Human treachery against divine steadfast love

Transgression's oracle: no fear of God

Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in the heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. He flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good.

He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil. The first movement is a close look at a self-soothing, sleepless harm.

A fountain of life against that bed of plots

The poem turns with a greater map: God's steadfast love extends to the heavens, faithfulness to the clouds, righteousness like the mountains of God, judgments like the great deep. God saves man and beast.

How precious is the steadfast love, O God. The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. With you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Continue your steadfast love to those who know you. Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the evildoers have fallen, unable to rise. The contrast is severe. It diagnoses a pattern of deceit and celebrates divine care. It does not split humanity into a pure caste and a disposable one.