against the faces of his enemies.
20:14. Be thou exalted, O Lord, in thy own strength: we will sing and praise thy power.
Psalms Chapter 21
Deus Deus meus.
Christ’s passion: and the conversion of the Gentiles.
21:1. Unto the end, for the morning protection, a psalm for David.
21:2. O God my God, look upon me: why hast thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation are the words of my sins.
The words of my sins. . .That is, the sins of the world, which I have taken upon myself, cry out against me, and are the cause of all my sufferings.
21:3. O my God, I shall cry by day, and thou wilt not hear: and by night, and it shall not be reputed as folly in me.
21:4. But thou dwellest in the holy place, the praise of Israel.
21:5. In thee have our fathers hoped: they have hoped, and thou hast delivered them.
21:6. They cried to thee, and they were saved: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
21:7. But I am a worm, and no man: the reproach of men, and the outcast of the people.
21:8. All they that saw me have laughed me to scorn: they have spoken with the lips, and wagged the head.
21:9. He hoped in the Lord, let him deliver him: let him save him, seeing he delighteth in him.
21:10. For thou art he that hast drawn me out of the womb: my hope from the breasts of my mother.
21:11. I was cast upon thee from the womb. From my mother’s womb thou art my God,
21:12. Depart not from me. For tribulation is very near: for there is none to help me.
21:13. Many calves have surrounded me: fat bulls have besieged me.
21:14.They have opened their mouths against me, as a lion ravening and roaring.
21:15. I am poured out like water; and all my bones are scattered. My heart is become like wax melting in the midst of my bowels.
21:16. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue hath cleaved to my jaws: and thou hast brought me down into the dust of death.
21:17. For many dogs have encompassed me: the council of the malignant hath besieged me. They have dug my hands and feet.
21:18. They have numbered all my bones. And they have looked and stared upon me.
21:19. They parted my garments amongst them; and upon my vesture they cast lots.
21:20. But thou, O Lord, remove not thy help to a distance from me; look towards my defence.
21:21. Deliver, O God, my soul from the sword: my only one from the hand of the dog.
21:22. Save me from the lion’s mouth; and my lowness from the horns of the unicorns.
21:23. I will declare thy name to my brethren: in the midst of the church will I praise thee.
21:24. Ye that fear the Lord, praise him: all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him.
21:25. Let all the seed of Israel fear him: because he hath not slighted nor despised the supplication of the poor man. Neither hath he turned away his face form me: and when I cried to him he heard me.
21:26. With thee is my praise in a great church: I will pay my vows in the sight of them that fear him.
21:27. The poor shall eat and shall be filled: and they shall praise the Lord that seek him: their hearts shall live for ever and ever.
21:28. All the ends of the earth shall remember, and shall be converted to the Lord: And all the kindreds of the Gentiles shall adore in his sight.
21:29. For the kingdom is the Lord’s; and he shall have dominion over the nations.
21:30. All the fat ones of the earth have eaten and have adored: all they that go down to the earth shall fall before him.
21:31. And to him my soul shall live: and my seed shall serve him.
21:32. There shall be declared to the Lord a generation to come: and the heavens shall shew forth his justice to a people that shall be born, which the Lord hath made.
Psalms Chapter 22
Dominus regit me.
God’s spiritual benefits to faithful souls.
22:1. A psalm for David. The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing.
Ruleth me. . .In Hebrew, Is my shepherd, viz., to feed, guide, and govern me.
22:2. He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment:
22:3. He hath converted my soul. He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name’s sake.
22:4. For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.
22:5. Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebreateth me, how goodly is it!
22:6. And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.
Psalms Chapter 23
Domini est terra.
Who are they that shall ascend to heaven: Christ’s triumphant ascension thither.
23:1. On the first day of the week, a psalm for David. The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof: the world, and all they that dwell therein.
23:2. For he hath founded it upon the seas; and hath prepared it upon the rivers.
23:3. Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in his holy place?
23:4. The innocent in hands, and clean of heart, who hath not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbour.
23:5. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Saviour.
23:6. This is the generation of them that seek him, of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob.
23:7. Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of Glory shall enter in.
23:8. Who is this King of Glory? the Lord who is strong and mighty: the Lord mighty in battle.
23:9. Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of Glory shall enter in.
23:10. Who is this King of Glory? the Lord of hosts, he is the King of Glory.
Psalms Chapter 24
Ad te, Domine, levavi.
A prayer for grace, mercy, and protection against our enemies.
24:1. Unto the end, a psalm for David. To thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul.
24:2. In thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed.
24:3. Neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on thee shall be confounded.
24:4. Let all them be confounded that act unjust things without cause. Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths.
24:5. Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art God my Saviour; and on thee have I waited all the day long.
24:6. Remember, O Lord, thy bowels of compassion; and thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world.
24:7. The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not remember. According to thy mercy remember thou me: for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.
24:8. The Lord is sweet and righteous: therefore he will give a law to sinners in the way.
24:9. He will guide the mild in judgment: he will teach the meek his ways.
24:10. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth, to them that seek after his covenant and his testimonies.
24:11. For thy name’s sake, O Lord, thou wilt pardon my sin: for it is great.
24:12. Who is the man that feareth the Lord? He hath appointed him a law in the way he hath chosen.
24:13. His soul shall dwell in good things: and his seed shall inherit the land.
24:14. The Lord is a firmament to them that fear him: and his covenant shall be made manifest to them.
24:15. My eyes are ever towards the Lord: for he shall pluck my feet out of the snare.
24:16. Look thou upon me, and have mercy on me; for I am alone and poor.
24:17. The troubles of my heart are multiplied: deliver me from my necessities.
24:18. See my abjection and my labour; and forgive me all my sins.
24:19. Consider my enemies for they are multiplied, and have hated me with an unjust hatred.
24:20. Deep thou my soul, and deliver me: I shall not be ashamed, for I have hoped in thee.
24:21. The innocent and the upright have adhered to me: because I have waited on thee.
24:22. Deliver Israel, O God, from all his tribulations.
Psalms Chapter 25
Judica me, Domine.
David’s prayer to God in his distress, to be delivered, that he may come to worship him in his tabernacle.
25:1. Unto the end, a psalm for David. Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in my innocence: and I have put my trust in the Lord, and shall not be weakened.
25:2. Prove me, O Lord, and try me; burn my reins and my heart.
25:3. For thy mercy is before my eyes; and I am well pleased with thy truth.
25:4. I have not sat with the council of vanity: neither will I go in with the doers of unjust things.
25:5. I have hated the assembly of the malignant; and with the wicked I will not sit.
25:6. I will wash my hands among the innocent; and will compass thy altar, O Lord:
25:7. That I may hear the voice of thy praise: and tell of all thy wondrous works.
25:8. I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of thy house; and the place where thy glory dwelleth.
25:9. Take not away my soul, O God, with the wicked: nor my life with bloody men:
25:10. In whose hands are iniquities: their right hand is filled with gifts.
25:11. But as for me, I have walked in my innocence: redeem me, and have mercy on me.
25:12. My foot hath stood in the direct way: in the churches I will bless thee, O Lord.
Psalms Chapter 26
Dominus illuminatio.
David’s faith and hope in God.
26:1. The psalm of David before he was anointed. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?
26:2. Whilst the wicked draw near against me, to eat my flesh. My enemies that trouble me, have themselves been weakened, and have fallen.
26:3. If armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall not fear. If a battle should rise up against me, in this will I be confident.
26:4. One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. That I may see the delight of the Lord, and may visit his temple.
26:5. For he hath hidden me in his tabernacle; in the day of evils, he hath protected me in the secret place of his tabernacle.
26:6. He hath exalted me upon a rock: and now he hath lifted up my head above my enemies. I have gone round, and have offered up in his tabernacle a sacrifice of jubilation: I will sing, and recite a psalm to the Lord.
26:7. Hear, O Lord, my voice, with which I have cried to thee: have mercy on me and hear me.
26:8. My heart hath said to thee: My face hath sought thee: thy face, O Lord, will I still seek.
26:9. Turn not away thy face from me; decline not in thy wrath from thy servant. Be thou my helper, forsake me not; do not thou despise me, O God my Saviour.
26:10. For my father and my mother have left me: but the Lord hath taken me up.
26:11. Set me, O Lord, a law in thy way, and guide me in the right path, because of my enemies.
26:12. Deliver me not over to the will of them that trouble me; for unjust witnesses have risen up against me; and iniquity hath lied to itself.
26:13. I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
26:14. Expect the Lord, do manfully, and let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord.
Psalms Chapter 27
Ad te, Domine, clamabo.
David’s prayer that his enemies may not prevail over him.
27:1. A psalm for David himself. Unto thee will I cry, O Lord: O my God, be not thou silent to me: lest if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
27:2. Hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication, when I pray to thee; when I lift up my hands to thy holy temple.
27:3. Draw me not away together with the wicked; and with the workers of iniquity destroy me not: Who speak peace with their neighbour, but evils are in their hearts.
27:4. Give them according to their works, and according to the wickedness of their inventions. According to the works of their hands give thou to them: render to them their reward.
27:5. Because they have not understood the works of the Lord, and the operations of his hands: thou shalt destroy them, and shalt not build them up.
27:6. Blessed be the Lord, for he hath heard the voice of my supplication.
27:7. The Lord is my helper and my protector: in him hath my heart confided, and I have been helped. And my flesh hath flourished again, and with my will I will give praise to him.
27:8. The Lord is the strength of his people, and the protector of the salvation of his anointed.
27:9. Save, O Lord, thy people, and bless thy inheritance: and rule them and exalt them for ever.
Psalms Chapter 28
Afferte Domino.
An invitation to glorify God, with a commemoration of his mighty works.
28:1. A psalm for David, at the finishing of the tabernacle. Bring to the Lord, O ye children of God: bring to the Lord the offspring of rams.
28:2. Bring to the Lord glory and honour: bring to the Lord glory to his name: adore ye the Lord in his holy court.
28:3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of majesty hath thundered, The Lord is upon many waters.
28:4. The voice of the Lord is in power; the voice of the Lord in magnificence.
28:5. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars: yea, the Lord shall break the cedars of Libanus.
28:6. And shall reduce them to pieces, as a calf of Libanus, and as the beloved son of unicorns.
Shall reduce them to pieces, etc. . .In Hebrew, shall make them to skip like a calf. The psalmist here describes the effects of thunder (which he calls the voice of the Lord) which sometimes breaks down the tallest and strongest trees; and makes their broken branches skip, etc. All this is to be understood mystically of the powerful voice of God’s word in his church; which has broken the pride of the great ones of this world, and brought many of them meekly and joyfully to submit their necks to the sweet yoke of Christ.
28:7. The voice of the Lord divideth the flame of fire:
28:8. The voice of the Lord shaketh the desert: and the Lord shall shake the desert of Cades.
28:9. The voice of the Lord prepareth the stags: and he will discover the thick woods: and in his temple all shall speak his glory.
28:10. The Lord maketh the flood to dwell: and the Lord shall sit king for ever. The Lord will give strength to his people: the Lord will bless his people with peace.
Psalms Chapter 29
Exaltabo te, Domine.
David praiseth God for his deliverance, and his merciful dealings with him.
29:1. A psalm of a canticle, at the dedication of David’s house.
29:2. I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast upheld me: and hast not made my enemies to rejoice over me.
29:3. O Lord my God, I have cried to thee, and thou hast healed me.
29:4. Thou hast brought forth, O Lord, my soul from hell: thou hast saved me from them that go down into the pit.
29:5. Sing to the Lord, O ye his saints: and give praise to the memory of his holiness.
29:6. For wrath is in his indignation; and life in his good will. In the evening weeping shall have place, and in the morning gladness.
29:7. And in my abundance I said: I shall never be moved.
29:8. O Lord, in thy favour, thou gavest strength to my beauty. Thou turnedst away thy face from me, and I became troubled.
29:9. To thee, O Lord, will I cry: and I will make supplication to my God.
29:10. What profit is there in my blood, whilst I go down to corruption? Shall dust confess to thee, or declare thy truth?
29:11. The Lord hath heard, and hath had mercy on me: the Lord became my helper.
29:12. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into joy: thou hast cut my sackcloth, and hast compassed me with gladness:
29:13. To the end that my glory may sing to thee, and I may not regret: O Lord my God, I will give praise to thee for ever.
Psalms Chapter 30
In te, Domine, speravi.
A prayer of a just man under affliction.
30:1. Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy.
30:2. In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in thy justice.
30:3. Bow down thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.
30:4. For thou art my strength and my refuge; and for thy name’s sake thou wilt lead me, and nourish me.
30:5. Thou wilt bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for thou art my protector.
30:6. Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.
30:7. Thou hast hated them that regard vanities, to no purpose. But I have hoped in the Lord:
30:8. I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy. For thou hast regarded my humility, thou hast saved my soul out of distresses.
30:9. And thou hast not shut me up in the hands of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a spacious place.
30:10. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with wrath, my soul, and my belly:
30:11. For my life is wasted with grief: and my years in sighs. My strength is weakened through poverty and my bones are disturbed.
30:12. I am become a reproach among all my enemies, and very much to my neighbours; and a fear to my acquaintance. They that saw me without fled from me.
30:13. I am forgotten as one dead from the heart. I am become as a vessel that is destroyed.
30:14. For I have heard the blame of many that dwell round about. While they assembled together against me, they consulted to take away my life.
30:15. But I have put my trust in thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my God.
30:16. My lots are in thy hands. Deliver me out of the hands of my enemies; and from them that persecute me.
30:17. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; save me in thy mercy.
30:18. Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee. Let the wicked be ashamed, and be brought down to hell.
30:19. Let deceitful lips be made dumb. Which speak iniquity against the just, with pride and abuse.
30:20. O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee! Which thou hast wrought for them that hope in thee, in the sight of the sons of men.
30:21. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face, from the disturbance of men. Thou shalt protect them in thy tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues.
30:22. Blessed be the Lord, for he hath shewn his wonderful mercy to me in a fortified city.
30:23. But I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before thy eyes. Therefore thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to thee.
30:24. O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord will require truth, and will repay them abundantly that act proudly.
30:25. Do ye manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.
Psalms Chapter 31
Beati quorum.
The second penitential psalm.
31:1. To David himself, understanding. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
31:2. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
31:3. Because I was silent my bones grew old; whilst I cried out all the day long.
Because I was silent, etc. . .That is, whilst I kept silence, by concealing, or refusing to confess my sins, thy hand was heavy upon me, etc.
31:4. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: I am turned in my anguish, whilst the thorn is fastened.
I am turned, etc. . .That is, I turn and roll about in my bed to seek for ease in my pain whilst the thorn of thy justice pierces my flesh, and sticks fast in me. Or, I am turned: that is, I am converted to thee, my God, by being brought to a better understanding by thy chastisements. In the Hebrew it is, my moisture is turned into the droughts of the summer.
31:5. I have acknowledged my sin to thee, and my injustice I have not concealed. I said I will confess against my self my injustice to the Lord: and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin.
31:6. For this shall every one that is holy pray to thee in a seasonable time. And yet in a flood of many waters, they shall not come nigh unto him.
31:7. Thou art my refuge from the trouble which hath encompassed me: my joy, deliver me from them that surround me.
31:8. I will give thee understanding, and I will instruct thee in this way, in which thou shalt go: I will fix my eyes upon thee.
31:9. Do not become like the horse and the mule, who have no understanding. With bit and bridle bind fast their jaws, who come not near unto thee.
31:10. Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mercy shall encompass him that hopeth in the Lord.
31:11. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye just, and glory, all ye right of heart.
Psalms Chapter 32
Exultate, justi.
An exhortation to praise God, and to trust in him.
32:1. A psalm for David. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just: praise becometh the upright.
32:2. Give praise to the Lord on the harp; sing to him with the psaltery, the instrument of ten strings.
32:3. Sing to him a new canticle, sing well unto him with a loud noise.
32:4. For the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are done with faithfulness.
32:5. He loveth mercy and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.
32:6. By the word of the Lord the heavens were established; and all the power of them by the spirit of his mouth:
32:7. Gathering together the waters of the sea, as in a vessel; laying up the depths in storehouses.
32:8. Let all the earth fear the Lord, and let all the inhabitants of the world be in awe of him.
32:9. For he spoke and they were made: he commanded and they were created.
32:10. The Lord bringeth to nought the counsels of nations; and he rejecteth the devices of people, and casteth away the counsels of princes.
32:11. But the counsel of the Lord standeth for ever: the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
32:12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance.
32:13. The Lord hath looked from heaven: he hath beheld all the sons of men.
32:14. From his habitation which he hath prepared, he hath looked upon all that dwell on the earth.
32:15. He who hath made the hearts of every one of them: who understandeth all their works.
32:16. The king is not saved by a great army: nor shall the giant be saved by his own great strength.
32:17. Vain is the horse for safety: neither shall he be saved by the abundance of his strength.
32:18. Behold the eyes of the Lord are on them that fear him: and on them that hope in his mercy.
32:19. To deliver their souls from death; and feed them in famine.
32:20. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: for he is our helper and protector.
32:21. For in him our heart shall rejoice: and in his holy name we have trusted.
32:22. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hooped in thee.
Psalms Chapter 33
Benedicam Dominum.
An exhortation to the praise, and service of God.
33:1. For David, when he changed his countenance before Achimelech, who dismissed him, and he went his way. [1 Kings 21.]
33:2. I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth.
33:3. In the Lord shall my soul be praised: let the meek hear and rejoice.
33:4. O magnify the Lord with me; and let us extol his name together.
33:5. I sought the Lord, and he heard me; and he delivered me from all my troubles.
33:6. Come ye to him and be enlightened: and your faces shall not be confounded.
33:7. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him: and saved him out of all his troubles.
33:8. The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him: and shall deliver them.
33:9. O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the man that hopeth in him.
33:10. Fear the Lord, all ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
33:11. The rich have wanted, and have suffered hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good.
33:12. Come, children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
33:13. Who is the man that desireth life: who liveth to see good days?
33:14. Keep thy tongue form evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
33:15. Turn away from evil and do good: seek after peace and pursue it.
33:16. The eyes of the Lord are upon the just: and his ears unto their prayers.
33:17. But the countenance of the Lord is against them that do evil things: to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
33:18. The just cried, and the Lord heard them: and delivered them out of all their troubles.
33:19. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart: and he will save the humble of spirit.
33:20. Many are the afflictions of the just; but out of them all will the Lord deliver them.
33:21. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart: and he will save the humble of spirit.
33:22. The death of the wicked is very evil: and they that hate the just shall be guilty.
33:23. The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall offend.
Psalms Chapter 34
Judica, Domine, nocentes me.
David, in the person of Christ, prayeth against his persecutors: prophetically foreshewing the punishments that shall fall upon them.