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Psalm 101

The Good Ruler

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By David. A psalm.

The Righteousness of the Lord

I will sing about your mercy and justice.
To you, O Lord, I will make music.

The Righteousness of the King

I will act wisely, following the way that is honest.
When will you come to me?
Within my palace I will conduct myself with integrity.[a]

Righteousness in His Court

I will not tolerate an evil[b] cause in my sight.
I hate unfaithfulness and apostasy.[c]
It will not stick to me.
A perverted heart shall be kept far from me.
I will not acknowledge evil.
I will silence anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret.
I cannot tolerate anyone who has arrogant eyes and a proud heart.
My eyes will watch for the faithful in the land,
so that they can be seated with me.
Those who walk in the way of integrity will serve as my ministers.
Anyone who practices deceit will not sit inside my palace.
Anyone who is a liar will not stand in my sight.
Every morning I will silence all the wicked in the land,
in order to cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 101:2 More literally I will walk around in my house with wholeness of heart
  2. Psalm 101:3 Or devilish. The Hebrew word is belial, which means without restraint or without worth. In late Hebrew it became a name of Satan.
  3. Psalm 101:3 The meaning of the line is uncertain. It seems to read I hate doing of apostasies.

A Promise to Act with Integrity

Of David. A psalm.[a]

101 I will sing of loyal love and justice;
I will sing praises to you, O Yahweh.
I will give attention to the way of integrity.
When will you come to me?
I will walk in the integrity of my heart
in the midst of my house.
I will not set before my eyes
any wicked thing.
I hate the work of those who fall away;[b]
it will not cling to me.
A perverse heart will depart from me;
I will not know evil.
One who slanders his neighbor in secret,
him I will destroy.
One haughty of eyes and arrogant[c] of heart,
him I will not endure.
My eyes will be on the faithful of the land,
that they may live with me.
He who walks in the way of integrity,
he shall minister to me.
There will not live in the midst of my house
a worker of deceit.
One who speaks lies
will not remain[d] before my eyes.
Each morning,[e]
I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
cutting off from the city of Yahweh all evildoers.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 101:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm
  2. Psalm 101:3 The term “those who fall away” is a rare noun. The verb from the same root is found in Psa 40:5(4)
  3. Psalm 101:5 Literally “wide”
  4. Psalm 101:7 Hebrew “be established”
  5. Psalm 101:8 Literally “to the mornings”