Book 1.3: The Character and Mouth of the Righteous

Complement    Part 1: The Character of the Righteous

Unique   Chapter 1.1: The righteous will bring forth fruit in old age (Psalm 92)

§Complement   Introduction: I will triumph in the work of your hands

¹It is good to give thanks to Jehovah, and to sing praises to your Name, O God most High; ²to show forth your loving-kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night, ³upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery, upon the harp with a solemn sound.

⁴For you, Jehovah, have made me glad through your work;

I will triumph in the works of your hands.

§Complement   Body: You will scatter the workers of iniquity and anoint me with fresh oil

⁵O Jehovah, how great are your works! And your thoughts are very deep.

⁶A stupid man does not know; neither does a fool understand this.

⁷When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is only that they shall be destroyed forever.

⁸But you, Jehovah, are most High forevermore: ⁹for, lo, your enemies, O Jehovah: for, lo, your enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

¹⁰But my horn shall you exalt like the horn of a wild ox; I shall be anointed with fresh oil. ¹¹My eye also shall look upon the destruction of my enemies, and my ears shall hear the destruction of the wicked that rise up against me.

§Unique   Conclusion: The righteous shall flourish in the House of Jehovah

¹²The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

¹³Those that are planted in the House of Jehovah shall flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴They shall continue to bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing, ¹⁵to show that Jehovah is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Complement    Chapter 1.2: The mature saint thirsts after Jehovah in spite of his enemies (Psalm 143)

§Unique   Introduction: The enemy has persecuted my soul

¹Hear my prayer, O Jehovah; give ear to my supplications; in your faithfulness answer me, and in your righteousness.

²And enter not into judgment with your servant: for in your sight shall no man living be justified.

³For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has smitten my life down to the ground; he has made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.

§Complement   Body: Hear me, O Jehovah, and hide not your face from me

⁴Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. ⁵I remember the days of old; I meditate on all your works; I muse on the work of your hands. ⁶I stretch forth my hands to you; my soul thirsts after you, as a thirsty land. Selah.

⁷Hear me speedily, O Jehovah; my spirit fails.

Hide not your face from me, lest I be like them that go down into Hell.

⁸Cause me to hear your loving-kindness in the morning: for in you do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk: for I lift up my soul to you.

⁹Deliver me, O Jehovah, from my enemies; I flee unto you to hide me.

§Complement   Conclusion: Teach me and revive me, O Jehovah

¹⁰Teach me to do your will: for you are my God; your Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

¹¹Revive me, O Jehovah, for your Name’s sake: for your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

¹²And of your mercy cut off my enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am your servant.

Complement   Chapter 1.3: The mature saint praises Jehovah in spite of his enemies (Psalm 71)

§Unique   Introduction: You have been my trust from my youth

¹In you, O Jehovah, do I put my trust; let me never be put to confusion. ²Deliver me in your righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline your ear to me, and save me. ³Be my strong habitation, to which I may continually resort. You have given command to save me: for you are my Rock and my fortress.

⁴Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man: ⁵for you are my hope, O Lord Jehovah; you have been my trust from my youth. ⁶By you have I been held up from the womb; you are he that took me out of my mother’s belly. My praise shall be continually of you.

⁷I am as a wonder to many; but you are my strong refuge. ⁸Let my mouth be filled with your praise and your honor all day long.

§Complement   Body: Be not far from me; but I will hope in you and praise you more and more

⁹Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is failing: ¹⁰for my enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, ¹¹saying, “God has forsaken him; persecute and take him: for there is no one to save him.”

¹²O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste for my help. ¹³Let them be disgraced and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonor that seek my harm.

¹⁴But I will hope continually, and will yet praise you more and more. ¹⁵My mouth shall show forth your righteousness and your salvation all day long: for I know not their numbers. ¹⁶I will go in the strength of the Lord Jehovah; I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours only.

¹⁷O God, you have taught me from my youth; and until now I have declared your wondrous works.

¹⁸Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not, until I have shown your strength to this generation, and your power to every one that is to come.

§Complement   Conclusion: Your righteousness is very high; and you shall raise me up from the dead

¹⁹Your righteousness also, O God, is very high, you who have done great things.

O God, who is like you, ²⁰who have shown me great and severe troubles! You shall make me live again, and shall bring me up again from the depths of the earth. ²¹You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

²²I will also praise you with the psaltery, even your Truth, O my God; unto you will I sing with the harp, O you Holy One of Israel. ²³My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to you; and my soul, which you have redeemed. ²⁴My tongue also shall talk of your righteousness all day long: for they are disgraced, for they are brought to shame that seek my harm.

Opposite   Chapter 1.4: Jehovah is the portion of the righteous man (Psalm 16)

¹Preserve me, O God: for in you do I put my trust.

²O my soul, you have said to Jehovah, “You are my Lord. My goodness does not extend to you, ³but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.”

⁴Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god; their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.

⁵Jehovah is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup; you maintain my lot. ⁶The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; moreover, I have a wonderful inheritance. ⁷I will bless Jehovah, who has given me counsel; my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.

⁸I have set Jehovah always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved; ⁹therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also shall rest in hope: ¹⁰for you will not leave my soul in Hell; neither will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. ¹¹You will show me the path of Life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Opposite   Chapter 1.5: Jehovah is his strength and shield (Psalm 28)

¹Unto you will I cry, O Jehovah my Rock. Be not silent to me; lest, if you are silent to me, I become like them that go down into Hell. ²Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto you, when I lift up my hands toward your holy Oracle.

³Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts. ⁴Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors. Give them after the work of their hands; render to them what they deserve. ⁵Because they regard not the works of Jehovah, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.

⁶Blessed is Jehovah, because he has heard the voice of my supplications. ⁷Jehovah is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him.

⁸Jehovah is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

⁹Save your people, and bless your inheritance; feed them also, and lift them up forever.

Complement   Part 2: The Mouth of the Righteous

Unique   Chapter 2.1: Deliver me from the workers of iniquity (Psalm 59)

§Complement   Introduction: My enemies lie in wait for my soul

¹Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; defend me from them that rise up against me. ²Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

³For, see, they lie in wait for my soul; the mighty are gathered against me, but not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Jehovah.

⁴They run and prepare themselves without my fault; awake to help me, and behold.

§Complement   Body: The heathen pour out profanity with their mouth; but you are my defense

⁵Therefore, O Jehovah God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen; be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.

⁶They return at evening; they make a sound like a dog, and go around the city. ⁷Behold, they pour out profanity with their mouth; swords are in their lips: for they say, “Who hears us?”

⁸But you, O Jehovah, shall laugh at them; you shall have all the heathen in derision. ⁹Because of his strength will I wait upon you: for God is my defense. ¹⁰The God of my mercy shall go before me; God shall let me look upon the destruction of my enemies.

¹¹Slay them not, lest my people forget; scatter them by your power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield. ¹²For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride; and for cursing and lying which they speak.

¹³Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be! And let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah. ¹⁴And at evening let them return, and let them make a sound like a dog, and go around the city. ¹⁵Let them wander up and down for food, and grudge if they are not satisfied.

§Unique   Conclusion: I will sing of your power and your mercy

¹⁶But I will sing of your power.

Yea, I will sing aloud of your mercy in the morning: for you have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.

¹⁷To you, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy.

Complement   Chapter 2.2: Deliver me from my oppressors (Psalm 56)

§Unique   Introduction: When I am afraid, I will trust in you

¹Be merciful to me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresses me. ²My enemies would daily swallow me up: for there are many that fight against me, O you most High.

³When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

⁴In God will I praise his Word. I have put my trust in God; therefore I will not fear what flesh can do to me.

§Complement   Body: You count my wanderings; put my tears into your bottle

⁵Every day they twist my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil. ⁶They gather themselves together; they hide themselves; they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

⁷Shall they escape by iniquity? In your anger cast down the people, O God.

⁸You count my wanderings; put my tears into your bottle. Are they not in your Book?

⁹When I cry unto you, then shall my enemies turn back. I know this, because God is for me.

¹⁰In God will I praise his Word; in Jehovah will I praise his Word. ¹¹I have put my trust in God; therefore I will not fear what man can do to me.

§Complement   Conclusion: Your vows are upon me; I will render praises to you

¹²Your vows are upon me, O God;

I will render praises to you: ¹³for you have delivered my soul from death.

Will you not deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

Complement    Chapter 2.3: Deliver me from my persecutors (Psalm 142)

§Unique   Introduction: I poured out my complaint to Jehovah

¹I cried to Jehovah with my voice; with my voice I made my supplication to Jehovah.

²I poured out my complaint before him;

I showed before him my trouble.

§Complement   Body: No man would know me; no man cared for my soul

³When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then you knew my path.

In the way wherein I walked have they secretly laid a snare for me.

⁴I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but no man would know me; refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.

⁵I cried to you, O Jehovah; I said, “You are my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.”

⁶Attend to my cry: for I am brought very low.

§Complement   Conclusion: Deliver me from my persecutors and bring my soul out of prison

Deliver me from my persecutors: for they are stronger than I.

⁷Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise your Name.

The righteous shall surround me: for you shall deal bountifully with me.

Opposite   Chapter 2.4: Let my enemies be ashamed and disgraced (Psalm 70)

¹Hurry, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Jehovah.

²Let them be ashamed and disgraced that seek after my soul. Let them be turned backward and put to confusion that desire my harm. ³Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame, who say, “Aha, aha.”

⁴But let all those that seek you rejoice and be glad in you; and let such as love your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified.”

⁵But I am poor and needy; make haste to me.

O God, you are my help and my deliverer; O Jehovah, make no delay.

Opposite   Chapter 2.5: Enlighten my eyes; lest my enemy rejoices (Psalm 13)

¹How long will you forget me, O Jehovah: forever? ²How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

³Consider and hear me, O Jehovah my God.

Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death; ⁴lest my enemy says, “I have prevailed against him”; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

⁵But I have trusted in your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. ⁶I will sing to Jehovah, because he has dealt bountifully with me.