A.C. 1035.

d Judg. ix. 53.

20 And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

a

21 Who smote d Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Jeudbaal 32, did not a woman cast piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

in thine eyes.

22 So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for.

23 And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate.

24 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

25 Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou * Heb. be evil say unto Joab, Let not this thing * displease thee, for the + Heb. so and sword devoureth † one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.

such,

1034.

† Heb. was evil in the eyes of.

sel.

26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.

27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done + displeased the LORD.

2 SAMUEL XII. VER. 1, TO FORMER PART OF VER. 15. 1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: 3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own Heb. mor- § meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and

was unto him as a daughter.

4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

5 And David's anger was greatly kindled against the Thytor, man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man is a son of that hath done this thing || shall surely die:

6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did A.C. 1034.

this thing, and because he had no pity.

f Ex. xxii. 1.

7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I sanointed thee king over 81 Sam. xvi. Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah ; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

13.

11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy h Deu. xxviii. wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

30. ch. xvi, 22.

13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also i Ecclus. xlvii. hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

15

And Nathan departed unto his house.

PSALM LI 57.

1 David prayeth for remission of sins, whereof he maketh a deep confession. 6 He prayeth for sanctification. 16 God delighteth not in sacrifice, but in sincerity. 18 He prayeth for the church.

11.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came ∗ 2 Sam. xii.

unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba.

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving

1. & xi. 2. 4.

A.C. 1034. kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mer

cies blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this k Rom. iii. 4. evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my * Heb. warm mother * conceive me.

mc.

1 Lev. xiv. 6. Num. xix. 18.

+ Or, a constant spirit.

† Heb. bloods.

Or, that I

should give it.

m Is. lvii. 15.

& lxvi. 2.

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

71 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew ta right spirit within me.

11 Čast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righ

teousness.

15 O LORD, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; §else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

17 - The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion': build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Although God, upon the repentance of David, pardoned his sin, yet we find a series of temporal judgments were inflicted upon him, both as a just punishment for his crime, and as a solemn warning to others. The remainder of his days was as disastrous as the beginning had been prosperous and flourishing. Rape, incest, murder, and rebellion raged among his children-he was deserted by his friends-reviled by his enemies-banished from his capital-and plunged into the deepest affliction, by the ingratitude and death of his favourite and rebellious son Absalom.-Vide Hales' Anal. vol. ii. p. 377.

19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righ- A. C. 1034. teousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

PSALM XXXII,

1 Blessedness consisteth in remission of sins. 3 Confession of sins giveth ease to

the conscience. 8 God's promises bring joy.

A Psalm of David, Maschil.

* Or, A Psalm of David giv.

1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin ing instruc

is covered.

2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

n Rom. iv. 7.

5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions o Prov. xxviii. unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. I John i. 9. Selah.

13. Is. Ixv. 24.

6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee tin a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods + Heb. in a of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

time of find

ing.

7 P Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me p Ps. ix. 9. from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: ‡ I will guide thee with mine eye.

9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

PSALM XXXIII.

1 God is to be praised for his goodness, 6 for his power, 12 and for his providence. 20 Confidence is to be placed in God.

1 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

2 Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.

3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

4 For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.

† Heb. I will counsel thee,

mine eye shall a Prov. xxvi.

be upon thee.

A.C. 1034.

r Ps. cxix. 64.

* Or, mercy.

s Gen. i. 6, 7.

t Is. xix. 3.

+Heb. maketh

frustrate.

5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is

full of the * goodness of the LORD.

6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and

all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:

he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it

stood fast.

10 The LORD + bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. 11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the Heb. to ge- thoughts of his heart ‡ to all generations.

u Prov. xix.

21. Is. xlvi. 10.

neration and generation.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and xlv. & the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

15.

y Job xxxvi.7. Ps. xxxiv. 15.

13 The LORD looketh from heaven, he beholdeth all the sons of men.

14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.

15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.

16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.

17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear

1 Pet. iii. 12. him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.

22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

PSALM CIII.

1 An exhortation to bless God for his mercy, 15 and for the constancy thereof. A Psalm of David.

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his be

nefits:

3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;