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A Promise to Rule Well

A psalm of David.

101 I will sing of your ·love [loyalty] and ·fairness [justice; judgment];
    Lord, I will ·sing praises [make a psalm] to you.
I will ·be careful to live [lead; or study] ·an innocent life [the way that is blameless].
    When will ·you [or it; C the “way that is blameless”] come to me?

I will ·live [go; walk] ·an innocent life [L in the blamelessness of my heart] in my house.
    I will not ·look at [L set before my eyes] anything ·wicked [vile].
I hate those who ·turn against you [are crooked/transgressors];
    they will not ·be found near [cling to] me.
Let those who ·want to do wrong [L have a perverse heart] stay away from me;
    I ·will have nothing to do with [L do not know] evil.
If anyone secretly ·says things against [slanders] his neighbor,
    I will ·stop [destroy; silence] him.
I will not allow people
    to ·be proud [L have broad hearts] and ·look down on others [L haughty eyes; 131:1].

·I will look for trustworthy people [L My eyes are on the faithful of the land]
    so ·I can live with them [L they may dwell with me].
Only those who ·live innocent lives [L walk in the way of blamelessness]
    will ·be my servants [L serve me].
No one who ·is dishonest [deceives] will live in my house;
    no ·liars [L one who speaks falsehoods] will ·stay around me [L be established before my eyes].
Every morning I will ·destroy [silence] all the wicked in the land.
    I will ·rid [cut off] the Lord’s city [C Jerusalem; 46:4] of people who do evil.

The Psalmist’s Profession of Uprightness.

A Psalm of David.

101 I will (A)sing of mercy and [a]justice;
To You, Lord, I will sing praises.
I will (B)carefully attend to the [b]blameless way.
When will You come to me?
I will walk within my house in the [c](C)integrity of my heart.
I will set no (D)worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the [d]work of those who (E)fall away;
It shall not cling to me.
A (F)perverse heart shall leave me;
I will know no evil.
Whoever secretly (G)slanders his neighbor, him I will [e]destroy;
I will not endure one who has a (H)haughty look and an arrogant heart.

My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me;
One who walks in a [f](I)blameless way is one who will serve me.
One who (J)practices deceit shall not dwell within my house;
One who speaks lies (K)shall not [g]maintain his position before me.
(L)Every morning I will [h](M)destroy all the wicked of the land,
So as to (N)eliminate from the (O)city of the Lord all those who do injustice.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 101:1 Or judgment
  2. Psalm 101:2 Or way of integrity
  3. Psalm 101:2 Or blamelessness
  4. Psalm 101:3 Or practice of apostasy
  5. Psalm 101:5 Or silence
  6. Psalm 101:6 Or way of integrity
  7. Psalm 101:7 Lit be established before my eyes
  8. Psalm 101:8 Or silence