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101. Psalm 101

¹ I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, LORD, I will sing praise.
² I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
when will you come to me?

   I will conduct the affairs of my house
   with a blameless heart.
³ I will not look with approval
   on anything that is vile.

   I hate what faithless people do;
   I will have no part in it.
⁴ The perverse of heart shall be far from me;
   I will have nothing to do with what is evil.

    ⁵ Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret,
   I will put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,
   I will not tolerate.

    ⁶ My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
   that they may dwell with me;
the one whose walk is blameless
   will minister to me.

    ⁷ No one who practices deceit
   will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely
   will stand in my presence.

    ⁸ Every morning I will put to silence
   all the wicked in the land;
I will cut off every evildoer
   from the city of the LORD.

7 He who worketh deceit shall not dwell in the midst of my house This verse may be explained of all magistrates to whose charge the exercise of public judgments is committed, as well as of household servants. But as David has just now spoken in general of all officers, he seems now to speak properly of those who are near the person of the king. When the chief counsellors of kings and other intimate acquaintances who have gained possession of their ears, are deceitful and crafty, this becomes the source of all corruptions; for by their example they encourage others in evil, lifting up as it were the banner of licentiousness. And it is impossible that he who does not maintain good order in his own house, can be a fit person for holding the government of a whole realm. The authority which cannot preserve its influence under the domestic roof is of little worth in state affairs.