Eripe me, Domine. A prayer to be delivered from the wicked.
The iust diuersly afflicted by the wicked, pray to be defended, 7. repose their confidence in God, 10. who wil adiudge the reprobate to eternal punishment, 13. and reward the good with the fruition of himself.
1Unto the end, a psalm of David.Salmo di David.Vnto the end, a Psalme of Dauid.In finem. Psalmus David. 2Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: rescue me from the unjust man.Liberami, o Signore, dall'uomo cattivo: liberami dall'uomo iniquo.DELIVER me ô Lord from the euil man: from the vniust man rescue me.Eripe me, Domine, ab homine malo; / a viro iniquo eripe me. 3Who have devised iniquities in their hearts: all the day long they designed battles.Quei, che in cuor loro macchina vano pensieri di iniquità, tutto il giorno preparavan battaglie.Which haue deuised iniquitie in their hart: al the day they did appoint battels.Qui cogitaverunt iniquitates in corde, / tota die constituebant prælia. 4They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: the venom of asps is under their lips.Hanno affilate le loro lingue, come serpenti: hanno veleno di aspidi sotto le loro lingue.They haue whet their tongues as that of a serpent: the venome of aspes is vnder their lippes.Acuerunt linguas suas sicut serpentis; / venenum aspidum sub labiis eorum. 5Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the wicked: and from unjust men deliver me. Who have proposed to supplant my steps:Difendimi, o Signore, dalla mano del peccatore: e liberami dagli uomini iniqui. I superbi, che macchinano di farmi cadere,Kepe me ô Lord from the hand of the sinner: and from vniust men deliuer me. Who haue deuised to supplant my steppes:Custodi me, Domine, de manu peccatoris, / et ab hominibus iniquis eripe me. / Qui cogitaverunt supplantare gressus meos: 6The proud have hidden a net for me. And they have stretched out cords for a snare: they have laid for me a stumblingblock by the wayside.mi han preparato un laccio nascostamente. E le funi hanno tese per prendermi: mi hanno posto inciampo lungo la strada.the proude haue hid a snare for me: And they haue streched out ropes for a snare: they haue layd a stumbling blocke for me nere the way.absconderunt superbi laqueum mihi. / Et funes extenderunt in laqueum; / juxta iter, scandalum posuerunt mihi. 7I said to the Lord: Thou art my God: hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication.Ho detto al Signore: Tu se' il mio Dio: esaudisci, o Signore, la voce di mia preghiera.I sayd to our Lord: Thou art my God: heare ô Lord the voice of my petition.Dixi Domino: Deus meus es tu; / exaudi, Domine, vocem deprecationis meæ. 8O Lord, Lord, the strength of my salvation: thou hast overshadowed my head in the day of battle.Signore, Signore, mia forte salute, tu facesti ombra alla mia testa nel di del conflitto:O Lord, Lord the strength of my saluation: thou hast ouershadowed my head in the day of battel.Domine, Domine, virtus salutis meæ, / obumbrasti super caput meum in die belli.
9Give me not up, O Lord, from my desire to the wicked: they have plotted against me; do not thou forsake me, lest they should triumph.Non darmi, o Signore, nelle mani del peccatore, com' ei mi desidera: hanno macchinato contro di me, non mi abbandonare, affinchè non s'insuperbiscano.Yeld me not ô Lord from my desire, to the sinner: they haue deuised against me, forsake me not, lest they perhaps be proude.Ne tradas me, Domine, a desiderio meo peccatori: / cogitaverunt contra me; / ne derelinquas me, ne forte exaltentur. 10The head of them compassing me about: the labour of their lips shall overwhelm them.Il forte de' loro raggiri, il faticoso lavoro delle loro labbra gli avvilupperà.The head of their compase: the labour of their lippes shal couer them.Caput circuitus eorum: / labor labiorum ipsorum operiet eos. 11Burning coals shall fall upon them; thou wilt cast them down into the fire: in miseries they shall not be able to stand.Cadranno carboni sopra di essi; tu li getterai nel fuoco: non reggeranno alle miserie.Coales shal fal vpon them, thou shalt cast them downe into fyre: in miseries they shal not stand vp.Cadent super eos carbones; / in ignem dejicies eos: / in miseriis non subsistent. 12A man full of tongue shall not be established in the earth: evil shall catch the unjust man unto destruction.L'uomo di mala lingua non avrà prosperità sopra la terra: l'uomo in giusto sarà preda delle sciagure nel suo morire.A man ful of tongue shal not be directed in the earth: euils shal take the vniust man into destruction.Vir linguosus non dirigetur in terra; / virum injustum mala capient in interitu. 13I know that the Lord will do justice to the needy, and will revenge the poor.Io so, che il Signore farà giustizia ai bisognosi, e vendicherà i poveri.I haue knowne that our Lord wil do the iudgement of the needie: and the reuenge of the poore.Cognovi quia faciet Dominus judicium inopis, / et vindictam pauperum. 14But as for the just, they shall give glory to thy name: and the upright shall dwell with thy countenance.I giusti poi daran laude al tuo nome: e gli uomini di rettitudine abiteranno sotto i tuoi occhi.But as for the iust, they shal confesse to thy name: and the righteous shal dwel with thy countenance.Verumtamen justi confitebuntur nomini tuo, / et habitabunt recti cum vultu tuo.
139:1
139:2
Berthier
Man. Saul, (Calmet) Judas, (St. Hilary) or self-love, the old man, who is our most dangerous enemy. (Berthier)
139:3
Worthington
Battles. And formed plots to destroy the just. (Worthington)
139:4
Haydock
Serpent. So Plautus says, "A double-tongued and wicked man is like a creeping beast," in Persa. (Haydock)
139:6
Side. The enemies of David calumniated him, and strove to make him follow idols, 1 Kings 26:19.
139:8
Calmet
Battle. Against Goliath, or against the attempts of Saul, etc. (Calmet)
Worthington
Prayer and divine grace are necessary, to guard us from sin. (Worthington)
139:9
Berthier
Desire. If I yield to my passions, (St. Augustine) or after I have expressed my request, contrary to my desire, etc. Hebrew, "Grant not the desire of the sinner, complete not his thought. They will be elated." Some supply, "lest they be." The ancients seem not to have read in the same manner. (Berthier)
Calmet
Abandon not my soul, which is all my care, (Psalm 21:21.) to the sinner. (Calmet)
139:10
Worthington
Head. Hebrew also, "poison," (Berthier) or "sum" of their mischievous devices. (Worthington)
Calmet
Labour, or punishment. (Calmet)
Worthington
Their subtle persuasions shall turn to their ruin. (Worthington)
139:11
Haydock
Fire of hell, (Worthington; Chaldean) as well as temporal afflictions, from lightning, etc., Psalm 17:9. (Haydock)
Berthier
Some have ridiculed the belief of hell. But the universality of this opinion is a strong proof of it, as it is also confirmed by revelation. (Berthier)
139:12
Tongue. This member is very dangerous. (Pet. Bless. cxix.) (James 3:6.)
Berthier
The just man is not styled "a man of tongue," but "of heart;" for which reason Christ exhorted his disciples not to make long speeches in prayer, Matthew 6:7. (Berthier)
Horace
Into. Literally, "in;" though (Haydock) it should be into, conformably to the Septuagint. (Berthier) Raro antecedentem scelestum Deseruit pede poena claudo. (Horace, 3:Od. ii.)
139:13
Houbigant
I know. Hebrew, "thou knowest." But some copies read more accurately. (Houbigant)
139:14
Haydock
Countenance in glory, when thou shalt appear, 1 John 3:2. (Haydock)
Calmet
They shall dwell under thy special protection in the tabernacle. (Calmet)
139:3
Vnquiet euil disposed men stil deuise wicked plottes
and neuer cease to make discord and debates.
139:6
Scandalum.
139:7
In time of tentation prayer is most necessarie.
139:8
Man is not able to resist tentations,
vnlesse God by his grace, as by a helmet, defend him from yelding consent.
139:9
Suffer me not to fal from that which I now desire (which is to be constant in vertue) not to consent to sinners perswasions.
VVho then would triumph ouer me.
139:10
The summe of their mischeuous deuises,
consisting in their suttle persuasions with swete wordes,
shal ouerwhelme, and bring themselues to perdition.
139:11
Hel fire shal be their lote,
•nto which they shal fal,
& •uer be in intolerable torments.
139:13
I haue lerned by good instructions and by experience, that in the end thou ô God wilt comfort the iust, who are now afflicted; and punish the vniust, that liue in temporal delightes, as it happened to Lazarus, and the glat•on.
139:14
Eternal glorie consisteth in seeing God.
139:1
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.4
4. “Deliver me, O Lord, from the wicked man” (
139:2
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.5
5. “Who have imagined unrighteousnesses in their heart” (
139:3
Tertullian † AD 220 On Patience 6
… But after He has supervened, and has united the grace of faith with patience, now it is no longer lawful to assail even with word , nor to say “fool” even, without “danger of the judgment.” Anger has been prohibited, our spirits retained, the petulance of the hand checked, the poison of the tongue
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 65
But if any felt displeased that I have called the mouths of the multitude ditches of some mire, let him know that I have said it, sparing them very much. For Scripture hath not used this measure, but a comparison far stronger. “For adder’s poison,” it is said, “is under their lips,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.5
… For the words, “all the day long,” signify without intermission, throughout the whole time. “They have sharpened their tongues like serpents” (
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Letters 22
… whom we must be forewarned of and take heed lest some should be misled by their wickedness and shaken in their firmness. “For they have sharpened their tongues like serpents: adder’s poison is under their lips
139:4
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.6
6. “Preserve me, O Lord, from the hand of the sinner, from unrighteous men deliver me” (
139:5
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 17.6
… Let not your foot then wander out of this way. Keep in the way; depart not from it; from the praise of the Lord depart not a foot, nay, not a nail’s breadth. For if thou wilt deviate from this way, and praise thyself instead of the Lord, thou wilt not be safe from thine enemies; for it is said of them, “They have laid stumbling-blocks for me by the way.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 92.1
… ‘I am the Life.’” Let us then walk with all assurance in the Way; but let us fear snares by the way side. The enemy does not dare to lay his snares in the way; because Christ is the Way; but most certainly by the way side he ceases not to do so. Whence too it is said in the Psalm, “They have laid stumblingblocks for me by the way side.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.7
7. “The proud have hidden a trap for me” (
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 5.18
… Forsake such; and, if they must needs deceive, let them at any rate deceive the hearts of worldly men, and not of priests. Let the dead bury their dead ( Luke ix. 60 ). But say ye with the prophet, Let them be turned back and put to shame that say unto me, Aha, Aha ( Ps. lxix. 4 ). And again, But let not the oil of the sinner lard my head (
139:6
St Jerome † AD 420 Against the Pelagians 2
Ps. cxl. 6 . “The wicked walk on every side,” and
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.9
9. And what remaineth? what remedy amid such ills, in such temptations, such dangers? “I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God” (
139:7
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.10
10. Commending this to the ears of God, let him say, “Lord, Lord.” Thou Lord-Lord, that is, most truly Lord, not like unto the lords-men, not like the lords who buy with money-bags, but the Lord who buyeth with His Blood. “Lord, Lord, Thou strength of my health” (
139:8
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.11
11. “Deliver me not over, O Lord, by my own longing to the sinner” (
139:9
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.12
12. “The head of their going about, the toil of their own lips shall cover them” (
139:10
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.13
13. “Coals of fire shall fall upon them upon earth, and Thou shalt cast them down” (
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 7.21
… as it is said: “The head of their compassing me about, the labour of their own lips shall overwhelm them;” and: “His sorrow shall be turned on his own head;” and again: “Let the snare which he knoweth not come upon him, and let the net which he hath hidden catch him, and into that very snare let him fall;”
139:11
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.14
14. “A man full of words shall not be guided upon earth” (
139:12
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.15
15. “I know that the Lord will maintain the right of the needy” (
139:13
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 140.16
16. “But the just shall confess to Thy Name” (
139:7
In the Old Testament one finds the same ideas, the same expressions concerning the great dwelling where all descend (v. šē'ōl), naturally excluding the myths and the deities, since the one Yahweh is present even down there (Ps. 139, 7 ff.; Iob 26, 6). The Bible, moreover, formally affirms such survival in the well-known, most ancient phrases for indicating death: "to descend into šē'ōl"; "to be gathered to one's …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.