Psalms of Solomon 8 — ASVBT

Of Solomon. Of the chief Musician.

8Verse 1Distress and the sound of war hath my ear heard;
The sound of a trumpet announcing slaughter and calamity,
^{Verse 2}The sound of much people as of an exceeding high wind,
As a tempest with mighty fire sweeping through the Negeb.
^{Verse 3}And I said in my heart,
Where then will God judge him?
^{Verse 4}A sound I hear moving toward Jerusalem, the holy city.
^{Verse 5}My loins were broken at what I heard,
My knees tottered, my heart was afraid:
My bones were dismayed like flax.
^{Verse 6}I said, They establish their ways in righteousness.
^{Verse 7}I thought upon the judgments of God since the creation of heaven and earth;
I held God righteous in his judgments which have been from of old.
^{Verse 8}God laid bare their sins in the full light of day;
All the earth came to know the righteous judgments of God.
^{Verse 9}In secret places underground their iniquities were committed to provoke him to anger;
They wrought confusion, son with mother and father with daughter;
^{Verse 10}They committed adultery, every man with his neighbor’s wife.
They concluded covenants with one another with an oath touching these things.^{Verse 11}They plundered the sanctuary of God,
As though there was no avenger.
^{Verse 12}They trod the altar of the Lord, coming straight from all manner of uncleanness;
And with menstrual blood they defiled the sacrifices, as though these were common flesh.
^{Verse 13}They left no sin undone, wherein they surpassed not the heathen.^{Verse 14}Therefore God mingled for them a spirit of wandering;
And gave them to drink a cup of undiluted wine, that they might become drunken.
^{Verse 15}He brought him that is from the end of the earth, that smiteth mightily;
He decreed war against Jerusalem, and against her land.
^{Verse 16}The princes of the land went to meet him with joy:
They said unto him, Blessed be thy way! Come ye, enter ye in with peace.
^{Verse 17}They made the rough ways even, before his entering in;
They opened the gates to Jerusalem, they crowned its walls.^{Verse 18}As a father entereth the house of his sons, so he entered Jerusalem in peace;
He established his feet there in great safety.
^{Verse 19}He captured her fortresses and the wall of Jerusalem;
For God himself led him in safety, while they wandered.
^{Verse 20}He destroyed their princes and everyone wise in counsel;
He poured out the blood of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, like the water of uncleanness.
^{Verse 21}He led away their sons and daughters, whom they had begotten in defilement.
^{Verse 22}They did according to their uncleanness, even as their fathers had done:
They defiled Jerusalem and the things that had been hallowed to the name of God.^{Verse 23}But God hath shown himself righteous in his judgments upon the nations of the earth;
And the pious servants of God are like innocent lambs in their midst.
^{Verse 24}Worthy to be praised is the Lord that judgeth the whole earth in his righteousness.
^{Verse 25}Behold, now, O God, thou hast shown us thy judgment in thy righteousness;
Our eyes have seen thy judgments, O God.
^{Verse 26}We have justified thy name that is honored forever;
For thou art the God of righteousness, judging Israel with chastening.
^{Verse 27}Turn, O God, thy mercy upon us,
And have pity upon us;
^{Verse 28}Gather together the dispersed of Israel, with mercy and goodness;
For thy faithfulness is with us.
^{Verse 29}And though we have stiffened our neck,
Yet thou art our chastener;
^{Verse 30}Overlook us not, O our God,
Lest the nations swallow us up, as though there were none to deliver.
^{Verse 31}But thou art our God from the beginning,
And upon thee is our hope set, O Lord;
^{Verse 32}And we will not depart from thee,
For good are thy judgments upon us.^{Verse 33}Ours and our children’s be thy good pleasure forever;
O Lord our Savior, we shall never more be moved.
^{Verse 34}The Lord is worthy to be praised for his judgments with the mouth of his pious ones;
And blessed be Israel of the Lord forever.