Imatges de pàgina
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In thea, LORD, do I put my trust, let me never be put to confusion.

Deliver me in Thy righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline Thine ear unto me, and save me.

Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: Thou hast given commandment to save me, for Thou art my rock and my fortress.

Deliver me, O my GOD, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

For thou art my hope, O LORD GOD: Thou art my trust from my youth

I am as a wonder unto many; but Thou art my strong refuge.

Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise, and with Thy honour all the day.

Cast me not off in the time of old age, forsake me not when my strength faileth.

For my enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul, take council together,

Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him, for there is none to deliver him.

O GOD, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.

But I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more.

My mouth shall shew forth Thy righteousness, and Thy salvation all the day: for I know not the numbers thereof. I will go in the strength of the LORD GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.

O GOD, Thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous works.

Now also when I am old and grey-headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto his generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come.

Thy

Thy righteousness also, O GOD, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee?

Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shall quicken me again, and shult bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even Thy truth, O my GoD: unto Thee will I sing with the harp, O Thou holy one of Israel.

My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto Thee: and my soul which thou hast redeemed.

My tongue also shall talk of Thy righteousness all the day long for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

Great as David's present distress was, he had been redeemed from a severer one, the fear of GOD's perpetual anger for his heinous sins; his repentance had been accepted, and forgivenese promised. David knew that the LORD was also able to remove the punishment he suffered, and the HOLY SPIRIT gave him assurance, that when the purposes of his reformation and the edification of the world were answered by his chastisement, he should again rejoice before the LORD.

No one deserved death more than Ahithophel; and despair, which generally succeeds the disappointment of wicked plots, suggested the desperate deed of putting an end to his own life. When David heard that Ahithophel his formidable enemy was dead, it was natural for his heart to rejoice; and the following psalm seems particularly adapted to this occasion, because it is likely that being at Mahanaim, he recollected the deliverance of his forefather Jacob from the hand of Esau, and was encou

raged.

raged to hope, that prayer and penitence would induce the LORD to deliver him also from the pursuit of his unnatural son*.

I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.

I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him; and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.

O fear the LORD, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him.

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

Come ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

* Psalm xxxiv.

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The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

:

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righ• teous shall be desolate.

The LORD redeemeth the souls of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

SECTION XXI.

SUCCOURS BROUGHT TO THE KING-DAVID GIVETH À
CHARGE CONCERNING ABSALOM-ABSALOM HANG-
ETH IN AN OAK-THE KING MOURNETH FOR AB-
SALOM.

From 2 Samuel, Chap. xvii, xviii.

AND it came to pass when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim, brought beds and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse;

And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine for David, and for the people that were with him to eat; for they said, the people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty in the wilderness.

And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds

over them.

And David sent forth a third part of the people under

the

the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite: and the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.

But the people answered thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us, therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city.

And the king said unto them, what seemeth you best, I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds, and by thousands.

And the king commanded Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.

So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim;

Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men.

For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country; and the wood devoured more people that day, than the sword devoured.

And Absalom met the servants of David; and Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth, and the mule that was under him went away.

And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.

And Joab said unto the man that told him, And behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him

there

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