Hebrew Psalm No. 26
(Psalm No. 25 in the Vulgate)
1 Of David. Vindicate me, Lord, for I have walked without faltering. I trust in the Lord; I shall not be shaken. 2 Test me, Lord, and examine me; try my mind and my heart. Test my innermost thoughts by fire, and see if your fire, which purifies all things, will find any perversity in them. This is a protest of his innocence (relative to serious offenses) and his righteousness. 3 For your mercy is before my eyes, and I walk in your truth. 4 I have not sat with men of lies, nor do I walk with men of hypocrisy. 5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I do not sit with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands in innocence and surround your altar, O Lord. In this state of innocence, I will surround (stand around) your altar, and I will offer my sacrifice 7 to raise a voice of praise and recount all your wonders. which I myself will make resound, joining with the choirs of the Levites, who, during the offering of sacrifices, sang holy hymns. 8 Lord, I love the dwelling place of your house, the place where your glory resides. your holy tabernacle, which, for your honor, has been magnificently adorned. 9 Do not take away my soul with the souls of sinners, my life with the lives of bloodthirsty men 10 who have crime in their hands and whose right hand is full of bribes. Those who allowed themselves to be corrupted into enslaving the innocent. 11 As for me, I walk in my innocence: deliver me and have mercy on me. When David speaks of his innocence, he does not mean spotless, perfect purity, but only relative innocence, compared to the sins of his enemies and to the sincerity of his zeal in serving God. Indeed, that he did not presume to claim spotless purity is quite clear from his own admission of his unworthiness (see Psalm 25:7). Nor did he rely on his innocence, but only hoped as much as a clear conscience can. 12 My foot stands on level ground: I will bless the Lord in the assemblies.
Hebrew Psalm No. 27
(Psalm No. 26 in the Vulgate)
1 Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assailed me to devour my flesh, when my adversaries and foes advanced, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, even then I will be confident. I would place my trust in God's help. Purity of conscience sustains and enlivens hope. 4 One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to enjoy the graces of the Lord, to gaze upon his sanctuary. May I always dwell near a God as helpful as you are 5 For he will shelter me in his dwelling place in the day of adversity; he will hide me in the secret place of his tent; he will set me upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be lifted up above my enemies all around me. I will offer sacrifices of thanksgiving in his tabernacle; I will sing and make music to the Lord. 7 Lord, hear my voice when I call to you; be gracious to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of you, «Seek my face»; your face, Lord, I seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not forsake me or abandon me, God my Savior. 10 For my father and my mother (that is, my closest relatives, for whom the father and mother are listed here) They have abandoned me, but the Lord will take me in. 11 Lord, teach me your way; lead me in a straight path because of those who spy on me. 12 Do not deliver me into the fury of my adversaries, for false witnesses and those who breathe violence have risen against me. 13 Oh, if I did not believe I saw kindness of the Lord, in the land of the living. on the earth, which is thus designated (Isaiah 538. Ps. Hebrews 52:7, 116:9); and at the same time in the next life 14 Hope in the Lord. Be courageous and let your heart be steadfast. Hope in the Lord. The sacred singer excites himself to patience and to consistency.
Hebrew Psalm No. 28
(Psalm No. 27 in the Vulgate)
1 Of David. To you, Lord, I cry out; my rock, do not be deaf to my voice, lest, if you keep silent, I should be like those who go down to the pit. Do not turn away from me without answering me, as if I had descended into the tomb and been condemned to eternal damnation, where prayer is no longer answered. 2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry out to you, when I lift up my hands toward your holy sanctuary. The Hebrews, when praying, turned towards the temple; however, the temple can also be understood to mean heaven. (1 Kings 8:22). 3 Do not drag me away with the wicked and the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors but have malice in their hearts. Do not allow me to die the death of sinners, especially hypocrites. The fishermen They die a real and absolute death, even in body; for although their bodies will be resurrected, they will only be resurrected to eternal torment. On the contrary, the death of one who dies in a state of grace is only a passage to a better life, where both soul and body will be glorified (See Revelation 20:4, 5, 6). 4 Repay them according to their works and according to the wickedness of their actions; repay them according to the work of their hands; give them the reward they deserve. This is less a wish than a prediction, which the Holy Spirit inspired in the sacred Singer, in order to bring back before the eyes of the impious the rigorous judgment, which will infallibly be pronounced against them, if they do not convert. 5 For they do not heed the works of the Lord (His merciful visit, the thousand-repeated call of His grace. See Luke 19, 41. 42), to the work of his hands, he will destroy them and not build them. 6 Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the voice of my supplications. 7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him. I am helped, therefore my heart rejoices, and I will praise him with my song. 8 The Lord is the strength of his people; he is a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. 9 Save your people and bless your inheritance. The people who are your possession (Deuteronomy 9:29). Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Hebrew Psalm No. 29
(Psalm No. 28 in the Vulgate)
1 Psalm of David. Give to the Lord, Son of God, give to the Lord glory and power. The sacred singer first extols, in the immediate sense, the majesty and power of God's voice (thunder) in nature, but he also understands, in the more distant sense, the magnificence and power of God's voice in the kingdom of grace (in the Church); for as all nature is an image of his divine law, the majesty and power of thunder, as described in this psalm, can also be considered an image of the virtue and magnificence of the divine word. 2 Give to the Lord the glory of his name (acknowledge that he is glorious and powerful). Worship the Lord in holy attire. 3 The voice of the Lord roars over the waters, the God of glory thunders, the Lord is upon the great waters. According to the Church Fathers, the thunder of the Lord is, in the highest sense, the powerful word of his grace. The sevenfold repetition of the thunder, as described in verses 3-9, offers an analogy, not difficult to grasp, with the seven sources of grace (the seven sacraments) of the new covenant. It is in the waters of baptism, in the bath of regeneration, where God, from guilty creatures, makes us his children, that the divine word first resounds. Others, through the waters, hear the peoples (Apocalypse 7, 15), to whom the word of God was proclaimed. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful, the voice of the Lord is majestic. The thunder crashes with force and magnificence. The word of God manifests its power and magnificence especially in the two sacraments of Confirmation and Extreme Unction, both intended to strengthen the Christian: the first, so that he may be firm in the profession of his faith; the second, so that he may patiently endure the pains of sickness and death. Others understand the power of the word of God in general (see Hebrews 4:12). 5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon, The lightning, after which comes the thunder, shatters even the tallest trees, including the cedars of the Lebanon. The pride of the wicked is compared to the cedars. This pride is broken by the word of God in the divine sacrament of Penance, which is worthily received only by the humble. Others, by the cedars, understand the learned and the great of the earth, who have bowed their intellect and their glory before the truth of the Gospel. 6 he makes them leap like a young bull, the Lebanon and Sirion (a peak of the Lebanon) like a young buffalo. 7 The voice of the Lord brings forth flames of fire, It sends forth flames of fire (lightning). In a spiritual sense, this powerful word is recognized, transforming the bread into the adorable sacrament of the altar and distributing it in portions, like so many flames of love, among the faithful. Others understand it as the zeal to which the word of God arouses. 8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert, the Lord shakes the desert of Kadesh. It stirs emotion even in the most dreadful deserts, like that of Kadesh, which the Israelites crossed (Deuteronomy 1:19). Deserts are transformed and made fruitful by priestly consecration (the sacrament of Holy Orders), or by the word acting through the ministry of priests. Furthermore, the desert represents humankind, which was in utter destitution, steeped in error and sin. 9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, it strips the forests of their leaves, and in his temple all say, «Glory!» In a spiritual sense, this voice of God is grace working through the sacrament of Marriage, which causes children to be conceived and raised for the kingdom of God. It strips dense forests of their foliage, or uproots them; it produces culture and is the principle of civilization and humanity. 10 The Lord, at the flood, sits on his throne, the Lord sits on his throne, king forever. God sits above the flood (he reigns supreme over the clouds and storms), God, in his capacity as king, sits (reigns) for eternity. This psalm, which, from a literary standpoint, is one of the most accomplished pieces of Hebrew poetry, offers a description of one of those storms that sometimes erupt with such grandeur in southern Palestine and on the borders of Arabia. 11 The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with his grace. peace.
Hebrew Psalm No. 30
(Psalm No. 29 in the Vulgate)
1 Psalm. A song for the dedication of the house, of David. Presumably during the consecration of the site for the temple that was later built, after the great plague (2 Samuel 24, 25. 1 Chronicles 21, 6). 2 I will exalt you, Lord, for you have lifted me up; you have not given joy to my enemies over me. 3 Lord my God, I cried out to you, and you healed me. You have kept my body free from infirmity, or indeed healed in a case of illness. 4 Lord, you have brought my soul up from Sheol, you have given me life, far from those who go down to the pit. You did not allow my soul to descend into the other world. 5 Sing to the Lord, you his faithful ones, celebrate his holy memory! 6 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. 7 I said in my confidence, «I shall never be shaken.» 8 Lord, by your favor you established my mountain (assured my state of prosperity), You hid your face, and I was troubled. 9 Lord, I cried out to you, I pleaded with the Lord: 10 «What do you gain by shedding my blood, by sending me down to the pit? Will the dust sing your praises, will it declare your faithfulness?” Can man reduced to dust praise you and teach others your truth? In the next world, will I not lead a life devoid of all joy, without action, and consequently, a stranger to the praise of God and the preaching of his teachings? The Israelite had to ask himself these questions; the Christian can, on verse 7, recall to his mind the life of grace; on verse 8, the missteps he has taken in the path of righteousness; on verse 9, his sighs, inspired by the feelings of thehumility and penance, to obtain help; and on verse 10, by blood, corruption and dust, understand there eternal reprobation. 11 Hear me, O Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, come to my aid. 12 You have turned my mourning into joy; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness 13 so that my soul may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will praise you forever.
