This was from Jehovah; he was wonderful in our eyes.

My soul was crushed for the desire to thy judgments in all time.

This was done to me, because I kept Your Commandments.

I was quick to do your orders, and let no time be wasted.

Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept your word.

Their heart was fat as fatness; I delighted in thy law.

It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I could learn Your statutes.

I was as a bottle in smoke; I forgot not thy laws.

Forever, O Jehovah, thy word was set in the heavens.

Unless thy law was my delight I perished in mine affliction.

I was humbled even greatly: O Jehovah, cause me to live according to thy word,

Sinners have put a net to take me; but I was true to your orders.

My flesh stood erect from thy fear, and I was afraid of thy judgments.

Be the guarantee for Your servant for good [as Judah was the guarantee for Benjamin];
Do not let the arrogant oppress me.

My mouth was open wide, waiting with great desire for your teachings.

I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not your word.

Shin. Princes have pursued me without cause, And because of Thy words was my heart afraid.

[A song of ascents. Of David.] I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

Jerusalem was built as a city, joined to it together.

To which the [twelve] tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord,
[As was decreed as] an ordinance for Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the Lord.

Much was our soul filled with it, a derision of those living at ease the contempt of the proud.

[A song of ascents. Of David.] If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:

Then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us:

Our soul as a bird hath escaped from a snare of fowlers, The snare was broken, and we have escaped.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the nations, The LORD has done great things for them.

Great have been my troubles from the time when I was young (let Israel now say);

They are as grass of the roofs, That before it was drawn out withereth,

Song of ascensions to David. O Jehovah, my heart was not lifted up, and mine eyes were not exalted, and I went not in great things and in wonders above me.

The Lord has done whatever was pleasing to him, in heaven, and on the earth, in the seas and in all the deep waters.

It was the LORD who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, including both men and animals.

To him by whom the earth was stretched out over the waters: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

for it was there that our captors asked us for songs and our torturers demanded joy from us, "Sing us one of the songs about Zion!"

My flesh was made by you, and my parts joined together in my mother's body.

I thank thee, in that fearfully was my being distinguished, Wonderful are thy works, and, mine own soul, is observing them intently!

My frame was not hid from you, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Thy eyes saw my substance, yet being imperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Let the wicked fall together into their own nets, while I pass by. A contemplation by David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

[A maschil of David. A prayer when he was in the cave.] I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then you knew my path. In the way in which I walked have they secretly laid a snare for me.

I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would acknowledge me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.

Quickly answer me, O Jehovah: my spirit failed: thou wilt not hide thy face from me: I was made like those going down to the pit.

Man was likened to vanity: his days as a shadow passing away.

For gratuitously the net was spread in the eyes of all possessing a wing.

By his knowledge the deep was parted, and dew came dropping from the skies.

For I was my father's son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother.

For they slept not, if they shall not do evil; and their sleep was taken away, if they shall not cause to falter.

And you will say, How was teaching hated by me, and my heart put no value on training;

I did not give attention to the voice of my teachers, my ear was not turned to those who were guiding me!

I was almost in utter ruin in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

He will die because there was no discipline; because of the greatness of his folly he will reel.

He was passing by the street near her corner, making his way along the road to her house

In the twilight, in the evening;
In the black and dark night.

Suddenly a woman came out to meet him! She was dressed like a prostitute and with secret intent.

She was full of loud words and ready to dally: whose feet could not abide in the house.

She took hold of him and kissed him. Her face was impudent, and she said to him,

“I was due to offer peace offerings;
Today I have paid my vows.

I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth was.

When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

The earth and all that is upon the earth was not yet made, no not the ground itself.

When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he drew a circle upon the face of the depth:

Then I was by him, like a master workman: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

Playing in his earth; and my delight was with the sons of men.

The just one was delivered from straits, and the unjust will come in his stead.

The good shall cause his sons' sons to inherit: and the wealth of him sinning was treasured up for the just.

A heart of joy will do the face good: and by pains of heart the spirit was dejected.

The way of the slothful as the cutting of the thorn: and the path of the upright was raised up.

The foolish one was born for sorrow to himself, and the father of the foolish one shall not rejoice.,

Judgment was prepared for those mocking, and blows for the back of the foolish.

Who shall say, I cleansed my heart; I was pure from my sin?

To do justice and judgment was chosen by Jehovah above gold.

The robberies of the ungodly shall be their own destruction; for they would not do the thing that was right.

Do not move an ancient boundary stone which was put in place by your ancestors.

They have stricken me, you shall say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and weeds had covered its face, and its stone wall was broken down.

The slothful one hid his hand in the dish; he was weary to turn it back to his mouth.

so is the man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”

Revealed was the hay, and seen the tender grass, And gathered the herbs of mountains.

For three the earth was moved, and for four, which it shall not be able to lift up:

The words of Lemuel the king, - the strain which was taught him by his mother: -

She was as the ships of the merchant; from far off she will bring her bread.

Her husband was known in the gates, in his sitting with the old men of the land.

What was, that shall be; and what was done, that shall be done: and not anything new under the sun.

Is there any thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? it has been already of old time, which was before us.

I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

And I gave my heart to seek and to search out in wisdom concerning all which was done under the heavens: this evil business God gave to the sons of man to be occupied in it

I saw all the works which were done under the sun, - and lo! all, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.

It spake with my heart, saying, Behold, I was magnified, and added wisdom over all that were before me at Jerusalem: and my heart saw much of wisdom and knowledge.

And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.

I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity.

I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their life.

I acquired male slaves and female slaves, as well as children [born in my] house. I also had livestock, cattle, and flocks more than anyone who [was] before me in Jerusalem.

So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor; and this was my portion from all my labor.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.

So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Therefore hated, I, all my toil, wherein I was toiling, under the sun, - in that I should leave it for the man who should come after me;

and who could know whether a, wise man, he would be or a foolish, and yet he would lord it over all my toil, wherein I had toiled and wherein I had acted wisely, under the sun, - even this, was vanity.