Psalms 40
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 40 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 (1) follow the text.
Psalms 40
1(41) For the end, a Psalm of David.Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυίδ.
2Blessed is the man who thinks, on the poor and needy: the Lord shall deliver him in an evil day.Μακαρίος ὁ συνιῶν ἐπὶ πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πονηρᾷ ῥύσεται αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριος.
3May the Lord preserve him and keep him alive, and bless him on the earth, and not deliver him into the hands of his enemy.Κύριος φυλάξαι αὐτὸν καὶ ζήσαι αὐτὸν, καὶ μακαρίσαι αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ γῇ, καὶ μὴ παραδοῖ αὐτὸν εἰς χεῖρας ἐχθροῦ αὐτοῦ.
4May the Lord help him upon the bed of his pain; you have made all his bed in his sickness.Κύριος βοηθήσαι αὐτῷ ἐπὶ κλίνης ὀδύνης αὐτοῦ, ὅλην τὴν κοίτην αὐτοῦ ἔστρεψας ἐν τῇ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ αὐτοῦ.
5I said, O Lord, have mercy upon me; heal my soul; for I have sinned against you.Ἐγὼ εἶπα, Κύριε ἐλέησόν με, ἴασαι τὴν ψυχήν μου, ὅτι ἥμαρτόν σοι.
6Mine enemies have spoken evil against me, saying, When shall he die, and his name perish?Οἱ ἐχθροί μου εἶπαν κακά μοι, πότε ἀποθανεῖται καὶ ἀπολεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ;
7And if he came to see me, his heart spoke vainly; he gathered iniquity to himself; he went forth and spoke in like manner.Καὶ εἰ εἰσεπορεύετο τοῦ ἰδεῖν, μάτην ἐλάλει ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ, συνήγαγεν ἀνομίαν ἑαυτῷ, ἐξεπορεύετο ἔξω, καὶ ἐλάλει
8All my enemies whispered against me; against me they devised my hurt.ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. Κατʼ ἐμοῦ ἐψιθύριζον πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου, κατʼ ἐμοῦ ἐλογίζοντο κακά μοι.
9They denounced a wicked word against me, saying, Now that he lies, shall he not rise up again?Λόγον παράνομον κατέθεντο κατʼ ἐμοῦ, μὴ ὁ κοιμώμενος οὐχὶ προσθήσει τοῦ ἀναστῆναι;
10For even the man of my peace, in whom I trusted, ✡ who ate my bread, lifted up his heel against me.Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς εἰρήνης μου ἐφʼ ὃν ἤλπισα, ὁ ἐσθίων ἄρτους μου ἐμεγάλυνεν ἐπʼ ἐμὲ πτερνισμόν.
11But you, O Lord, have compassion upon me, and raise me up, and I shall requite them.Σὺ δὲ Κύριε ἐλέησόν με, καὶ ἀνάστησόν με, καὶ ἀνταποδώσω αὐτοῖς.
12By this I know that you have delighted in me, because my enemy shall not rejoice over me.Ἐν τούτῳ ἔγνων, ὅτι τεθέληκάς με ὅτι οὐ μὴ ἐπιχαρῇ ὁ ἐχθρός μου ἐπʼ ἐμέ.
13But you did help me because of my innocence, and have established me before you for ever.Ἐμοῦ δὲ διὰ τὴν ἀκακίαν ἀντελάβου, καὶ ἐβεβαίωσάς με ἐνώπιόν σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
14Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. So be it, so be it.Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· γένοιτο, γένοιτο.
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. 9✡John 13:18
The Fathers on Psalms 40
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 40:6Saint Augustine of Hippo1. The solemn day of the Martyrs hath dawned; therefore to the glory of the Passion of Christ, the Captain of Martyrs, who spared not Himself, ordering His soldiers to the fight; but first fought, first conquered, that their fighting He might encourage by His example, and aid with His majesty, and crown with His promise: let us hear somewhat from this Psalm pertaining to His Passion. I commend unto you…
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On Psalms 40:6Saint Augustine of Hippo6. “Mine enemies speak evil of Me, When He shall die, then shall His Name perish” (ver. 5). Of this we have already spoken, and from this began.
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On Psalms 40:2Saint Augustine of Hippo2. “Blessed is he that understandeth upon the needy and poor One: in the evil day shall the Lord deliver him” (ver. 1). For the evil day will come: will thou, nill thou, come it will: the Day of Judgment will come upon thee, an evil day if thou “understand not the needy and poor.” For what now thou wilt not believe, shall be made manifest in the end. But neither shalt thou escape, when it shall be made manifest,…
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On Psalms 40:3Saint Augustine of Hippo3. “And deliver him not into the hand of his enemy” (ver. 2). The enemy is the devil. Let none think of a man his enemy, when he hears these words. Haply one thought of his neighbour, of him who had a suit with him in court, of him who would take from him his own possession, of him who would force him to sell to him his house. Think not this; but that enemy think of, of whom said the Lord, “an enemy hath done…
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On Psalms 40:4Saint Augustine of Hippo4. “The Lord help him” (ver. 3). But when? Haply in heaven, haply in the life eternal, that so it remain to worship the devil for earthly needs, for the necessities of this life. Far be it! Thou hast “promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” He came unto thee on earth, by Whom were made heaven and earth. Consider then what He saith, “The Lord help him, on his bed of pain.” The bed of pain…
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On Psalms 40:5Saint Augustine of Hippo5. But why this? Because He “scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” Why this? Because to men sinning was it said, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.” Therefore because all these chastisements, in which all our bed is turned in our infirmity, man ought to acknowledge that he suffers for sin; let him turn himself, and say what follows: “I said, Lord, be merciful unto me; heal my soul, for I have…
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On Psalms 40:7Saint Augustine of Hippo7. “And entered in to see” (ver. 6). What Christ suffered, that suffereth also the Church; what the Head suffered, that suffer also the Members. “For the disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord.”… If to Christ’s Members thou belongest, come within, cling to the Head. Endure the tares if thou art wheat, endure the chaff if thou art grain. Endure the bad fish within the net if thou art a…
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On Psalms 40:8Saint Augustine of Hippo8. “All mine enemies whisper against Me unto the same thing” (ver. 7). Against Me all unto the same thing. How much better with me unto the same thing, than against me “unto the same thing.” What is, “Against me unto the same thing”? With one counsel, with one conspiring. Christ then speaketh unto thee, Ye consent against Me, consent ye to Me: why against Me? wherefore not with Me? That same thing if ye had…
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On Psalms 40:9Saint Augustine of Hippo9. “An ungodly word do they set forth against Me” (ver. 8). What sort of ungodly word? Listen to the Head Itself. “Come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance shall be ours.” Fools! How shall the inheritance be yours? Because ye killed Him? Lo! ye even killed Him; yet shall not the inheritance be yours. “Shall not He that sleepeth add this also, that He rise again”? When ye exulted that ye had slain Him, He slept;…
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On Psalms 40:10Saint Augustine of Hippo10. “The man of My peace, in whom I trusted, which did eat of My bread, hath enlarged his heel against Me” (ver. 9): hath raised up his foot against Me: would trample upon Me. Who is this man of His peace? Judas. And in him did Christ trust, that He said, “in whom I trusted”? Did He not know him from the beginning? Did He not before he was born know that he would be? Had He not said to all His disciples, “I have…
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On Psalms 40:11Saint Augustine of Hippo11. “But Thou, O Lord, be merciful unto Me” (ver. 10). This is the person of a servant, this is the person of the needy and poor: for, “Blessed is he that understandeth upon the needy and poor One.” See, as it was spoken, “Be merciful unto Me, and raise Me up, and I will requite them,” so is it done. For the Jews slew Christ, lest they should lose their place. Christ slain, they lost their place. Rooted out of…
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On Psalms 40:13Open Psalms 40 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 Hippo13. “But as for Me, Thou upholdest Me, because of Mine innocence” (ver. 12). Truly innocence; integrity without sin, requiting without debt, scourging without desert. “Thou upholdest Me because of Mine innocence, and hast made Me strong in Thy sight for ever.” Thou hast made Me strong for ever, Thou madest Me weak for a time: Thou hast made Me strong in Thy sight, Thou madest Me weak in sight of men. What then?…
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