Psalms 10
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 10 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
7 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo. The translator's notes for this chapter (2) follow the text.
Psalms 10
1(11 in KJV) For the end, a Psalm of David. In the Lord I have put my trust: how will you say to my soul,Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυὶδ. Ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ πέποιθα· πῶς ἐρεῖτε τῇ ψυχῇ μου, μεταναστεύου ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη ὡς στρουθίον;
2Flee to the mountains as a sparrow?Ὅτι ἰδοὺ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐνέτειναν τόξον, ἡτοίμασαν βέλη εἰς φαρέτραν, τοῦ κατατοξεῦσαι ἐν σκοτομήνῃ τοὺς εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ.
3For behold the sinners have bent their bow, they have prepared their arrows for the quiver, to shoot *privily at the upright in heart.Ὅτι ἃ κατηρτίσω καθεῖλον, ὁ δὲ δίκαιος τί ἐποίησε;
4For they have pulled down what you did frame, but what has the righteous done?Κύριος ἐν ναῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ, Κύριος, ἐν οὐρανῷ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ· οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν πένητα ἀποβλέπουσι, τὰ βλέφαρα αὐτοῦ ἐξετάζει τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων·
5The Lord is in his holy temple, as for the Lord, his throne is in heaven: his eyes look upon the poor, his eyelids try the sons of men.Κύριος ἐξετάζει τὸν δίκαιον καὶ τὸν ἀσεβῆ, ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν ἀδικίαν μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν.
6The Lord tries the righteous and the ungodly: and he that loves unrighteousness hates his own soul.Ἐπιβρέξει ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς παγίδας, πῦρ καὶ θεῖον καὶ πνεῦμα καταιγίδος ἡ μερὶς τοῦ ποτηρίου αὐτῶν.
7He shall rain upon sinners snares, fire, and brimstone, and a stormy blast shall be the portion of their cup.Ὅτι δίκαιος Κύριος καὶ δικαιοσύνας ἠγάπησεν, εὐθύτητα εἶδε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ.
8For the Lord is righteous, and loves †righteousness; his face beholds uprightness.
Translator's Notes
These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.
- v. 3*Gr. in dark moon, or little moonlight, q. d. luce malignâ
- v. 8†Gr. righteousnesses
The Fathers on Psalms 10
Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Psalms 10:1Saint Augustine of Hippo1. This title does not require a fresh consideration: for the meaning of, “to the end,” has already been sufficiently handled. Let us then look to the text itself of the Psalm, which to me appears to be sung against the heretics, who, by rehearsing and exaggerating the sins of many in the Church, as if either all or the majority among themselves were righteous, strive to turn and snatch us away from the breasts…
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On Psalms 10:3Saint Augustine of Hippo2. “For, lo, sinners have bent the bow, they have prepared their arrows in the quiver, that they may in the obscure moon shoot at the upright in heart” (ver. 2). These be the terrors of those who threaten us as touching sinners, that we may pass over to them as the righteous. “Lo,” they say, “the sinners have bent the bow:” the Scriptures, I suppose, by carnal interpretation of which they emit envenomed sentences…
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On Psalms 10:4Saint Augustine of Hippo6. Let the Catholic soul then say, “In the Lord I trust; how say ye to my soul, Remove into the mountains as a sparrow? For, lo, the sinners have bent the bow, they have prepared their arrows in the quiver, that they may in the obscure moon shoot at the upright in heart:” and from them let her turn her speech to the Lord and say, “For they have destroyed what Thou hast perfected” (ver. 3). And this let her say…
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On Psalms 10:5Saint Augustine of Hippo7. “The Lord is in His holy temple” (ver. 4), yea in such wise as the Apostle saith, “For the temple of God is holy, which” temple “ye are.” “Now if any man shall violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy.” He violateth the temple of God, who violateth unity: for he “holdeth not the head, from which the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the…
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On Psalms 10:6Saint Augustine of Hippo9. “The Lord questioneth the righteous and ungodly” (ver. 5). Why then do we fear lest the ungodly should be any hurt to us, if so be they do with insincere heart share the sacraments with us, seeing that He “questioneth the righteous and the ungodly.” “But whoso loveth iniquity, hateth his own soul:” that is, not him who believeth God, and putteth not his hope in man, but only his own soul doth the lover of…
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On Psalms 10:7Saint Augustine of Hippo10. “He shall rain snares upon the sinners” (ver. 6). If by clouds are understood prophets generally, whether good or bad, who are also called false prophets: false prophets are so ordered by the Lord God, that by them He may rain snares upon sinners. For no one, but the sinner, falls into a following of them, whether by way of preparation for the last punishment, if he shall choose to persevere in sin; or to…
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On Psalms 10:8Open Psalms 10 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Augustine of Hippo11. “Fire and brimstone and the blast of the tempest is the portion of their cup.” This is their punishment and end, by whom the name of God is blasphemed; that first they should be wasted by the fire of their own lusts, then by the ill savour of their evil deeds cast off from the company of the blessed, at last carried away and overwhelmed suffer penalties unspeakable. For this is the portion of their cup: as of…
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