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119. Psalm 119

1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
   who walk according to the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes
   and seek him with all their heart—
3 they do no wrong
   but follow his ways.
4 You have laid down precepts
   that are to be fully obeyed.
5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast
   in obeying your decrees!
6 Then I would not be put to shame
   when I consider all your commands.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart
   as I learn your righteous laws.
8 I will obey your decrees;
   do not utterly forsake me.

    ב Beth

    9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
   By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
   do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
   that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, LORD;
   teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount
   all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
   as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts
   and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees;
   I will not neglect your word.

    ג Gimel

    17 Be good to your servant while I live,
   that I may obey your word.
18 Open my eyes that I may see
   wonderful things in your law.
19 I am a stranger on earth;
   do not hide your commands from me.
20 My soul is consumed with longing
   for your laws at all times.
21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are accursed,
   those who stray from your commands.
22 Remove from me their scorn and contempt,
   for I keep your statutes.
23 Though rulers sit together and slander me,
   your servant will meditate on your decrees.
24 Your statutes are my delight;
   they are my counselors.

    ד Daleth

    25 I am laid low in the dust;
   preserve my life according to your word.
26 I gave an account of my ways and you answered me;
   teach me your decrees.
27 Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
   that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
28 My soul is weary with sorrow;
   strengthen me according to your word.
29 Keep me from deceitful ways;
   be gracious to me and teach me your law.
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
   I have set my heart on your laws.
31 I hold fast to your statutes, LORD;
   do not let me be put to shame.
32 I run in the path of your commands,
   for you have broadened my understanding.

    ה He

    33 Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees,
   that I may follow it to the end. Or follow it for its reward
34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
   and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
   for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
   and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
   preserve my life according to your word. Two manuscripts of the Masoretic Text and Dead Sea Scrolls; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text life in your way
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
   so that you may be feared.
39 Take away the disgrace I dread,
   for your laws are good.
40 How I long for your precepts!
   In your righteousness preserve my life.

    ו Waw

    41 May your unfailing love come to me, LORD,
   your salvation, according to your promise;
42 then I can answer anyone who taunts me,
   for I trust in your word.
43 Never take your word of truth from my mouth,
   for I have put my hope in your laws.
44 I will always obey your law,
   for ever and ever.
45 I will walk about in freedom,
   for I have sought out your precepts.
46 I will speak of your statutes before kings
   and will not be put to shame,
47 for I delight in your commands
   because I love them.
48 I reach out for your commands, which I love,
   that I may meditate on your decrees.

    ז Zayin

    49 Remember your word to your servant,
   for you have given me hope.
50 My comfort in my suffering is this:
   Your promise preserves my life.
51 The arrogant mock me unmercifully,
   but I do not turn from your law.
52 I remember, LORD, your ancient laws,
   and I find comfort in them.
53 Indignation grips me because of the wicked,
   who have forsaken your law.
54 Your decrees are the theme of my song
   wherever I lodge.
55 In the night, LORD, I remember your name,
   that I may keep your law.
56 This has been my practice:
   I obey your precepts.

    ח Heth

    57 You are my portion, LORD;
   I have promised to obey your words.
58 I have sought your face with all my heart;
   be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 I have considered my ways
   and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hasten and not delay
   to obey your commands.
61 Though the wicked bind me with ropes,
   I will not forget your law.
62 At midnight I rise to give you thanks
   for your righteous laws.
63 I am a friend to all who fear you,
   to all who follow your precepts.
64 The earth is filled with your love, LORD;
   teach me your decrees.

    ט Teth

    65 Do good to your servant
   according to your word, LORD.
66 Teach me knowledge and good judgment,
   for I trust your commands.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
   but now I obey your word.
68 You are good, and what you do is good;
   teach me your decrees.
69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,
   I keep your precepts with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are callous and unfeeling,
   but I delight in your law.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted
   so that I might learn your decrees.
72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me
   than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

    י Yodh

    73 Your hands made me and formed me;
   give me understanding to learn your commands.
74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
   for I have put my hope in your word.
75 I know, LORD, that your laws are righteous,
   and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
76 May your unfailing love be my comfort,
   according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
   for your law is my delight.
78 May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause;
   but I will meditate on your precepts.
79 May those who fear you turn to me,
   those who understand your statutes.
80 May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees,
   that I may not be put to shame.

    כ Kaph

    81 My soul faints with longing for your salvation,
   but I have put my hope in your word.
82 My eyes fail, looking for your promise;
   I say, “When will you comfort me?”
83 Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,
   I do not forget your decrees.
84 How long must your servant wait?
   When will you punish my persecutors?
85 The arrogant dig pits to trap me,
   contrary to your law.
86 All your commands are trustworthy;
   help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.
87 They almost wiped me from the earth,
   but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88 In your unfailing love preserve my life,
   that I may obey the statutes of your mouth.

    ל Lamedh

    89 Your word, LORD, is eternal;
   it stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
   you established the earth, and it endures.
91 Your laws endure to this day,
   for all things serve you.
92 If your law had not been my delight,
   I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
   for by them you have preserved my life.
94 Save me, for I am yours;
   I have sought out your precepts.
95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me,
   but I will ponder your statutes.
96 To all perfection I see a limit,
   but your commands are boundless.

    מ Mem

    97 Oh, how I love your law!
   I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands are always with me
   and make me wiser than my enemies.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
   for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
   for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path
   so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws,
   for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
   sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
   therefore I hate every wrong path.

    נ Nun

    105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
   a light on my path.
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
   that I will follow your righteous laws.
107 I have suffered much;
   preserve my life, LORD, according to your word.
108 Accept, LORD, the willing praise of my mouth,
   and teach me your laws.
109 Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
   I will not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a snare for me,
   but I have not strayed from your precepts.
111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
   they are the joy of my heart.
112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees
   to the very end. Or decrees / for their enduring reward

    ס Samekh

    113 I hate double-minded people,
   but I love your law.
114 You are my refuge and my shield;
   I have put my hope in your word.
115 Away from me, you evildoers,
   that I may keep the commands of my God!
116 Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live;
   do not let my hopes be dashed.
117 Uphold me, and I will be delivered;
   I will always have regard for your decrees.
118 You reject all who stray from your decrees,
   for their delusions come to nothing.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;
   therefore I love your statutes.
120 My flesh trembles in fear of you;
   I stand in awe of your laws.

    ע Ayin

    121 I have done what is righteous and just;
   do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Ensure your servant’s well-being;
   do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes fail, looking for your salvation,
   looking for your righteous promise.
124 Deal with your servant according to your love
   and teach me your decrees.
125 I am your servant; give me discernment
   that I may understand your statutes.
126 It is time for you to act, LORD;
   your law is being broken.
127 Because I love your commands
   more than gold, more than pure gold,
128 and because I consider all your precepts right,
   I hate every wrong path.

    פ Pe

    129 Your statutes are wonderful;
   therefore I obey them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
   it gives understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant,
   longing for your commands.
132 Turn to me and have mercy on me,
   as you always do to those who love your name.
133 Direct my footsteps according to your word;
   let no sin rule over me.
134 Redeem me from human oppression,
   that I may obey your precepts.
135 Make your face shine on your servant
   and teach me your decrees.
136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
   for your law is not obeyed.

    צ Tsadhe

    137 You are righteous, LORD,
   and your laws are right.
138 The statutes you have laid down are righteous;
   they are fully trustworthy.
139 My zeal wears me out,
   for my enemies ignore your words.
140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
   and your servant loves them.
141 Though I am lowly and despised,
   I do not forget your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is everlasting
   and your law is true.
143 Trouble and distress have come upon me,
   but your commands give me delight.
144 Your statutes are always righteous;
   give me understanding that I may live.

    ק Qoph

    145 I call with all my heart; answer me, LORD,
   and I will obey your decrees.
146 I call out to you; save me
   and I will keep your statutes.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;
   I have put my hope in your word.
148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
   that I may meditate on your promises.
149 Hear my voice in accordance with your love;
   preserve my life, LORD, according to your laws.
150 Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
   but they are far from your law.
151 Yet you are near, LORD,
   and all your commands are true.
152 Long ago I learned from your statutes
   that you established them to last forever.

    ר Resh

    153 Look on my suffering and deliver me,
   for I have not forgotten your law.
154 Defend my cause and redeem me;
   preserve my life according to your promise.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
   for they do not seek out your decrees.
156 Your compassion, LORD, is great;
   preserve my life according to your laws.
157 Many are the foes who persecute me,
   but I have not turned from your statutes.
158 I look on the faithless with loathing,
   for they do not obey your word.
159 See how I love your precepts;
   preserve my life, LORD, in accordance with your love.
160 All your words are true;
   all your righteous laws are eternal.

    ש Sin and Shin

    161 Rulers persecute me without cause,
   but my heart trembles at your word.
162 I rejoice in your promise
   like one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and detest falsehood
   but I love your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
   for your righteous laws.
165 Great peace have those who love your law,
   and nothing can make them stumble.
166 I wait for your salvation, LORD,
   and I follow your commands.
167 I obey your statutes,
   for I love them greatly.
168 I obey your precepts and your statutes,
   for all my ways are known to you.

    ת Taw

    169 May my cry come before you, LORD;
   give me understanding according to your word.
170 May my supplication come before you;
   deliver me according to your promise.
171 May my lips overflow with praise,
   for you teach me your decrees.
172 May my tongue sing of your word,
   for all your commands are righteous.
173 May your hand be ready to help me,
   for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, LORD,
   and your law gives me delight.
175 Let me live that I may praise you,
   and may your laws sustain me.
176 I have strayed like a lost sheep.
   Seek your servant,
   for I have not forgotten your commands.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

89 Thy word, O Jehovah I endure for ever. Many explain this verse as if David adduced the stability of the heavens as a proof of God’s truth. According to them the meaning is, that God is proved to be true because the heavens continually remain in the same state. 429429     This is the explanation given by Walford. His translation is —
   “O Jehovah! for ever
Is thy word established in the heavens.”
   Upon which he observes: “The design of these words is by no means obvious, and the interpreters vary greatly in their explications. I have not met with any explanation that is altogether satisfactory, and shall therefore give what appears to me to be the true meaning. The design, in general, of the Psalmist is, to celebrate the immutability of the word of God: whatever He speaks is sure. To illustrate this position, he refers to the creation of the heavens and of the earth; they were alike formed by the word of God, — ‘He spake, and it was done.’ By virtue of that word these vast productions abide through all ages, so that the word of God is established and displayed in heaven and upon earth. As the same word uttered all the precepts and institutions of the law, and all the promises of the covenant of mercy, the unchangeableness of these precepts and promises is verified and manifested by the perpetual conservation of all these instances of physical power and energy.” Others offer a still more forced interpretation, That God’s truth is more sure than the state of the heavens. But it appears to me that the prophet intended to convey a very different idea. As we see nothing constant or of long continuance upon earth, he elevates our minds to heaven, that they may fix their anchor there. David, no doubt, might have said, as he has done in many other places, that the whole order of the world bears testimony to the steadfastness of God’s word — that word which is most true. But as there is reason to fear that the minds of the godly would hang in uncertainty if they rested the proof of God’s truth upon the state of the world, in which such manifold disorders prevail; by placing God’s truth in the heavens, he allots to it a habitation subject to no changes. That no person then may estimate God’s word from the various vicissitudes which meet his eye in this world, heaven is tacitly set in opposition to the earth. Our salvation, as if it had been said, being shut up in God’s word, is not subject to change, as all earthly things are, but is anchored in a safe and peaceful haven. The same truth the Prophet Isaiah teaches in somewhat different words:

“All flesh is grass, and all the godliness thereof is as the flower of the field,” (Isaiah 40:6.)

He means, according to the Apostle Peter’s exposition, (1 Peter 1:24) that the certainty of salvation is to be sought in the word, and, therefor that they do wrong who settle their minds upon the world; for the steadfastness of God’s word far transcends the stability of the world.

90. Thy truth is from generation to generation In this verse the Psalmist repeats and confirms the same sentiment. He expressly teaches, that although the faithful live for a short time as strangers upon earth, and soon pass away, yet their life is not perishable, since they are begotten again of an incorruptible seed. He, however, proceeds still farther. He had before enjoined us to pierce by faith into heaven, because we will find nothing in the world on which we can assuredly rest; and now he again teaches us, by experience, that though the world is subject to revolutions, yet in it bright and signal testimonies to the truth of God shine forth, so that the steadfastness of his word is not exclusively confined to heaven, but comes down even to us who dwell upon the earth. For this reason, it is added, that the earth continues steadfast, even as it was established by God at the beginning. Lord, as if it had been said, even in the earth we see thy truth reflected as it were in a mirror; for though it is suspended in the midst of the sea, yet it continues to remain in the same state. These two things, then, are quite consistent; first, that the steadfastness of God’s word is not to be judged of according to the condition of the world, which is always fluctuating, and fades away as a shadow; and, secondly, that yet men are ungrateful if they do not acknowledge the constancy which in many respects marks the frame. work of the world; for the earth, which otherwise could not occupy the position it does for a single moment, abides notwithstanding steadfast, because God’s word is the foundation on which it rests. Farther, no person has any ground for objecting, that it is a hard thing to go beyond this world in quest of the evidences of God’s truth, since, in that case, it would be too remote from the apprehension of men. The prophet meets the objection by affirming, that although it dwells in heaven, yet we may see at our very feet conspicuous proofs of it, which may gradually advance us to as perfect knowledge of it as our limited capacity will permit. Thus the prophet, on the one hand, exhorts us to rise above the whole world by faith, so that the word of God may be found by experience to be adequate, as it really is adequate, to sustain our faith; and, on the other hand, he warns us that we have no excuse, if, by the very sight of the earth, we do not discover the truth of God, since legible traces of it are to be found at our feet. In the first clause, men are called back from the vanity of their own understanding; and, in the other; their weakness is relieved, that they may have a foretaste upon earth of what is to be found more fully in heaven.

91. By thy judgments they continue to this day. The word, היום, hayom, which, following other interpreters, I have translated to this days might not improperly rendered daily, or every day. In that case, however, the sense would be substantially the same; for the prophet means, that the whole order of nature depends solely upon the commandment or decree of God. In using the term judgments, he makes an allusion to the law, intimating, that the same regard to rectitude which is exhibited in the law is brightly displayed in every part; of God’s procedure. From this it follows, that men are very perverse, when, by their unbelief, they do what they can to shake and impair the faithfulness of God, upon which all creatures repose; and, moreover, when by their rebellion they impeach his righteousness, and deny the authority of his commands, upon which the stability of the whole world depends. It is a harsh manner of expression to say, that all the elements are God’s servants; but it expresses more than if it had been said, that all things are ready to yield obedience to him. How can we account for it, that the air, which is so thin, does not consume itself by blowing incessantly? How can we account for it, that the waters do not waste away by flowing, but on the principle that these elements obey the secret command of God? By faith, it is true, we perceive that the continued existence of the world is owing to the fiat of God; but all who have the smallest pretensions to understanding are led to the same conclusion, from the manifest and undoubted proofs of this truth, which every where meet their eye. Let it then be thoroughly impressed upon our minds, that all things are so governed and maintained by the secret operation of God, as that their continuing in the same state is owing to their obeying his commandment or word. We must always remember the point which the prophet aims at; which is, that God’s faithfulness, which shines forth in his external works, may gradually conduct us higher, until we attain such a persuasion of the truth of heavenly doctrine as is entirely free from doubt.
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