THE SHADOW OF The almigHTY. 425

Raising from the dust the weak,

From the dunghill exalting the needy,
To make them sit with princes,
And inherit the throne of the great.

(For to Jehovah belong the pillars of earth,
Whereupon He hath set the world.)

He keepeth the feet of His saints,

But the wicked perish in darkness.
For none prevaileth through strength.

Jehovah alarmeth them that strive against Him,
Against them in heaven He thundereth.
Jehovah judgeth the ends of the earth,
To give strength unto His king,
And exalt the horn of His christ.

THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY.

He that dwelleth in the covert of the Highest,
That abideth in the shadow of the Almighty.

I say to Jehovah: My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust.

Yea, He saveth thee from the fowler's snare,
From noisome pestilence.

With His pinions He covereth thee,

And under His wings thou art safe ;

His truth is shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not fear for the terrors by night,

The arrow that flieth by day;

The plague that stalketh in darkness,
The death that wasteth at noonday.

Though a thousand fall beside thee,

Ten thousand at thy right hand,
Unto thee it shall not come nigh.
But with thine eyes shalt thou look,
And behold the reward of the wicked.

Yea, Thou, Jehovah, art my refuge.

Thou hast made the Highest thy defence,
There shall no evil befall thee,.

Nor plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For He giveth His angels charge of thee,
To keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee upon their hands,

That thou dash not thy foot on a stone.
On the lion and the adder thou shalt tread,

Thou shalt trample the lion and the dragon.

(Jehovah.) Who hath set his love on Me I will save; I will exalt him that knoweth My name.

When he calleth Me, I will answer;

I am with him in trouble;

I will deliver and bring him to honor.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.

OMNISCIENCE OF GOD.

Thou, Jehovah, hast searched and known me,
Thou knowest my sitting and my rising,
Thou discernest my thought from afar ;
Thou hast sifted my path and my bed,
And all my ways hast thoroughly explored;
While a word is not yet on my tongue,
Behold, Jehovah, Thou knowest it all.

OMNISCIEnce of GOD.

Behind and before, hast Thou enclosed me,
And Thine hand hast laid upon me.

Such knowledge for me is too vast,
Too lofty, I cannot attain it.

Whither shall I go from Thy spirit?

And whither shall I flee from Thy presence?
If I climb up to heaven, Thou art there;
Should I dig down to hell,-behold Thee!
Should I fly on the wings of dawn,
Should I dwell in the uttermost west,
There also Thy hand would lead me,
And Thy right hand would uphold me.
Should I say: "Let darkness cover me,
And light about me be night";
Even darkness is not dark to Thee,
But the night is as clear as the day;
Darkness and light to Thee are both alike.

For Thou didst form my reins,

Weaving me in my mother's womb.

I thank Thee, for I am marvellous wonderful;
Wonderful are Thy works,

And that my soul knoweth well.

From Thee my bones were not hid,
When I in secret was made,

Cunningly wrought in earth's depths;
Thine eyes saw mine unshapenness ;
And in Thy book all are written,
Which day by day were shapen,
When as yet none of them were.
How hard for me are Thy thoughts!
Oh God, how vast the sum of them!

427

Would I tell them, they outnumber the sand;
When I awake, I still am with Thee.

That Thou wouldest slay the wicked, oh God! And that bloodthirsty men might depart from me! Who rebel against Thee deceitfully;

Who have uttered falsehood against Thee.

Do not I hate Thy haters, Jehovah,

And loathe Thine adversaries?

With utter hate I hate them;

They are become mine enemies.

Search me, oh God, and know my heart,

Try me, and know my thoughts;

And see if there be any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

CHAPTER X.

Psalms, ii., lxxii., cx.

THE TRIUMPHANT MESSIAH.

Victorious Israel-The Victorious King-The Ideal King.

VICTORIOUS ISRAEL.

WHY do nations rage,
And peoples vainly rave?
Kings of earth conspire,
And rulers plot together,

Against Jehovah and His anointed:

"Let us tear away their bonds,

And cast from us their cords!"

Who sitteth in heaven laugheth,

The Lord mocketh them.

Then He saith to them in His wrath

In His anger He confoundeth them-
"Verily I have set My king
Upon My holy hill of Zion."

I would tell of Jehovah's law,

Who said to me: 66

My son art thou,

This day have I begotten thee.

Ask of me, and I will give