Psalms 35
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 35 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.
12 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo. The translator's notes for this chapter (4) follow the text.
Psalms 35
1(36) For the end, by David the servant of the Lord.Εἰς τὸ τέλος, τῷ δούλῳ Κυρίου τῷ Δαυίδ.
2The transgressor, that he may sin, says within himself, that ✡ there is no fear of God before his eyes.Φησὶν ὁ παράνομος τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὐκ ἔστι φόβος Θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ.
3For he has dealt craftily before him, * to discover his iniquity and hate it.Ὅτι ἐδόλωσεν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ εὑρεῖν τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ μισῆσαι.
4The words of his mouth are transgression and deceit: he is not inclined to understand how to do good.Τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἀνομία καὶ δόλος, οὐκ ἠβουλήθη συνιέναι τοῦ ἀγαθῦναι.
5He devises iniquity on his bed; he gives himself to every evil way; and does not abhor evil.Ἀνομίαν ἐλογίσατο ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης αὐτοῦ, παρέστη πάσῃ ὁδῷ οὐκ ἀγαθῇ, τῇ δὲ κακίᾳ οὐ προσώχθισε.
6O Lord, your mercy is in the heaven; and your truth reaches to the clouds.Κύριε, ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ τὸ ἔλεός σου, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν.
7Your righteousness is as the † mountains of God, your judgments are as a great deep: O Lord, you will preserve men and beasts.Ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου ὡς ὄρη Θεοῦ, τὰ κρίματά σου ὡσεὶ ἄβυσσος πολλή· ἀνθρώπους καὶ κτήνη σώσεις Κύριε.
8How have you multiplied your mercy, O God! so the children of men shall trust in the shelter of your wings.Ὡς ἐπλήθυνας τὸ ἔλεός σου ὁ Θεός· οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου ἐλπιοῦσι.
9They shall be ‡ fully satisfied with the fatness of your house; and you shall cause them to drink of the full stream of your delights.Μεθυσθήσονται ἀπὸ πιότητος οἴκου σου, καὶ τὸν χειμάῤῥουν τῆς τρυφῆς σου ποτιεῖς αὐτούς.
10For with you is the fountain of life: in your light we shall see light.Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς, ἐν τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα φῶς.
11Extend your mercy to them that know you; and your righteousness to the upright in heart.Παράτεινον τὸ ἔλεός σου τοῖς γινώσκουσί σε, καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου τοῖς εὐθέσι τῇ καρδίᾳ.
12Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of sinners move me.Μὴ ἐλθέτω μοι ποῦς ὑπερηφανίας, καὶ χεὶρ ἁμαρτωλῶν μὴ σαλεύσαι με·
13There have all the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast out, and shall not be able to stand.Ἐκεῖ ἔπεσον πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν, ἐξώσθησαν καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνωνται στῆναι.
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. 1✡Rom 3:18
- v. 2*q. d. with regard to the discovering.
- v. 6†Or, vast mountains.
- v. 8‡Gr. intoxicated.
The Fathers on Psalms 35
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 35:2Saint Augustine of Hippo1. …“The ungodly hath said in himself that he will sin: there is no fear of God before his eyes” (ver. 1). Not of one man, but of a race of ungodly men he speaketh, who fight against their own selves, by not understanding, that so they may live well; not because they cannot, but because they will not. For it is one thing, when one endeavours to understand some thing, and through infirmity of flesh cannot; as…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 35:3Saint Augustine of Hippo2. “For he hath wrought deceitfully in His sight” (ver. 2). In whose sight? In His, whose fear was not before the eyes of him that did work deceitfully. “To find out his iniquity, and hate it.” He wrought so as not to find it. For there are men who as it were endeavour to seek out their iniquity, and fear to find it; because if they should find it, it is said to them, Depart from it: this thou didst before thou…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 35:4Saint Augustine of Hippo3. “The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he would not understand, that he might do good” (ver. 3). Ye see that he attributeth that to the will: for there are men who would understand and cannot, and there are men who would not understand, and therefore understand not. “He would not understand, that he might do good.”
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 35:5Saint Augustine of Hippo4. “He hath meditated iniquity on his bed.” What said He, “On his bed?” (ver. 4). “The ungodly hath said in himself, that he will sin:” what above he said, in himself, that here he said, “On his bed.” Our bed is our heart: there we suffer the tossing of an evil conscience; and there we rest when our conscience is good. Whoso loveth the bed of his heart, let him do some good therein. There is our bed, where the…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 35:6Saint Augustine of Hippo6. “Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, and Thy truth reacheth even unto the clouds” (ver. 5). I know not what Mercy of Him he meaneth, which is in the heavens. For the Mercy of the Lord is also in the earth. Thou hast it written, “The earth is full of the Mercy of the Lord.” Of what Mercy then speaketh He, when He saith, “Thy Mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens”? The gifts of God are partly temporal and earthly,…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 35:6Saint Augustine of Hippo10. Because he said, Thy Mercy is in the Heavens, that it may be known to be also on earth, he said, “O Lord, Thou savest man and beast, as Thy Mercy is multiplied, O God” (ver. 7). Great is Thy Mercy, and manifold is Thy Mercy, O God; and that showest Thou both to man and beast. For from whom is the saving of men? From God. Is not the saving of beasts also from God? For He who made man, made also beasts; He who…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 35:7Saint Augustine of Hippo8. “Thy Righteousness is like the mountains of God: Thy Judgments are a great deep” (ver. 6). Who are the mountains of God? Those who are called clouds, the same are also the mountains of God. The great Preachers are the mountains of God. And as when the sun riseth, he first clothes the mountains with light, and thence the light descends to the lowest parts of the earth: so our Lord Jesus Christ, when He came,…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 35:9Saint Augustine of Hippo12. “They shall be satiated with the fulness of Thy House” (ver. 8). He promiseth us some great thing. He would speak it, and He speaketh it not. Can He not, or do not we receive it? I dare, my Brethren, to say, even of holy tongues and hearts, by which Truth is declared to us, that it can neither be spoken, which they declared, nor even thought of. For it is a great thing, and ineffable; and even they saw…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 35:10Saint Augustine of Hippo13. With what fountain then wilt thou be overflowed, and whence runneth such a torrent of His Pleasure? “For with Thee,” saith he, “is the fountain of Life.” What is the fountain of Life, but Christ? He came to thee in the flesh, that He might bedew thy thirsty lips: He will satisfy thee trusting, who bedewed thee thirsting. “For with Thee is the fountain of Life; in Thy Light shall we see light” (ver. 9). Here a…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 35:11Saint Augustine of Hippo14. “Show forth Thy Mercy unto them that know Thee; Thy Righteousness to them that are of a right heart” (ver. 10). As I have said, Those are of a right heart who follow in this life the Will of God. The will of God is sometimes that thou shouldest be whole, sometimes that thou shouldest be sick. If when thou art whole God’s Will be sweet, and when thou art sick God’s Will be bitter; thou art not of a right…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 35:12Saint Augustine of Hippo15. “Let not the foot of pride come against me” (ver. 11). But now he said, The children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings: they shall be satiated with the fulness of Thy House. When one hath begun to be plentifully overflowed with that Fountain, let him take heed lest he grow proud. For the same was not wanting to Adam, the first man: but the foot of pride came against him, and the hand…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 35:13Open Psalms 35 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 Hippo16. But wherefore so greatly fearest thou this? Because it is said, “Thereby have fallen all that work iniquity” (ver. 12); so that they have come into that abyss of which it is said, “Thy judgments are like the great abyss:” so that they have come even to that deep wherein sinners who despise have fallen. “Have fallen.” Whereby did they first fall? By the foot of pride. Hear the foot of pride. “When they knew…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →