57 The keeping of Thy law, O JEHOVAH,

I have considered to be my portion.

58 With my whole heart do I entreat Thy favour;

Be Thou gracious unto me, according to Thy promise. 59 I have thought upon my ways;

And I turn my feet unto Thy revealed word.

60 I hasten, and do not delay,

To keep Thy commandments.

61 The cords of the wicked surround me;

I do not forget Thy law.

62 At midnight do I arise,

To praise Thee for Thy righteous judgments. 63 I am the companion of all who reverence Thee,

Yea, of those who keep Thine ordinances.

64 The earth is filled with Thy loving-kindness, O JEHOVAH! Teach me Thy statutes.

65 THOU hast acted kindly towards Thy servant,

O JEHOVAH, according to Thy promise.

66 Teach me the excellency of understanding and knowledge, Because I have trusted in Thy commandments.

67 Before I was afflicted, I went astray;

But now do I keep Thy word.

68 Good and beneficent art Thou!

Teach me Thy statutes.

69 Presumptuous sinners frame a false charge against me;

I keep Thine ordinances with my whole heart.

70 Their heart is dull, being inclosed in fat;

As for me, I delight in Thy law.

71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, In order that I might learn Thy statutes.

72 The teaching of Thy mouth is dearer unto me, Than thousands of gold and silver.

73 THY hands have made and formed me;

Give me discernment, that I may learn Thy commandments. 74 May those, who reverence Thee, rejoice when they see me, Because I have waited for Thy word!

75 I acknowledge, O JEHOVAH, that Thy judgments are right, And that, in faithfulness, Thou hast afflicted me. 76 Let now Thy loving-kindness be my comfort, According to Thy promise unto Thy servant.

77 Let Thy mercies come unto me, that I may live; For Thy law is my delight.

78 Let the proud be put to shame, for by falsehood they wrong me; As for me, I meditate upon Thine ordinances.

79 Those, who reverence Thee, will turn unto me,
Even those, who have regard for Thy revealed word.
May my heart be perfect in Thy statutes,

81

In order that I may not be put to shame!

I am consumed with longing for Thy salvation;

I wait for Thy promise.

82 Mine eyes are wasted with looking for Thy promise, While I say When wilt Thou comfort me?

I

83 Though I am become like a skin shrivelled by smoke; I do not forget Thy statutes.

84 What are the days of Thy servant!

When wilt Thou execute judgment upon my persecutors? 85 Wilful sinners have made pitfalls for me;

Which thing is not commanded in Thy law.

86 All Thy commandments enjoin truth;

They persecute me with falsehood, be Thou my helper. 87 They had, within a little, made an end of me upon the earth, But, as for me, I forsook not Thy statutes.

88 According to Thy loving-kindness, preserve Thou me alive, That I may keep the revelations of Thy mouth.

89 THY promise, O JEHOVAH, abideth for ever, Firmly established like the heavens.

85 have made pit-falls Heb. have dug pits.

which thing is not &c. - This amounts to a declaration that such conduct of the wicked, so far from being approved of, is strictly forbidden and will be visited with the severest punishment. A negative form of expression is here employed to give the greater emphasis. "And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart." Jeremiah vii. 31. Compare also Ps. v. 4. Note 1.

89 like &c. — This comparison frequently occurs in scripture, to express the stability of God's promises.. "Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever." Jer. xxxi. 35, 36. "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." Luke xxi. 33. Compare P, LXXXix. 2.

90 THY faithfulness continueth through successive generations, As Thou hast fixed the earth, and it standeth firm.

91 According to Thy decree, they have stood firm unto this day, Because they all are obedient to Thee.

92 Had not Thy law been my delight,

I should long ago have perished in mine affliction. 93 Never will I forget Thine ordinances,

For by them Thou hast revived me.

94 I am Thine, save me,

For I have sought out Thine ordinances,

95 The wicked have lain in wait for me, to destroy me; Let me have a right discernment of Thy revealed word!

96 To all perfection I have perceived a limit;

THY commandment is unbounded!

97 How I love Thy law!

All the day long, it is my study.

98 THY Commandments make me wiser than mine enemies,

Because they are ever with me.

99 I have more discretion than all my teachers,
Because Thy revealed word is my study.
100 I have more discernment than the aged,
Because I keep Thine ordinances.

101 I restrain my feet from every evil path,
In order that I may keep Thy word.
102 I depart not from Thy judgments,
Because it is Thou who teachest me.

103 How pleasant to my taste is Thy word!
It is sweeter than honey to my mouth.

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104 Through Thine ordinances I have discernment; Therefore do I hate every false way.

105 THY word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.

106 I have sworn (and I will perform it),

To keep Thy righteous judgments.

107 I am exceedingly afflicted;

O JEHOVAH, revive me, according to Thy promise.

108 Accept the voluntary offerings of my mouth, O Jehovah, And teach me Thy judgments.

109 My life is continually on the point of being thrown away, Yet do I not forget Thy law.

110 Wicked men lay snares for me,

But I do not go astray from Thine ordinances.

11 I hold as my portion Thy revealed word for ever, Truly, it is the delight of my heart.

112 I have inclined my heart to perform Thy statutes; The reward is eternal!

113 I hate vain imaginations;

But Thy law do I love.

114 THOU art my hiding-place and my shield,

I wait for Thy word.

115 Depart from me, ye wicked,

For I will keep the commandments of my God. 116 Sustain me, according to Thy promise, that I may live, And do not disappoint me of my expectation.

117 Support me that I may be preserved,

And I will look unto Thy statutes continually.

106 will perform it. Heb. cause to stand. 108 voluntary offerings of my mouth—i. e.

the thanks and praise which I freely offer. Compare Ps. L. 14. 109 on the point of being thrown awayHeb. in the hollow of my hand. For

the origin of this proverbial expression,
consult Judg. xii. 3. 1 Sam. xxv. 29.
and Job xiii. 14.

111 I hold as my portion - Heb. I possess.
See ver. 57.
112 the reward

See Ps. xix. 11.