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Psalms of Solomon
What are the Psalms of Solomon?
As the name suggests, they are psalms, so normally songs accompanied by music, or melody (from the Greek etymology: psalmos, and the Hebrew etymology: mizmôr). These are the so-called psalms of Solomon, not that Solomon was the author, but they were put under the authority of Solomon whose wisdom was appreciated. Was it not said that Solomon pronounced 3,000 sentences and his hymns numbered 1,005 (1 Kings 5:12)? There are eighteen psalms in all.
They are not part of the canon of Scripture, and thus are classified as apocryphal writings. But the fact that they are apocryphal does not make them any less valuable.
Usually, a psalm is born of particular circumstances. In the psalms of David, i.e. the psalms of our bibles, these circumstances are often nebulous: by dint of being repeated and retold over the centuries by the Jewish community, these circumstances have faded somewhat, like the edges of a mountain rounded off with erosion. On the other hand, the original circumstances of Solomon's Psalms remain very clear: it is the Roman invasion of Palestine under Pompey in 63 BC. For a devout Jew, it is a catastrophe to see the pagans trampling on the holy land of Jerusalem and its temple. Has God abandoned his people? To this seems to be added the scandal of the attitude of the Sadducees, the religious elite who were comfortable with the Roman presence and distanced themselves from many of the religious rules.
The Psalms of Solomon were born out of the reaction of a group of pious Jews in Jerusalem to such a situation.
Composition
The language of composition seems to be Hebrew. Even though the oldest manuscripts are in Greek, the Greek manuscript gives all the signs of a translation from Hebrew:
- The Greek vocabulary is modest and cannot come from a great author
- There are many Semitisms
- Some passages are obscure or incomprehensible, unless you imagine a Hebrew text behind
But it is a text that must have been translated into Greek very early, because it is used by 1 Baruch, a Greek writing of the first century AD.
When were these psalms composed? Since they allude to the Roman conquest in 63 BC, they must therefore be dated to the middle of the first century BC. On the other hand, they also allude to the death of Pompey (Psalm 2:26), who was assassinated in Egypt in 48 BC. It is therefore prudent to speak of a composition in the second part of the first century BC.
By whom were they composed? Some argue for a single author because of a certain unity of thought, others for several authors because of the differences between the psalms. In any case, the individual or individuals represent a community of pious Jews who were moved by the collapse of their religious world, both by the pagan invader and by the ruling priestly authorities. They have sometimes been identified with Pharisees, or even with Essenes. There is no way to identify them with confidence, for many of the ideas of the Pharisees and Essenes were shared by a part of the population that did not belong to any sect.
What is certain is that the author or authors live in Jerusalem, where everything happens. And there three groups clash: of course the author's pious Jewish community, but also the pagan conquerors, whom the Jews call Gentiles, and the local authorities, sympathetic to the Romans and identifiable as Sadducees.
Why is it important to know the Psalms of Solomon?
If we group the end of the first century BC and the beginning of the first century AD, the Psalms of Solomon are a great witness to the world in which Jesus was born and grew up.
Let us begin with the political world. Palestine is under the aegis of the Roman Empire, which creates a tense situation: the Jews are subject to the goodwill of these pagans whose respect for religious traditions depends a great deal on the prefects in place; Pilate's attitude will vary a great deal during his mandate. The priestly caste of the Sadducees is well accomodated by the Roman presence, and one of its representatives is Annas, the one who, according to the gospel according to John, will interrogate Jesus during his trial.
But what is most interesting for us is the religious atmosphere that was created with the arrival of the Romans and the theology that developed. When we saw the pagan sandals treading on the temple floor and innocent people dying, and even the Jewish elite was coming to terms with this, we asked ourselves: what is God doing? Has he forgotten his covenant? Since the Romans were too strong, it was known that it was impossible to take up arms. All this created an eschatological and apocalyptic context: since they were unable to find a solution as pious Jews, they said to themselves that only God could settle things by intervening himself, and he will do so soon in an approaching end of history. He will do so through his messiah, a son of David who will restore his kingdom forever. This messiah will be sinless like the godly Jews, and he will promote the ancient virtues: wisdom, justice, compassion, power. He will restore the twelve ancient tribes and practice righteousness and faithfulness as before. Furthermore, he will bring back the Jewish diaspora and purify the ancestral land, so that the nations will come to it to pay homage to Jerusalem and its king, as Isaiah predicted. Finally, and most remarkably, the Psalms of Solomon use for the first time the expression "Messiah (Christ) Lord" an expression that will be at the heart of the New Testament.
Such a context helps us to understand certain scenes in the gospels, such as Jesus being called the son of David, or the fact that Jesus gathered a group of twelve disciples, an echo of the twelve tribes of Israel. At the same time, such a context helps us to understand the ambiguity of the title messiah: it had a political connotation, even if it did not have a military connotation, because the Jewish faith could not flourish without some form of autonomy and independence.
The Psalms of Solomon in history
These psalms had very little echo in the Jewish community, except for what is found in 1 Baruch (1st c. CE). They are mentioned at the beginning of the Codex Alexandrinus (5th c.) when it lists the canonical writings: they were probably copied at the end of the codex after the books of the New Testament, but unfortunately this part remains missing. As they are associated with the Odes by their reference to Solomon, their manuscript history is also associated with them, as they were often copied on the same manuscript. Thus they are mentioned together in a 6th century work by Pseudo-Athanasius (Synopsis Sacrae Scripture) who writes: "There are other books of the Old Testament which are not considered canonical, but which are read to the catechumens... Maccabees... Psalms and Odes of Solomon". Similarly, they appear in a list provided by Nicephorus I (758-828), patriarch of Constantinople, concerning the Stichometry (the calculation of the number of lines in manuscripts) of the sacred books under the heading of non-canonical books of the Old Testament: The Psalms and Odes of Solomon, 2,100 lines.
Thus, for several centuries these psalms were thought to be permanently lost, until an Augsburg archivist David Hoeschel discovered their Greek version in the 17th c. in the 10th c. codex Vindobonensis (V), and it was subsequently published with a Latin translation by the Jesuit Jean Louis de la Cerda (Adversaria sacra. Lyon, 1626). In 1909, when J. Rendel Harris discovered his 15th-century Syriac manuscript containing the Odes of Solomon, he also found the Psalms of Solomon in their Syriac translation following on the same manuscript.
In short, we now possess 11 Greek and four Syriac manuscripts, spanning the 10th to 15th centuries. The Psalms of Solomon are included in the Septuagint editions, because the codices Alexandrinus and Sinaiticus most likely included it on the leaves that are now lost. This is what A. Rahlfs does, in his critical edition (Septuaginta. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 1935), which includes them after the Sirach, before beginning the twelve minor prophets.
-André Gilbert, Decembre 2018
References :
- R.B. Wright, Psalms of Solomon, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, v. 2, ed. James H. Charlesworth. Doubleday: Garden City, 1985, p. 639-670.
- Pierre Prigent, Psaumes de Salomon, La Bible. Les écrits intertestamentaires. Paris: France, Gallimard (Bibiliothèque de la Pléiade), 1987, p. 945-992.
Overview
| Psalm 1 | The psalmist dares to pray, because he is a righteous man, and God has given him many children, but in his prayer he experiences two moments of anguish: the religious elite, the Sadducees not to name them, have become arrogant and sinful, they have praised the sanctuary by not respecting the religious rules, while the cries of war (the Romans) can be heard |
| Psalm 2 | The psalmist tells how the Roman Pompey, who had been welcomed to Jerusalem, wanted to seize the temple, and after three months of siege, overthrew the temple walls on a feast day, and entered where only priests can go, breaking all the rules, a dark day for Jerusalem. In his faith, he sees this as God's punishment for the sins of his people, and so it is a just God who punishes. But the psalmist prays to God to act. And God does act by giving an ignominious fate to the Dragon, Pompey, who was pierced with blows in Egypt and his body left on the shore. This is a sign that God is the true king of the earth. |
| Psalm 3 | The righteous do not refuse the punishments that come from God, for they have a pedagogical value; even the righteous commit inadvertent faults. He is assured of inheriting eternal life. The sinner, on the other hand, will experience eternal perdition. |
| Psalm 4 | The psalmist attacks the religious elite, the Sadducees, the hypocritical flatterers, who sit in the Sanhedrin and make themselves the accusers of others, forgetting their own perversity: they leer at other people's wives, they don't respect contracts, they appropriate other people's property and slander wise people, all this while hiding behind religious law The psalmist prays to the righteous and powerful God that all kinds of curses will fall on them. |
| Psalm 5 | The psalmist expresses his gratitude before a God who cares for the poor, who gives him liberally all that he needs, just as he cares in his providence for all animals. |
| Psalm 6 | The psalmist declares himself blessed, for he fears nothing of life's hazards and bad dreams, feeling confident because of the presence of God who answers his prayers. |
| Psalm 7 | As the people of Israel feel threatened with extermination by the Roman pagans, the psalmist appeals to God's mercy so that he will not keep his anger forever. |
| Psalm 8 | The psalmist describes the arrival of the Romans in Jerusalem and the attitude of the two sons of Alexander Jannaeus, of the Hasmonean dynasty. While the elder son, Hyrcan II, a supporter of the Pharisees, opens the city gates to the Romans, imagining that this is God's will ("The rulers of the land came to meet him, rejoicing... they opened the gates of Jerusalem, they crowned its walls... for God has led him safely"), the youngest son, Aristobulus II, the youngest and high priest, chief of the Sadducees, is of the opposite opinion and barricades himself with his family in the temple enclosure, triggering the Roman attack ("He has taken over the fortified towers of Jerusalem and its walls") and an unprecedented massacre, 12,000 according to Josephus ("He destroyed all their chiefs and all the wise counsellors, he shed the blood of the inhabitants of Jerusalem", and a certain number were sent into slavery to Rome ("He deported their sons and daughters, children conceived in defilement"). The psalmist recognizes that all this is a matter for God's judgment because of the various faults of his people: incest, adultery, the presence of women where they should not be, religious rites not respected. But the psalmist prays to God not to abandon them, promising not to falter again. |
| Psalm 9 | The psalmist meditates on the exile and captivity, probably referring to the Jews of the Diaspora who are far from the promised land, seeing in it a just punishment from God: for man is capable of deciding on good and evil, and is therefore responsible for his actions. Thus, he who is righteous amasses a treasure in the eyes of God, whereas he who commits injustice runs to the perdition of his soul, unless he regrets his faults and repents, which triggers God's mercy. |
| Psalm 10 | The righteous person recognizes the pedagogical value of the Lord's chastisements and accepts them willingly, seeing them as a sign of his love to lead him in the right way. |
| Psalm 11 | In a burst of hope, the Psalmist already sees the day of the Lord coming, which gathers the Jews of the Diaspora from the four corners of the world so that they can all meet together in Jerusalem in a great moment of happiness and joy; this vision becomes his prayer. |
| Psalm 12 | The psalmist denounces people who are skilled at hiding reality, lying and slandering others, because they destroy those around them, especially the innocent. He asks God to eliminate them. |
| Psalm 13 | The wicked man experiences famine, violence and death, but the righteous man is spared all these things by God's intervention; at most he experiences minor punishments, for God corrects him as a parent his child. |
| Psalm 14 | The psalmist compares the fate of the righteous and the sinners. The former, who live according to God's law, will know eternal life, in a heavenly paradise, while the sinners, who have forgotten that God sees all and knows all, have transgressed the law and will inherit Sheol, darkness and perdition. |
| Psalm 15 | Having cried out to the Lord in his anguish and having been heard, the psalmist can only sing the praises of his God who spares him from the fate of the unjust: famine, violence, and death. And on the day of judgment, sinners will be cast into Sheol forever. |
| Psalm 16 | For some time, the psalmist had drifted away from the Lord. But the Lord came to wake him up from his torpor and saved him. In expressing his gratitude for his mercy, he asks him to protect him from the seduction of women, from anger and from discouragement. |
| Psalm 17 | The psalmist affirms his faith in God's universal kingship and recalls his promise to David to give him eternal posterity. But because of the sin of the people, an illegitimate king (Hasmonean dynasty) seized the throne, before the foreigners (Romans) arrived and slaughtered the population and exiled a number of them. A small group of the faithful managed to escape to live their faith. So the psalmist prays that the Messiah, the son of David, will come, that he will eliminate the unjust princes, purify Jerusalem, and gather a people who will live in justice, while he will make the pagan peoples slaves under his yoke. When all this is accomplished, the nations of the earth will come from everywhere to behold the glory of Jerusalem, bringing with them the Jews of the Diaspora. And the Messiah Lord will be the king, not putting his faith in an army, but in God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, shepherding the flock in faith and righteousness. The psalmist prays that this will happen soon. |
| Psalm 18 | The psalmist celebrates the omnipresence of God who sees all and chastises wisely, in order to turn the docile soul away from ignorance. And in advance he blesses the day of the arrival of the Messiah Lord who will rule men with his teaching scepter in righteousness. The psalm concludes by blessing God for the solidity of the course of the stars, which makes it possible to fix the calendar. |
Note: The English translation from Greek is by R. B. Wright. Although the psalms refer to historical events, their order does not follow a chronological sequence.
Full Text
| Verse | Greek Text | English Translation |
|---|
Psalm 1
A Psalm of Solomon
| 1 | Ἐβόησα πρὸς κύριον ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαί με εἰς τέλος,
πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῷ ἐπιθέσθαι ἁμαρτωλούς· | I cried out to the Lord when I was severely troubled,
to God when sinners set upon (me). |
| 2 | ἐξάπινα ἠκούσθη κραυγὴ πολέμου ἐνώπιόν μου·
[εἶπα] Ἐπακούσεταί μου, ὅτι ἐπλήσθην δικαιοσύνης. | Suddenly, the clamor of war was heard before me;
"He will hear me, for I am full of righteousness." |
| 3 | ἐλογισάμην ἐν καρδίᾳ μου ὅτι ἐπλήσθην δικαιοσύνης
ἐν τῷ εὐθηνῆσαί με καὶ πολλὴν γενέσθαι ἐν τέκνοις. | I considered in my heart that I was full of righteousness,
for I had prospered and had many children. |
| 4 | ὁ πλοῦτος αὐτῶν διεδόθη εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν
καὶ ἡ δόξα αὐτῶν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. | Their wealth was extended to the whole earth,
and their glory to the end of the earth. |
| 5 | ὑψώθησαν ἕως τῶν ἄστρων,
εἶπαν Οὐ μὴ πέσωσιν· | They exalted themselves to the stars,
they said they would never fall. |
| 6 | καὶ ἐξύβρισαν ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς αὐτῶν
καὶ οὐκ ἤνεγκαν. | They were arrogant in their possessions,
and they did not acknowledge (God). |
| 7 | αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῶν ἐν ἀποκρύφοις, καὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν· | Their sins were in secret, and even I did not know |
| 8 | αἱ ἀνομίαι αὐτῶν ὑπὲρ τὰ πρὸ αὐτῶν ἔθνη,
ἐβεβήλωσαν τὰ ἅγια κυρίου ἐν βεβηλώσει. | Their lawless actions surpassed the gentiles before them;
they completely profaned the sanctuary of the Lord. |
Psalm 2
A Psalm of Solomon Concerning Jerusalem
| 1 | Ἐν τῷ ὑπερηφανεύεσθαι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐν κριῷ κατέβαλε τείχη ὀχυρά,
καὶ οὐκ ἐκώλυσας. | Arrogantly the sinner broke down the strong walls with a battering ram
and you did not interfere. |
| 2 | ἀνέβησαν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριόν σου ἔθνη ἀλλότρια,
κατεπατοῦσαν ἐν ὑποδήμασιν αὐτῶν ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ, | Gentile foreigners went up to your place of sacrifice;
they arrogantly trampled (it) with their sandals. |
| 3 | ἀνθ ὧν οἱ υἱοὶ Ιερουσαλημ ἐμίαναν τὰ ἅγια κυρίου,
ἐβεβηλοῦσαν τὰ δῶρα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ἀνομίαις. | Because the sons of Jerusalem defiled the sanctuary of the Lord,
they were profaning the offerings of God with lawless acts; |
| 4 | ἕνεκεν τούτων εἶπεν Ἀπορρίψατε αὐτὰ μακρὰν ἀπ ἐμοῦ,
οὐκ εὐδοκῶ ἐν αὐτοῖς. | Because of these things he said, "Remove them far from me;
they are not sweet-smelling." |
| 5 | τὸ κάλλος τῆς δόξης αὐτῆς ἐξουθενώθη ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ,
ἠτιμώθη ἕως εἰς τέλος. | The beauty of his glory was despised before God;
it was completely disgraced. |
| 6 | οἱ υἱοὶ καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ πονηρᾷ, ἐν σφραγῖδι
ὁ τράχηλος αὐτῶν, ἐν ἐπισήμῳ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. | The sons and the daughters (were) in harsh captivity,
their neck in a seal, a spectacle among the gentiles. |
| 7 | Κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν ἐποίησεν αὐτοῖς,
ὅτι ἐγκατέλιπεν αὐτοὺς εἰς χεῖρας κατισχυόντων. | He did (this) to them according to their sins,
so that he abandoned them to the hands of those who prevailed. |
| 8 | ἀπέστρεψεν γὰρ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ ἐλέους αὐτῶν,
νέον καὶ πρεσβύτην καὶ τέκνα αὐτῶν εἰς ἅπαξ,
ὅτι πονηρὰ ἐποίησαν εἰς ἅπαξ τοῦ μὴ ἀκούειν. | For he turned away his face from their mercy;
(from) young and old and their children once again,
for they sinned once again by not listening. |
| 9 | καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐβαρυθύμησεν,
καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐβδελύξατο αὐτούς,
ὅτι οὐκ ἐποίησε πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἐπ αὐτῆς ὅσα ἐποίησαν. | And the heavens were weighed down,
and the earth despised them,
for no one on (the earth) had done what they did. |
| 10 | καὶ γνώσεται ἡ γῆ τὰ κρίματά σου πάντα τὰ δίκαια, ὁ θεός. | And the earth shall know all your righteous judgments, O God. |
| 11 | Ἔστησαν τοὺς υἱοὺς Ιερουσαλημ εἰς ἐμπαιγμὸν ἀντὶ πορνῶν ἐν αὐτῇ·
πᾶς ὁ παραπορευόμενος εἰσεπορεύετο κατέναντι τοῦ ἡλίου. | They set up the sons of Jerusalem for derision because of her prostitutes.
Everyone passing by entered in in broad daylight. |
| 12 | ἐνέπαιζον ταῖς ἀνομίαις αὐτῶν καθὰ ἐποίουν αὐτοί,
ἀπέναντι τοῦ ἡλίου παρεδειγμάτισαν ἀδικίας αὐτῶν. | They derided their lawless actions even in comparison to what they themselves were doing;
before the sun they held up their unrighteousness to contempt. |
| 13 | καὶ θυγατέρες Ιερουσαλημ βέβηλοι κατὰ τὸ κρίμα σου,
ἀνθ ὧν αὐταὶ ἐμιαίωσαν αὑτὰς ἐν φυρμῷ ἀναμείξεως. | And the daughters of Jerusalem were available to all, according to your judgments,
because they defiled themselves with improper intercourse. |
| 14 | τὴν κοιλίαν μου καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα μου πονῶ ἐπὶ τούτοις. | My heart and my belly are troubled over these things. |
| 15 | Ἐγὼ δικαιώσω σε, ὁ θεός, ἐν εὐθύτητι καρδίας,
ὅτι ἐν τοῖς κρίμασίν σου ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου, ὁ θεός. | I shall prove you right, O God, in uprightness of heart;
for your judgments are right, O God. |
| 16 | ὅτι ἀπέδωκας τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν
καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν τὰς πονηρὰς σφόδρα. | For you have rewarded the sinners according to their actions,
and according to their extremely wicked sins. |
| 17 | ἀνεκάλυψας τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν, ἵνα φανῇ τὸ κρίμα σου,
ἐξήλειψας τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. | You have exposed their sins, that your judgment might be evident;
you have obliterated their memory from the earth. |
| 18 | ὁ θεὸς κριτὴς δίκαιος καὶ οὐ θαυμάσει πρόσωπον | God is a righteous judge and he will not be impressed by appearances. |
| 19 | Ὠνείδισαν γὰρ ἔθνη Ιερουσαλημ ἐν καταπατήσει,
κατεσπάσθη τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς ἀπὸ θρόνου δόξης. | For the gentiles insulted Jerusalem, trampling (her) down;
he dragged her beauty down from the throne of glory. |
| 20 | περιεζώσατο σάκκον ἀντὶ ἐνδύματος εὐπρεπείας,
σχοινίον περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῆς ἀντὶ στεφάνου. | She put on sackcloth instead of beautiful clothes,
a rope around her head instead of a crown. |
| 21 | περιείλατο μίτραν δόξης, ἣν περιέθηκεν αὐτῇ ὁ θεός·
ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς, ἀπερρίφη ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. | She took off the wreath of glory which God had put on her;
in dishonor her beauty was thrown to the ground. |
| 22 | Καὶ ἐγὼ εἶδον καὶ ἐδεήθην τοῦ προσώπου κυρίου καὶ εἶπον
Ἱκάνωσον, κύριε, τοῦ βαρύνεσθαι χεῖρά σου ἐπὶ Ιερουσαλημ
ἐν ἐπαγωγῇ ἐθνῶν· | And I saw and implored in the Lord’s presence and said,
"Let it be enough, Lord, to make your hand heavy on Jerusalem
by bringing gentiles (upon her)." |
| 23 | ὅτι ἐνέπαιξαν καὶ οὐκ ἐφείσαντο ἐν ὀργῇ καὶ θυμῷ μετὰ μηνίσεως·
καὶ συντελεσθήσονται, ἐὰν μὴ σύ, κύριε, ἐπιτιμήσῃς αὐτοῖς ἐν ὀργῇ σου. | For they ridiculed (her) and did not refrain in anger and vicious rage,
and they will be finished unless you, Lord, censure them (= gentiles) in your anger. |
| 24 | ὅτι οὐκ ἐν ζήλει ἐποίησαν, ἀλλ ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ ψυχῆς
ἐκχέαι τὴν ὀργὴν αὐτῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐν ἁρπάγματι. | For they have not done it in zeal, but in emotional passion,
to pour out their anger against us in plunder. |
| 25 | μὴ χρονίσῃς, ὁ θεός, τοῦ ἀποδοῦναι αὐτοῖς εἰς κεφαλάς,
τοῦ εἰπεῖν τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν τοῦ δράκοντος ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ. | Do not delay, O God, to repay to them on (their) heads;
to declare dishonorable the arrogance of the dragon. |
| 26 | Καὶ οὐκ ἐχρόνισα ἕως ἔδειξέν μοι ὁ θεὸς τὴν ὕβριν αὐτοῦ,
ἐκκεκεντημένον ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων Αἰγύπτου
ὑπὲρ ἐλάχιστον ἐξουδενωμένον ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης· | And I did not wait long until God showed me his insolence
pierced on the mountains of Egypt,
more despised than the smallest thing on earth and sea. |
| 27 | τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ διαφερόμενον ἐπὶ κυμάτων ἐν ὕβρει πολλῇ,
καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ θάπτων, ὅτι ἐξουθένωσεν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ. | His body was carried about on the waves in much shame,
and there was no one to bury (him), for he (God) had despised him with contempt. |
| 28 | Οὐκ ἐλογίσατο ὅτι ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν,
καὶ τὸ ὕστερον
οὐκ ἐλογίσατο. | He did not consider that he was a man,
for the latter
do not consider (this). |
| 29 | εἶπεν Ἐγὼ κύριος γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ἔσομαι·
καὶ οὐκ ἐπέγνω ὅτι ὁ θεὸς μέγας,
κραταιὸς ἐν ἰσχύι αὐτοῦ τῇ μεγάλῃ. | He said, "I shall be lord of land and sea";
and he did not understand that it is God who is great,
powerful in his great strength. |
| 30 | αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν
καὶ κρίνων βασιλεῖς καὶ ἀρχάς· | He is king over the heavens
judging even kings and rulers, |
| 31 | ὁ ἀνιστῶν ἐμὲ εἰς δόξαν
καὶ κοιμίζων ὑπερηφάνους εἰς ἀπώλειαν αἰῶνος ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ,
ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνωσαν αὐτόν. | Raising me up to glory,
but putting to sleep the arrogant for eternal destruction in dishonor,
because they did not know him. |
| 32 | Καὶ νῦν ἴδετε, οἱ μεγιστᾶνες τῆς γῆς, τὸ κρίμα τοῦ κυρίου,
ὅτι μέγας βασιλεὺς καὶ δίκαιος κρίνων τὴν ὑπ οὐρανόν. | And now, officials of the earth, see the judgment of the Lord,
that he is a great and righteous king, judging what is under heaven. |
| 33 | εὐλογεῖτε τὸν θεόν, οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν κύριον ἐν ἐπιστήμῃ,
ὅτι τὸ ἔλεος κυρίου ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτὸν μετὰ κρί ματος | Praise God, you who fear the Lord with understanding,
for the Lord’s mercy is upon those who fear him with judgment. |
| 34 | τοῦ διαστεῖλαι ἀνὰ μέσον δικαίου καὶ ἁμαρτωλοῦ
ἀποδοῦναι ἁμαρτωλοῖς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν | To separate between the righteous and the sinner
to repay sinners forever according to their actions |
| 35 | καὶ ἐλεῆσαι δίκαιον ἀπὸ ταπεινώσεως ἁμαρτωλοῦ
καὶ ἀποδοῦναι ἁμαρτωλῷ ἀνθ ὧν ἐποίησεν δικαίῳ. | And to have mercy on the righteous (keeping him) from the humiliation of the sinner,
and to repay the sinner for what he has done to the righteous. |
| 36 | ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ κύριος τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτὸν ἐν ὑπομονῇ
ποιῆσαι κατὰ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ τοῖς ὁσίοις αὐτοῦ
παρεστάναι διὰ παντὸς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἰσχύι. | For the Lord is good to those who persistently call upon him,
to treat his devout in accordance with his mercy,
to bring them (constantly) before him in strength. |
| 37 | εὐλογητὸς κύριος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐνώπιον δούλων αὐτοῦ. | Praised be the Lord forever before his servants. |
Psalm 3
A Psalm of Solomon Concerning the Righteous
| 1 | Ἵνα τί ὑπνοῖς, ψυχή, καὶ οὐκ εὐλογεῖς τὸν κύριον;
ὕμνον καινὸν ψάλατε τῷ θεῷ τῷ αἰνετῷ. | Why do you sleep, soul, and do not praise the Lord?
Sing a new song to God, who is worthy to be praised. |
| 2 | ψάλλε καὶ γρηγόρησον ἐπὶ τὴν γρηγόρησιν αὐτοῦ,
ὅτι ἀγαθὸς ψαλμὸς τῷ θεῷ ἐξ ἀγαθῆς καρδίας. | Sing and be aware of how he is aware of you,
for a good psalm to God is from a glad heart. |
| 3 | δίκαιοι μνημονεύουσιν διὰ παντὸς τοῦ κυρίου,
ἐν ἐξομολογήσει καὶ δικαιώσει τὰ κρίματα κυρίου. | The righteous remember the Lord all the time,
by acknowledging and proving the Lord’s judgments right. |
| 4 | οὐκ ὀλιγωρήσει δίκαιος παιδευόμενος ὑπὸ κυρίου,
ἡ εὐδοκία αὐτοῦ διὰ παντὸς ἔναντι κυρίου. | The righteous does not lightly esteem discipline from the Lord;
his desire is (to be) always in the Lord’s presence. |
| 5 | Προσέκοψεν ὁ δίκαιος καὶ ἐδικαίωσεν τὸν κύριον,
ἔπεσεν καὶ ἀποβλέπει τί ποιήσει αὐτῷ ὁ θεός,
ἀποσκοπεύει ὅθεν ἥξει σωτηρία αὐτοῦ. | The righteous stumbles and proves the Lord right;
he falls and watches for what God will do about him;
he looks to where his salvation comes from. |
| 6 | ἀλήθεια τῶν δικαίων παρὰ θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτῶν,
οὐκ αὐλίζεται ἐν οἴκῳ δικαίου ἁμαρτία ἐφ ἁμαρτίαν· | The confidence of the righteous (comes) from God their savior;
sin after sin does not visit the house of the righteous. |
| 7 | ἐπισκέπτεται διὰ παντὸς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ ὁ δίκαιος
τοῦ ἐξᾶραι ἀδικίαν ἐν παραπτώματι αὐτοῦ. | The righteous constantly searches his house,
to remove his unintentional sins. |
| 8 | ἐξιλάσατο περὶ ἀγνοίας ἐν νηστείᾳ καὶ ταπεινώσει ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ,
καὶ ὁ κύριος καθαρίζει πᾶν ἄνδρα ὅσιον καὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ. | He atones for (sins of) ignorance by fasting and humbling his soul,
and the Lord will cleanse every devout person and his house. |
| 9 | Προσέκοψεν ἁμαρτωλὸς καὶ καταρᾶται ζωὴν αὐτοῦ,
τὴν ἡμέραν γενέσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ ὠδῖνας μητρός. | The sinner stumbles and curses his life,
the day of his birth, and his mother’s pains. |
| 10 | προσέθηκεν ἁμαρτίας ἐφ ἁμαρτίας τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ·
ἔπεσεν, ὅτι πονηρὸν τὸ πτῶμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἀναστήσεται. | He adds sin upon sin in his life;
he falls - his fall is serious - and he will not get up. |
| 11 | ἡ ἀπώλεια τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,
καὶ οὐ μνησθήσεται, ὅταν ἐπισκέπτηται δικαίους. | The destruction of the sinner is forever,
and he will not be remembered when (God) looks after the righteous. |
| 12 | αὕτη ἡ μερὶς τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα·
οἱ δὲ φοβούμενοι τὸν κύριον ἀναστήσονται εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον,
καὶ ἡ ζωὴ αὐτῶν ἐν φωτὶ κυρίου καὶ οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἔτι. | This is the share of sinners forever,
but those who fear the Lord shall rise up to eternal life,
and their life shall be in the Lord’s light, and it shall never end. |
Psalm 4
A Conversation of Solomon with Those Trying to Impress People
| 1 | Ἵνα τί σύ, βέβηλε, κάθησαι ἐν συνεδρίῳ ὁσίων
καὶ ἡ καρδία σου μακρὰν ἀφέστηκεν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου
ἐν παρανομίαις παροργίζων τὸν θεὸν Ισραηλ; | Why are you sitting in the council of the devout, you profaner?
And your heart is far from the Lord,
provoking the God of Israel by lawbreaking; |
| 2 | περισσὸς ἐν λόγοις, περισσὸς ἐν σημειώσει ὑπὲρ πάντας,
ὁ σκληρὸς ἐν λόγοις κατακρῖναι ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἐν κρίσει· | Excessive in words, excessive in appearance above everyone,
he who is harsh in words in condemning sinners at judgment. |
| 3 | καὶ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ἐν πρώτοις ἐπ αὐτὸν ὡς ἐν ζήλει,
καὶ αὐτὸς ἔνοχος ἐν ποικιλίᾳ ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ ἐν ἀκρασίαις. | And his hand is the first one against him as if in zeal,
yet he himself is guilty of a variety of sins and intemperance. |
| 4 | οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν γυναῖκα ἄνευ διαστολῆς,
ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτοῦ ψευδὴς ἐν συναλλάγματι μεθ ὅρκου. | His eyes are on every woman indiscriminately,
his tongue lies when swearing a contract. |
| 5 | ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ ἐν ἀποκρύφοις ἁμαρτάνει ὡς οὐχ ὁρώμενος,
ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ λαλεῖ πάσῃ γυναικὶ ἐν συνταγῇ κακίας·
ταχὺς εἰσόδῳ εἰς πᾶσαν οἰκίαν ἐν ἱλαρότητι ὡς ἄκακος. | At night and in hiding he sins as if no one saw.
With his eyes he speaks to every woman of illicit affairs;
he is quick to enter graciously every house as though innocent. |
| 6 | Ἐξάραι ὁ θεὸς τοὺς ἐν ὑποκρίσει ζῶντας μετὰ ὁσίων,
ἐν φθορᾷ σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ πενίᾳ τὴν ζωὴν αὐτοῦ· | May God remove from the devout those who live in hypocrisy;
may his flesh decay and his life be impoverished. |
| 7 | ἀνακαλύψαι ὁ θεὸς τὰ ἔργα ἀνθρώπων ἀνθρωπαρέσκων,
ἐν καταγέλωτι καὶ μυκτηρισμῷ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. | May God expose the deeds of those who try to impress people;
(and expose) their deeds with ridicule and contempt. |
| 8 | καὶ δικαιώσαισαν ὅσιοι τὸ κρίμα τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν
ἐν τῷ ἐξαίρεσθαι ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἀπὸ προσώπου δικαίου,
ἀνθρωπάρεσκον λαλοῦντα νόμον μετὰ δόλου. | And the devout will prove their God’s judgment to be right
when sinners are driven out from the presence of the righteous,
those who please men, who deceitfully quote the Law. |
| 9 | καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν ἐπ οἶκον ἀνδρὸς ἐν εὐσταθείᾳ
ὡς ὄφις διαλῦσαι σοφίαν ἀλλήλων ἐν λόγοις παρανόμων. | And their eyes are on a man’s peaceful house,
as a serpent destroys the wisdom’ of others with criminal words. |
| 10 | οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ παραλογισμοὶ εἰς πρᾶξιν ἐπιθυμίας ἀδίκου,
οὐκ ἀπέστη, ἕως ἐνίκησεν σκορπίσαι ὡς ἐν ὀρφανίᾳ· | His words are deceitful that (he) may accomplish (his) evil desires;
he did not stop until he succeeded in scattering (them) as orphans. |
| 11 | καὶ ἠρήμωσεν οἶκον ἕνεκεν ἐπιθυμίας παρανόμου,
παρελογίσατο ἐν λόγοις, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁρῶν καὶ κρίνων· | He devastated a house because of his criminal desire;
he deceived with words; (as if) there were no one to see and to judge. |
| 12 | ἐπλήσθη ἐν παρανομίᾳ ἐν ταύτῃ, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπ οἶκον ἕτερον
ὀλεθρεῦσαι ἐν λόγοις ἀναπτερώσεως. | He is satiated with lawless actions at one (place), and (then) his eyes are on another house
to destroy it with agitating words. |
| 13 | οὐκ ἐμπίπλαται ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ὡς ᾅδης ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις. | With all this his soul, like Hades, is not satisfied. |
| 14 | Γένοιτο, κύριε, ἡ μερὶς αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ ἐνώπιόν σου,
ἡ ἔξοδος αὐτοῦ ἐν στεναγμοῖς καὶ ἡ εἴσοδος αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀρᾷ· | Lord, let his part be in disgrace before you;
may he go out groaning and return cursing. |
| 15 | ἐν ὀδύναις καὶ πενίᾳ καὶ ἀπορίᾳ ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ, κύριε,
ὁ ὕπνος αὐτοῦ ἐν λύπαις καὶ ἡ ἐξέγερσις αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀπορίαις. | Lord, may his life be in pain and poverty and anxiety;
may his sleep be painful and his awakening be anxious. |
| 16 | ἀφαιρεθείη ὕπνος ἀπὸ κροτάφων αὐτοῦ ἐν νυκτί,
ἀποπέσοι ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔργου χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ. | May sleep be taken away from his temples at night;
may he fail disgracefully in all the work of his hands. |
| 17 | κενὸς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ εἰσέλθοι εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ,
καὶ ἐλλιπὴς ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ παντός, οὗ ἐμπλήσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ· | May he return to his house empty-handed;
may his house lack everything; let it not satisfy his soul. |
| 18 | ἐν μονώσει ἀτεκνίας τὸ γῆρας αὐτοῦ εἰς ἀνάλημψιν. | May his old age be in lonely childlessness until his removal. |
| 19 | Σκορπισθείησαν σάρκες ἀνθρωπαρέσκων ὑπὸ θηρίων,
καὶ ὀστᾶ παρανόμων κατέναντι τοῦ ἡλίου ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ. | May the flesh of those who try to impress people be scattered by wild animals,
and the bones of the criminals (lie) dishonored out in the sun. |
| 20 | ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐκκόψαισαν κόρακες ὑποκρινομένων,
ὅτι ἠρήμωσαν οἴκους πολλοὺς ἀνθρώπων ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ
καὶ ἐσκόρπισαν ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ | Let crows peck out the eyes of the hypocrites,
for they disgracefully empty many people’s houses
and greedily scatter (them). |
| 21 | καὶ οὐκ ἐμνήσθησαν θεοῦ
καὶ οὐκ ἐφοβήθησαν τὸν θεὸν ἐν ἅπασι τούτοις
καὶ παρώργισαν τὸν θεὸν καὶ παρώξυναν. | They have not remembered God,
nor have they feared God in all these things;
but they have angered God, and provoked him. |
| 22 | ἐξάραι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς,
ὅτι ψυχὰς ἀκάκων παραλογισμῷ ὑπεκρίνοντο. | May he banish them from the earth,
for they defrauded innocent people by pretense. |
| 23 | Μακάριοι οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν κύριον ἐν ἀκακίᾳ αὐτῶν·
ὁ κύριος ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων δολίων καὶ ἁμαρ τωλῶν
καὶ ῥύσεται ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ παντὸς σκανδάλου παρανόμου. | Blessed are those who fear God in their innocence;
the Lord shall save them from deceitful and sinful people
and save us from every evil snare. |
| 24 | ἐξάραι ὁ θεὸς τοὺς ποιοῦντας ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ πᾶσαν ἀδικίαν, ὅτι κριτὴς μέγας καὶ κραταιὸς κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. | May God banish those who arrogantly commit all (kinds of) unrighteousness,
for the Lord our God is a great and powerful judge in righteousness. |
| 25 | γένοιτο, κύριε, τὸ ἔλεός σου ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀγαπῶντάς σε. | Lord, let your mercy be upon all those who love you. |
Psalm 5
A Psalm of Solomon
| 1 | Κύριε ὁ θεός, αἰνέσω τῷ ὀνόματί σου ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει,
ἐν μέσῳ ἐπισταμένων τὰ κρίματά σου τὰ δίκαια· | Lord God, 1 will joyfully praise your name
among those who know your righteous judgments. |
| 2 | ὅτι σὺ χρηστὸς καὶ ἐλεήμων, ἡ καταφυγὴ τοῦ πτωχοῦ·
ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι με πρὸς σὲ μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς ἀπ ἐμοῦ. | For you are good and merciful, the shelter of the poor.
When 1 cry out to you, do not ignore me. |
| 3 | οὐ γὰρ λήψεταί [τις] σκῦλα παρὰ ἀνδρὸς δυνατοῦ·
καὶ τίς λήψεται ἀπὸ πάντων,
ὧν ἐποίησας, ἐὰν μὴ σὺ δῷς; | For no one takes plunder away from a strong man,
so who is going to take (anything) from all that
you have done, unless you give (it)? |
| 4 | ὅτι ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἡ μερὶς αὐτοῦ παρὰ σοῦ ἐν σταθμῷ·
οὐ προσθήσει τοῦ πλεονάσαι παρὰ τὸ κρίμα σου, ὁ θεός. | For an individual and his fate (are) on the scales before you;
he cannot add any increase contrary to your judgment, O God. |
| 5 | Ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαι ἡμᾶς ἐπικαλεσόμεθά σε εἰς βοήθειαν,
καὶ σὺ οὐκ ἀποστρέψῃ τὴν δέησιν ἡμῶν,
ὅτι σὺ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν εἶ. | When we are persecuted, we call on you for help
and you will not turn away from our prayer;
for you are our God. |
| 6 | μὴ βαρύνῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐφ ἡμᾶς,
ἵνα μὴ δι ἀνάγκην ἁμάρτωμεν. | Do not weigh down your hand on us,
lest under duress we sin. |
| 7 | καὶ ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιστρέψῃς ἡμᾶς,
οὐκ ἀφεξόμεθα, ἀλλ ἐπὶ σὲ ἥξομεν. | Even if you do not restore us,
we will not stay away, but will come to you. |
| 8 | ἐὰν γὰρ πεινάσω, πρὸς σὲ κεκράξομαι, ὁ θεός,
καὶ σὺ δώσεις μοι. | For if I am hungry, I will cry out to you, O God,
and you will give me (something). |
| 9 | Τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ τοὺς ἰχθύας σὺ τρέφεις
ἐν τῷ διδόναι σε ὑετὸν ἐρήμοις εἰς ἀνατολὴν χλόης· | You feed the birds and the fish,
as you send rain to the wilderness that the grass may sprout |
| 10 | ἡτοίμασας χορτάσματα ἐν ἐρήμῳ παντὶ ζῶντι,
καὶ ἐὰν πεινάσωσιν, πρὸς σὲ ἀροῦσιν πρόσωπον αὐτῶν. | To provide pasture in the wilderness for every living thing,
and if they are hungry, they will lift up their face to you. |
| 11 | τοὺς βασιλεῖς καὶ ἄρχοντας καὶ λαοὺς σὺ τρέφεις, ὁ θεός,
καὶ πτωχοῦ καὶ πένητος ἡ ἐλπὶς τίς ἐστιν εἰ μὴ σύ, κύριε; | You feed kings and rulers and peoples, O God,
and who is the hope of the poor and the needy, if not you, Lord? |
| 12 | καὶ σὺ ἐπακούσῃ· ὅτι τίς χρηστὸς καὶ ἐπιεικὴς ἀλλ ἢ σὺ
εὐφρᾶναι ψυχὴν ταπεινοῦ ἐν τῷ ἀνοῖξαι χεῖρά σου ἐν ἐλέει; | And you will listen. For who is good and kind but you,
making the humble person happy by opening your hand in mercy? |
| 13 | Ἡ χρηστότης ἀνθρώπου ἐν φειδοῖ καὶ ἡ αὔριον,
καὶ ἐὰν δευτερώσῃ ἄνευ γογγυσμοῦ, καὶ τοῦτο θαυμάσειας. | Human kindness (comes) sparingly, and tomorrow,
and if (it comes) a second time without complaint, this is remarkable. |
| 14 | τὸ δὲ δόμα σου πολὺ μετὰ χρηστότητος καὶ πλούσιον,
καὶ οὗ ἐστιν ἡ ἐλπὶς ἐπὶ σέ, οὐ φείσεται ἐν δόματι. | But your gift is abundantly good and rich,
and the one whose hope is in you will not be lacking gifts. |
| 15 | ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν τὸ ἔλεός σου, κύριε, ἐν χρηστότητι. | Lord, your mercy is upon the whole world in goodness. |
| 16 | Μακάριος οὗ μνημονεύει ὁ θεὸς ἐν συμμετρίᾳ αὐταρκείας·
ἐὰν ὑπερπλεονάσῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἐξαμαρτάνει. | Happy is (the person) whom God remembers with a moderate sufficiency;
for if one is excessively rich, he sins. |
| 17 | ἱκανὸν τὸ μέτριον ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ,
καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἡ εὐλογία κυρίου
εἰς πλησμονὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. | Moderate (wealth) is adequate - with righteousness;
for with this comes the Lord’s blessing:
to be (more than) satisfied with righteousness. |
| 18 | εὐφρανθείησαν οἱ φοβούμενοι κύριον ἐν ἀγαθοῖς,
καὶ ἡ χρηστότης σου ἐπὶ Ισραηλ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. | Those who fear the Lord are happy with good things.
In your kingdom your goodness (is) upon Israel. |
| 19 | εὐλογημένη ἡ δόξα κυρίου, ὅτι αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν. | May the glory of the Lord be praised, for he is our king. |
Psalm 6
In Hope. Of Solomon
| 1 | Μακάριος ἀνήρ, οὗ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἑτοίμη ἐπικαλέσασθαι τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου·
ἐν τῷ μνημονεύειν αὐτὸν τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου σωθήσεται. | Happy is the man whose heart is ready to call on the name of the Lord;
when he remembers the name of the Lord, he will be saved. |
| 2 | αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ κατευθύνονται ὑπὸ κυρίου,
καὶ πεφυλαγμένα ἔργα χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ κυρίου θεοῦ αὐτοῦ. | His ways are directed by the Lord,
and the works of his hands are protected by the Lord his God. |
| 3 | ἀπὸ ὁράσεως πονηρῶν ἐνυπνίων αὐτοῦ οὐ ταραχθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ,
ἐν διαβάσει ποταμῶν καὶ σάλῳ θαλασσῶν οὐ πτοηθήσεται. | His soul will not be disturbed by the vision of evil dreams;
he will not be frightened when crossing rivers or rough seas. |
| 4 | ἐξανέστη ἐξ ὕπνου αὐτοῦ καὶ ηὐλόγησεν τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου
ἐπ᾽ εὐσταθείᾳ καρδίας αὐτοῦ ἐξύμνησεν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτοῦ | He gets up from his sleep and blesses the name of the Lord;
when his heart is at rest he sings in honor of his God’s name. |
| 5 | καὶ ἐδεήθη τοῦ προσώπου κυρίου περὶ παντὸς τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ,
καὶ κύριος εἰσήκουσεν προσευχὴν παντὸς ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ. | He prays to the Lord for all his household,
and the Lord has heard the prayers of all who fear God. |
| 6 | καὶ πᾶν αἴτημα ψυχῆς ἐλπιζούσης πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιτελεῖ ὁ κύριος·
εὐλογητὸς κύριος ὁ ποιῶν ἔλεος τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. | And the Lord fulfills every request from the soul that hopes in him;
praised is the Lord, who shows mercy to those who truly love him. |
Psalm 7
Of Solomon. About Restoring
| 1 | Μὴ ἀποσκηνώσῃς ἀφ ἡμῶν, ὁ θεός,
ἵνα μὴ ἐπιθῶνται ἡμῖν οἳ ἐμίσησαν ἡμᾶς δωρεάν. | Do not move away from us, O God,
lest those who hate us without cause should attack us. |
| 2 | ὅτι ἀπώσω αὐτούς, ὁ θεός·
μὴ πατησάτω ὁ ποὺς αὐτῶν κληρονομίαν ἁγιάσματός σου. | For you have rejected them, O God;
do not let their feet trample your holy inheritance. |
| 3 | σὺ ἐν θελήματί σου παίδευσον ἡμᾶς
καὶ μὴ δῷς ἔθνεσιν | Discipline us as you wish,
but do not turn (us) over to the gentiles. |
| 4 | ἐὰν γὰρ ἀποστείλῃς θάνατον,
σὺ ἐντελῇ αὐτῷ περὶ ἡμῶν· | For if you sent death (himself)
you would give him (special) instructions about us. |
| 5 | ὅτι σὺ ἐλεήμων
καὶ οὐκ ὀργισθήσῃ τοῦ συντελέσαι ἡμᾶς. | For you are kind,
and will not be angry enough to destroy us. |
| 6 | Ἐν τῷ κατασκηνοῦν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν μέσῳ ἡμῶν ἐλεηθη σόμεθα,
καὶ οὐκ ἰσχύσει πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔθνος. | While your name lives among us, we shall receive mercy
and the gentile will not overcome us. |
| 7 | ὅτι σὺ ὑπερασπιστὴς ἡμῶν,
καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπικαλεσόμεθά σε, καὶ σὺ ἐπακούσῃ ἡμῶν. | For you are our protection,
and we will call to you, and you will hear us. |
| 8 | ὅτι σὺ οἰκτιρήσεις τὸ γένος Ισραηλ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα
καὶ οὐκ ἀπώσῃ. | For you will have compassion on the people Israel forever
and you will not reject (them); |
| 9 | καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑπὸ ζυγόν σου τὸν αἰῶνα
καὶ μάστιγα παιδείας σου. | And we are under your yoke forever,
and (under) the whip of your discipline. |
| 10 | κατευθυνεῖς ἡμᾶς ἐν καιρῷ ἀντιλήψεώς σου
τοῦ ἐλεῆσαι τὸν οἶκον Ιακωβ εἰς ἡμέραν
ἐν ᾗ ἐπηγγείλω αὐτοῖς. | You will direct us in the time of your support,
showing mercy to the house of Jacob8 on the day
when you promised (it) to them. |
Psalm 8
Of Solomon. To Victory
| 1 | Θλῖψιν καὶ φωνὴν πολέμου ἤκουσεν τὸ οὖς μου,
φωνὴν σάλπιγγος ἠχούσης σφαγὴν καὶ ὄλεθρον· | My ear heard distress and the sound of war,
the blast of the trumpet sounding slaughter and destruction. |
| 2 | φωνὴ λαοῦ πολλοῦ ὡς ἀνέμου πολλοῦ σφόδρα,
ὡς καταιγὶς πυρὸς πολλοῦ φερομένου δι ἐρήμου. | The sound of many people as of a violent storm,
as a raging fire storm sweeping through the wilderness. |
| 3 | καὶ εἶπα [ἐν] τῇ καρδίᾳ μου Ποῦ ἄρα κρινεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ θεός; | And I said to my heart, Where, then, will God judge it? |
| 4 | φωνὴν ἤκουσα εἰς Ιερουσαλημ πόλιν ἁγιάσματος· | I heard a sound in Jerusalem, the holy city. |
| 5 | συνετρίβη ἡ ὀσφύς μου ἀπὸ ἀκοῆς,
παρελύθη γόνατά μου, ἐφοβήθη ἡ καρδία μου,
ἐταράχθη τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ὡς λίνον. | My stomach was crushed at what heard;
my knees were weak, my heart was afraid,
my bones shook like reeds. |
| 6 | εἶπα Κατευθυνοῦσιν ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. | I said, They directed their ways in righteousness. |
| 7 | Ἀνελογισάμην τὰ κρίματα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς,
ἐδικαίωσα τὸν θεὸν ἐν τοῖς κρίμασιν αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀπ αἰῶνος. | I thought about the judgments of God since the creation of heaven and earth;
I proved God right in his judgments in ages past, |
| 8 | ἀνεκάλυψεν ὁ θεὸς τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν ἐναντίον τοῦ ἡλίου,
ἔγνω πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τὰ κρίματα τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ δίκαια. | God exposed their sins in the full light of day;
the whole earth knew the righteous judgments of God. |
| 9 | ἐν καταγαίοις κρυφίοις αἱ παρανομίαι αὐτῶν ἐν παροργισμῷ·
υἱὸς μετὰ μητρὸς καὶ πατὴρ μετὰ θυγατρὸς συνεφύροντο. | In secret places underground was their lawbreaking, provoking (him),
son involved with mother and father with daughter; |
| 10 | ἐμοιχῶντο ἕκαστος τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ,
συνέθεντο αὑτοῖς συνθήκας μετὰ ὅρκου περὶ τούτων. | Everyone committed adultery with his neighbor’s wife;
they made agreements with them with an oath about these things. |
| 11 | τὰ ἅγια τοῦ θεοῦ διηρπάζοσαν
ὡς μὴ ὄντος κληρονόμου λυτρουμένου. | They stole from the sanctuary of God
as if there were no redeeming heir. |
| 12 | ἐπατοῦσαν τὸ θυσιαστήριον κυρίου
ἀπὸ πάσης ἀκαθαρσίας καὶ ἐν ἀφέδρῳ αἵματος ἐμίαναν τὰς θυσίας
ὡς κρέα βέβηλα. | They walked on the place of sacrifice of the Lord,
(coming) from all kinds of uncleanness;
and (coming) with menstrual blood (on them), they defiled the sacrifices
as if they were common meat. |
| 13 | οὐ παρέλιπον ἁμαρτίαν, ἣν οὐκ ἐποίησαν ὑπὲρ τὰ ἔθνη. | There was no sin they left undone in which they did not surpass the gentiles. |
| 14 | Διὰ τοῦτο ἐκέρασεν αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς πνεῦμα πλανήσεως,
ἐπότισεν αὐτοὺς ποτήριον οἴνου ἀκράτου εἰς μέθην. | Because of this God mixed them (a drink) of a wavering spirit,
and gave them a cup of undiluted wine to make them drunk. |
| 15 | ἤγαγεν τὸν ἀπ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, τὸν παίοντα κραταιῶς,
ἔκρινεν τὸν πόλεμον ἐπὶ Ιερουσαλημ καὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτῆς. | He brought someone from the end of the earth, one who attacks in strength;
he declared war against Jerusalem, and her land. |
| 16 | ἀπήντησαν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῆς γῆς μετὰ χαρᾶς, εἶπαν αὐτῷ
Ἐπευκτὴ ἡ ὁδός σου, δεῦτε εἰσέλθατε μετ εἰρήνης. | The leaders of the country met him with joy. They said to him,
"May your way be blessed. Come, enter in peace." |
| 17 | ὡμάλισαν ὁδοὺς τραχείας ἀπὸ εἰσόδου αὐτοῦ,
ἤνοιξαν πύλας ἐπὶ Ιερουσαλημ, ἐστεφάνωσαν τείχη αὐτῆς. | They graded the rough roads before his coming;
they opened the gates to Jerusalem, they crowned her city walls. |
| 18 | Εἰσῆλθεν ὡς πατὴρ εἰς οἶκον υἱῶν αὐτοῦ μετ εἰρήνης,
ἔστησεν τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ μετὰ ἀσφαλείας πολλῆς. | He entered in peace as a father enters his son’s house;
he set his feet securely. |
| 19 | κατελάβετο τὰς πυργοβάρεις αὐτῆς καὶ τὸ τεῖχος Ιερουσαλημ,
ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν μετὰ ἀσφαλείας ἐν τῇ πλανήσει αὐτῶν. | He captured the fortified towers and the wall of Jerusalem,
for God led him in securely while they wavered. |
| 20 | ἀπώλεσεν ἄρχοντας αὐτῶν καὶ πᾶν σοφὸν ἐν βουλῇ,
ἐξέχεεν τὸ αἷμα τῶν οἰκούντων Ιερουσαλημ
ὡς ὕδωρ ἀκα θαρσίας. | He killed their leaders and every (man) wise in counsel;
he poured out the blood of the inhabitants of Jerusalem
like dirty water. |
| 21 | ἀπήγαγεν τοὺς υἱοὺς καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτῶν, ἃ ἐγέννησαν ἐν βεβηλώσει. | He led away their sons and daughters, those profanely spawned. |
| 22 | ἐποίησαν κατὰ τὰς ἀκαθαρσίας αὐτῶν καθὼς οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν
ἐμίαναν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ τὰ ἡγιασμένα τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ θεοῦ | They acted according to their uncleanness, just as their ancestors;
they defiled Jerusalem and the things that had been consecrated to the name of God. |
| 23 | ἐδικαιώθη ὁ θεὸς ἐν τοῖς κρίμασιν αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν τῆς γῆς,
καὶ οἱ ὅσιοι τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς ἀρνία ἐν ἀκακίᾳ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. | God was proven right in his condemnation of the nations of the earth,
and the devout of God are like innocent lambs among them. |
| 24 | αἰνετὸς κύριος ὁ κρίνων πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ αὐτοῦ. | Worthy of praise is the Lord, who judges the whole earth in his righteousness. |
| 25 | Ἰδοὺ δή, ὁ θεός, ἔδειξας ἡμῖν τὸ κρίμα σου ἐν τῇ δικαιο σύνῃ σου,
εἴδοσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν τὰ κρίματά σου, ὁ θεός. | See, now, God, you have shown us how you rightly judge;
our eyes have seen your judgments, O God. |
| 26 | ἐδικαιώσαμεν τὸ ὄνομά σου τὸ ἔντιμον εἰς αἰῶνας,
ὅτι σὺ ὁ θεὸς τῆς δικαιοσύνης κρίνων τὸν Ισραηλ ἐν παιδείᾳ. | We have proven your name right, which is honored forever,
for you are the God of righteousness,
judging Israel in discipline. |
| 27 | ἐπίστρεψον, ὁ θεός, τὸ ἔλεός σου ἐφ ἡμᾶς καὶ οἰκτίρησον ἡμᾶς· | O God, turn your mercy upon us and be compassionate to us. |
| 28 | συνάγαγε τὴν διασπορὰν Ισραηλ μετὰ ἐλέους καὶ χρηστότητος,
ὅτι ἡ πίστις σου μεθ ἡμῶν. | Bring together the dispersed of Israel with mercy and goodness,
for your faithfulness is with us. |
| 29 | καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐσκληρύναμεν τὸν τράχηλον ἡμῶν, καὶ σὺ παιδευτὴς ἡμῶν εἶ. | For we stiffened our necks, but you are the one who disciplines us. |
| 30 | μὴ ὑπερίδῃς ἡμᾶς, ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν,
ἵνα μὴ καταπίωσιν ἡμᾶς ἔθνη ὡς μὴ ὄντος λυτρουμένου. | Do not neglect us, Our God,
lest the gentiles devour us as if there were no redeemer. |
| 31 | καὶ σὺ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ἀπ ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ σὲ ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡμῶν, κύριε· | But you (have been) our God from the beginning,
and on you we have hoped, Lord. |
| 32 | καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἀφεξόμεθά σου,
ὅτι χρηστὰ τὰ κρίματά σου ἐφ ἡμᾶς. | And we will not leave you,
for your judgments upon us are good. |
| 33 | ἡμῖν καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις ἡμῶν ἡ εὐδοκία εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα·
κύριε σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, οὐ σαλευθησόμεθα ἔτι τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον. | May (you) be pleased with us and our children forever;
Lord, our savior, we will not be troubled at the end of time. |
| 34 | αἰνετὸς κύριος ἐν τοῖς κρίμασιν αὐτοῦ ἐν στόματι ὁσίων,
καὶ εὐλογημένος Ισραηλ ὑπὸ κυρίου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. | Worthy of praise is the Lord for his judgments by the mouth of the devout,
and may Israel be blessed by the Lord forever. |
Psalm 9
Of Solomon. For Proof
| 1 | Ἐν τῷ ἀπαχθῆναι Ισραηλ ἐν ἀποικεσίᾳ εἰς γῆν ἀλλοτρίαν
ἐν τῷ ἀποστῆναι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ κυρίου τοῦ λυτρωσαμένου αὐτοὺς
ἀπερρίφησαν ἀπὸ κληρονομίας,
ἧς ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς κύριος. | When Israel was taken into exile to a foreign country,
when they neglected the Lord, who had redeemed them,
They were expelled from the inheritance
which the Lord had given them. |
| 2 | ἐν παντὶ ἔθνει ἡ διασπορὰ τοῦ Ισραηλ
κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ θεοῦ,
ἵνα δικαιωθῇς, ὁ θεός, ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ἐν ταῖς ἀνο μίαις ἡμῶν,
ὅτι σὺ κριτὴς δίκαιος ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς λαοὺς τῆς γῆς. | The dispersion of Israel (was) among every nation,
according to the saying of God;
That your righteousness might be proven right, O God, in our lawless actions.
For you are a righteous judge over all the peoples of the earth. |
| 3 | οὐ γὰρ κρυβήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς γνώσεώς σου πᾶς ποιῶν ἄδικα,
καὶ αἱ δικαιοσύναι τῶν ὁσίων σου ἐνώπιόν σου, κύριε·
καὶ ποῦ κρυβήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἀπὸ τῆς γνώσεώς σου, ὁ θεός; | For none that do evil shall be hidden from your knowledge,
and the righteousness of your devout is before you, Lord.
Where, then, will a person hide himself from your knowledge, O God? |
| 4 | Τὰ ἔργα ἡμῶν ἐν ἐκλογῇ καὶ ἐξουσίᾳ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν
τοῦ ποιῆσαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀδικίαν ἐν ἔργοις χειρῶν ἡμῶν·
καὶ ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ἐπισκέπτῃ υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων. | Our works (are) in the choosing and power of our souls,
to do right and wrong in the works of our hands,
and in your righteousness you oversee human beings. |
| 5 | ὁ ποιῶν δικαιοσύνην θησαυρίζει ζωὴν αὑτῷ παρὰ κυρίῳ,
καὶ ὁ ποιῶν ἀδικίαν αὐτὸς αἴτιος τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν ἀπωλείᾳ·
τὰ γὰρ κρίματα κυρίου ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ κατ ἄνδρα καὶ οἶκον. | The one who does what is right saves up life for himself with the Lord,
and the one who does what is wrong causes his own life to be destroyed;
for the Lord’s righteous judgments are according to the individual and the household. |
| 6 | Τίνι χρηστεύσῃ, ὁ θεός, εἰ μὴ τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις τὸν κύριον;
καθαριεῖς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ψυχὴν ἐν ἐξομολογήσει, ἐν ἐξαγορίαις,
ὅτι αἰσχύνη ἡμῖν καὶ τοῖς προσώποις ἡμῶν περὶ ἁπάντων. | To whom will you be good, O God, except to those who call upon the Lord!
He will cleanse from sins the soul in confessing, in restoring,
so that for all these things the shame is on us, and (it shows) on our faces. |
| 7 | καὶ τίνι ἀφήσεις ἁμαρτίας εἰ μὴ τοῖς ἡμαρτηκόσιν;
δικαίους εὐλογήσεις καὶ οὐκ εὐθυνεῖς περὶ ὧν ἡμάρτοσαν,
καὶ ἡ χρηστότης σου ἐπὶ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐν μεταμελείᾳ. | And whose sins will he forgive except those who have sinned?
You bless the righteous, and do not accuse them for what they sinned.
And your goodness is upon those that sin, when they repent. |
| 8 | Καὶ νῦν σὺ ὁ θεός, καὶ ἡμεῖς λαός, ὃν ἠγάπησας·
ἰδὲ καὶ οἰκτίρησον, ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ, ὅτι σοί ἐσμεν,
καὶ μὴ ἀποστήσῃς ἔλεός σου ἀφ ἡμῶν, ἵνα μὴ ἐπιθῶνται ἡμῖν. | And now, you are God and we are the people whom you have loved;
look and be compassionate, O God of Israel, for we are yours,
and do not take away your mercy from us, lest they set upon us. |
| 9 | ὅτι σὺ ᾑρετίσω τὸ σπέρμα Αβρααμ παρὰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη
καὶ ἔθου τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐφ ἡμᾶς, κύριε,
καὶ οὐκ ἀπώσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. | For you chose the descendants of Abraham above all the nations,
and you put your name upon us, Lord,
and it will not cease forever. |
| 10 | ἐν διαθήκῃ διέθου τοῖς πατράσιν ἡμῶν περὶ ἡμῶν,
καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐλπιοῦμεν ἐπὶ σὲ ἐν ἐπιστροφῇ ψυχῆς ἡμῶν. | You made a covenant with our ancestors concerning us,
and we hope in you when we turn our souls toward you. |
| 11 | τοῦ κυρίου ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ἐπὶ οἶκον Ισραηλ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἔτι. | May the mercy of the Lord be upon the house of Israel forevermore. |
Psalm 10
A Hymn of Solomon
| 1 | Μακάριος ἀνήρ, οὗ ὁ κύριος ἐμνήσθη ἐν ἐλεγμῷ,
καὶ ἐκυκλώθη ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ πονηρᾶς
ἐν μάστιγι καθαρισθῆναι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας τοῦ μὴ πληθῦναι. | Happy is the man whom the Lord remembers with rebuking,
and protects from the evil way with a whip
(that he may) be cleansed from sin that it may not increase. |
| 2 | ὁ ἑτοιμάζων νῶτον εἰς μάστιγας καθαρισθήσεται·
χρηστὸς γὰρ ὁ κύριος τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν παιδείαν. | The one who prepares (his) back for the whip shall be purified,
for the Lord is good to those who endure discipline. |
| 3 | ὀρθώσει γὰρ ὁδοὺς δικαίων
καὶ οὐ διαστρέψει ἐν παιδείᾳ,
καὶ τὸ ἔλεος κυρίου ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. | For he will straighten the ways of the righteous,
and will not bend (them) by discipline;
and the mercy of the Lord is upon those who truly love him. |
| 4 | καὶ μνησθήσεται κύριος τῶν δούλων αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐλέει·
ἡ γὰρ μαρτυρία ἐν νόμῳ διαθήκης αἰωνίου,
ἡ μαρτυρία κυρίου ἐπὶ ὁδοὺς ἀνθρώπων ἐν ἐπισκοπῇ. | And the Lord will remember his servants in mercy,
for the testimony of it (is) in the Law of the eternal covenant,
and the testimony of the Lord (is) in the ways of men
in (his) supervision. |
| 5 | Δίκαιος καὶ ὅσιος ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ἐν κρίμασιν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,
καὶ Ισραηλ αἰνέσει τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ. | Our Lord is just and holy in his judgments forever,
and Israel shall praise the Lord’s name in joy. |
| 6 | καὶ ὅσιοι ἐξομολογήσονται ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ λαοῦ,
καὶ πτωχοὺς ἐλεήσει ὁ θεὸς ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ Ισραηλ· | And the devout shall give thanks in the assembly of the people,
and God will be merciful to the poor to the joy of Israel. |
| 7 | ὅτι χρηστὸς καὶ ἐλεήμων ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,
καὶ συναγωγαὶ Ισραηλ δοξάσουσιν τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου. | For God is good and merciful forever,
and the synagogues of Israel will glorify the Lord’s name. |
| 8 | τοῦ κυρίου ἡ σωτηρία ἐπὶ οἶκον Ισραηλ
εἰς εὐφροσύνην αἰώνιον. | The Lord’s salvation (be) upon the house of Israel
(that they may be) happy forever. |
Psalm 11
Of Solomon. In Anticipation
| 1 | Σαλπίσατε ἐν Σιων ἐν σάλπιγγι σημασίας ἁγίων,
κηρύξατε ἐν Ιερουσαλημ φωνὴν εὐαγγελιζομένου·
ὅτι ἠλέησεν ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ ἐν τῇ ἐπισκοπῇ αὐτῶν. | Sound in Zion the signal trumpet of the sanctuary;
announce in Jerusalem the voice of one bringing good news,
for God has been merciful to Israel in watching over them. |
| 2 | στῆθι, Ιερουσαλημ, ἐφ ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἰδὲ τὰ τέκνα σου
ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν συνηγμένα εἰς ἅπαξ ὑπὸ κυρίου. | Stand on a high place, Jerusalem, and look at your children.
from the east and the west assembled together by the Lord. |
| 3 | ἀπὸ βορρᾶ ἔρχονται τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν,
ἐκ νήσων μακρόθεν συνήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεός. | From the north they come in the joy of their God;
from far distant islands God has assembled them. |
| 4 | ὄρη ὑψηλὰ ἐταπείνωσεν εἰς ὁμαλισμὸν αὐτοῖς,
οἱ βουνοὶ ἐφύγοσαν ἀπὸ εἰσόδου αὐτῶν· | He flattened high mountains into level ground for them;
the hills fled at their coming. |
| 5 | οἱ δρυμοὶ ἐσκίασαν αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ παρόδῳ αὐτῶν,
πᾶν ξύλον εὐωδίας ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς ὁ θεός, | The forests shaded them as they passed by;
God made every fragrant tree to grow for them. |
| 6 | ἵνα παρέλθῃ Ισραηλ ἐν ἐπισκοπῇ δόξης θεοῦ αὐτῶν. | So that Israel might proceed under the supervision of the glory of their God. |
| 7 | Ἔνδυσαι, Ιερουσαλημ, τὰ ἱμάτια τῆς δόξης σου,
ἑτοίμασον τὴν στολὴν τοῦ ἁγιάσματός σου·
ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἐλάλησεν ἀγαθὰ Ισραηλ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἔτι. | Jerusalem, put on (the) clothes of your glory.
prepare the robe of your holiness,
for God has spoken well of Israel forevermore. |
| 8 | ποιήσαι κύριος ἃ ἐλάλησεν ἐπὶ Ισραηλ καὶ Ιερουσαλημ,
ἀναστήσαι κύριος τὸν Ισραηλ ἐν ὀνόματι δόξης αὐτοῦ· | May the Lord do what he has spoken about Israel and Jerusalem;
may the Lord lift up Israel in the name of his glory. |
| 9 | τοῦ κυρίου τὸ ἔλεος ἐπὶ τὸν Ισραηλ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἔτι. | May the mercy of the Lord be upon Israel forevermore. |
Psalm 12
Of Solomon. About the Tongue of Criminals
| 1 | Κύριε, ῥῦσαι τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς
παρανόμου καὶ πονηροῦ, ἀπὸ γλώσσης παρανόμου καὶ ψιθύρου
καὶ λαλούσης ψευδῆ καὶ δόλια. | Lord, save my soul from the criminal and wicked man,
from the criminal and slandering tongue
that speaks lies and deceit. |
| 2 | ἐν ποικιλίᾳ στροφῆς οἱ λόγοι τῆς γλώσσης ἀνδρὸς πονηροῦ
ὥσπερ ἐν λαῷ πῦρ ἀνάπτον καλλονὴν αὐτοῦ. | The words of the wicked man’s tongue (are) twisted so many ways;
(they are) as a fire among a people which scorches its beauty. |
| 3 | ἡ παροικία αὐτοῦ ἐμπρῆσαι οἴκους ἐν γλώσσῃ ψευδεῖ,
ἐκκόψαι δένδρα εὐφροσύνης φλογιζούσης παρανόμους,
συγχέαι οἴκους ἐν πολέμῳ χείλεσιν ψιθύροις. | His visit fills homes with a false tongue,
cuts down trees of joy, inflaming criminals;
by slander1 he incites homes to fighting. |
| 4 | Μακρύναι ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ ἀκάκων χείλη παρανόμων ἐν ἀπορίᾳ,
καὶ σκορπισθείησαν ὀστᾶ ψιθύρων ἀπὸ φοβουμένων κύριον·
ἐν πυρὶ φλογὸς γλῶσσα ψίθυρος ἀπόλοιτο ἀπὸ ὁσίων. | May God remove the lips of the criminals in confusion far from the innocent,
and (may) the bones of the slanderers be scattered far from those who fear the Lord.
May he destroy the slanderous tongue in flaming fire far from the devout. |
| 5 | φυλάξαι κύριος ψυχὴν ἡσύχιον μισοῦσαν ἀδίκους,
καὶ κατευθύναι κύριος ἄνδρα ποιοῦντα εἰρήνην ἐν οἴκῳ. | May the Lord protect the quiet person who hates injustice;
may the Lord guide the person who lives peacefully at home. |
| 6 | τοῦ κυρίου ἡ σωτηρία ἐπὶ Ισραηλ παῖδα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα·
καὶ ἀπόλοιντο οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου ἅπαξ,
καὶ ὅσιοι κυρίου κληρονομήσαισαν ἐπαγγελίας κυρίου. | May the salvation of the Lord be upon Israel his servant forever;
may the wicked perish once and for all from before the Lord.
And may the Lord’s devout inherit the Lord’s promises. |
Psalm 13
Of Solomon. A Psalm: Comfort for the Righteous
| 1 | Δεξιὰ κυρίου ἐσκέπασέν με,
δεξιὰ κυρίου ἐφείσατο ἡμῶν· | The right hand of the Lord covered me;
the right hand of the Lord spared me. |
| 2 | ὁ βραχίων κυρίου ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ ῥομφαίας διαπορευομένης,
ἀπὸ λιμοῦ καὶ θανάτου ἁμαρτωλῶν. | The arm of the Lord saved us from the sword that passes through,
from famine and the sinners’ death. |
| 3 | θηρία ἐπεδράμοσαν αὐτοῖς πονηρά·
ἐν τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν αὐτῶν ἐτίλλοσαν σάρκας αὐτῶν
καὶ ἐν ταῖς μύλαις ἔθλων ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν· | Wild animals attacked them viciously,
they tore their flesh with their teeth,
and crushed their bones with their molars. |
| 4 | καὶ ἐκ τούτων ἁπάντων ἐρρύσατο ἡμᾶς κύριος. | The Lord protected us from meeting all these things. |
| 5 | Ἐταράχθη ὁ εὐσεβὴς διὰ τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτοῦ,
μήποτε συμπαραληφθῇ μετὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν· | The godless person was terrified by his mistakes
lest he be taken along with the sinners. |
| 6 | ὅτι δεινὴ ἡ καταστροφὴ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ,
καὶ οὐχ ἅψεται δικαίου οὐδὲν ἐκ πάντων τούτων. | For the destruction of the sinner is terrible;
but nothing shall harm the righteous, of all these things. |
| 7 | ὅτι οὐχ ὁμοία ἡ παιδεία τῶν δικαίων ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ
καὶ ἡ καταστροφὴ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν. | For the discipline of the righteous (for things done) in ignorance
is not the same as the destruction of the sinners. |
| 8 | ἐν περιστολῇ παιδεύεται δίκαιος,
ἵνα μὴ ἐπιχαρῇ ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς τῷ δικαίῳ· | In secret the righteous are disciplined
lest the sinner gloat over the righteous. |
| 9 | ὅτι νουθετήσει δίκαιον ὡς υἱὸν ἀγαπήσεως,
καὶ ἡ παιδεία αὐτοῦ ὡς πρωτοτόκου. | For he will admonish the righteous as a beloved son
and his discipline is as for a firstborn. |
| 10 | ὅτι φείσεται κύριος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ
καὶ τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν ἐξαλείψει ἐν παιδείᾳ. | For the Lord will spare his devout,
and he will wipe away their mistakes with discipline. |
| 11 | ἡ γὰρ ζωὴ τῶν δικαίων εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα·
ἁμαρτωλοὶ δὲ ἀρθήσονται εἰς ἀπώλειαν,
καὶ οὐχ εὑρεθήσεται μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν ἔτι· | For the life of the righteous (goes on) forever,
but sinners shall be taken away to destruction,
and no memory of them will ever be found. |
| 12 | ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς ὁσίους τὸ ἔλεος κυρίου,
καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτὸν τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. | But the Lord’s mercy is upon the devout
and his mercy is upon those who fear him. |
Psalm 14
A Hymn of Solomon
| 1 | Πιστὸς κύριος τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ,
τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν παιδείαν αὐτοῦ, | The Lord is faithful to those who truly love him,
to those who endure his discipline. |
| 2 | τοῖς πορευομένοις ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ προσταγμάτων αὐτοῦ,
ἐν νόμῳ, ᾧ ἐνετείλατο ἡμῖν εἰς ζωὴν ἡμῶν. | To those who live in the righteousness of his commandments,
in the Law, which he has commanded for our life. |
| 3 | ὅσιοι κυρίου ζήσονται ἐν αὐτῷ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα·
ὁ παράδεισος τοῦ κυρίου, τὰ ξύλα τῆς ζωῆς, ὅσιοι αὐτοῦ. | The Lord’s devout shall live by it forever;
the Lord’s paradise, the trees of life, are his devout ones. |
| 4 | ἡ φυτεία αὐτῶν ἐρριζωμένη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,
οὐκ ἐκτιλήσονται πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· | Their planting is firmly rooted forever;
they shall not be uprooted as long as the heavens shall last, |
| 5 | ὅτι ἡ μερὶς καὶ κληρονομία τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν Ισραηλ. | For Israel is the portion and inheritance of God. |
| 6 | Καὶ οὐχ οὕτως οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ παράνομοι,
οἳ ἠγάπησαν ἡμέραν ἐν μετοχῇ ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν· | But not so are sinners and criminals,
who love (to spend) the day in sharing their sin. |
| 7 | ἐν μικρότητι σαπρίας ἡ ἐπιθυμία αὐτῶν,
καὶ οὐκ ἐμνήσθησαν τοῦ θεοῦ. | Their enjoyment is brief and decaying,
and they do not remember God. |
| 8 | ὅτι ὁδοὶ ἀνθρώπων γνωσταὶ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ διὰ παντός,
καὶ ταμίεια καρδίας ἐπίσταται πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι. | For the ways of men are known before him always,
and he knows the secrets of the heart before they happen. |
| 9 | διὰ τοῦτο ἡ κληρονομία αὐτῶν ᾅδης καὶ σκότος καὶ ἀπώλεια,
καὶ οὐχ εὑρεθήσονται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐλέους δικαίων· | Therefore their inheritance is Hades, and darkness and destruction;
and they will not be found on the day of mercy for the righteous. |
| 10 | οἱ δὲ ὅσιοι κυρίου κληρονομήσουσιν ζωὴν ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ. | But the devout of the Lord will inherit life in happiness. |
Psalm 15
A Psalm of Solomon with Song
| 1 | Ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαί με ἐπεκαλεσάμην τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου,
εἰς βοήθειαν ἤλπισα τοῦ θεοῦ Ιακωβ καὶ ἐσώθην·
ὅτι ἐλπὶς καὶ καταφυγὴ τῶν πτωχῶν σύ, ὁ θεός. | 1 When I was persecuted I called on the Lord’s name;
I expected the help of Jacob’s God and I was saved.
For you, O God, are the hope and refuge of the poor. |
| 2 | τίς γὰρ ἰσχύει, ὁ θεός, εἰ μὴ ἐξομολογήσασθαί σοι ἐν ἀληθείᾳ;
καὶ τί δυνατὸς ἄνθρωπος εἰ μὴ ἐξομολογήσασθαι τῷ ὀνό ματί σου; | 2 For who, O God, is strong except he who confesses you in truth;
and what person is powerful except he who confesses your name? |
| 3 | ψαλμὸν καινὸν μετὰ ᾠδῆς ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ καρδίας,
καρπὸν χειλέων ἐν ὀργάνῳ ἡρμοσμένῳ γλώσσης,
ἀπαρχὴν χειλέων ἀπὸ καρδίας ὁσίας καὶ δικαίας, | 3 A new psalm with song with a happy heart,
the fruit of the lips with the tuned instrument of the tongue,
the first fruits of the lips from a devout and righteous heart. |
| 4 | ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα οὐ σαλευθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἀπὸ κακοῦ,
φλὸξ πυρὸς καὶ ὀργὴ ἀδίκων οὐχ ἅψεται αὐτοῦ, | 4 The one who does these things will never be disturbed by evil;
the flame of fire and anger against the unrighteous shall not touch him |
| 5 | ὅταν ἐξέλθῃ ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου
ὀλεθρεῦσαι πᾶσαν ὑπόστασιν ἁμαρτωλῶν· | 5 when it goes out from the Lord’s presence against sinners
to destroy the sinners’ every assurance. |
| 6 | ὅτι τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ δικαίους εἰς σωτηρίαν. | 6 For God’s mark is on the righteous for (their) salvation. |
| 7 | Λιμὸς καὶ ῥομφαία καὶ θάνατος ἀπὸ δικαίων μακράν,
φεύξονται γὰρ ὡς διωκόμενοι πολέμου ἀπὸ ὁσίων· | 7 Famine and sword and death shall be far from the righteous;
for they will retreat from the devout like those pursued by famine. |
| 8 | καταδιώξονται δὲ ἁμαρτωλοὺς καὶ καταλήμψονται,
καὶ οὐκ ἐκφεύξονται οἱ ποιοῦντες ἀνομίαν τὸ κρίμα κυρίου· | 8 But they shall pursue sinners and overtake them,
for those who act lawlessly shall not escape the Lord’s judgment. |
| 9 | ὡς ὑπὸ πολεμίων ἐμπείρων καταλημφθήσονται,
τὸ γὰρ σημεῖον τῆς ἀπωλείας ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου αὐτῶν. | 9 They shall be overtaken as by those experienced in war,
for on their forehead (is) the mark of destruction. |
| 10 | καὶ ἡ κληρονομία τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἀπώλεια καὶ σκότος,
καὶ αἱ ἀνομίαι αὐτῶν διώξονται αὐτοὺς ἕως ᾅδου κάτω. | 10 And the inheritance of sinners is destruction and darkness,
and their lawless actions shall pursue them below into Hades. |
| 11 | ἡ κληρονομία αὐτῶν οὐχ εὑρεθήσεται τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῶν,
αἱ γὰρ ἁμαρτίαι ἐξερημώσουσιν οἴκους ἁμαρτωλῶν· | 11 Their inheritance shall not be found for their children,
for lawless actions shall devastate the homes of sinners. |
| 12 | καὶ ἀπολοῦνται ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως κυρίου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,
ὅταν ἐπισκέπτηται ὁ θεὸς τὴν γῆν ἐν κρίματι αὐτοῦ· | 12 And sinners shall perish forever in the day of the Lord’s judgment,
when God oversees the earth at his judgment, |
| 13 | οἱ δὲ φοβούμενοι τὸν κύριον ἐλεηθήσονται ἐν αὐτῇ
καὶ ζήσονται ἐν τῇ ἐλεημοσύνῃ τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν·
καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀπολοῦνται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον. | 13 But those who fear the Lord shall find mercy in it
and shall live by their God’s mercy;
but sinners shall perish for all time. |
Psalm 16
A Hymn of Solomon. For Help for the Devout
| 1 | Ἐν τῷ νυστάξαι ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ κυρίου παρὰ μικρὸν ὠλίσθησα
ἐν καταφορᾷ ὑπνούντων μακρὰν ἀπὸ θεοῦ, | 1 When my soul slumbered, (I was far away) from the Lord, wretched for a time;
I sank into sleep, far from God. |
| 2 | παρ ὀλίγον ἐξεχύθη ἡ ψυχή μου εἰς θάνατον
σύνεγγυς πυλῶν ᾅδου μετὰ ἁμαρτωλοῦ | 2 For a moment my soul was poured out to death;
(I was) near the gates of Hades with the sinner |
| 3 | ἐν τῷ διενεχθῆναι ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ κυρίου θεοῦ Ισραηλ,
εἰ μὴ ὁ κύριος ἀντελάβετό μου τῷ ἐλέει αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. | 3 Thus my soul was drawn away from the Lord God of Israel,
unless the Lord had come to my aid with his everlasting mercy. |
| 4 | ἔνυξέν με ὡς κέντρον ἵππου ἐπὶ τὴν γρηγόρησιν αὐτοῦ,
ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ μου ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἔσωσέν με. | 4 He jabbed me as a horse is goaded to keep it awake;
my savior and protector at all times saved me. |
| 5 | Ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι, ὁ θεός, ὅτι ἀντελάβου μου
εἰς σωτηρίαν
καὶ οὐκ ἐλογίσω με μετὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εἰς ἀπώλειαν. | 5 I will give thanks to you, O God, who came to my aid
for (my) salvation,
and who did not count me with the sinners for (my) destruction. |
| 6 | μὴ ἀποστήσῃς τὸ ἔλεός σου ἀπ ἐμοῦ, ὁ θεός,
μηδὲ τὴν μνήμην σου ἀπὸ καρδίας μου ἕως θανάτου. | 6 Do not take your mercy away from me, O God,
nor your memory from my heart until death. |
| 7 | ἐπικράτησόν μου, ὁ θεός, ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας πονηρᾶς
καὶ ἀπὸ πάσης γυναικὸς πονηρᾶς σκανδαλιζούσης ἄφρονα. | 7 Restrain me, O God, from sordid sin,
and from every evil woman who seduces the foolish. |
| 8 | καὶ μὴ ἀπατησάτω με κάλλος γυναικὸς παρανομούσης
καὶ παντὸς ὑποκειμένου ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας ἀνωφελοῦς. | 8 And may the beauty of a criminal woman not deceive me,
nor anyone subject to useless sin. |
| 9 | Τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν μου κατεύθυνον ἐν τόπῳ σου
καὶ τὰ διαβήματά μου ἐν τῇ μνήμῃ σου διαφύλαξον. | 9 Direct the works of my hands before you,
and protect my steps in your remembrance. |
| 10 | τὴν γλῶσσάν μου καὶ τὰ χείλη μου ἐν λόγοις ἀληθείας περί στειλον,
ὀργὴν καὶ θυμὸν ἄλογον μακρὰν ποίησον ἀπ ἐμοῦ. | 10 Protect my tongue and my lips with words of truth;
put anger and thoughtless rage far from me. |
| 11 | γογγυσμὸν καὶ ὀλιγοψυχίαν ἐν θλίψει μάκρυνον ἀπ ἐμοῦ,
ἐὰν ἁμαρτήσω ἐν τῷ σε παιδεύειν εἰς ἐπιστροφήν. | 11 Put grumbling and discouragement in persecution far from me.
If 1 sin, discipline (me) that (I may) return. |
| 12 | εὐδοκίᾳ δὲ μετὰ ἱλαρότητος στήρισον τὴν ψυχήν μου·
ἐν τῷ ἐνισχῦσαί σε τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀρκέσει μοι τὸ δοθέν. | 12 With approval and happiness support my soul;
when you strengthen my soul, what has been given is enough for me. |
| 13 | ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ σὺ ἐνισχύσῃς, τίς ὑφέξεται παιδείαν ἐν πενίᾳ; | 13 For if you do not give strength,
who can endure discipline in poverty? |
| 14 | ἐν τῷ ἐλέγχεσθαι ψυχὴν ἐν χειρὶ σαπρίας αὐτοῦ
ἡ δοκιμασία σου ἐν σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν θλίψει πενίας· | 14 When a person is tried by his mortality,
your testing is in his flesh, and in the difficulty of poverty. |
| 15 | ἐν τῷ ὑπομεῖναι δίκαιον ἐν τούτοις
ἐλεηθήσεται ὑπὸ κυρίου. | 15 If the righteous endures all these things, he will
receive mercy from the Lord. |
Psalm 17
A Psalm of Solomon, with Song, to the King
| 1 | Κύριε, σὺ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα
καὶ ἔτι· ὅτι ἐν σοί, ὁ θεός, καυχήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν. | Lord, you are our king forevermore,
for in you, O God, does our soul take pride. |
| 2 | καὶ τίς ὁ χρόνος ζωῆς ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς;
κατὰ τὸν χρόνον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ ἐπ αὐτόν. | How long is the time of a person’s life on the earth?
As is his time, so also is his hope in him. |
| 3 | ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐλπιοῦμεν ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν σωτῆρα ἡμῶν·
ὅτι τὸ κράτος τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μετ ἐλέους,
καὶ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη ἐν κρίσει. | But we hope in God our savior,
for the strength of our God is forever with mercy.
And the kingdom of our God is forever over the
nations in judgment. |
| 4 | Σύ, κύριε, ᾑρετίσω τὸν Δαυιδ βασιλέα ἐπὶ Ισραηλ,
καὶ σὺ ὤμοσας αὐτῷ περὶ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα
τοῦ μὴ ἐκλείπειν ἀπέναντί σου βασίλειον αὐτοῦ. | Lord, you chose David to be king over Israel,
and swore to him about his descendants forever,
that his kingdom should not fail before you. |
| 5 | καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν ἐπανέστησαν ἡμῖν ἁμαρτωλοί·
ἐπέθεντο ἡμῖν καὶ ἔξωσαν ἡμᾶς οἷς οὐκ ἐπηγγείλω,
μετὰ βίας ἀφείλαντο
καὶ οὐκ ἐδόξασαν τὸ ὄνομά σου τὸ ἔντιμον. | But (because of) our sins, sinners rose up against us,
they set upon us and drove us out.
Those to whom you did not (make the) promise,
they took away (from us) by force;
and they did not glorify your honorable name. |
| 6 | ἐν δόξῃ ἔθεντο βασίλειον ἀντὶ ὕψους αὐτῶν,
ἠρήμωσαν τὸν θρόνον Δαυιδ ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ ἀλλάγματος. | With pomp they set up a monarchy because of their arrogance;
they despoiled the throne of David with arrogant shouting. |
| 7 | Καὶ σύ, ὁ θεός, καταβαλεῖς αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀρεῖς
τὸ σπέρμα αὐ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς
ἐν τῷ ἐπαναστῆναι αὐτοῖς ἄνθρωπον ἀλλότριον γένους ἡμῶν. | But you, O God, overthrew them, and uprooted their
descendants from the earth,
for there rose up against them a man alien to our race. |
| 8 | κατὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῶν ἀποδώσεις αὐτοῖς, ὁ θεός,
εὑρεθῆναι αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν. | You rewarded them, O God, according to their sins;
it happened to them according to their actions. |
| 9 | οὐκ ἠλέησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεός,
ἐξηρεύνησεν τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν
καὶ οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτῶν ἕνα. | According to their actions, God showed no mercy to them;
he hunted down their descendants,
and did not let even one of them go. |
| 10 | πιστὸς ὁ κύριος ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς κρίμασιν αὐτοῦ,
οἷς ποιεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. | The Lord is faithful in all his judgments
which he makes in the world. |
| 11 | Ἠρήμωσεν ὁ ἄνομος τὴν γῆν ἡμῶν ἀπὸ ἐνοικούντων αὐτήν,
ἠφάνισαν νέον καὶ πρεσβύτην καὶ τέκνα αὐτῶν ἅμα· | The lawless onelaid waste our land, so that no one inhabited it;
they massacred young and old and children at the same time. |
| 12 | ἐν ὀργῇ κάλλους αὐτοῦ ἐξαπέστειλεν αὐτὰ ἕως ἐπὶ δυσμῶν
καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῆς γῆς εἰς ἐμπαιγμὸν καὶ οὐκ ἐφείσατο. | In his blameless wrath he expelled them to the west,
and he did not spare even the officials of the country from ridicule. |
| 13 | ἐν ἀλλοτριότητι ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἐποίησεν ὑπερηφανίαν,
καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἀλλοτρία ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν. | As the enemy (was) a stranger
and his heart alien to our God, he acted arrogantly. |
| 14 | καὶ πάντα, ὅσα ἐποίησεν ἐν Ιερουσαλημ,
καθὼς καὶ τὰ ἔθνη ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι τοῦ σθένους αὐτῶν. | So he did in Jerusalem all the things
that gentiles do for their gods in their cities. |
| 15 | Καὶ ἐπεκρατοῦσαν αὐτῶν οἱ υἱοὶ τῆς διαθήκης ἐν μέσῳ ἐθνῶν
συμμίκτων,
οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁ ποιῶν ἐν Ιερουσαλημ ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθειαν. | And the children of the covenant (living) among the gentile rabble
adopted these (practices).
No one among them in Jerusalem acted (with) mercy or truth. |
| 16 | ἐφύγοσαν ἀπ αὐτῶν οἱ ἀγαπῶντες συναγωγὰς ὁσίων,
ὡς στρουθία ἐξεπετάσθησαν ἀπὸ κοίτης αὐτῶν. | Those who loved the assemblies of the devout fled from them
as sparrows fled from their nest. |
| 17 | ἐπλανῶντο ἐν ἐρήμοις
σωθῆναι ψυχὰς αὐτῶν ἀπὸ κακοῦ,
καὶ τίμιον ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς παροικίας ψυχὴ σεσῳσμένη ἐξ αὐτῶν. | (They became) refugees in the wilderness
to save their lives from evil.
The life of even one who was saved from them was precious in the eyes of the exiles. |
| 18 | εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐγενήθη ὁ σκορπισμὸς αὐτῶν ὑπὸ ἀνόμων,
ὅτι ἀνέσχεν ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ στάξαι ὑετὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. | They were scattered over the whole earth by (these) lawless ones.
For the heavens withheld rain from falling on the earth. |
| 19 | πηγαὶ συνεσχέθησαν
αἰώνιοι ἐξ ἀβύσσων ἀπὸ ὀρέων ὑψηλῶν,
ὅτι οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς ποιῶν δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίμα. | Springs were stopped,
(from) the perennial (springs) far underground
(to) those in the high mountains.
For there was no one among them
who practiced righteousness or justice: |
| 20 | ἀπὸ ἄρχοντος αὐτῶν καὶ λαοῦ ἐλαχίστου
ἐν πάσῃ ἁμαρτίᾳ,
ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν παρανομίᾳ
καὶ ὁ κριτὴς ἐν ἀπειθείᾳ καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ. | From their leader to the commonest of the people,
(they were) in every kind of sin:
The king was a criminal
and the judge disobedient;
(and) the people sinners. |
| 21 | Ἰδέ, κύριε, καὶ ἀνάστησον αὐτοῖς τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῶν
υἱὸν Δαυιδ εἰς τὸν καιρόν, ὃν εἵλου σύ, ὁ θεός,
τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι ἐπὶ Ισραηλ παῖδά σου· | See, Lord, and raise up for them their king,
the son of David, to rule over your servant Israel
in the time known to you,? O God. |
| 22 | καὶ ὑπόζωσον αὐτὸν ἰσχὺν τοῦ θραῦσαι ἄρχοντας ἀδίκους,
καθαρίσαι Ιερουσαλημ ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν
καταπατούντων ἐν ἀπωλείᾳ, | Undergird him with the strength to destroy the unrighteous rulers,
to purge Jerusalem from gentiles
who trample her to destruction; |
| 23 | ἐν σοφίᾳ δικαιοσύνης ἐξῶσαι
ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἀπὸ κληρονομίας,
ἐκτρῖψαι ὑπερηφανίαν ἁμαρτωλοῦ
ὡς σκεύη κεραμέως, | in wisdom and in righteousness to drive out
the sinners from the inheritance;
to smash the arrogance of sinners
like a potter’s jar; |
| 24 | ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ συντρῖψαι πᾶσαν ὑπόστασιν αὐτῶν,
ὀλεθρεῦσαι ἔθνη παράνομα ἐν λόγῳ στόματος αὐτοῦ, | To shatter all their substance with an iron rod;
to destroy the unlawful nations with the word of his mouth; |
| 25 | ἐν ἀπειλῇ αὐτοῦ φυγεῖν ἔθνη ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ
καὶ ἐλέγξαι ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἐν λόγῳ καρδίας αὐτῶν. | At his warning the nations will flee from his presence;
and he will condemn sinners by the thoughts of their hearts. |
| 26 | Καὶ συνάξει λαὸν ἅγιον,
οὗ ἀφηγήσεται ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ,
καὶ κρινεῖ φυλὰς λαοῦ
ἡγιασμένου ὑπὸ κυρίου θεοῦ αὐτοῦ· | He will gather a holy people
whom he will lead in righteousness;
and he will judge the tribes of the people
that have been made holy by the Lord their God. |
| 27 | καὶ οὐκ ἀφήσει ἀδικίαν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν αὐλισθῆναι ἔτι,
καὶ οὐ κατοικήσει πᾶς ἄνθρωπος μετ αὐτῶν εἰδὼς κακίαν·
γνώσεται γὰρ αὐτοὺς
ὅτι πάντες υἱοὶ θεοῦ εἰσιν αὐτῶν. | He will not tolerate unrighteousness (even) to pause among them,
and any person who knows wickedness shall not live with them.
For he shall know them
that they are all children of their God. |
| 28 | καὶ καταμερίσει αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς φυλαῖς αὐτῶν
ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς,
καὶ πάροικος καὶ ἀλλογενὴς οὐ παροικήσει αὐτοῖς ἔτι· | He will distribute them upon the land
according to their tribes;
the alien and the foreigner will no longer live near them. |
| 29 | κρινεῖ λαοὺς καὶ ἔθνη ἐν σοφίᾳ δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ. | He will judge peoples and nations in the wisdom of his righteousness. |
| | διάψαλμα. | Pause. |
| 30 | Καὶ ἕξει λαοὺς ἐθνῶν δουλεύειν αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτοῦ
καὶ τὸν κύριον δοξάσει ἐν ἐπισήμῳ πάσης τῆς γῆς
καὶ καθαριεῖ Ιερουσαλημ
ἐν ἁγιασμῷ ὡς καὶ τὸ ἀπ ἀρχῆς | And he will have gentile nations serving him under his yoke,
and he will glorify the Lord in (a place) prominent (above) the whole earth.
And he will purge Jerusalem
(and make it) holy as it was even from the beginning, |
| 31 | ἔρχεσθαι ἔθνη ἀπ ἄκρου τῆς γῆς ἰδεῖν τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ
φέροντες δῶρα τοὺς ἐξησθενηκότας υἱοὺς αὐτῆς
καὶ ἰδεῖν τὴν δόξαν κυρίου,
ἣν ἐδόξασεν αὐτὴν ὁ θεός. | (for) nations to come from the ends of the earth to see his glory,
to bring as gifts her children who had been driven out,
and to see the glory of the Lord
with which God has glorified her. |
| 32 | καὶ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς δίκαιος διδακτὸς ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἐπ αὐτούς,
καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀδικία ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν,
ὅτι πάντες ἅγιοι,
καὶ βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν χριστὸς κυρίου. | And he will be a righteous king over them, taught by God.
There will be no unrighteousness among them in his days,
for all shall be holy,
and their king shall be the Lord Messiah. |
| 33 | οὐ γὰρ ἐλπιεῖ ἐπὶ ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην καὶ τόξον
οὐδὲ πληθυνεῖ αὑτῷ χρυσίον οὐδὲ ἀργύριον εἰς πόλεμον
καὶ πολλοῖς [λαοῖς] οὐ συνάξει ἐλπίδας εἰς ἡμέραν πολέμου. | (For) he will not rely on horse and rider and bow,
nor will he collect gold and silver for war.
Nor will he build up hope in a multitude for a day of war. |
| 34 | Κύριος αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς αὐτοῦ,
ἐλπὶς τοῦ δυνατοῦ ἐλπίδι θεοῦ,
καὶ ἐλεήσει πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐν φόβῳ. | The Lord himself is his king,
the hope of the one who has a strong hope in God.
He shall be compassionate to all the nations
(who) reverently (stand) before him. |
| 35 | πατάξει γὰρ γῆν τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ εἰς αἰῶνα,
εὐλογήσει λαὸν κυρίου ἐν σοφίᾳ μετ εὐφροσύνης· | He will strike the earth with the word of his mouth forever;
he will bless the Lord’s people with wisdom and happiness. |
| 36 | καὶ αὐτὸς καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας τοῦ ἄρχειν λαοῦ μεγάλου,
ἐλέγξαι ἄρχοντας καὶ ἐξᾶραι ἁμαρτωλοὺς
ἐν ἰσχύι λόγου. | And he himself (will be) free from sin, (in order) to rule a great people.
He will expose officials and drive out sinners
by the strength of his word. |
| 37 | καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενήσει ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ θεῷ αὐτοῦ·
ὅτι ὁ θεὸς κατειργάσατο αὐτὸν
δυνατὸν ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ
καὶ σοφὸν ἐν βουλῇ συνέσεως
μετὰ ἰσχύος καὶ δικαιοσύνης. | And he will not weaken in his days, (relying) upon his God,
for God made him
powerful in the holy spirit
and wise in the counsel of understanding,
with strength and righteousness. |
| 38 | καὶ εὐλογία κυρίου μετ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἰσχύι,
καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενήσει. | And the blessing of the Lord will be with him in strength,
and he will not weaken; |
| 39 | Ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ κύριον,
καὶ τίς δύναται πρὸς αὐτόν; | His hope (will be) in the Lord.
Then who will succeed against him, |
| 40 | ἰσχυρὸς ἐν ἔργοις αὐτοῦ
καὶ κραταιὸς ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ
ποιμαίνων τὸ ποίμνιον κυρίου ἐν πίστει καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ
καὶ οὐκ ἀφήσει ἀσθενῆσαι ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ νομῇ αὐτῶν. | mighty in his actions
and strong in the fear of God?
Faithfully and righteously shepherding the Lord’s flock,
he will not let any of them stumble in their pasture. |
| 41 | ἐν ἰσότητι πάντας αὐτοὺς ἄξει,
καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ἐν αὐτοῖς ὑπερηφανία
τοῦ καταδυναστευθῆναι ἐν αὐτοῖς. | He will lead them all in holiness
and there will be no arrogance among them,
that any should be oppressed. |
| 42 | Αὕτη ἡ εὐπρέπεια τοῦ βασιλέως Ισραηλ, ἣν ἔγνω ὁ θεός,
ἀναστῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐπ οἶκον Ισραηλ παιδεῦσαι αὐτόν. | This is the beauty of the king of Israel
which God knew,
to raise him over the house of Israel
to discipline it. |
| 43 | τὰ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ πεπυρωμένα ὑπὲρ χρυσίον τὸ πρῶτον τίμιον, ἐν συναγωγαῖς διακρινεῖ λαοῦ φυλὰς ἡγιασμένου, οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ ὡς λόγοι ἁγίων ἐν μέσῳ λαῶν ἡγιασμένων. | His words will be purer than the finest gold, the best.
He will judge the peoples in the assemblies,
the tribes of the sanctified.
His words will be as the words of the holy ones,
among sanctified peoples. |
| 44 | μακάριοι οἱ γενόμενοι ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἰδεῖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ Ισραηλ ἐν συναγωγῇ φυλῶν, ἃ ποιήσει ὁ θεός. | Blessed are those born in those days
to see the good fortune of Israel
which God will bring to pass in the assembly of the tribes. |
| 45 | ταχύναι ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ Ισραηλ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, ῥύσαιτο ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ ἀκαθαρσίας ἐχθρῶν βεβήλων. | May God dispatch his mercy to Israel;
may he deliver us from the pollution of profane enemies; |
| 46 | κύριος αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἔτι. | The Lord Himself is our king forevermore. |
Psalm 18
A Psalm of Solomon About the Lord Messiah
| 1 | Κύριε, τὸ ἔλεός σου ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,
ἡ χρηστότης σου
μετὰ δόματος πλουσίου ἐπὶ Ισραηλ· | O Lord, your mercy is upon the works of your hands forever.
(You show) your goodness to Israel
with a rich gift. |
| 2 | οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ἐπιβλέποντες ἐπ αὐτά, καὶ οὐχ ὑστερήσει ἐξ αὐτῶν·
τὰ ὦτά σου ἐπακούει εἰς δέησιν πτωχοῦ ἐν ἐλπίδι. | Your eyes (are) watching over them and none of them will be in need.
Your ears listen to the hopeful prayer of the poor, |
| 3 | τὰ κρίματά σου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν μετὰ ἐλέους,
καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη σου ἐπὶ σπέρμα Αβρααμ υἱοὺς Ισραηλ. | Your compassionate judgments (are) over the whole world,
and your love is for the descendants of Abraham, an Israelite. |
| 4 | ἡ παιδεία σου ἐφ ἡμᾶς ὡς υἱὸν πρωτότοκον μονογενῆ
ἀποστρέψαι ψυχὴν εὐήκοον ἀπὸ ἀμαθίας ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ. | Your discipline for us (is) as (for) a firstborn son, an only child,
to divert the perceptive person from unintentional sins. |
| 5 | καθαρίσαι ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ εἰς ἡμέραν ἐλέους ἐν εὐλογίᾳ,
εἰς ἡμέραν ἐκλογῆς ἐν ἀνάξει χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ. | May God cleanse Israel for the day of mercy in blessing,
for the appointed day when his Messiah will reign. |
| 6 | Μακάριοι οἱ γενόμενοι ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις
ἰδεῖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ κυρίου,
ἃ ποιήσει γενεᾷ τῇ ἐρχομένῃ | Blessed are those born in those days,
to see the good things of the Lord
which he will do for the coming generation; |
| 7 | ὑπὸ ῥάβδον παιδείας χριστοῦ κυρίου
ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ αὐτοῦ
ἐν σοφίᾳ πνεύματος
καὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἰσχύος | (which will be) under the rod of discipline of the Lord Messiah,
in the fear of his God,
in wisdom of spirit,
and of righteousness and of strength, |
| 8 | κατευθῦναι ἄνδρα ἐν ἔργοις δικαιοσύνης φόβῳ θεοῦ
καταστῆσαι πάντας αὐτοὺς ἐνώπιον κυρίου | to direct people in righteous acts, in the fear of God,
to set them all in the fear of the Lord |
| 9 | γενεὰ ἀγαθὴ ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ
ἐν ἡμέραις ἐλέους. | A good generation (living) in the fear of God,
in the days of mercy. |
| | διάψαλμα. | Pause. |
| 10 | Μέγας ἡμῶν ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἔνδοξος
ἐν ὑψίστοις κατοικῶν
ὁ διατάξας ἐν πορείᾳ φωστῆρας
εἰς καιροὺς ὡρῶν ἀφ ἡμε ρῶν εἰς ἡμέρας
καὶ οὐ παρέβησαν ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ,
ἧς ἐνετείλω αὐτοῖς· | Our God is great and glorious
living in the highest (heavens),
who arranges the stars into orbits
(to mark) time of the hours from day to day.
And they have not deviated from their course,
which he appointed them. |
| 11 | ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτῶν καθ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν
ἀφ ἧς ἡμέρας ἔκτισεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἕως αἰῶνος· | Their course each day is in the fear of God,
from the day God created them forever. |
| 12 | καὶ οὐκ ἐπλανήθησαν
ἀφ ἧς ἡμέρας ἔκτισεν αὐτούς, ἀπὸ γενεῶν ἀρχαίων
οὐκ ἀπέστησαν ὁδῶν αὐτῶν,
εἰ μὴ ὁ θεὸς ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς
ἐν ἐπιταγῇ δούλων αὐτοῦ. | And they have not wandered
from the day he created them, from ancient generations.
They have not veered off their course
except when God directed them
by the command of his servants. |
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