Psalms 24
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 24 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.
21 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo. The translator's notes for this chapter (2) follow the text.
Psalms 24
1(25) A Psalm of David. To you, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul.Ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυίδ. Πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, ᾖρα τὴν ψυχήν μου.
2O my God, I have trusted in you: let me not be confounded, neither let my enemies laugh me to scorn.Ὁ Θεός μου ἐπὶ σοὶ πέποιθα, μὴ καταισχυνθείην· μηδὲ καταγελασάτωσάν μου οἱ ἐχθροί μου,
3For none of them that wait on you shall in any wise be ashamed: let them be ashamed that transgress without cause.καὶ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ὑπομένοντές σε οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῶσιν· αἰσχυνθήτωσαν οἱ ἀνομοῦντες διακενῆς.
4Show me your ways, O Lord; and teach me your paths.Τὰς ὁδούς σου, Κύριε, γνώρισόν μοι, καὶ τὰς τρίβους σου δίδαξόν με.
5Lead me in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my Saviour: and I have waited on you all the day.Ὁδήγησόν με ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου, καὶ δίδαξόν με, ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ σωτήρ μου, καὶ σὲ ὑπέμεινα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν.
6Remember your compassions, O Lord, and your mercies, for they are from everlasting.Μνήσθητι τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν σου Κύριε, καὶ τὰ ἐλέη σου, ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος εἰσίν.
7Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my sins of ignorance: remember me according to your mercy, for your goodness' sake, O Lord.Ἁμαρτίας νεότητός μου, καὶ ἀγνοίας μου μὴ μνησθῇς· κατὰ τὸ ἔλεός σου μνήσθητί μου, ἕνεκεν τῆς χρηστότητος σου, Κύριε.
8Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he * instruct sinners in the way.Χρηστὸς καὶ εὐθὴς ὁ Κύριος, διὰ τοῦτο νομοθετήσει ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐν ὁδῷ.
9The meek will he guide in judgment: the meek will he teach his ways.Ὁδηγήσει πρᾳεῖς ἐν κρίσει, διδάξει πρᾳεῖς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ.
10All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that seek his covenant and his testimonies.Πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ Κυρίου ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσι τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ μαρτύρια αὐτοῦ.
11For your name's sake, O Lord, do you also be merciful to my sin; for it is great.Ἕνεκα τοῦ ὀνόματός σου, Κύριε, καὶ ἱλάσῃ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ μου, πολλὴ γάρ ἐστι.
12Who is the man that fears the Lord? he shall instruct him in the way which he has chosen.Τίς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον; νομοθετήσει αὐτῷ ἐν ὁδῷ, ᾗ ᾑρετίσατο.
13His soul shall dwell in prosperity; and his seed shall inherit the earth.Ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς αὐλισθήσεται, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ κληρονομήσει γῆν.
14The Lord is the strength of them that fear him; and his covenant is to manifest † truth to them.Κραταίωμα Κύριος τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν, καὶ ἡ διαθήκη αὐτοῦ τοῦ δηλῶσαι αὐτοῖς.
15My eyes are continually to the Lord; for he shall draw my feet out of the snare.Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου διαπαντὸς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐκσπάσει ἐκ παγίδος τοὺς πόδας μου.
16Look upon me, and have mercy upon me; for I am an only child and poor.Ἐπίβλεψον ἐπʼ ἐμὲ καὶ ἐλέησόν με, ὅτι μονογενὴς καὶ πτωχός εἰμι ἐγώ.
17The afflictions of my heart have been multiplied; deliver me from my distresses.Αἱ θλίψεις τῆς καρδίας μου ἐπληθύνθησαν, ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν μου ἐξάγαγέ με·
18Look upon my affliction and my trouble; and forgive all my sins.Ἴδε τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου καὶ τὸν κόπον μου, καὶ ἄφες πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου.
19Look upon my enemies; for they have been multiplied; and they have hated me with unjust hatred.Ἴδε τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου, ὅτι ἐπληθύνθησαν, καὶ μῖσος ἄδικον ἐμίσησάν με.
20Keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I have hoped in you.Φύλαξον τὴν ψυχήν μου καὶ ῥῦσαί με· μὴ καταισχυνθείην, ὅτι ἤλπισα ἐπὶ σέ.
21The harmless and upright joined themselves to me: for I waited for you, O Lord.Ἄκακοι καὶ εὐθεῖς ἐκολλῶντό μοι, ὅτι ὑπέμεινά σε, Κύριε.
22Deliver Israel, O God, out of all his afflictions.Λύτρωσαι ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτοῦ.
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. 8*sc. as a law-giver
- v. 14†Or, 'it,' sc. what has just been stated.
The Fathers on Psalms 24
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 24:1–2Saint Augustine of Hippo2. “Unto Thee, O Lord, have I lift up my soul” (ver. 1): with spiritual longing have I lift up the soul, that was trodden down on the earth with carnal longings. “O my God, in Thee I trust, I shall not be ashamed” (ver. 2). O my God, from trusting in myself I was brought even to this weakness of the flesh; and I who on abandoning God wished to be as God, fearing death from the smallest insect, was in derision…
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On Psalms 24:3Saint Augustine of Hippo3. “And let not my enemies mock me.” And let them not mock me, who by ensnaring me with serpent-like and secret suggestions, and prompting me with “Well done, well done,” have brought me down to this. “For all that wait upon Thee shall not be confounded” (ver. 3).
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On Psalms 24:4Saint Augustine of Hippo4. “Let them be confounded who do vain things unrighteously.” Let them be confounded who act unrighteously for the acquiring things that pass away. “Make Thy ways, O Lord, known to me, and teach me Thy paths” (ver. 4): not those which are broad, and lead the many to destruction; but Thy paths, narrow, and known to few, teach Thou me.
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On Psalms 24:5Saint Augustine of Hippo5. “In Thy truth guide me:” avoiding error. “And teach me:” for by myself I know nothing, but falsehood. “For Thou art the God of my salvation; and for Thee have I waited all the day” (ver. 5). For dismissed by Thee from Paradise, and having taken my journey into a far country, I cannot by myself return, unless Thou meetest the wanderer: for my return hath throughout the whole tract of this world’s time waited…
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On Psalms 24:6Saint Augustine of Hippo6. “Remember Thy compassions, O Lord” (ver. 6). Remember the works of Thy mercy, O Lord; for men deem of Thee as though Thou hadst forgotten. “And that Thy mercies are from eternity.” And remember this, that Thy mercies are from eternity. For Thou never wast without them, who hast subjected even sinful man to vanity indeed, but in hope; and not deprived him of so many and great consolations of Thy creation.
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On Psalms 24:7Saint Augustine of Hippo7. “Remember not the offences of my youth and of my ignorance” (ver. 7). The offences of my presumptuous boldness and of my ignorance reserve not for vengeance, but let them be as if forgotten by Thee. “According to Thy mercy, be mindful of me, O God.” Be mindful indeed of me, not according to the anger of which I am worthy, but according to Thy mercy which is worthy of Thee. “For Thy goodness, O Lord.” Not for…
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On Psalms 24:8Saint Augustine of Hippo8. “Gracious and upright is the Lord” (ver. 8). The Lord is gracious, since even sinners and the ungodly He so pitied, as to forgive all that is past; but the Lord is upright too, who after the mercy of vocation and pardon, which is of grace without merit, will require merits meet for the last judgment. “Wherefore He will establish a law for them that fail in the way.” For He hath first bestowed mercy to bring…
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On Psalms 24:9Saint Augustine of Hippo9. “He will guide the meek in judgment.” He will guide the meek, and will not confound in the judgment those that follow His will, and do not, in withstanding It, prefer their own. “The gentle He will teach His ways” (ver. 9). He will teach His ways, not to those that desire to run before, as if they were better able to rule themselves; but to those who do not exalt the neck, nor lift the heel, when the easy yoke…
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On Psalms 24:10Saint Augustine of Hippo10. “All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth” (ver. 10). And what ways will He teach them, but mercy wherein He is placable, and truth wherein He is incorrupt? Whereof He hath exhibited the one in forgiving sins, the other in judging deserts. And therefore “all the ways of the Lord” are the two advents of the Son of God, the one in mercy, the other in judgment. He then attaineth unto Him holding on His ways,…
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On Psalms 24:11Saint Augustine of Hippo11. “For Thy Name’s sake, O Lord, Thou wilt be favourable to my sin; for it is manifold” (ver. 11). Thou hast not only forgiven my sins, which I committed before I believed; but also to my sin, which is manifold, since even in the way there is no lack of stumbling, Thou wilt be made favourable by the sacrifice of a troubled spirit.
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On Psalms 24:12Saint Augustine of Hippo12. “Who is the man that feareth the Lord?” from which fear he begins to come to wisdom. “He shall establish a law for him in the way, which he hath chosen” (ver. 12). He shall establish a law for him in the way, which in his freedom he has taken, that he may not sin now with impunity.
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On Psalms 24:13Saint Augustine of Hippo13. “His soul shall dwell in good, and his seed shall, by inheritance, possess the earth” (ver. 13). And his work shall possess the stable inheritance of a renewed body.
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On Psalms 24:14Saint Augustine of Hippo14. “The Lord is the stay of them that fear Him” (ver. 14). Fear seems to belong to the weak, but the Lord is the stay of them that fear Him. And the Name of the Lord, which hath been glorified throughout the whole world, is a stay to them that fear Him. “And His testament, that it may be manifested unto them.” And He maketh His testament to be manifested unto them, for the Gentiles and the bounds of the earth…
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On Psalms 24:15Saint Augustine of Hippo15. “Mine eyes are ever unto the Lord; for He shall pluck my feet out of the snare” (ver. 15). Nor would I fear the dangers of earth, while I look not upon the earth: for He upon whom I look, will pluck my feet out of the snare.
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On Psalms 24:16Saint Augustine of Hippo16. “Look upon me, and have mercy upon me; for I am single and poor” (ver. 16). For I am a single people, keeping the lowliness of Thy single Church, which no schisms or heresies possess.
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On Psalms 24:17Saint Augustine of Hippo17. “The tribulations of my heart have been multiplied” (ver. 17). The tribulations of my heart have been multiplied by the abounding of iniquity and the waxing cold of love. “O bring Thou me out of my necessities.” Since I must needs bear this, that by enduring unto the end I may be saved, bring Thou me out of my necessities.
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On Psalms 24:18Saint Augustine of Hippo18. “See my humility and my travail” (ver. 18). See my humility, whereby I never, in the boast of righteousness, break off from unity; and my travail, wherein I bear with the unruly ones that are mingled with me. “And forgive all my sins.” And, propitiated by these sacrifices, forgive all my sins, not those only of youth and my ignorance before I believed, but those also which, living now by faith, I commit…
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On Psalms 24:19Saint Augustine of Hippo19. “Consider mine enemies, how they are multiplied” (ver. 19). For not only without, but even within, in the Church’s very communion, they are not wanting. “And with an unrighteous hate they hate me.” And they hate me who love them.
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On Psalms 24:20Saint Augustine of Hippo20. “Keep my soul, and deliver me.” Keep my soul, that I turn not aside to imitate them; and draw me out from the confusion wherein they are mingled with me. “Let me not be confounded, for I have put my trust in Thee” (ver. 20). Let me not be confounded, if haply they rise up against me: for not in myself, but in Thee have I put my trust.
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On Psalms 24:21Saint Augustine of Hippo21. “The innocent and the upright have cleaved to me, for I have waited for Thee, O Lord” (ver. 21). The innocent and the upright, not in bodily presence only, as the evil, are mingled with me, but in the agreement of the heart in the same innocence and uprightness cleave to me: for I have not fallen away to imitate the evil; but I have waited for Thee, expecting the winnowing of Thy last harvest.
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On Psalms 24:22Open Psalms 24 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 Hippo22. “Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles” (ver. 22). “Redeem Thy people, O God,” whom Thou hast prepared to see Thee, out of his troubles, not those only which he bears without, but those also which he bears within.
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