A translation of the psalms of David attempted in the Spirit of Christianity, and adapted to the divine service. By Christopher Smart |
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| XX. |
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| XXVII. |
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| XXIX. |
| XXX. |
| XXXI. |
| XXXII. |
| XXXIII. |
| XXXIV. |
| XXXV. |
| XXXVI. |
| XXXVII. | PSALM XXXVII. |
| XXXVIII. |
| XXXIX. |
| XL. |
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| XLIX. |
| L. |
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| LIV. |
| LV. |
| LVI. |
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| LVIII. |
| LIX. |
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| LXI. |
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| LXIII. |
| LXIV. |
| LXV. |
| LXVI. |
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| LXVIII. |
| LXIX. |
| LXX. |
| LXXI. |
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| LXXIII. |
| LXXIV. |
| LXXV. |
| LXXVI. |
| LXXVII. |
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| LXXIX. |
| LXXX. |
| LXXXI. |
| LXXXII. |
| LXXXIII. |
| LXXXIV. |
| LXXXV. |
| LXXXVI. |
| LXXXVII. |
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| XCI. |
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| CV. |
| CVI. |
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| CIX. |
| CX. |
| CXI. |
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| CXIII. |
| CXIV. |
| CXV. |
| CXVI. |
| CXVII. |
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| CXIX. |
| CXX. |
| CXXI. |
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| CXXIII. |
| CXXIV. |
| CXXV. |
| CXXVI. |
| CXXVII. |
| CXXVIII. |
| CXXIX. |
| CXXX. |
| CXXXI. |
| CXXXII. |
| CXXXIII. |
| CXXXIV. |
| CXXXV. |
| CXXXVI. |
| CXXXVII. |
| CXXXVIII. |
| CXXXIX. |
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| CXLI. |
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| CXLIV. |
| CXLV. |
| CXLVI. |
| CXLVII. |
| CXLVIII. |
| CXLIX. |
| CL. |
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| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| XI. |
| XII. |
| XIII. |
| XIV. |
| XV. |
| XVI. |
| XVII. |
| XVIII. |
| XIX. |
| XX. |
| XXI. |
| XXII. |
| XXIII. |
| XXIV. |
| XXV. |
| XXVI. |
| XXVII. |
| XXVIII. |
| XXIX. |
| XXX. |
| XXXI. |
| XXXII. |
| XXXIII. |
| XXXIV. |
| XXXV. |
 | A translation of the psalms of David |  |
PSALM XXXVII.
Fret not thy self to find
How wicked worldlings thrive,
Nor with the hoards they hive
Bear thou an envious mind.
How wicked worldlings thrive,
Nor with the hoards they hive
Bear thou an envious mind.
For soon they shall decay,
And be cut down like grass,
With all that they amass,
And fare like rotten hay.
And be cut down like grass,
With all that they amass,
And fare like rotten hay.
But thou in God confide,
And deal with bounteous hand
The product of the land,
And thou shalt be supply'd.
And deal with bounteous hand
The product of the land,
And thou shalt be supply'd.
Delight thou in the Lord,
And so thou shalt acquire
Thy soul's supream desire,
Thy virtue to reward.
And so thou shalt acquire
Thy soul's supream desire,
Thy virtue to reward.
34
Thy way to God commend,
In him repose thy trust,
Which all things shall adjust
To crown a blissful end.
In him repose thy trust,
Which all things shall adjust
To crown a blissful end.
He shall thy truth redeem
To make it clear as light,
And thy just dealing bright,
As is the noon-day beam.
To make it clear as light,
And thy just dealing bright,
As is the noon-day beam.
Be still; with patience wait:
But grieve not at the course
Of those whom fraud and force
Have made ungodly great.
But grieve not at the course
Of those whom fraud and force
Have made ungodly great.
Leave off ere you begin
From rage and discontent;
If thou thyself torment
Thou shalt be mov'd to sin,
From rage and discontent;
If thou thyself torment
Thou shalt be mov'd to sin,
The wicked branch and root
Shall be from earth remov'd;
But men in patience prov'd
Shall bear and gather fruit.
Shall be from earth remov'd;
But men in patience prov'd
Shall bear and gather fruit.
But yet a little space
And guilt shall have its due,
You shall the men pursue
And hardly find their place.
And guilt shall have its due,
You shall the men pursue
And hardly find their place.
But men resign'd and meek
Such shall possess the earth,
And in their second birth
The prince of Salem seek.
Such shall possess the earth,
And in their second birth
The prince of Salem seek.
Disguise against the truth
For matter is in quest,
To rail the wise and blest,
And gnash with angry tooth.
For matter is in quest,
To rail the wise and blest,
And gnash with angry tooth.
The Lord with high disdain
Shall scoff at all they lease;
For he from heav'n foresees
The doom of the profane.
Shall scoff at all they lease;
For he from heav'n foresees
The doom of the profane.
The wicked man is fierce,
Drawn swords and bended bows
To slay the poor, and those
Which with their God converse.
Drawn swords and bended bows
To slay the poor, and those
Which with their God converse.
The prince of peace and light
Shall parry every sword,
When all things are restor'd,
And break the darts of spite.
Shall parry every sword,
When all things are restor'd,
And break the darts of spite.
The pittance of the good
Is better than the wealth
That comes by fraud and stealth,
When rightly understood.
Is better than the wealth
That comes by fraud and stealth,
When rightly understood.
For men in sin grown bold
Christ Jesus shall reduce,
And for a blessed use
The righteous man uphold.
Christ Jesus shall reduce,
And for a blessed use
The righteous man uphold.
The righteous Lord approves
The godly all their days,
And for eternal praise
To endless joy removes.
The godly all their days,
And for eternal praise
To endless joy removes.
Such shall no foe confound;
But in the day of dread
To peace they shall be sped,
And e'en in dearth abound.
But in the day of dread
To peace they shall be sped,
And e'en in dearth abound.
But vengeance shall consume
The sinners and self-will'd;
Yea tho' the LAMB was kill'd
To stave their day of doom.
The sinners and self-will'd;
Yea tho' the LAMB was kill'd
To stave their day of doom.
When bad men run in debt
At payment they repine;
The gen'rous and benign
A better pattern set.
At payment they repine;
The gen'rous and benign
A better pattern set.
The men of virtuous fame
God's Canaan shall possess;
But such as will not bless,
Shall be expell'd with shame.
God's Canaan shall possess;
But such as will not bless,
Shall be expell'd with shame.
The Lord himself directs
The righteous in the road,
And to his own abode
His pilgramage protects.
The righteous in the road,
And to his own abode
His pilgramage protects.
Though in the way they err,
They shall not lose their all;
The lost shall God recall
And to his fold refer.
They shall not lose their all;
The lost shall God recall
And to his fold refer.
35
Youth was, and age is come;
I never saw the race
Of virtue in disgrace,
Or begging for a crumb.
I never saw the race
Of virtue in disgrace,
Or begging for a crumb.
The righteous is humane
And ever lends to need,
And his unnumber'd seed
Are blest and good in grain.
And ever lends to need,
And his unnumber'd seed
Are blest and good in grain.
All evil acts avoid,
Persist in doing well,
So shalt thou surely dwell,
And be in heav'n employ'd.
Persist in doing well,
So shalt thou surely dwell,
And be in heav'n employ'd.
God to the truth is love,
Nor e'er the good forsakes,
But him and his he takes
Up to the bliss above.
Nor e'er the good forsakes,
But him and his he takes
Up to the bliss above.
The wicked shall be scourg'd—
But yet his helpless seed
Their Saviour Christ may plead,
By due contrition purg'd.
But yet his helpless seed
Their Saviour Christ may plead,
By due contrition purg'd.
The righteous are the heirs
For whom the Lord provides,
And all their stock resides
'Midst ceaseless hymns and pray'rs.
For whom the Lord provides,
And all their stock resides
'Midst ceaseless hymns and pray'rs.
The righteous man's discourse
In wisdom is advis'd,
In judgment exercis'd,
Whose words the truth inforce.
In wisdom is advis'd,
In judgment exercis'd,
Whose words the truth inforce.
The word is in his heart,
And on his faithful lip;
His footstep shall not slip,
Nor from God's way depart.
And on his faithful lip;
His footstep shall not slip,
Nor from God's way depart.
The wicked sees the joy
Attending God's free laws,
And grudging seeks a cause
Th'observer to destroy.
Attending God's free laws,
And grudging seeks a cause
Th'observer to destroy.
The Lord will not expose
His servants to the chair
Of judges so unfair,
Nor with their sentence close.
His servants to the chair
Of judges so unfair,
Nor with their sentence close.
Hope—and the Lord adore,
And thee he shall promote,
And to those realms devote,
Where sin shall be no more.
And thee he shall promote,
And to those realms devote,
Where sin shall be no more.
I with these eyes have seen
The proud his pow'r display,
And flourish, like the bay,
So goodly and so green.
The proud his pow'r display,
And flourish, like the bay,
So goodly and so green.
I went again to view
His wretched flatt'rers fawn;
But lo! the man was gone,
His place was made anew.
His wretched flatt'rers fawn;
But lo! the man was gone,
His place was made anew.
Thine innocence hold fast,
Beware of craft and guile,
And dying thou shall smile,
That there is peace at last.
Beware of craft and guile,
And dying thou shall smile,
That there is peace at last.
But those that still transgress,
And all the sons of scorn,
Their hope is but forlorn,
To those that bear and bless.
And all the sons of scorn,
Their hope is but forlorn,
To those that bear and bless.
Salvation of the soul
Is from the Lord of pow'r,
Which in his adverse hour
Can make the sufferer whole.
Is from the Lord of pow'r,
Which in his adverse hour
Can make the sufferer whole.
The good shall Christ assist,
And save them from the paws
Of rav'nous wolves—because
They in his band inlist.
And save them from the paws
Of rav'nous wolves—because
They in his band inlist.
| A translation of the psalms of David | |