2Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;
         Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

3Fire goes before Him
         And burns up His adversaries round about.

4His lightnings lit up the world;
         The earth saw and trembled.

5The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD,
         At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

6The heavens declare His righteousness,
         And all the peoples have seen His glory.

7Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images,
         Who boast themselves of idols;
         Worship Him, all you gods.

8Zion heard this and was glad,
         And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced
         Because of Your judgments, O LORD.

9For You are the LORD Most High over all the earth;
         You are exalted far above all gods.

10Hate evil, you who love the LORD,
         Who preserves the souls of His godly ones;
         He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

11Light is sown like seed for the righteous
         And gladness for the upright in heart.

12Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones,
         And give thanks to His holy name.

NASB ©1995

American Standard Version
Clouds and darkness are round about him: Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Clouds and darkness are round about him: justice and judgment are the establishment of his throne.

Darby Bible Translation
Clouds and darkness are round about him; righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne.

English Revised Version
Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne.

Webster's Bible Translation
Clouds and darkness surround him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

World English Bible
Clouds and darkness are around him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Young's Literal Translation
Cloud and darkness are round about Him, Righteousness and judgment the basis of His throne.August 13. "Clouds and Darkness are Round About Him" (Ps. Xcvii. 2).
"Clouds and darkness are round about Him" (Ps. xcvii. 2). The presence of clouds upon your sky, and trials in your path, is the very best evidence that you are following the pillar of cloud, and walking in the presence of God. They had to enter the cloud before they could behold the glory of the transfiguration, and a little later that same cloud became the chariot to receive the ascending Lord, and it is still waiting as the chariot that will bring His glorious appearing. Still it is true that white …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

June the Thirteenth Clouded but not Lost!
"Clouds and darkness are round about Him." --PSALM xcvii. When Lincoln had been assassinated, and word of the tragedy came to New York, "the people were in a state of mind which urges to violence." A man appeared on the balcony of one of the newspaper offices, waving a small flag, and a clear voice rang through the air: "Fellow-citizens! Clouds and darkness are round about Him! His pavilion is dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies! Justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne! Fellow-citizens, …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Righteous Hatred
The duty here enjoined is a general one to all God's people. We are to hate all evi--not some evils. It was said, you know, long ago, of certain professors, that they did "Compound for sins they were inclined to By damning those they had no mind to." And there are some, I dare say, at this day, who think others extremely guilty for committing iniquities which they do not care to commit, but they themselves commit other sins with which they deal very gently. O Christian, never take hold of sin, except …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

We Too are Thine.
"The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice."--Psalm 97:1. "Herr, unser Gott, mit Ehrfurcht dienen." [68]G. Tersteegen. transl., Sarah Findlater, 1858 Lord our God, in reverence lowly, The hosts of heaven call Thee "holy." From cherubim and seraphim, From angel phalanx, far extending, In fuller tones is still ascending The "holy, holy," of their hymn. The fount of joy Thou art, Ever filling every heart, Ever! ever! We too are Thine, and with them sing, "Thou, Lord, and only Thou art King." Lord, …
Jane Borthwick—Hymns from the Land of Luther

What to do with Doubt
Many, especially those who are young in the Christian life, are at times troubled with the suggestions of skepticism. There are in the Bible many things which they cannot explain, or even understand, and Satan employs these to shake their faith in the Scriptures as a revelation from God. They ask, "How shall I know the right way? If the Bible is indeed the word of God, how can I be freed from these doubts and perplexities?" God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which …
Ellen Gould White—Steps to Christ

Snares of Satan
The great controversy between Christ and Satan, that has been carried forward for nearly six thousand years, is soon to close; and the wicked one redoubles his efforts to defeat the work of Christ in man's behalf and to fasten souls in his snares. To hold the people in darkness and impenitence till the Saviour's mediation is ended, and there is no longer a sacrifice for sin, is the object which he seeks to accomplish. When there is no special effort made to resist his power, when indifference prevails …
Ellen Gould White—The Great Controversy

The Morning Light
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. O ne strong internal proof that the Bible is a divine revelation, may be drawn from the subject matter; and particularly that it is the book, and the only book, that teaches us to …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Sixth Day. Holiness and Glory.
Who is like unto Thee, O Lord! among the gods? Who is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou in Thy mercy hast led Thy people which Thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in Thy strength to the habitation of Thy holiness ... The holy place, O Lord, which Thy hands have established.' --Ex. xv. 11-17. In these words we have another step in advance in the revelation of Holiness. We have here for the first time Holiness predicated of God Himself. He …
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

Man's Chief End
Q-I: WHAT IS THE CHIEF END OF MAN? A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. Here are two ends of life specified. 1: The glorifying of God. 2: The enjoying of God. I. The glorifying of God, I Pet 4:4: That God in all things may be glorified.' The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. I Cor 10:01. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial; …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Second Commandment
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am o jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of then that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.' Exod 20: 4-6. I. Thou shalt not …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Ascension of Messiah to Glory
Lift up your head, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. T he institutions of the Levitical law were a "shadow" or "sketch" of good things to come. They exhibited a faint and general outline …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

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