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The Psalmes of David

The King And Prophet, And Of other holy Prophets, paraphas'd in English: Conferred with the Hebrew Veritie, set forth by B. Arias Montanus, together with the Latine, Greek Septuagint, and Chaldee Paraphrase. By R. B. [i.e. Richard Brathwait]

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Psal. 37. Noli æmulari.

Davidis, Acrostichon.

1

At evill doers evill deeds
repine not, though they thrive:
Envie them not, when well succeeds
what wicked heads contrive.

66

2

For as the grasse to ripenesse grow'n,
downe shall they soon be cut;
And withered like the green herb mow'n,
whereto the sithe is put.

3

Build on the Lord thy trust; doe good,
and dwelling in this mind,
Dwell in the land, where store of food
thy faith shall surely find.

4

Upon the Lord set thy delight,
thy vowes let him inspire;
And he thy service shall requite
above thy hearts desire.

5

Goe to the Lord to lead thy way,
thy trust to him commit:
And he thy steps shall (walking) stay,
and make thy hopes to hit.

6

Thy Justice cleere as is the light,
his furnace shall refine:
The day at noon shines not so bright,
as shall thy Justice shine.

7

Dumb-silent on the Lord attend,
undaunted at his way,
That prospers, when malignant end
his slie devices lay.

8

Hold off from anger, wrath asswage,
fret not thy selfe a whit;
Lest like transgressors, in thy rage
like evill thou commit.

9

For evill doers best successe
themselves cut off shall end:
The earth shall they and theirs possesse,
that on the Lord attend.

10

Well, yet a little while expect,
the wicked shall not be:

67

Thine eye upon his place reflect,
they are not His, nor He.

11

They shall possesse the earths encrease,
that are of humble sp'rit:
And in the multitude of peace,
shall set their whole delight.

12

Zealously bent against the Just,
the wicked grinds his teeth:

13

The Lord shall laugh to scorne his trust,
whose day at hand he seeth.

14

Hand on the sword un-sheath'd, and bow
fore-bent, the wicked lay:
The poore afflicted downe to throw,
the upright-wai'd to slay.

15

Their sword on them his point shall trie,
and through their heart shall pierce:
The bowes they bent shall broken lie,
wherewith they were so fierce.

16

The little that the Just possesse
availes to better steed,
Than wicked riches, never lesse,
than when they most exceed.

17

For broken shall be found the armes,
whereto the wicked trust:
But with his powerfull arme, from harmes,
the Lord upholds the Just.

18

Instructed in the Perfect's waies,
the Lord hath his fore-cast:
An heritage before them laies,
that shall for ever last.

19

In them shall shame inure no staine,
when evill times grow rough:
And in the daies that dearth doth raigne,
then shall they have enough.

68

20

Consum'd yet wicked men in haste,
JAH'S foes shall soon decay;
As fat of lambes, as smoake doth waste,
shall they consume away.

21

Large sums the wicked borrowing, shifts,
and nothing payes againe:
The Just is bountifull in gifts,
of mercy makes his gaine.

22

In him shall they that blessed are
possesse the earths increase:
But they that in his curse have share,
cut off (and soon) shall cease.

23

Mans steps, where-ever-so he treads,
the Lord upholder staies:
His way to him delightfull leads,
and to his liking layes.

24

He through his frailty though he fall,
away shall not be cast:
For to uphold his hand withall,
a hand, O Lord, thou hast.

25

Now I that have been young, am old,
the Just man and his seed,
Yet never did mine eye behold
forsooke, nor seeking bread.

26

All day, he mercy shewes and lends,
not less'ning so his heap:
His seed that from his loines descends,
the more in blessing reap.

27

Shun evills evill neighbourhood,
no dwelling neere that doore:
Depart from evill, and doe good,
and dwell for evermore.

28

The Lord loves Judgement, and will not
forsake his Saints at need:

69

Preserv'd for ever is their lot,
cut off the wicked seed.

29

The soile the Just inherit shall
for their possession:
The termlesse terme perpetuall,
that they shall dwell thereon.

30

Plenty that in the Just abounds,
from forth his floud-gates breakes:
His mouth the deeps of wisedome sounds,
his tongue of Judgement speakes.

31

Goe where he will, stay or depart,
he hath a perfect guide:
His great Gods Law is in his heart,
his footing shall not slide.

32

To stall the Just man in his way,
the wicked sets his watch:
And takes occasion him to slay,
advantage if he catch.

33

And though he fall into his hand,
the Lord there leaves him not:
Accus'd in judgement though he stand,
the sentence is forgot.

34

Cleave to the Lord, and keep his way,
and he shall hold up thee,
To hold the land: whence cut away
the wicked thou shalt see.

35

Ruffling the wicked have I seen,
in highest pride of all:
Wide-spreading, like a Laurell green,
and like a Cedar, tall.

36

He past away, and loe was gone
this Lord of so much ground;
I sought him, but of such a one,
no footstep could be found.

70

37

See and observe the Perfects close,
the righteous man attend,
What ever pressure him oppose,
peace is his after-end.

38

Together, where transgressors all
shall be destroi'd in haste:
Of wicked men, their endlesse fall
shall cut them off at last.

39

To all the righteous, from the Lord
doth their salvation flow:
Whose strength to them doth strength afford,
when trouble strikes them low.
By them the Lord their helper stands,
deliverer of the Just;
Deliverer-safe from wicked hands,
because in him they trust.