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his own heart's desire

and speaketh good of the covetous, whom God abhorreth.

4 The ungodly is so proud, that he careth not for God : neither is God in all his thoughts.

5 His ways are alway grievous: Thy judgments are far above out of his sight, and therefore defieth he all his enemies.

6 For he hath said in his heart, Tush, I shall never be cast down there shall no harm happen unto me.

7 His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and fraud under his tongue is ungodliness and vanity.

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8 He sitteth lurking in the thievish corners of the streets and privily in his lurking dens doth he murder the innocent; his eyes are set against the poor.

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9 For he lieth waiting secretly, even as a lion lurketh he in his den that he ravish the poor. 10 He doth ravish the poor when he getteth him into his net.

11 He falleth down, and humbleth himself: that the congregation of the poor may fall into the hands of his captains.

12 He hath said in his heart, Tush, God hath forgotten: He hideth away His face, and He will never see it.

13 Arise, O LORD God, and lift up Thine hand forget not the poor.

14 Wherefore should the wicked blaspheme God while he doth say in his heart, Tush, Thou God carest not for it.

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15 Surely Thou hast seen it for Thou beholdest ungodliness and wrong.

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16 That Thou mayest take the matter into Thine hand the poor committeth himself unto Thee; for Thou art the helper of the friendless.

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17 Break Thou the power of the ungodly and malicious: take away his ungodliness, and Thou shalt find none.

18 The LORD is King for ever and ever : and the heathen are perished out of the land. 19 LORD, Thou hast heard the desire of the poor Thou preparest their heart, and Thine ear hearkeneth thereto;

20 To help the fatherless and poor unto their right that the man of the earth be no more exalted against them.

PSALM 11. In Domino confido.

[A Psalm of David, composed in trouble, such as at the time of Absalom's rebellion.]

IN the LORD put I my trust: how say ye then to my soul, that she should flee as a bird unto the hill?

2 For lo, the ungodly bend their bow, and make ready their arrows within the quiver that they may privily shoot at them which are true of heart.

3 For the foundations will be cast down: and what hath the righteous done?

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2. Quiver; Heb. on the string.

3. Foundations; Heb. columns-i.e., the noblest and best In the general confusion and anarchy, what can the

men.

4 The LORD is in His holy temple: the righteous do? LORD's seat is in heaven.

5 His eyes consider the poor and His eye-lids try the children of men.

but

6 The LORD alloweth the righteous the ungodly, and him that delighteth in wickedness doth His soul abhor.

7 Upon the ungodly He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, storm and tempest: this shall be their portion to drink.

8 For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness: His countenance will behold the thing that is just.

6. Alloweth; rather, trieth, testeth.

7. The description of a storm against the wicked, as the simoom in the desert, with an allusion to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

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Evening Prayer.

PSALM 12. Salvum me fac.

[A Psalm of David, composed at a time of deep depression at the ungodliness of the times.]

HELP me, LORD, for there is not one godly man left for the faithful are minished from among the children of men.

2 They talk of vanity every one with his neighbour: they do but flatter with their lips, and dissemble in their double heart.

3 The LORD shall root out all deceitful lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things;

4 Which have said, With our tongue will we prevail: we are they that ought to speak, who is lord over us?

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5 Now for the comfortless troubles' sake of the needy and because of the deep sighing of the poor,

6 I will up, saith the LORD: and will help every one from him that swelleth against him, and will set him at rest.

7 The words of the LORD are pure words: even as the silver, which from the earth is tried, and purified seven times in the fire.

8 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD: Thou shalt preserve him from this generation for

ever.

9 The ungodly walk on every side: when they are exalted, the children of men are put to rebuke.

PSALM 13. Usque quo, Domine?

[A Psalm of David, showing the progress of sorrow, through prayer and faith, to victory.]

How long wilt Thou forget me, O LORD, for

To be sung upon Sheminith: i. e., by bass voices.

1. Cf. the desolation and complaint of Elijah, 1 Kings xix. 10: "I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."

2. Vanity - i. e., emptiness, unreality. 3. Root out; rather, cut off i.e., from all communion with Himself.

4. We are, &c.; lit. our lips are with us,

are our own.

5. The comfortless troubles' sake; lit. for, on account of the desolation.

7. Silver. The cupelling process (from cupel, the cup in which the alloy and lead are placed) of refining silver is described in Ez. xxii. 20,"They gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it."

9. 'This return to gloom and doubt is, I believe, without parallel at the conclusion of a Psalm." -PEROWNE.

ever: how long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me?

2 How long shall I seek counsel in my soul, and be so vexed in my heart : how long shall mine enemies triumph over me?

3 Consider, and hear me, O LORD my God lighten mine eyes, that I sleep not in death.

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2. And be; rather,

having sorrow in my heart all day." Notice "how long," four times repeated. 3. Lighten. Cf. Jonathan's " eyes were enlightened i. e., refreshed - 1 Sam.

4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him for if I be cast down, they xxiv. 27. : that trouble me will rejoice at it.

5 But my trust is in Thy mercy and my heart is joyful in Thy salvation.

6 I will sing of the LORD, because He hath dealt so lovingly with me: yea, I will praise the Name of the LORD most Highest.

PSALM 14. Dixit insipiens.

[A Psalm of David, lamenting the terrible corruptness of the times. It is repeated, with a few alterations, as Ps. liii.]

THE fool hath said in his heart: There is no God.

2 They are corrupt, and become abominable in their doings there is none that doeth good, no not one.

3 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that would understand, and seek after God.

4 But they are all gone out of the way, they are altogether become abominable : there is none that doeth good, no not one. [5 Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues have they deceived: the poison of asps is under their lips.

6 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness their feet are swift to shed blood.

7 Destruction and unhappiness is in their

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6. Yea, &c. This half of the verse is brew version.

not found in our He

1. The fool; the vile person. "Na

bal," the man withment.

out taste or discern

3. Cf. "The king came in to see the guests; also Gen. i. 5 "The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded."

4. Cf. "The whole

head is sick, and the

whole heart faint.

From the sole of the

foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it," Isa. i. 5, 6.

Verses 5, 6, 7 are not in the Hebrew,

ways, and the way of peace have they not known there is no fear of God before their eyes.]

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8 Have they no knowledge, that they are all such workers of mischief eating up my people as it were bread, and call not upon the Lord?

9 There were they brought in great fear, even where no fear was for God is in the generation of the righteous.

10 As for you, ye have made a mock at the counsel of the poor : because he putteth his trust in the LORD.

11 Who shall give salvation unto Israel out of Sion? When the LORD turneth the captivity of His people: then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

but are transferred from Rom. iii. 10, where S. Paul quotes them from other parts of the Bible. They found their way into this text through the LXX. and Vulgate.

8. Eating up, &c. - i. e., the leaders made the people their victims.

9. Even where, &c.

i. e., no outward words are transferred cause of fear; the from Ps. liii. 6, and are not found in the Hebrew in this Psalm.

11. "This may suit the desire of David, 2 Sam. xv. 25, 26; or the verse may have been added at a later date."-PEROWNE.

Morning Prayer.

PSALM 15. Domine, quis habitabit?

[A Psalm of David, generally understood to have been composed on the occasion of the removal of the ark from the house of Obed-edom to the holy hill of Zion.]

LORD, who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle : or who shall rest upon Thy holy hill?

2 Even he, that leadeth an uncorrupt life and doeth the thing which is right, and speaketh the truth from his heart.

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3 He that hath used no deceit in his tongue, nor done evil to his neighbour and hath not slandered his neighbour.

4 He that setteth not by himself, but is lowly in his own eyes and maketh much

of them that fear the LORD.

DAY 3.

Ascension Day.

The second Psalm at Morning Prayer, followed by Ps. xxi.

1. Dwell; rather, sojourn-i.e., be received as a guest.

4. Otherwise translated, as in the Bible version, "in whose eyes a vile person is despised." Hence the

Psalmist is despised in his own eyes-i.e., he is meek and lowly.

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