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PSA
The Psalms
1 Happy the man who never goes by the advice of the ungodly, who never takes the sinners’ road, nor joins the company of scoffers, 2 but finds his joy in the Eternal’s law, poring over it day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by a stream, that bears fruit in due season, with leaves that never fade; whatever he does, he prospers. 4 Not so the ungodly! No, they are like chaff swept away by the wind; 5 when judgments come, the ungodly shall not stand, nor shall the sinful last in the community of the just. 6 The Eternal cares for the life of the just, but the ungodly life shall perish.
2 Why are the pagans seething,
and the nations vainly plotting,
2 headed by kings of the world,
and monarchs making plans
against the Eternal and his chosen one,
3 crying, “Let us snap their ties,
and fling off their control”?
4 Throned in heaven, he laughs,
the Lord mocks at them;
5 then in wrath he speaks to them,
scares them with his fury.
7a The Eternal’s edict let me tell:
6 “I, I have installed my king
on Sion, on my sacred hill.”
7b Let me tell the Eternal’s message:
“You are now my son,
this day am I your father;
8 ask, and I make you master of pagans,
lord over all to the ends of the earth;
9 you can maul them with an iron mace,
and shatter them like potter’s ware!”
10 So, kings, be wise;
you rulers of the world, take warning;
11 worship the Eternal reverently,
shudder and submit to him,
12 do homage to him truly, lest he be angry,
and you end in ruin;
for his anger quickly flames—
happy are all who shelter beside him!
A song of David, when he was flying from his son Absalom.
3 How many foes have I, O thou Eternal!
Many rise against me,
2 many are saying of me,
“There is no help for him in God.”
3 Ah, but thou shieldest me, O thou Eternal,
in triumph, thou whom I glorify!
4 When I call out to the Eternal,
he answers me from his sacred hill.
5 I laid me down to sleep,
and this morning I waken, for the Eternal upholds me;
6 I fear not thousands of the foe
ranged all around me.
7b My enemies thou wilt all disable,
and the ungodly thou wilt crush.
7a Up, O Eternal, to the rescue!
8 It is for the Eternal to bring help:
my God, thy blessing be upon thy people!
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To a string accompaniment. A song of David.
4 O God, my champion, answer my appeal.
When I was hemmed in, thou hast freed me often;
be gracious to me now and hear my prayer.
2 Proud men, how long will you be so misguided,
loving to deal in libels, eager on vain intrigues?
3 Look how the Eternal marks me out for favour!
The Eternal listens when I call to him.
4 Tremble at it and give over sinning,
bethink yourselves at night and hold your peace;
5 offer true sacrifice and trust the Eternal.
6 Many long for a sight of prosperous days;
“Only look up and smile on us, O Eternal!”
7 My heart thou hast already given more joy
than theirs who harvest corn and store new wine.
8 So quietly I lay me down to sleep,
for even alone, thanks to thee, I am safe.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. For flutes. A song of David.
5 O thou Eternal, listen to my words,
and hear the murmur of my soul; 2 my King and God, give ear to my appeal,
for I am calling out to thee;
3 O hear my morning prayer,
for in the morning I set forth my plea,
and wait thine answer.
4 Thou art no God to take delight in vice,
no evil man is any guest of thine,
5 no arrogance can look thee in the face;
6 all wrongdoers and lying men thou hatest,
craft and bloodshed thou abhorrest;
7 but I have access to thy house, by thy great generosity,
I can bow reverently before thy sacred shrine.
8 O thou Eternal, let not my foes thwart me,
lead thou me on, as thou art just,
make thy path smooth before me.
9 For in their talk there is no truth,
their hearts are deep with mischief,
their throats are open graves—
smooth-tongued deceivers!
10 O God, condemn them,
let their own plots end them.
Down with them, for their many crimes,
rebelling against thee!
11 So all who shelter with thee shall rejoice,
and under they protection shout for joy;
lovers of thy name ever exult in thee.
12 For thou wilt bless the just, O thou Eternal,
shielding them safe,
crowning them with thy favour.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To a string accompaniment. For bass voices. A song of David.
6 Punish me not in anger, O Eternal,
do not chastise me in rage;
2 have pity on me, Eternal, in my weakness,
O heal me, for my health is broken,
3 my soul is in anguish of dismay.
Ah, why art thou so long of helping?
4 O thou Eternal, save my life once more;
for thy love’s sake, succour me;
5 for in death’s realm there is no thought of thee;
and who can praise thee in the world below?
6 I faint with moaning,
every night my bed is drenched with tears,
my couch is wet with them;
7 trouble wears away my strength,
I age under outrages from my foes.
8 “Begone, all of you, evildoers!
The Eternal listens to my wail,
9 The Eternal will receive my prayer.”
10 My foes shall all be utterly dismayed,
and suddenly discomfited once more.
A dithyramb of David, sung to the Eternal, about the taunts of Cush the Benjamite.
7 I shelter with thee, Eternal One, my God;
keep me safe from my pursuer,
2 lest he tear me like a lion
and devour me, with none to rescue.
3 If I did it, Eternal One, my God,
if I am guilty of injustice,
4 if I ill-treated my friend,
if I crushed my foe for no cause,
5 then let the foe chase me,
then let the foe catch me,
let him trample my life to the ground,
let him lay me low in the dust!
6 [[Bestir thyself in anger, O Eternal,
in outbursts of fury against our foes;
awake to aid us, to maintain the right.
7 Summon all nations before thee,
be seated on thy lofty throne,
8 O thou Eternal, judge of the world!
9 Right our cause, we are innocent, do justice, thou, to our integrity,
put an end to the malice of the ungodly.
11 The God of justice reads the inmost heart;
12 God shields us, he who saves the upright heart;
13 God is a just God, every day indignant.]]
14 There he is, whetting his sword again!
His bow is strung and stretched,
15 his deadly darts are ready;
his arrows are fire-tipped;
16 the scoundrel is alive with malice,
hatching mischief and deception; 17 he digs out a deep pit—
and into his own pitfall he shall tumble!
18 His mischief shall recoil on his own head,
his violence shall drop on his own crown;
19 while I thank the Eternal for his retribution,
and praise the Eternal, the Most High.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. Set to a vintage melody. A song of David.
8 O thou Eternal One, our Lord,
what majesty is thine o’er all the world!
2a High in heaven thou hast set thy splendour,
3 to check thy foes, to crush the rebels.
Let me sing of this, thy heavenly strength,
2b like tiny children lisping out thy praise;
4 for, as I look up to the heavens they fingers made,
the moon and stars that thou hast shaped,
5 I ask, “And what is man, that thou should’st think of him?
What is a mortal man, that thou should’st heed him?”
6 Yet thou has made him little less than divine,
2 thou hast crowned him with majesty and honour,
7 giving him sway o’er all thy hands have made,
with all things underneath his feet—
8 sheep and oxen, all of them,
yes and the wild beasts,
9 birds of the air and fish of the sea—
all that swims on the wet sea paths!
10 O thou Eternal One, our Lord,
what majesty is thine o’er all the world!
From the Choirmaster’s collection. For a soprano boys’ choir. A song of David.
9 With all my haert I thank thee, O Eternal,
I will tell over all they deeds of wonder, 2 I thrill and triumph in thee,
singing praise to thee, O thou Most High.
3 For my foes are routed,
stumbling to their ruin at thy frown;
4 thou hast upheld my cause, my rights
passing just sentence, seated on thy throne;
5 thou hast curbed pagans, crushing the ungodly,
blotting their very name out for all time.
6 The foe is at an end, no more to be remembered,
the towns thou hast torn up lie in lasting ruin;
7 but the Eternal sits enthroned for evermore,
enthroned for government,
8 he governs all the world with justice
and rules its folk with equity.
9 So the downtrodden are safe with the Eternal,
he is a refuge in desperate hours;
10 those who know what thou art can trust in thee,
for never wilt thou abandon those who seek thee.
11 Sing praise to the Eternal, whose seat is in Sion,
declare to the nations what he does,
12 how he bears you in mind, this Avenger of bloodshed,
how he never forgets the wail of the weak..
13 The Eternal has seen what I suffer, and pitied me,
lifting me from the very gates of death,
14 that in the gates of Sion I may chant his praise,
exulting in his aid.
15 The pagans have sunk in the pit they dug;
in the net they set their feet are snared.
16 The Eternal has shown what he is, by a sentence of doom,
as his hands have trapped the ungodly.
17 The ungodly must go back to death,
all pagans who are forgetful of God;
18 for one day the needy will be remembered,
the hopes of the downtrodden will not always be disappointed.
19 Take action, O Eternal! let not man have the upper hand;
let pagans get their doom from thee!
20 Strike them with terror, O Eternal,
let pagans know they are only men!
10 Why art thou standing so far off, O Eternal,
hiding thyself in desparate hours?
2 The ungodly are haughty and harry the downtrodden—
may they be snared in their own schemes!
3 The ungodly boasts of his rapacity;
the plunderer disowns, despises the Eternal;
4 he thinks, in his insolence, “God never punishes”;
his thoughts amount to this, “There is no God at all”;
5 the dealings of thy justice high are far beyond his sight.
Life for him is always stable;
he laughs at any who oppose him,
6 thinking he can never fail,
never come to grief.
7 His talk is all of perjury and craft,
mischief and injury slip from his tongue.
8 He lurks round hamlets,
and murders innocent folk in secret,
ever on the outlook for the hapless;
9 he lies in ambush, like a lion in his lair,
hiding to catch the weak,
to catch the weak and drag them off.
10 He hunts the helpless till they drop,
unlucky victims, in his clutches.
11 And he thinks, “God has forgotten,”
“He hides his face,” “He never sees.”
14 But thou hast seen this misery and mischief;
thou markest it, to punish it thyself!
The hapless can leave their plight to thee,
thou Helper of the forlorn.
12 Take action, O Eternal, lift thy hand;
O God, forget not the afflicted.
13 How dare ungodly men scorn God,
thinking that thou wilt never punish?
15 Shatter the ungodly’s power,
punish his evil till there is no more.
16 The Eternal reigns as king for evermore;
the pagans are gone from his land!
17 Thou hearest the desire of the afflicted,
thou heedest them, thou listenest to them,
18 that the forlorn and the downtrodden may have justice,
and mortal man no more may be a terror.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
11 With the Eternal I take shelter; how dare you tell me, then,
“Be off, like a bird to the hills!
2 Look, impious men bend their bow,
their arrow is on the string,
to shoot in the dark at the upright!
3 The pillars of the State are falling:
what good can a just man do?”
4 Ah, but the Eternal is within his sacred place,
the Eternal is enthroned in heaven,
his searching glance is upon mortal men.
5 On good men the Eternal sets his stamp,
the impious and violent he loathes;
6 on impious men he showers down coals of fire,
brimstone and scorching blasts fall to their lot.
7 For just is the Eternal, he loves justice;
so the upright alone enjoy his favour.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. For bass voices. A song of David.
12 Help, O Eternal, goodness is no more,
fidelity has vanished from mankind!
2 Empty and false are man’s words to his fellow;
they talk with flattering lips and double minds.
3 The Eternal cut off every flattering lip,
and tongues that talk so loftily—
4 men who declare, “We give rein to our tongues;
our lips are our own: who calls us to account?”
5 “The weak are being crushed, the needy sigh;
So I take action,” says the Eternal One,
“and set them safe where they long to be.”
6 And what the Eternal promises is true,
sterling as silver seven times purified.
7 So are we kept by thee, O thou Eternal,
safe ever from this world of men,
8 where all around us the ungodly strut,
and where base creatures rise to power.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
13 Eternal One, how long wilt thou forget me?
How long wilt thou withhold thy favour from me?
2 How long must I cherish a daily grief?
How long is my foe to triumph over me?
3 Look to me, O Eternal One, my God, and answer me;
revive me lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my foe claim, “I have mastered him,”
lest my enemies exult over my downfall.
5 But on thy kindness I indeed rely;
let me exult over thy saving aid,
6 let me be singing to the Eternal
for having dealt with me so lovingly.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
14 Profane men think,
“There is no God!”
Depraved their lives are and detestable,
not one of them does right.
2 The Eternal looks from heaven upon mankind,
to see if any have the sense to care for God.
3 But all are faithless,
one and all are tainted;
none does what is right,
no, not a single one.
4 Shall they not rue it, these rascals,
who devour my people with their extortion?
5 Ha! there they are in a panic,
for God is indeed with the godly!
6 You would baffle these weak folk?
But the Eternal is their resource.
7 [[Oh that Israel’s deliverance would come from Sion!
When the Eternal restores the fortunes of his people,
how Jacob will exult,
how glad will Israel be!]]
A song of David.
15 In thy pavilion, O Eternal, who may be a guest?
who may dwell on thy sacred hill?
2 He whose life is blameless, who does right,
he whose words are from the heart,
3 no scandal on his tongue to hurt his fellow,
no insult heaped upon his neighbour;
4 he who has contempt for rogues,
and honours those who reverence the Eternal;
he who keeps to his oath, though he may lose by it,
5 he who will take no interest on a loan;
he who will not be bribed against the innocent—
he, living so, shall never be rejected.
A golden ode of David.
16 Keep me safe, O God, for with thee I take shelter.
2 “Thou art my Lord,” I say to the Eternal,
“my welfare rests on thee alone;
3 in the saints of the land, thy noble followers,
is all my delight.”
4 Sorrow on sorrow is theirs who choose some other god;
their bloody libations I will never pour,
their names I will never mention.
5 Thou art what I get from life, O thou Eternal,
thou thyself art my share;
5 fair prospects are allotted me,
a blissful heritage is mine.
7 I bless the Eternal for his counsel,
for teaching me during the very night;
8 I keep the Eternal at all times before me;
with him so close, I cannot fail.
9 And so my heart and soul rejoice,
my body rests secure;
10 for thou wilt never let me sink to death,
nor leave thy loyal one to the grave;
11 thou wilt reveal the path to life,
to the full joy of thy presence,
to the bliss of being close to thee for ever.
A prayer of David.
17 Listen to the innocent, Eternal One, and heed our wail,
hear prayers we pour from honest lips;
2 speed thy sentence in our favour,
that our eyes may see it.
3 For in thine equity thou hast tried our heart,
searching us out by night;
thou hast tested us and hast found nothing wrong,
no evil thought, no sin of speech;
4 under thy dealings we are silent,
heeding thy words;
5 we have kept close to thy track,
our feet have never faltered;
6 and so we call on thee, O God, to answer us;
bend thine ear to us, listen to our plea.
7 Strong saviour, in thy kindness interpose,
for those who shelter with thee from their foes;
8 guard us as thine own eye,
hide us under the shadow of thy wings,
9 from the ungodly who would harry us,
the eager enemies that encircle us.
10 Their hearts are closed to pity,
their words are insolent;
11 at every step they dog us,
alert to pull us down,
12 like lions longing to devour,
like lions lurking for their prey.
13 Up, O Eternal, face them, crush them;
let thy sword save us from ungodly men!
14 May thy hand slay them, O Eternal,
sweep them out of the world!
Yet give them here their due of doom, sating their sons with it,
let them leave some for their children!
15 But may our innocent lives enjoy thy favour,
may we be satisfied when we wake to see thy vision.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David the servant of the Eternal, who sang these words to the Eternal on the day when the Eternal rescued him from the power of all his enemies, from the power of Saul. He said:
18 O Eternal my Strength, I will exalt thee.
2 The Eternal is my crag, my stronghold, my deliverer,
my God, my fortalice where I shelter,
my shield, my saving strength, my retreat.
3 The Eternal is to be praised!—I call to him,
and I am rescued from my foes.
4 For waves of death broke round me,
floods of destruction burst on me;
5 deadly nets entangled me,
and fatal snares surprised me.
6 I called to the Eternal in my plight;
I cried to my God for aid;
he in his palace heard my voice,
my cry came to his ears.
7 The earth was swaying, quaking,
hills were quivering to their base,
before his anger shaking;
8 smoke fumed from his nostrils,
and scorching fire from his lips,
that kindled blazing coals,
9 as down he came on the bending sky,
the storm-cloud at his feet.
10 He rode on flying kherubs,
and swooped with the wings of the wind,
11 shrouding himself in darkness,
that veiled his presence round,
with rain-clouds dark and dense.
12 Storm-clouds rolled in front of him,
with hail and lightning flashes,
13 and the Eternal thundered from heaven,
the Most High uttered his voice;
he scattered his arrows,
14 shot twisting flashes of lightning,
till the beds of the waters were seen,
15 and earth’s foundations were laid bare,
at thy storming, O Eternal,
at the snorting of thy nostrils.
16 He reaches down to raise me,
he draws me from the flood,
17 he frees me from my foe so strong,
from haters far too strong for me,
18 who assailed me by surprise in my distress;
but the Eternal comes to my support
19 and sets me free, in a clear space;
as he delights in me, he rescues me.
20 The Eternal deals with me as I am upright,
he recompenses me for my clean life;
21 for I have kept to the Eternal’s road,
and never sinned by swerving from my God;
22 his rules are all before my mind,
I never set aside his orders;
23 I was blameless in his eyes,
and kept clear of my sins.
24 So the Eternal has rewarded me
for my integrity,
for my life clean in his eyes.
25 To the kind thou provest kind,
and true to the true,
26 to the pure thou provest pure,
and treacherous to the treacherous;
27 the humble thou wilt raise,
but the haughty thou wilt abase.
28 O Eternal, thou wilt light my lamp,
my God, thou wilt make my darkness shine;
29 by thy help I can face a troop,
by God’s help I can leap a wall.
30 God is unerring in his ways,
the Eternal’s promises are tried and true;
he shields all who take shelter with him.
31 For who is God save the Eternal?
Who is steadfast but our God?—
32 the God who girdles me with strength,
and clears the path for me.
33 He makes me nimble as a deer
and sets me on the height.
34 He trains me how to fight,
till I can bend a bow of bronze.
35 Thou hast shielded me with thine aid,
thy right hand holds me up;
thine answers to prayer have raised me up.
36 Thou hast given me room to move,
and a sure foothold.
37 I chase my foes and catch them,
I never turn till they are killed,
38 I fell them till they cannot rise;
they fall down at my feet.
39 For thou hast braced me for the fray;
thou makest my assailants drop before me;
40 thou makest my foes run before me,
till I finish off those who hate me.
41 They cry for help, but there is none to help them,
cry to the Eternal, but they get no answer;
42 and I pound them to pieces like dust before the wind,
I crush them like mud in the street.
43 Thou hast freed me from feuds,
and made me head over pagans;
44 outsiders fawn on me,
foreigners come cringing to me;
once they hear of me, they render homage;
45 foreigners give way,
and creep trembling from their forts.
46 The Eternal is living—blest be my Might,
exalted be my God of victory!—
47 God who lets me enjoy my vengeance,
subduing the nation under me.
48 O thou my rescuer from my foes,
who settest me high above my enemies,
who recuest me from violence,
49 I thank thee before pagans, O Eternal,
I will sing thy praise.
50 [[He gives his king great victories,
and kindness to his chosen prince,
to David and his dynasty for ever.]]
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
19 The heavens proclaim God’s splendour,
the sky speaks of his handiwork;
2 day after day takes up the tale,
night after night makes him known;
3 their speech has never a word,
not a sound for the ear,
4 yet their message spreads the wide world over,
their meaning carries to earth’s end.
See, there is the sun’s pavilion pitched!
5 He glows like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
he exults like a hero to run his course;
6 he sets out from one end of heaven,
and round he passes to the other,
missing nothing with his heat!
7 The Eternal’s law is a sound law,
reviving life;
the Eternal’s is a trusty witness,
that instructs the open-minded;
8 the Eternal’s orders are just,
a joy to the heart;
the Eternal’s command is clear,
a light to the mind;
9 the Eternal’s faith is a clean faith,
it will last for ever;
the Eternal’s rulings are upright,
and altogether just—
10 more to be prized than gold,
than plenty of rare gold,
sweeter than honey itself,
than honey from the comb.
11 Yes, and by them thy servant takes warning;
in following them there is rich profit.
12 Yet who can detect his lapses?
Absolve me from my faults unknown!
13 And hold thy servant back from wilful sins,
from giving way to them.
Then blameless shall I be,
from many a transgression free.
14 May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart
please thee, Eternal One, my strength and saviour.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
20 On the day of trouble may the Eternal answer you,
may Jacob’s God, whom you invoke, protect you,
2 sending help from the sanctuary
and reinforcing you from Sion!
3 May he remember all your offerings,
and be pleased with all your sacrifices,
4 granting you your heart’s desire,
fulfilling all your plans!
5 We will shout for joy over your victory,
exulting in our God.
[[May the Eternal fulfill all your petitions!]]
6 Now I am sure the Eternal grants victory to his chosen king;
from his sacred heavens he will answer him
with mighty, saving victories.
7 Some pride themselves on chariots, some on horses,
but our pride is our God the Eternal;
8 the foe must bow and fall,
we rise and stand erect.
Grant victory to the king, O thou Eternal,
and answer our appeal this day.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
21 Eternal One, the king rejoices in thy power;
how he exults in thy victorious aid!
2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire,
and denied not his request.
3 For thou didst meet him with blessings of welfare,
thou didst place on his head a golden crown;
4 he asked for life, and life thou gavest,
life long and lasting.
5 By thy victorious aid his honour is high,
with splendour and state thou dost endow him;
6 he is richly blessed by thee for ever,
and gladdened with the joy of thine own presence.
7 For the king’s trust is in the Eternal,
and by the goodness of the Most High he stands unmoved.
8 Your hand will find out all your foes,
your right hand will reach all who hate you;
9 you will burn them like a blazing furnace,
when you appear in anger;
the Eternal will consume them in his wrath,
devouring them in flames of rage.
10 You will sweep their children off the earth,
destroying their offspring from among men.
11 For all their plotting against you,
for all their plans of mischief, they shall fail;
12 for you will force them to retreat,
aiming your arrows at their faces.
13 Rise up, O thou Eternal, in thy power,
and we will sing the praises of thy might.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To the tune, “Deer of the Dawn.” A song of David.
22 My God, my God, why desert me?
Why do my cries of anguish bring no help?
2 I cry by day, but thou wilt not reply,
and no relief comes to me in the night.
3 Yet thou art throned, my God, within the sacred shrine,
receiving praise from Israel!
4 On thee our fathers did rely,
relied, and thou didst rescue them;
5 they cried to thee and they were safe,
relied on thee and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a mere worm, and not a man,
derided and despised by men;
7 all who see me mock at me,
they toss their heads and sneer,
8 “He left it to the Eternal! let him come to the rescue;
if the Eternal cares for him, let him come to the rescue!”
9 ’Twas thou indeed didst take me from the womb
didst lay me on my mother’s breast;
10 from birth I have been cast upon thy care,
and from my mother’s womb thou hast been my God.
11 Be not far from me now; danger is near,
and there is none to help.
12 A brutal horde bests me,
fierce bulls of Bashan hem me in,
13 panting for me open-mouthed
like lions roaring as they rend;
14 my strength is weak as water,
all my limbs give way;
my heart becomes like wax,
it is melting in my breast;
15 my throat is as dry as a potsherd,
my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
16 my hands and feet are all disfigured,
15 and I am laid low in the dust of death.
16 For a pack of curs encircles me,
a gang of villains surround me;
17 I can count all my bones,
and my foes are gloating over me,
18 dividing already my very clothes,
and casting lots for my raiment.
19 O thou Eternal, be not far from me,
O Strength of mine, speed to my aid,
20 rescue me from the sword,
save my life from these curs,
21 pluck me from the lion’s jaws,
pluck my unhappy soul from these wild-oxen’s horns.
22 Then will I tell my fellows of thy fame,
and praise thee in our gathering:
23 “Praise the Eternal, ye his worshippers,
glorify him, all ye sons of Jacob,
stand in awe of him, all ye sons of Israel!
24 For he has not despised the poor man’s plight,
he has not hidden his face from me,
he answered my appeal for help.
25 Therefore I praise him in our great gathering,
I pay my vows before his worshippers.
26 Let the pious partake of the feast to their heart’s desire,
let the Eternal’s worshippers praise him,
and wish me ’Long life and happiness!’”
27 [[Men shall bethink them of the Eternal,
and turn to him from earth’s very verge;
all families of the nations shall bow before him,
28 for the Eternal reigns, lords of all nations;
29 prosperous people sacrifice and worship,
dying peoples bow before him,
folk who cannot keep themselves alive;
30 their descendants worship him,
and the next generation has news of the Lord;
31 his saving deeds shall be declared
to generations yet unborn.]]
A song of David.
23 The Eternal shepherds me, I lack for nothing;
2 he makes me lie in meadows green,
he leads me to refreshing streams,
3 and revives life in me.
He guides me by true paths,
as he himself is true.
4 My road may run through a glen of gloom,
but I fear no harm, for thou art beside me;
thy club, thy staff—they give me courage.
5 Thou art my host, spreading a feast for me,
while my foes have to look on!
Thou hast poured oil upon my head,
my cup is brimming over;
6 yes, and all through my life
Goodness and Kindness wait on me,
the Eternal’s guest,
within his household evermore.
A song of David.
24 The earth belongs to the Eternal, all earth holds,
the world and its inhabitants;
2 ’twas he who founded it upon the seas,
and fixed it on the floods.
3 Who may ascend the Eternal’s hill?
Who may stand within his sacred shrine?
4 He only who has clean hands a heart unstained,
who never sets his mind on what is false,
who never breaks his word;
5 he gains a blessing from the Eternal,
a boon from God his saviour.
6 Such are the men who are in quest of him,
who seek the presence of the God of Jacob.
7 Raise your arches, O ye gates,
raise yourselves, you ancient doors!
Welcome the glorious King!
8 “But who is the glorious King?”
’Tis the Eternal, strong in might,
the Eternal conquering from the fight.
9 Raise your arches, O ye gates,
raise yourselves, you ancient doors!
Welcome the glorious King!
10 “But who is the glorious King!”
The Eternal, God of hosts,
he is the glorious King.
A song of David.
25 On thee, Eternal One, I set my heart,
5c all the day long I wait for thee.
2 In thee I trust; oh disappoint me not,
never let my foes triumph over me.
3 May none who wait for thee be disappointed,
but those alone who wantonly abjure thee.
4 Let me see thy ways, O thou Eternal,
teach me what are thy paths,
5 lead me, as thou art true to thy word,
teach me, for thou art God my help.
6 Remember thy compassion and thy kindness,
for they are thine of old, O thou Eternal;
7 remember not my faults of youth,
and in remembering my sins be kind to me.
8 Kind and upright is the Eternal,
he teaches any who go astray,
9 guiding humble souls aright,
teaching humble souls his way;
10 kindly and faithfully he ever deals
with those who keep his compact and commands.
11 O thou Eternal, as thou art theyself,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Whoever reverences the Eternal, learns
what is the right course to take;
13 his own life shall continue prosperous,
and his posterity shall hold their land.
14 Those who revere the Eternal have his confidence;
his compact is to instruct them.
15 Mine eyes always are on the Eternal,
for he will clear me of perplexities.
16 Turn to me and have pity,
for I am lonely and low;
17 relieve the anguish of my heart,
free me from all this pressure.
19 Confront my foes, for they are many,
and they hate me cruelly.
18 Consider my distress and pain,
and pardon all my sins.
20 Preserve me and deliver me,
oh disappoint me not, as I take shelter with thee.
21 May my devotion and my loyalty preserve me,
for I am waiting for thyself, O thou Eternal.
22 [[O God, bring Israel safe out of all its troubles.]]
A song of David.
26 Right me, O thou Eternal, for my life is right;
my trust in the Eternal never wavers.
2 Test me, O thou Eternal, try me,
prove me, in heart and mind.
3 I have looked always to thy love,
I have lived loyal to thee;
4 I never joined false men,
I would not be seen with hypocrites,
5 I hate the wicked party,
I never would join the ungodly;
6 but blamelessly I wash my hands
and move around thine altar, O Eternal.
8 I love the precincts of thy house,
the mansion of thy majesty;
7 I love to sing my thanks aloud
and tell of all thy wonders.
9 Sweep me not away with sinful men,
slay me not with the bloodthirsty,
10 whose hands are stained with outrage,
their right hands full of bribes.
11 But my own life is right;
so do thou save me and be gracious to me.
12 And when my foot rests on the temple floor,
then will I bless the Eternal in the choir.
A song of David.
27 The Eternal is my light and aid;
whom shall I fear?
The Eternal is the fortress of my life;
whom shall I dread?
2 When evil men assail me
with their slanders,
’tis they, my enemies and foes,
who stumble to their fall.
3 Even though an army were arrayed against me,
my heart would not be afraid;
though war were waged on me,
still would I be confident.
4 One thing alone I ask from the Eternal,
one thing I desire,
a vision of the Eternal’s goodness
in the temple at the morning-hour.
5 For he hides me within his own pavilion
on the day of trouble,
he shelters me within his shrine,
he sets me safe upon a rock.
6 He will now lift me up to victory,
high over all my foes around;
and I will sacrifice within his shrine,
and make my joy resound.
7 O thou Eternal, listen to my cry,
be gracious to me, answer me.
8 ’Tis my heart calling, “Thy face I do seek.”
9 O thou Eternal, hide not thy face from me,
turn not thy servant away in anger;
help me, do not abandon me,
forsake me not, O God my saviour.
10 (When my father and mother forsake me,
the Eternal will take care of me.)
11 Teach me what is thy way, O thou Eternal,
and lead me by a level road;
let not my foes thwart me;
12 leave me not to the fury of my foes,
for false witnesses have started up against me,
breathing injury to me.
13 I do believe I shall yet see
the Eternal good to me, in the land of the living
14 Wait for the Eternal; be strong, my soul be brave;
yes, wait for the Eternal.
A song of David.
28 O thou my Strength, I call to thee, be not deaf to me;
lest, if thou art deaf, I droop like a dying man.
2 Listen to my voice of pleading as I cry to thee,
as I lift my hands thus toward thy sacred shrine.
3 Drag me not off with the ungodly, with wrongdoers,
who speak smoothly to their fellows, with evil in their heart;
4 requite them for their evil practices, for their misdeeds,
let them have all they deserve for all they have done.
5 [[Since they heed not what the Eternal has in hand,
and never see what he is doing,
he pulls them down, he does not build them up.]]
6 Blessed be the Eternal, who has listened to my voice of pleading!
7 The Eternal is my strength and shield, my heart has faith in him;
so I am helped, my heart exults, and I sing to his praise,
8 to the Eternal, the strength of his people, a saving stronghold for his chosen.
9 Save thy people, bless thine heritage,
shepherd them and carry them for ever.
A song of David.
29 Praise the Eternal, O ye angels,
praise the Eternal for his might and glory!
2 Praise the Eternal for his open glory,
worship the Eternal in festal attire!
3 The voice of the Eternal peals across the waters—
it is the God of glory thundering,
the Eternal pealing over the mighty waters,
4 the mighty voice of the Eternal,
the majestic voice of the Eternal!
5 The voice of the Eternal shatters cedars,
the Eternal shatters Lebanon’s cedars,
6 till Lebanon leaps like a calf,
and Sirion like an antelope.
7 The voice of the Eternal splits the rocks,
splits them with flashes of fire;
8 the voice of the Eternal whirls the sand,
the Eternal whirls the desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Eternal twists the trees,
the voice of the Eternal strips the forest—
while in his palace all are chanting, “Glory!”
10 At the Flood the Eternal was enthroned as King,
and King he sits for evermore,
11 bestowing strength upon his people,
blessing his people with peace.
For the dedication festival. A song of David.
30 I will extoll thee, O Eternal, for thou hast lifted me,
and hast not left my foes to rejoice over me;
2 O thou Eternal my God, I called for help to thee,
and thou hast made me recover,
3 lifting me up, O thou Eternal, from the world below,
calling me back to life from the grave beneath.
4 Sing praise to the Eternal, ye devout,
give thanks, as you recall his sacred name;
5 for his anger only last a moment,
his favour lasts a lifetime;
tears may visit us at the night,
but in the morning there are shouts of joy.
6 When I was propsering, I thought
I never would be shaken;
7 for by thy favour, O Eternal One,
thou hadst set me on a strong hill;
but when thy favour was withdrawn,
I fell into dismay.
8 I cried to thee, Eternal One,
appealing to my God,
9 “What profit would my death be,
if I went down to the grave?
Can the dust of death praise thee,
or testify thy faithfulness?
10 Ah listen, O Eternal One, be gracious,
O thou Eternal, be my help!”
11 And thou didst change my mourning into dancing,
stripping my sackcloth, girdling me with joy,
12 that my soul might sing thy praises without ceasing,
that I might thank thee, O my God, for ever.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
31 With thee, O thou Eternal, I take shelter,
never let me be disappointed;
oh rescue me, as thou art faithful.
2 Turn thine ear to me,
delay not to deliver me;
be a rock of refuge for me,
a hill-fort to protect me,
3 for thou art my crag and castle.
As thou art God, oh lead me, guide me,
4 safe from the snares spread cunningly to catch me.
Thou art my stronghold,
5 I put my life into thy hands,
and, O Eternal, O thou faithful God, thou savest me.
6 Those who heed empty idols thou wilt hate,
but I put my faith in the Eternal.
7 I will exult rejoicing in thy love,
who hast looked up on my misery
and thought of my life in adversity,
8 who hast not left me in the clutches of my foes,
but hast set me at liberty.
9 Have pity on me, Eternal One; I am in misery,
my health is wasting under my woe,
10 my life is eaten away with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength gives way under my punishment,
my body falls to pieces.
11 I am the scorn of all my foes,
the butt of all my fellows;
my very friends are horrified,
men shun me in the street;
12 I am forgotten like a buried corpse,
flung aside like a discarded pot.
13 At every turn I am in terror,
for I hear many whispering,
men making plans against me,
plotting to take my life.
14 But on thee, O Eternal, I rely;
I say, “Thou art my God.”
15 My fate lies in thy hands;
oh rid me of my foes and my pursuers,
16 smile on thy servant,
in thy love succour me.
17 On thee have I called, O Eternal,
disappoint me not;
disapoint the wicked, send them to the silent grave!
18 Strike dumb these lying lips,
so insolent in pride and scorn against the just!
19 What wealth of kindness thou hast laid up for thy worshippers,
and shown to those who shelter with thyself!
20 Thou hidest them under they wings from human plots,
thou shelterest them from the scourge of slander!
21 Blessed be the Eternal,
for wondrous favour shown me in a desparate plight.
22 In my distraction I cried out,
“I am cast out of thy sight!”
But thou hast heard my loud appeal,
when I called to thee for help.
23 Ah, love the Eternal, all ye faithful;
the Eternal will keep faith with you,
and richly requite arrogant men.
24 Only be strong, be brave,
all ye who wait for the Eternal.
An ode of David.
32 Oh the bliss of him whose guilt is pardoned,
and his sin forgiven!
2 Oh the bliss of him whom the Eternal has absolved,
whose spirit has made full confession!
3 So long as I refused to own my guilt,
I moaned unceasingly, life ebbed away;
4 for thy hand crushed me night and day,
my body dried up as in summer heat.
5 Then did I own my sin to thee,
uncovering my iniquity;
and as I vowed I would confess,
thou didst remit my sinful guilt.
6 So let each loyal heart pray to thee in trouble:
the floods may roar,
but they will never reach him,
7 for thou wilt be his shelter,
safeguarding him in peril,
surrounding him with aid.
8 “I will instruct you and teach you
what is the road to take;
I will give you counsel,
O humble soul.”
9 Be not like mules and colts,
that do not understand the bridle,
unbroken creatures that require a halter’s curb,
or they will not come near you.
10 Many a pang falls to the ungodly,
but he who trusts in the Eternal shall enjoy his favour.
11 Exult then in the Eternal joyfully, ye just,
and shout for joy, all ye who are upright.
33 Rejoice, ye just, in the Eternal,
for songs of praise befit the upright soul.
2 Praise the Eternal on the lyre,
sing to him on a ten-stringed lute.
3 Sing him a new song,
strike the strings bravely at the festival.
4 For just are all the Eternal’s orders,
and all he does is loyally done;
5 he has a love for honesty and justice
the earth is full of his kindness.
6 The heavens were made at the Eternal’s order,
and all their host by his mere word;
7 he holds the seas as in a water-skin,
and stores up the abysses of the deep.
8 Let all the earth fear the Eternal,
let every dweller stand in awe of him,
9 for he it was who spoke—and eath existed,
’twas at his bidding it appeared.
10 The Eternal wrecks the purposes of pagans,
he brings to nothing what the nations plan;
11 but the Eternal’s purpose stands for ever,
and what he plans will last from age to age.
12 Happy the nation whose God is the Eternal.
the people he has chosen for his own!
13 The Eternal looks from heaven,
beholding all mankind;
14 from where he sits he scans
all who inhabit the world;
15 he who alone made their minds,
he notes all that they do.
16 Armies do not bring victory to a king,
the warrior is not rescued by sheer strength;
17 cavalry are in vain for a victory,
there is no winning by the strength of that!
18 No, the Eternal’s eye rests on his worshippers,
who rest their hopes upon his kindness,
19 that he may rescue them from death,
and during famine-days keep them alive.
20 And we rest our hopes on the Eternal,
we wait for him, our help and shield;
21 in him our heart rejoices,
our faith is in his sacred name.
22 Thy kindness rest upon us, O Eternal,
as our hope rests in thee!
A song of David when he feigned madness before Abimelek, who compelled him to go away.
34 I will bless the Eternal at all times,
his praise shall be continually on my lips;
2 my soul boasts openly of the Eternal,
and the humble are glad as they hear it.
3 Magnify the Eternal with me,
and let us exalt him together.
4 I besought the Eternal and he answered me,
he rescued me from all my terrors;
5 look to him, and you shall beam with joy,
you shall never be abashed.
6 Here is a poor man whose cry the Eternal heard,
and helped him out of all his troubles.
7 The angels of the Eternal camp around his worshippers,
and rescue them.
8 Try the Eternal; you will find he is kind;
happy the man who takes shelter with him!
9 Revere the Eternal, O ye saints of his,
for the reverent never want for anything;
10 apostates may be famishing and starving
but those who turn to the Eternal lack no good.
11 Come, listen to me, my sons,
I will teach you true religion.
12 ’Tis your desire to live,
to live long and be happy?
13 Then keep your tongue from evil,
keep your lips from deceit;
14 shun evil and do good,
seek to be friendly—aim at that.
16 For the Eternal sets his face against evildoers,
to root their very name out of the earth;
15 but the Eternal turns his eyes towards good men,
his ears are open to their cry;
17 when they cry, the Eternal listens,
he rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Eternal is near the broken-hearted,
and for crushed spirits he has help;
19 the good man may have many a mishap,
but from them all the Eternal rescues him.
20 He guards every bone of him,
not one is broken.
21 Misfortune is the death of wicked men,
and haters of good men are doomed;
22 but the Eternal saves his servants’ life,
none who take shelter with him shall be punished.
A song of David.
35 Fight those who fight me, O thou Eternal,
war on those who war on me;
2 seize thy shield and buckler,
stand up as my champion,
3 draw thy spear and battle-axe,
to cope with my pursuers;
say to me, O Eternal,
“I am your safety.”
4 Disgraced, discomfited, be they
who seek my life!
May they be routed and confounded q2 who aim to injure me!
5 Scattered be they like chaff before the wind,
driven by thine angel!
6 Dark and slippery be their road,
pursued by thine angel!
7 For wantonly they spread their net for me,
they dug a pitfall wantonly for me.
8 May the net they spread ensnare themselves,
into their own pit may they fall,
surprised by ruin!
9 Then shall my soul rejoice in the Eternal,
joyful at his deliverance.
10 All my being shall exclaim,
“O thou Eternal, who is like thee,
O rescuer of the weak from a stronger power,
O rescuer of the wretched from the destroyer!”
11 Malicious accusers come forward,
charging me with crimes I know naught of;
12 they repay me with evil for good,
rendering me all forlorn.
13 When they are ill, I wore the sackcloth,
I went humbly fasting,
I prayed for them, with head bent on my breast,
14 as for a friend, as for my brother;
downcast was I, in black I dressed,
like a man mourning for his mother.
15 And now, when I fall, they are glad,
and gather to attack me
with cruel, cutting charges,
of which I know nothing,
railing at me unceasingly, reviling,
16 mocking me, gnashing at me with their teeth!
17 How long wilt thou look on at this?
Save me from their loud lies, O thou Eternal,
save my unhappy life from human lions!
18 Then shall I give thanks to thee in our assembly,
and praise thee in our throng of worshippers.
19 Let not my foes rejoice over me wrongfully,
let not my wanton haters wink maliciously!
20 No words of peace are theirs,
but crafty plots against the peacable;
21 wide-mouthed, they are taunting me,
shouting, “Aha! aha! we see his plight!”
22 Eternal One, thou seest it; keep not silence;
Lord, keep not far away;
23 rouse thyself, wake to do me justice,
24 do me justice, as thou art just thyself;
that the may never rejoice over me,
25 shouting, “Aha! aha! we have our heart’s desire,
we have done for him!”
26 Disgraced, confounded, may they be
who delight in my harm!
Shame and dishonour cover those
who are insolent to me!
27 But may they shout for joy, may they be glad,
who love to see me righted!
May they have ever cause to say,
“All hail to the Eternal,
who loves to see his servant prospering!”
28 Then shall my tongue talk all the day
of thy justice and thy praise.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
36 An impious spirit inspires the ungodly man;
there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 He flatters himself
that his iniquity will never be found out.
3 His words are mischievous and deceitful,
he has now ceased to live wisely and well;
4 he plans some mischief as he lies in bed,
and then he takes a course that is not good—
he lothes not evil.
5 Eternal One, thy love is high as heaven,
thy loyalty soars to the very skies,
6 thy justice is like mighty mountains,
thy judgments are like the deep sea.
They providence is over man and beast;
7 how precious is thy love, O God!
To thee men come for shelter
in the shadow of thy wings;
8 they have their fill of choice food in thy house,
the stream of thy delights to drink;
9 for life’s own fountain is within thy presence,
and in thy smile we have the light of life.
10 Continue thy love to those who care for thee,
thy justice to right-minded men.
11 Never let insolence stir a foot against us,
let no ungodly hand drive us afar.
12 Yonder they lie, the evildoers,
felled to the earth, unable to arise!
A song of David.
37 Fret not over evildoers,
envy not the lawless;
2 soon like the grass they fade,
and wither like a green blade.
3 Trust in the Eternal and do right,
be loyal to him within his land;
4 make the Eternal your delight,
and he will give you all your heart’s desire.
5 Leave all to him, rely on him,
and he will see to it,
6 he will bring your innocence to light,
and make the justice of your cause clear as noonday.
7a Leave it to the Eternal and be patient,
fret not over the successful man,
14 who aims to slay the upright,
7b and carries out his wicked plan.
8 Cease your anger, give up raging,
fret not—it only leads to evil.
9 Evildoers shall be rooted out,
and the land left to those who wait for the Eternal.
10 A little longer, and the godless will be gone;
look in his haunts, and he is there no more!
11 The land will be left to the humble,
to enjoy plenteous prosperity.
12 The godless man makes plots against the good,
gnashing his teeth at them;
13 but the Eternal laughs at him,
knowing his doom is near.
14 The godless draw the sword,
and bend their bows for murder;
15 the sword runs into their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken!
16 The little that a good man has
is better than a godless man’s great wealth;
17 for the arms of the godless shall be broken,
but the Eternal will protect the good.
18 The fortunes of the upright are the Eternal’s care,
and their possessions last for ever;
19 in a calamity they keep their share,
in famine they have plenty.
20a The godless perish,
25c their families have to beg for food;
20b the foes of the Eternal disappear like fuel,
they disappear in smoke and vanish.
21 The godless never pays back what he borrows,
but the good man is charitable and gives.
22 Those who bless the Eternal, they shall own the land;
those who curse him shall be uprooted.
23 When a man’s life pleases the Eternal,
he gives him a sure footing;
24 he may fall, but he never falls down,
for the Eternal holds him by the hand.
25 I have been young and I am old,
but never have I seen good men forsaken;
26 they always have something to give away,
something wherewith to bless their families.
27 Shun evil and do good,
so shall you live your life within the land;
28 for the Eternal, who loves honesty,
never forsakes his faithful band.
The lawless shall be utterly destroyed,
the families of the godless shall be doomed;
29 the land is the possession of the good,
and all their days they shall dwell there.
30 The good man’s words are wise,
his talk is just;
31 the Eternal’s law is in his heart,
his footsteps never falter.
32 The godless man spies on the good,
seeking to have them put to death;
33 but the Eternal never leaves them in his power,
nor lets them be condemned when they are tried.
34 Wait for the Eternal, hold to him,
40 and he will save you from the godless;
34 he will advance you to possess the land
and to see godless men exterminated.
35 I saw a godless man once on a time, a terror—
towering like any cedar of Lebanon;
36 then, as I passed by, he was gone!
I looked for him—he was not to be found.
37 Hold to integrity, remain upright;
there is a future for the peaceable.
38 But sinners shall be wiped out at a blow;
the future for the godless is perdition.
39 Help comes from the Eternal to good men;
he is their refuge in the evil hour:
40a the Eternal relieves them and rescues them,
because they shelter beside him.
A song of David. To be used when incense is offered.
38 Punish me not in wrath, O thou Eternal,
do not chastise me in a rage!
2 Thine arrows have sunk deep in me,
thy hand is pressing hard on me.
3 There is no soundness in my body,
thanks to thine indignation;
there is no health in my limbs,
thanks to my sins.
4 My iniquities are overwhelming me,
crushing me like a heavy load.
5 My wounds are floul and festering,
thanks to my sinful folly.
6 I stagger about, bent to the ground,
all day long I go a-mourning,
7 for my thighs are full of fever,
there is no soundness in my body;
8 I am benumbed and badly bruised,
my moans are louder than a lion’s cry.
9 Lord, all my longing is well known to thee,
thou art no stranger to my sighs;
10 my heart is throbbing, pith has gone from me,
the light has left mine eyes.
11 My friends and my companions hold aloof,
my kindsmen keep away.
12 Those who seek my life are setting snares,
aiming to injure me;
they talk of ruining me,
and all the day discuss intrigues.
13 But, like a deaf man, I never listen,
like a dumb man, I never say a word.
14 [[I am like one who never hears,
who has no argument in answer.]]
15 For thee, O thou Eternal, I am waiting;
thou, thou wilt answer them, O Lord my God.
18 For I confess my guilt,
I sorrow for my sin.
16 “Only,” I say, “let not my foes exult over me,
who are so insolent when I slip.”
17 For I am on the verge of a collapse;
my plight is always present to my mind.
19 Many are they who hate me wantonly,
many are they who hate my wrongfully;
20 they are returning evil for good,
they are my foes because I aim at good.
21 Forsake me not, O thou Eternal,
be not far from me, O my God;
22 make haste to help me,
to rescue me, O Lord.
From the Choirmaster Jeduthun’s collection. A song of David.
39 I said, I will be careful what I do,
lest I sin with my tongue;
I must put a muzzle on my lips
in presence of the ungodly.
2 So I kept silence,
dumb and ill at ease.
But this only stirred my grief;
3 my heart grew hot within me,
my thoughts kindled,
and I prayed:
4 “O thou Eternal, let me know my end,
the number of my days,
how long I have to live!
5 Thou hast made my days no longer than a span;
my life is a mere nothing in thy sight,
no better than an empty breath.
6 Man’s busy life indeed is but a phantom,
making an empty ado,
amassing wealth and knowing not
who is to have his hoard.
7 What then can I expect, O Lord?
It is in thee I hope.
9 I am dumb, I never say a word,
for it is thou who orderest life so.
11 Thou chastenest mortal man,
in punishing his guilt,
eating away his comeliness like a moth—
man is no better than an empty breath!
8 Save me from all my sins,
from the taunts of the profane;
10 relieve me from thy plague,
for I am wasting underneath thy strokes.
12 Hear my prayer, O thou Eternal,
listen to my cry,
answer thou my tears;
for I am but a guest of thine,
a passing waif, as all my fathers were.
13 Avert thy frown, that I may be at ease,
ere I depart and be no more.”
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
40 As I waited patiently for the Eternal,
he turned and listened to my cry;
2 he raised me from a lonesome pit, a muddy bog,
he set my foot on a rock and steadied my steps;
3 he put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God,
that many might see this, and be awed,
and trust in the Eternal.
4 Happy the man who trusts in the Eternal,
who pays no heed to loud and false apostates!
5 Eternal One, my God, richly hast thou worked out
thy wondrous purposes for us;
there is no one like thee!
Were I to tell them, to recount them,
they would pass all count.
6 Thou carest not for sacrifice and offering,
for no burnt-offering or sin-offering is thy demand.
An open ear thou gavest me;
7 I answered, “Here I come
to do thy bidding in the Book;
8 to please and serve thee is my joy,
thy law lies deep within my heart.”
9 Thou knowest, Eternal One, that openly
I told the good news to our gathering;
10 I kept not to myself thy saving help,
but told aloud thy loyalty and aid,
making no secret of thy love and faithfulness.
11 And thou wilt not keep back from me thy mercy,
thy love and faithfulness shall ever be my guard.
12 [[For numberless evils surround me;
my transgressions have overtaken me,
till I know not where to turn;
more trials have I than hairs upon my head—
my courage fails me.
13 Be pleased to rescue me, O thou Eternal,
O thou Eternal, hasten to my help.
14 Disgraced, discomfited, be those who seek to murder me!
Routed, dishonoured, be they who delight in harm to me!
15 Thwarted and appalled be they who taunt me with their scoffs!
16 But may thy followers all rejoice gladly in thee!
May those who love thy saving help have ever cause to say,
“All hail to the Eternal!”
17 As for me, I am weak and wretched;
Yet the Eternal will take thought for me.
Thou art my help and my deliverer;
tarry not, O my God.]]
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
41 Happy is he who remembers the weak and the poor!
The Eternal will deliver him on the day of trouble;
2 the Eternal will preserve his life,
nor hand him over to his eager foes;
3 the Eternal sustains him on his sick bed,
and brings him back to health.
4 My prayer is: “O Eternal, be thou gracious,
heal me, for I have sinned against thee.”
5 My foes say of me, in their malice,
“Whenever will he die and his name perish?”
6 When any of them visits me,
his heart is false;
he gathers matter for his malice,
then goes away to spread the tale.
7 All who hate me whisper together,
forecasting evil for me;
8 “A deadly trouble courses in his veins,
he will not rise from where he lies.”
9 And even my trusted friend, who ate my bread,
trips me up heavily.
10 Be gracious, O Eternal, let me rise,
and I will pay them back!
11 I shall be sure that thou carest for me,
when my foe fails to triumph over me.
12 Yes, thou revivest me, for my integrity,
setting me down for ever in thy presence.
13 [[Blessed be the Eternal, Israel’s God,
from age to age for ever!
Even so, even so!]]
From the Choirmaster’s collection. An ode of the Korahites.
42 The deer is panting for a stream,
and I a panting, O God, for thee.
2 I am athirst for God, the living God;
when shall I reach God’s presence?
3 Day and night I have lived on my tears,
taunted all day with, “Where is your God?”
4 My soul is melting with secret sorrow,
for well I remember it all—
how I led the throng once to the house of God,
5 chanting, praising, marching in full festival.
6 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so despairing?
7 Wait, wait for God; I shall again
be praising him, my saving help, my God.
8 My soul is downcast; so I remember thee
in this far land of Jordan and of Hermon,
at mount Mizar.
9 Flood follows flood, as thy cataracts thunder,
thy breakers and billows are all surging over me.
10 [[Yet the Eternal summoned once for me his love day by day
and in the night I sang of him,
praising the God of my life.]]
11 To God my strength I cry,
“Why hast thou forgotten me?
Why must I mourn, as foes oppress me?”
12 It is an agony to hear them in derision
taunting mea ll day with, “Where is your God?”
13 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so despairing?
14 Wait, wait for God; I shall again
be praising him, my saving help, my God.
43 Right me, take my part, O God, against an impious race,
rescue me from crafty and malignant men.
2 O God my stronghold, why discard me?
Why must I mourn, as foes oppress me?
3 Oh send thy light and faithfulness to lead me,
to bring me home to thine own sacred hill,
to where thou dwellest!
4 Let me come to the altar of God,
to God my joy and delight,
singing thy praise on the lyre, O God, my God.
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so despairing?
6 Wait, wait for God; I shall again
be praising him, my saving help, my God.
From the Choirmaster’s collection of Korahite songs. An ode.
44 O God, we have heard with our ears,
our fathers have told use the tale,
of thy doings in ancient years,
2 how thou didst plant them, evicting the pagans,
how thou didst shatter the nations and scatter them.
3 For the land was not won by the sword of our fathers,
nor the victory won by their arm;
thine was the hand and the arm,
thine was the favour that smiled on them;
4 my King, my God, it was thou
by whose command Jacob was conqueror.
5 By thee we can thrust down our foe,
by thee we can crush our attackers;
6 for I rely not on my bow,
’tis not my sword that wins the battle;
7 from thee the victory comes to us,
the humbling to our haters;
8 all day it is of God we boast,
unceasingly we praise thee.
9 And yet thou hast discarded us in disgrace,
thou wilt not march with our armies,
10 thou makest us fly from the foe,
till our haters plunder us at pleasure;
11 thou lettest us be eaten up like sheep,
thou scatterest us among the pagans,
12 selling thy people cheap,
for a poor price—no profit to thyself!
13 Thou makest us the butt of our neighbours,
a scorn and derision to all around,
14 a byword among pagans,
jeered at by the nations;
15 all day long the disgrace is before me,
the shame of it overclouds me,
16 at the sound of the taunters and scoffers,
at the sight of the vengeful foe.
17 All this has come upon us,
yet we never have forgotten thee,
never were false to thy bond;
18 our heart has never flinched,
our steps have never swerved from thine own road,
19 that thou should’st so crush us,
and plunge us into deathly gloom,
where jackals howl.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
or appealed to a foreign god,
21 would not God have found it out?
He knows the very secrets of the heart.
22 But no, ’tis for thy sake we are killed all day,
counted no better than sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Bestir thyself, Eternal One! Why sleep?
Awaken! ah, discard us not for ever!
24 Why art thou hiding thy face,
forgetting our woe and distress?
25 For our soul is bowed to the dust,
our body lies low on the ground.
26 Come to the rescue!
For thy love’s sake, oh save us.
From the Choirmaster’s collection of Korahite songs. To the tune of “The Lilies.” An ode or love-song.
45 Anoble theme inspires my soul!
Let me recite my verses to the king,
with tongue as swift as a scribe’s nimble pen.
2 You are fairer than all mortals,
charm is playing on your lips,
as you are ever blessed by God.
3 O hero, gird your sword upon your thigh,
array yourself in splendour and in state.
4 Success to you, as you ride forth
to succour loyal men, humble and just!
And may your courage lead to deeds of dread!
5 Sharp are your arrows; nations fall before you,
and the king’s foes lose heart.
6 Your throne shall stand for evermore;
for, since your sceptre is a sceptre just,
7 since right you love and evil you abhor,
so God, your God, crowns you with bliss
above your fellow-kings.
8 Fragrant are your robes with orris, myrrh, and aloes;
music of ivory harps is ravishing your heart;
9 kings’ daughters in their jewels move to meet you,
and on your right your queen wears gold of Ophir.
10 Listen, O bride, and bend your ear!
Forget your own folk and your father’s house;
11 and when the king desires your beauty,
yield to him—he is your lord.
12 So Tyrian traders with their gifts shall sue your favour
the wealthiest in the land shall offer you their treasures.
13 In pearls and gold embroidery
this daughter of a king is decked;
14 she is led to the king in coloured robes,
with the maidens of her train,
15 moving into the palace of the king
with gladness and rejoicing.
16 Your sons shall step into your fathers’ place,
and rise to be princes all over the land,
17 carrying your name on from age to age,
till nations praise you evermore.
From the Choirmaster’s collection of Korahite songs. For soprano voices.
46 God is a shelter and stronghold for us,
we shall find him very near;
2 therefore we never fear,
though earth be overset,
and the hills sink deep in the sea.
3 Let billows roar and foam,
let mountains shake under the storm:
the Lord of Hosts is at our side,
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
4 The river divine has streams that gladden
the city of God,
the sacred shrine of the Most High.
5 God is within her, she cannot be shaken;
when morning comes, God is her aid.
6 Though nations rage, and realms be shaken,
though his thunders make the world dissolve:
7 the Lord of Hosts is at our side,
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come, see the Eternal’s work,
the desolation he has wrought on earth;
9 wars he has ended all over the world,
breaking the bow and snapping the spear,
burning the chariot in the fire.
10 “Give in,” he cries, “admit that I am God,
high over nations, high over the world.”
11 The Lord of Hosts is at our side,
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
From the Choirmaster’s collection of Korahite songs.
47 All nations, clap your hands,
with rining homage to God;
2 for the Eternal, the Most High, is to be feared,
he is a great king over all the world.
3 He subdued nations to himself,
he conquered races,
4 and chose our heritage for us,
our land, the jewel of his beloved Jacob;
5 he marched in amid shouts, with trumpet-blasts.
6 Music of praise for God, sing music!
Music of praise for our King!
7 Music of praise with an ode,
for over the whole world God is King!
8 God now reigns over the nations,
seated on his sacred throne;
9 even foreign princes gather,
joining the folk of Abraham’s God;
for the world’s warriors belong to God,
to the supreme God, sovereign of the world.
A song of the Korahites, for music.
48 Great is the Eternal, loudly to be praised
within the city of our God,
upon his sacred hill.
2 High and fair on the northern slope,
the joy of all the world,
the hill of Sion lies,
the city of the great King.
3 Within her citadels has God
shown himself her defence.
4 For yonder kings combined,
invaded her;
5 but scared with panic at her sight,
they took to flight,
6 seized with a shudder,
like women in the pangs of labour,
7 shattered like merchantmen
wrecked by an east wind.
8 What once we heard of, now our eyes have seen
within the city of the Lord of hosts;
God does preserve it evermore,
the city of our God.
9 And so within thy temple we are thinking
of thy goodness, O God;
10 thy fame shall echo, like thy name,
to the very ends of earth,
for they right hand is full of victories.
11 Let Sion hill rejoice,
let the towns of Judah joy,
over thy saving deeds.
12 Walk about Sion, go round her,
count up her towers,
13 review her ramparts,
scan her citadels,
that you may tell the age to come
14 what a God our God is for evermore.
For the choirmaster’s collection of Korahite songs.
49 Hear this, all ye nations,
listen, all ye inhabitants of the world,
2 low-born and high,
rich and poor, all of you.
3 My message will be wise and good,
a baffling truth on which I brood;
4 and as I catch its meaning dim,
I render on the lyre this hymn:
5 Why should I be afraid when times are bad,
and all around I see my treacherous foes,
6 men who rely upon their riches,
and boast of their abounding wealth?
7 Why, none can buy himself off;
not one can purchase for a price from God
9 life that shall never end.
10 What! “Never die?” but die they must—
the clever have to die,
the stupid and the senseless perish,
leaving their money to others;
11 their home eternal is the grave below
the dwelling where they must abide;
they vanish from men’s memory, although
they claimed lands for their own.
12 For all their splendour that they cherish,
men pass, even as the beasts that perish.
13 Such is the fate of the self-satisfied,
the end of all whose faith is in themselves;
14 death shepherds them unchecked,
driving them down to the world below;
ere long their form and fashion waste away,
and they abide within the world below.
15 (But God can ransom me;
he will release me from the grasp of death.)
16 So fear not when a man grows rich,
and when the splendour of his house increases;
17 he can take nothing with him when he dies,
his splendour will not follow him below.
18 In life he flatters himself on his fortune,
praising himself for his prosperity;
19 but down he goes to where his fathers dwell,
who see no light to all eternity.
20 For all the splendour that they cherish,
men pass, even as the beasts that perish.
An Asaphite song.
50 The Eternal speaks! — from east to west
earth falls a-trembling. 2 From Sion, so peerless in beauty,
the God of gods is flashing! 3 Our God comes with a summons—
in front of him devouring fire,
encircling him a mighty storm—
4 calling high heaven and earth
to the trial of his people;
6 the heavens announce his assize,
that God begins the trial.
5 “Gather me my followers,
who pledged their troth to me by sacrifice.
7 Listen, O my people,
let me speak, O Israel.
I would testify against you,
I who am God, your God.
8 I blame you not for lack of sacrifice;
daily your offerings are put before me.
9 I need no bullock from your farms,
no goat out of your herds;
10 for all the wild things of the wood are mine,
and cattle in their thousands on the hills;
11 every bird in the air I know
I own all roaming creatures on the plains.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
for the whole earth is mine and all it holds.
13 Do I eat flesh of bulls?
Do I drink blood of goats?
14 No, offer to God thanks as a sacrifice,
and pay your vows to the Most High;
15 call to me in your hour of need,
then I shall rescue you, and you shall honour me.”
16 God speaks thus to the godless:
“What right have you to repeat my laws,
and take my compact on your lips,
17 when you hate me to control you,
and toss my rules behind your backs?
18 You are a friend to any thief you see,
you ally yourselves with adulterers,
19 you let your tongue loose for the evil word,
your mouths are weaving malice,
20 you sit and you malign your brother,
slandering the son of your own mother.
21 This you have done, and because I said nothing
you thought I was no better than yourself!
But I will now convict you,
I will put it to you plainly.
22 Mark this, you who ignore me,
or I will tear you to pieces,
with none to protect you:
23 whoever offers thanks to me as sacrifice,
he honours me;
whoever holds my rules in his life,
I will let him enjoy my help.”
For the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had visited Bathsheba.
51 O God, as thou art kind, have mercy on me,
in thy vast pity wipe out my offences,
2 wash me from every stain of guilt,
and purge me from my sin.
3 Well do I know my offences;
my sin is never out of mind.
4 It is against thee I have sinned,
I have done evil in thy sight.
Yes, thou art just in thy charge,
and justified in thy sentence.
5 Ah! ’twas in guilt that I was born,
’twas in sin that my mother conceived me.
6 ’Tis inward truth that thou desirest,
grant me then wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me clean with marjoram,
wash me whiter than snow;
8 fill me with gladness and rejoicing,
that the life thou hast crushed may thrill with joy;
9 hide thy face from my sins,
and wipe out my guilt;
10 make me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new, steadfast spirit in me;
11 banish me not from thy presence,
deprive me not of thy sacred spirit,
12 gladden me with thy saving aid again,
and give me a willing spirit as my strength,
13 that I may teach offenders how thou dealest,
till sinful men turn back to thee.
14 O God my saviour, save me from mortal sin,
and my tongue shall praise thy faithfulness aloud.
15 O thou Eternal, open thou my lips,
till my mouth makes thy praises known.
16 Thou carest not for sacrifice,
thou wouldst not have burnt offerings from me;
17 God’s sacrifice is a soul with its evil crused:
a heart broken with penitence never wilt thou despise.
18 Grant happiness to Sion
by building up Jerusalem’s walls again;
19 then wilt thou welcome the due sacrifices,
and on thine altar bullocks shall be slain.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. An ode sung by David when Doeg the Edomite went away and told Saul that David had gone to the house of Ahimelek.
52 Why glory in your malice, O you tyrant,
against the faithful day by day?
2 You plan their utter ruin,
your tongue like a whetted razor,
you deceitful schemer!
3 Evil you prefer to good,
falsehood to honesty;
4 you revel in deadly speech,
you and your sly tongue!
5 But God will pull you down for that
he will snatch you right away,
he will dislodge you,
and root you out of the land of the living.
6 Good men shall see it and be awed,
then shall they laugh at him and cry,
7 “So this was the great man
who would not upon God rely,
but leant on his abundant wealth,
and on his power of money!”
8 But like an olive green am I,
living within the house of God;
upon God’s kindness I rely,
for ever and for evermore.
9 I will praise thee for all thou hast done,
I will declare how good thou art,
in presence of thy followers,
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To the tune of “Suffering.” An ode of David.
53 Profane men think,
“There is no God!”
Depraved their lives are and detestable,
not one of them does right.
2 God looks from heaven
upon mankind
to see if any have the sense
to care for God.
3 But all have lapsed,
one and all are tainted,
not one does what is right,
no, not a single one.
4 Shall they not rue it, these rascals,
who devour my people with their extortion?
5 Ha! here they are in a panic!
God scatters them;
their evil plan is defeated,
for God spurns them.
6 [[Oh that Israel’s deliverance would come from Sion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
how Jacob will exult,
how glad will Israel be!]]
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To a string accompaniment. An ode sung by David when the Ziphites went and told Saul that David was hiding among them.
54 O God, help me with thy might,
as thou art strong, uphold my right;
2 O God, hear my prayer,
and listen to my plea.
3 Proud creatures are assailing me,
and ruthless men would murder me,
men who care nothing for God.
4 Ah, God my helper,
ah, Lord, upholder of my life,
5 may evil recoil upon my foes!
O Lord, be true to me and crush them!
6 Then gladly will I sacrifice to thee,
with praise for all thy goodness,
7 when thou hast rescued me from all my woes,
and let me feast mine eyes on my defeated foes.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To a string accompaniment. An ode of David.
55 Listen to my prayer, O God,
hide not from my entreaty;
2 heed me and answer
my bitter lament,
as I moan at the noise of the foe,
at the shouts of godless men,
3 who overwhelm me with their injuries,
setting upon me furiously.
4 My heart is throbbing in my breast,
and anguish overpowers me,
5 terror and trembling seize on me,
and horror folds me round.
6 Oh for the wings of a dove
to fly away and be at rest!
7 Fain would I fly from it all
and live in the desert;
8 swiftly would I escape
from the furious blast,
from all their storm and confusion,
9 from their double tongues.
For here in the city I suffer the sight
of violence and disorder
10 patrolling day and night
the very walls;
11 mischief and misery are what I see,
and corruption, in the street;
the market-place is never free
from fraud and guile.
12 It is not taunts of a foe—
that I could bear;
it is not an enemy’s insolence—
then I could hide from him.
13 No, you are an equal of my own,
my close companion and my trusted friend!
14 Sweet was our fellowship together
within the house of God.
15 May he go to perdition!
Death seize all such!
May they go living to the world below,
swept off as their sins deserve!
20 For he laid hands upon his friends,
profaning friendship’s bond;
21 his talk was smoother than butter,
but his thoughts were of enmity;
his words were softer than oil,
yet sharp as a sword.
16 But as for me, I call to God,
and the Eternal helps me;
17 evening, morning, and at noon,
I moan and wail.
He will hear my cry and give me
peace and freedom from this strife,
from the host of foes around me.
19 God will hear me,
God upon his ancient throne;
he will lay them low,
lax, lawless creatures,
with no reverence for God.
23 Thou wilt toss them into the grave,
these murderers and liars;
they shall not live out half their days,
but I will trust in thee.
22 Leave all to the Eternal, who loves you;
never will he let good men come to grief.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To the tune of “Dove in isles afar.” A golden ode sung by David when the Philistines held him in Gath.
56 Have pity upon me, O God;
for men trample me down,
2 pressing on me all day long,
many and malignant.
3 The day I am afraid,
I put my trust in thee.
4 By God’s help I will maintain my cause;
in God I trust without a fear:
what can man do to me?
5 All day long they would injure me,
ever plotting harm to me;
6 they are in league for evil, and they lurk,
dogging my steps, like murderers.
7 Pay them back for their malice!
Down with these men of power, O God, in anger!
8 Thou countest up my sleepless hours,
my tears are gathered in thy bottle—
are they not noted in thy book?
9 God is upon my side; so I am sure
my foes must turn their back,
the day I call to him.
10 By God’s help I will maintain my cause;
11 in God I trust without a fear:
what can man do to me?
12 I am under vows to thee, O God;
I will pay thee my offering of praise,
13 for thou hast saved my life from death,
my feet from stumbling,
that I might live, ever mindful of God,
in the sunshine of life.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To the tune of “Destroy it not.” A golden ode sung by David in the cave, when he fled from Saul.
57 Have pity on me, O god, have pity,
for with thee I take shelter;
in the shadow of thy wings I shelter,
till the deadly danger passes.
2 I call to God Most High,
to God who acts on my behalf.
3 God send me help from heaven!
God send his love and loyalty,
discomfiting those who would trample me down!
4 I have to live amon lions,
who prey upon men;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongue is a sharp sword.
6 They set a net to catch my feet,
and they were caught in it themselves;
they dug a pit in front of me,
and they fell into it!
5 Up, O God, high over heaven!
Up with thy glory over all the earth!
7 My heart is ready, ready, O God,
for song and melody.
8 Awake, my soul! awake my lute and lyre!
Let me awake the dawn!
9 I would praise thee, Lord, among the peoples,
I would chant thee among the nations;
10 for they love is high over heaven,
thy loyalty soars to the skies.
10 Up, O God, high over heaven!
Up with thy glory over all the earth!
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To the tune of “Destroy it not.” A golden ode of David.
58 Is it indeed justice you decree?
Is it aright that you rule men?
2 No, in secret you devise injustice,
and on earth you deal out violence.
3 Evil men go astray from the start,
false and erring from their birth;
4 their venom is like a viper’s
they are deaf as any cobra,
5 that will not listen to the charmer’s voice,
to the most cunning spell.
6 Shatter their teeth, O God!
O thou Eternal, tear out the young lions’ fangs!
7 May they vanish like a freshet,
may they be trodden down like the green grass!
8 May they melt like a snail as it moves,
like an untimely birth, unseen by the sun!
9 Ere ever your pot feels the heat of the faggots,
may He sweep them away in his fury!
10 At the sight of such vengeance, the good shall exult,
and bathe their feet in bad men’s blood;
11 “Yes,” men shall say, “the good do get their due;
yes, a God rules on earth indeed!”
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To the tune of “Destroy it not.” A golden ode sung by David when Saul had the house watched, in order to murder him.
59 O my God, rescue me from my foes,
protect me from those who assail me;
2 rescue me from evildoers,
save me from bloodthirsty men.
3 Here they are, lurking to take my life,
a fierce gang to attack me!
And for no sin or crime of mine,
O thou Eternal, for no fault of mine.
4 They run to their posts; oh rouse thyself,
rescue me, look to me!
5 O Lord of hosts,
O God of Israel, rouse thee,
punish the insolent, every one of them,
spare not one vile traitor.
6 They snarl and snarl like dogs,
they prowl round the town in the evening;
7 there they are, blustering, arrogant,
insults on their lips! —
for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 Thou, O Eternal, thou wilt laugh at them,
wilt mock at all the insolent.
9 O thou my Strength, to thee I sing,
for thou, Eternal, art my fortress.
10 God in his goodness come to my rescue!
May the Eternal let me gloat over my foes!
11 Pity them not, lest my people forget;
rout them, ruin them, by thy might,
O Lord who art shielding me.
12 Each word they utter is a sin;
so let their own pride trap them,
for all their perjury and false talk.
13 Destroy them in thy wrath, destroy them
till they cease to be;
let the world know from end to end
that God does rule in Jacob.
14 They snarl and snarl like dogs,
and prowl at even round the town,
15 roaming in search of prey,
and growling if they miss it.
16 But I sing of thy strength,
a morning song to thy love;
for thou art a fortress to me,
a refuge in my day of danger.
17 O thou my Strength, to thee I sing,
for thou, Eternal, art my fortress.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To the tune of “Lily of the Law.” A golden ode for recitation, sung by David during the campaign against Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, when Joab wheeled round and defeated twelve thousand Edomites in the wady of Salt.
60 Thou hast discarded us, crushed us in anger, O God;
restore us to power:
2 thou hast shaken and shattered the land;
repair its tottering breaches.
3 Hard times thou hast given to thy people
and a cup to drink that has dazed them.
4 Hast thou given thy worshippers a flag,
only that they might fly from the archers?
5 To the rescue of thy dear folk!
Save by thy right hand, answer our entreaty,
10b O thou Eternal who hast discarded us, shamed us,
who would’st not march out with our army.
11 Help us against the foe,
for man’s help is in vain.
12 With God we shall do bravely;
he will trample down our foes.
6 God gave his sacred promise:
“I will divide up Shechem in triumph,
and parcel out the vale of Sukkoth;
7 Gilead is mine, Manasseh mine,
Ephraim I take for helmet,
Judah for my baton,
8 Moab I make a wash-basin,
Edom I claim as subject,
and over Philistia I will triumph.”
9 Ah, who will lead us inside the hill-fort?
Who will take us conquering into Edom?
10a Wilt not thou, O God?
From the Choirmaster’s collection. For strings. A song of David.
61 Hear my cry, O God,
and heed my prayer;
2 from earth’s far end I call to thee,
my heart is fainting.
When troubles are too strong for me,
do thou direct me,
3 O thou who art my refuge,
a fortress against the foe.
4 Oh to be a guest of thine for ever!
oh to be sheltered underneath thy wings!
5 For thou hearest my vows, O God,
thou grantest the desire of reverent men.
6 Add many a day to the life of the king,
till his years are age on age.
7 May he sit on his throne before God for all time!
Bid thy love and loyalty safeguard him.
8 And I will ever sing thy praise,
paying my vows through all my days.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To Jeduthun’s tune. A song of David.
62 Leave it all quietly to God, my soul,
my rescue comes from him alone;
2 rock, rescue, refuge, he is all to me,
never shall I be overthrown.
3 How long will you be threatening a man,
you murderers all,
as if he were a shaky fence,
a tottering wall?
4 They plan to push me from my place,
delighting in a crafty part;
blessings are on their lips,
and curses in their heart.
5 Leave it all quietly to God, my soul,
my rescue comes from him alone;
6 rock, rescue, refuge, he is all to me,
never shall I be overthrown.
7 My safety and my honur rest on God;
God is my strong rock and refuge.
8 Always rely on him, my followers,
pour out your prayers to him;
God is a refuge for us.
9 The lower ranks are but a thing of naught,
the upper ranks are only a delusion;
weigh them, they prove to be lighter and slighter than a breath of air.
10 Rely not on extortion,
pride not yourselves on robbery;
if wealth increases,
set not your heart upon it.
11 There is one thing God has said;
aye, twice have I heard him say it:
that power belongs to God,
12 and kindness, Lord, to thee;
every man thou rewardest
for whatever he has done.
A song of David, when he was in the desert of Judah.
63 O God, thou art my God, I yearn for thee;
body and soul, I thirst, I long for thee,
like a land without water, weary, dry.
2 I have seen thee in the sanctuary,
with visions of thy power and majesty,
4 so will I bless thee while I live,
lifting my hands in prayer to thee.
3 Thy love is more than life to me;
so my lips praise thee.
5 My soul is richly fed,
and with glad lips I sing thy praise.
6 When I remember thee in bed,
and muse on thee by night,
8 my soul clings close to thee,
thy right hand holds me fast;
7 for thou hast been my help,
and shadowed by thy wings I sing.
9 Those who would take my life shall be destroyed,
they shall go down to death,
10 flung to the sword,
left as a prey for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God,
and all the loyal shall exult
[[for false rebels shall be silenced]].
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
64 List to my plaint, O God,
save me from the foe and his terrors,
2 hide me from villains and their plots,
from gangs of evildoers,
3 whetting their tongue like a sword,
and aiming bitter words like arrows,
4 to shoot in secret at the honest man,
shooting suddenly and unafraid.
5 They work out their dark design,
they talk of laying intrigues,
for who, they think, will see them?
6 They have thought out their plan well,
each with a cunning heart,
each in his deep craft.
7 But God shoots at them with his arrow,
wounding them suddenly;
8 he trips them up in their own plot,
till all who see them recoil in horror.
9 So all men, noting the deeds of God,
shall tell of what he does;
10 good men will rejoice in the Eternal,
and shelter beside him;
right-minded men will all exult.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David, for music.
65 ’Tis fitting to praise thee in Sion, O God;
in Jerusalem shall vows be paid to thee.
2 O thou who hearest prayer,
all men shall come to thee.
3 Though our sins be too much for us,
’tis thine to cancel our transgressions.
4 Happy is he whom thus thou choosest
to dwell in thy courts, close to thee.
Fain would we have our fill of this,
thy house, thy sacred shrine—its bliss.
5 God of our victory, answering our prayers
with deeds of dread, so loyally,
all ends of the earth come to rely on thee,
and distant shores,
6 thou by whose might the mountains are made firm
and strongly fixed,
7 by whom the roaring seas are stilled,
and the tumult of nations,
8 till dwellers at the world’s far end
are awed at the proofs of thy power,
and lands of sunrise and of sunset
sing joyfully of thee.
9 Thou art good to the earth, giving water
enriching her greatly with rain
from brimming streams divine;
thou provides the grain
by preparing her duly,
10 watering well her furrows,
soaking her ridges,
softening her with showers,
and blessing all her growth.
11 Thou art crowning the year with thy goodness,
rich stores drop where thou passest,
12 the very pastures of the downs o’erflow,
the hills wear girdles of joy,
13 the meadows are clothed with flocks,
the valleys covered with corn,
shouting and singing for joy.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song for music.
66 Sing homage, all the earth, to God,
2 sing out the glory fo his name,
and celebrate his praises.
3 Say this to God: “How dread thy deeds are!
thine enemies cower
before thy power;
4 all the earth bows to thee,
singing thy praise,
singing praise to thy name.”
5 Come and see what God has done,
how dread his deeds are among men.
6 He turns the sea to dry land,
till men cross floods on foot.
So let us joy in him
7 who rules for ever by his power,
whose eyes survey the nations,
till not a rebel dares to raise his head.
8 Bless our God, O nation,
sound his praise aloud,
9 who keeps us safe in life,
and never lets us come to grief.
10 For, though thou hast put us to the proof, O God,
testing our mettle, like silver,
11 though thou hast let us be captured,
let us be heavily chained,
12 let conquerors ride over us,
though we had to pass through fire and water,
yet thou hast granted us a rich relief,
past set us free in liberty.
13 So I enter thy house with sacrifices,
I will pay my vows to thee,
14 vows poured out by my lips,
vows uttered in my agony;
15 fat beasts I will offer thee,
the odour of burning rams,
bullocks and goats in sacrifice.
16 Come, all ye worshippers of God,
hear what he did for me:
17 no sooner had I called to him
than I was praising him for answering me.
18 Had I been thinking secretly of sin,
the Lord would never have listened;
19 but God has listened indeed,
and to my prayer he has paid heed.
20 Blessed be God who has not checked
my prayer to him, nor is own love to me.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song for a string accompaniment.
67 O God, bless us with thy favour,
may thy face smile on us.
2 that so thy purpose may be plain to men,
thy saving power to every nation.
3 O God, may the world praise thee,
may all races praise thee,
4 may the nations sing for joy,
for thou rulest the world justly,
thou guidest the nations on earth!
5 O God, may the world praise thee,
may all the races praise thee!
6 The land has yielded her harvest
by the blessing of God, our God;
7 bless us, O God, bless us,
till men rever thee to the world’s far end.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David, for music.
68 When God stirs, his enemies scatter,
those who hate him fly before him;
2 as smoke is driven before the wind,
as wax melts at a fire,
so the ungodly perish before God.
3 But good men before God rejoice,
exulting with a joyful voice.
4 Sing to God, celebrate his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds,
bless him, exult before him,
5 before God in his sacred home,
father of orphans, champion of widows,
6 the God who brings the lonely home,
and frees the prisoner for prosperity—
only the rebels have to live forlorn.
7 O God, when thou didst march before thy people,
when thou didst move across the steppes,
8 earth was quaking, the skies shaking,
before God, Israel’s God.
9 O God, thou didst pour down a generous rain,
reviving thy land as it languished;
10 thy household were settled there,
and in thy goodness thou didst meet their needs.
11 When the Lord sent news of victory,
the women who told it were a mighty host:
12 “Kings and their armies are flying, are flying,
their spoil is divided
by Israel the fair Dove at home,
13 till her wings are covered with silver,
her pinions shimmer in gold.
14 When the kins were routed on the field,
it was like snow falling on mount Zalmon.”
15 A mighty range is Bashan range,
Bashan range has many a peak.
16 But what is your grudge, O range of peaks,
at the hill that God loves for his home,
where the Eternal dwells for evermore?
17 With mighty chariots in their myriads
the Eternal came from Sinai to this sanctuary.
18 There didst thou triump, with captives in thy train,
with tribute taken from men—
only the rebels dwell not there with God.
19 Blessed be the Lord, our saving God,
who daily bears the burden of our life;
20 God is for us a God of victories,
thanks to the Eternal we escape from death;
21 yes, God will shatter the head of his foes,
each long-haired sinner who defies him.
22 The Lord’s word is, “Wherever you may be,
I bring you from Bashan, from the sea,
23 to bathe your feet in the blood of the foe
and let your dogs share, as they lap it.”
24 Behold God entering the sanctuary,
my God, my King, in high procession,
25 singers in front, musicians behind,
between them girls with tambourines,
26 singing, “Bless the Lord God in your choirs,
O Israel’s offspring!”
27 In front the Benjamites, so few,
the chiefs of Judah, a great company,
the chiefs of Zebulun and Naphtali!
29 From thy temple high above Jerusalem,
28 display thy strength, O God,
who has so mightily prevailed for us;
29b there kings must offer thee tribute.
30 Check that Brute of a Nile-power,
the bullocks and steers of pagans,
trample down crafty pollicy,
rout all the races that rejoice in war,
31 till even Egypt sends ambassadors,
and Ethiopia hurries to submit to God.
32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the world,
oh celebrate the Lord!
33 Praise him who rides high on the ancient heavens,
whose voice thunders aloud.
34 Praise God for his might,
whose sovereign sway is over Israel,
whose might is in the skies.
35 God strikes awe from his sanctuary,
the God of Israel who bestows
prowess and power on people blessed by God.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To the tune of “The Lilies.” A song of David.
69 Save me, O God,
for the waters are threatening my life;
2 I am sinking deep in the mud,
where foothold there is none,
I have fallen into waters deep,
floods o’er me sweep.
3 I am wearied with crying,
my throat is parched,
mine eyes are weak
with waiting for my God.
4 I have more men who wantonly hate me
than hairs on my head;
my murderous, false foes are more
than the bones within my body;
I am forced to repay
what I never extorted.
5 O God, though well thou knowest my sinful folly,
although no fault of mine is hid from thee,
6 may nought befall me that would disconcert
those who wait for thee, O Lord God of hosts:
may naught befall me that would disappoint
thy worshippers, O God of Israel.
7 ’Tis for thy sake that I have suffered taunts,
had insults cover me with shame,
8 till my own brothers kept aloof from me,
my mother’s sons were distant to me.
9 ’Tis zeal for thy house that wears me away,
and taunts against thee fall on me.
10 When I chastened my soul with fasting,
men jeered at me;
11 when I clothed myself in sackcloth,
I became their byword;
12 men make a jest of me in public,
they put me into their maudlin songs.
13 But as for me, I pray to thee;
in thy great generosity,
O God, do thou accept me;
answer me with thy loyal aid,
14 save me from sinking in the mud,
from the deep waters of hatred,
15 let not the flood sweep over me,
let not the depths drown me;
let not death close over me.
16 Answer me, O Eternal, in thy love,
in thy vast pity turn to me;
17 hide not thy face from thy servant,
answer me quickly, for I am in misery;
18 come to me, rescue my life,
set me in safety from my foes.
19 Thou knowest how I am taunted,
my foes are plain to thee;
20 their taunts have broken my heart,
I am sick to the soul;
I look for pity—there is none,
for comforters, but all in vain.
21 For food men hand me poisonous drugs,
and vinegar when I would drink.
22 May the table they spread be their own ruin,
may their offerings ensnare them,
23 may their eyes be blurred and blind,
may their thighs be all a-quiver!
24 Vent thine anger on them,
may thy burning fury seize them,
25 desolate be their dwellings,
empty be their tents,
26 for persecuting him whom thou hast punished,
and adding to the pain of thy wounds!
27 Punish them for their crime,
exclude them from thy favours,
28 blot them from the Book of life,
blot their name from the list of the upright!
29 But lift me safe, O God,
out of my pain and misery,
30 and then I will sing praise to God,
and magnify him with thanksgiving;
31 ’twill please the Eternal more than any bull,
or any bullock that has horns and hoofs.
32 Mark all this and be glad, O folk forlorn,
take heart, O worshippers of God;
33 the Eternal listens to a life in need,
he never overlooks his own in prison.
34 Praise to him from heaven and earth,
from seas and all that glide therein!
35 For God will succour Sion
and rebuild the towns of Judah,
till men dwell there and own them,
36 till his servants leave them to their children,
and a race who love him live there.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David. To be used when incense is offered.
70 To the rescue, O God,
O thou Eternal, hasten to my help!
2 Disgraced, discomfited, be those who seek to murder me!
Routed, dishonoured, be they who delight in harm to me!
3 Thwarted and appalled be they who taunt and scoff!
4 But may thy followers all rejoice gladly in thee!
May those who love thy saving help have ever cause to say,
“All hail to God!”
5 As for me, I am weak and wretched;
O God, make hast to me.
Thou art my help and my deliverer;
tarry not, O Eternal.
71 With thee, O thou Eternal, I take shelter;
never let me be disappointed.
2 Oh rescue me, save me, as thou art faithful,
turn thine ear to me and deliver me.
3 Be a stronghold, a fortress, for me;
help me, for thou art my crag and castle.
4 O my God, rescue me from evil men,
from cruel, unjust hands;
5 for thou art my hope, O Lord,
I have trusted thee from youth,
6 I have leant on thee from my birth,
’twas thou didst take me from my mother’s womb;
my hope is ever in thee.
7 Through thee, my strength and shelter,
I am a marvel to many;
8 my lips shall be full of thy praise,
singing thy glory all day long.
9 Cast me not off in my old age,
forsake me not when my powers fail;
10 for murderous foes are plotting,
my enemies say of me,
11 “Set on him, seize him, God has forsaken him,
he has no one to save him.”
12 O God, be not far from me,
my God, make haste to help me.
13 May all my enemies be disraced, defeated,
may insults and dishonour cover them!
14 As for me, I hope on and on,
I praise thee more than ever;
15 all day long I will be telling
of thy victorious and faithful aid,
though never can I tell it to the full;
16 I will recite the great deeds of the Lord,
and praise thy faithful aid—and only thine.
17 Thou hast been teaching it from my youth, O God,
and I have ever told thy wondrous deeds.
18 Forsake me not, O God,
when I am old and grey;
that I may tell the rising generation
of thy strength and thy might.
19 Thy faithful aid is high as heaven, O God,
for great things thou hast done;
who is like thee, O God?
20 Many a trial sore
hast thou made us suffer,
but thou wilt revive us once more
and raise us from the depths,
21 thou wilt add to our honour,
and comfort us once more.
22 So shall I praise thee on the lute
for loyalty to me, my God,
singing thy praises on the lyre,
Majestic One of Israel.
23 My lips shall ring with joy and praise,
even the life which thou hast saved;
24 all day long I will be talking
of thy faithful aid,
for those who fain would injure me
are daunted and disgraced.
A song of Solomon
72 Inspire the king, O God, with thine own justice,
endow his majesty with thine own equity,
2 that he may rule thy folk aright
and deal out justice for the poor;
3 may justice bring the people peace,
from the very hills and mountains!
4 May he prove the champion of the weak,
may he deliver the forlorn,
and crush oppressors!
5 Long may he live, long as the sun,
as the moon that shines for ever!
6 May his rule be like rainfall upon meadows,
like showers that water the land!
7 Justice and welfare flourish in his days,
till the moon be no more!
8 From sea to sea may his domain extend,
from the Euphrates to the earth’s far end!
9 May the foe bow down before him,
his enemies grovel in the dust!
10 May kings from the west and the seaboard
pay tribute to him,
may kings of the south and of Arabia
offer him presents,
11 all kings do homage to him,
all nations yield to him!
12 For he saves the forlorn who cry to him,
the weak and helpless;
13 he pities the forlorn and weak,
he saves the lives of the weak,
14 he rescues them from outrage and oppression—
they are not cheap to him.
15 Long may he live,
to receive gold from Arabia!
For him may ceaseless prayer be made,
and all day long may he be blessed!
16 May the land be rich in waving corn,
right up to the top of the hills!
May the folk flourish like trees in Lebanon,
may citizens flower like grass in the field!
17 For ever blessed be his name,
sure as the sun itself his fame!
All races envy his high bliss,
all nations hail him as the happy king!
18 [[Blessed be the Eternal, Israel’s God,
who alone works wonders!
19 For ever blessed be his glorious name;
may all the earth be full of his glory!
Even so, even so!]]
20 Here end the devotions of David the son of Jesse.
An Asaphite song.
73 Yes, to the upright God is good,
to hearts unstained.
2 I almost slipped,
I nearly lost my footing,
3 in anger at the godless and their arrogance,
at the sight of their success.
4 No pain is theirs,
but sound, strong health;
5 no part have they in human cares,
no blows like other men.
6 So they vaunt them in their pride,
and flaunt them in rough insolence;
7 vice oozes from their very soul,
their minds are rank and riotous,
8 their talk is mocking and malicious,
and haughtily they lay their plots;
9 lofty as heaven itself their speech,
lording it over the world below.
10 So people turn to follow them,
and see no wrong in them,
11 thinking, “What does God care?
How can the Almighty heed—when these,
12 the godless, prosperously fare,
thriving thus at their ease?”
13 ’Tis all in vain I kept my heart from stain,
kept my life clean,
14 when all day long blows fell on me,
and every dawn brought me some chastening!
15 Yet, had I meant to utter this aloud,
I had been faithless to thy family.
16 So I thought of it, thinking to fathom it;
but sorely it troubled me,
17 till I found out God’s secret,
viewing their latter end.
18 Thou plantest them on slippery ground,
thou hurlest them to ruin—
19 laid low in a single moment,
scared away, swept away,
20 like a dream when one awakens,
like phantoms despised by the day!
21 When my heart was sour,
when I felt sore,
22 I was a dull, stupid creature
no better than a brute before thee.
23 Yet I am always beside thee;
thou holdest my right hand,
24 guiding me with thy counsel,
leading me after thyself by the hand.
25 Whom have I in heaven but thee?
On earth I care for nothing else.
26 Body and soul may fail,
but God my strength is mine for evermore.
27 Those who leave thee are lost;
all who are faithless to thee, thou destroyest.
28 But to be near God is my bliss,
to shelter with the Lord
[[that I may tell of all thy works]].
An Asaphite ode.
74 Why discard us, O God, for ever?
Why fume in anger at the flock of thine own pasture?
2 Remember the community thou didst win long ago,
whom thou didst rescue to be thine own people,
this hill of Sion, thine abode.
3 Turn thy steps toward the standing ruins,
to all the havoc of the foe within the sanctuary.
4 Thine enemies bawled inside thy house
set up their emblems there;
5 they smashed the doors down with their axes,
like woodmen felling trees,
6 then broke up all the carved work there
with hatchet and with hammer;
7 they set thy sanctuary ablaze,
laying it low, profaning thine own dwelling.
8 They said to themselves, “Let us root them out!”
so all the synagogues in the land they burned;
9 not an emblem of ours is to be seen.
No prophet now—none knows when this will end!
10 O God, how long is the foe to be scoffing?
Are the enemy always to blaspheme thee?
11 Why hold back thy hand, O God?
Stretch out they right hand and strike,
12 thou who art our King of old,
gaining victories on earth!
13 Thou didst divide the ocean by thy power,
Shattering the Dragon’s heads upon the waves,
14 crushing the heads of the Leviathan,
leaving him a prey to jackals.
15 Thou didst open springs and torrents,
thou didst dry up flowing streams;
16 thine is the day and thine the night,
thou hast provided sun and starlight;
17 thou hast arranged the earth in its due order,
thou hast made summer and winter.
18 Thou to be scoffed at by foes, O Eternal!
Thou for an impious race to blaspheme!
19 Leave not thy Dove Israel to a brutal power;
forget not thy poor people for all time.
20 Look at these creatures, so sleek and successful!—
every corner is full of their violence.
21 Let not the downtrodden turn from thee disappointed,
but may the weak and wretched have good cause to praise thee!
22 Up, O God, to vindicate the cause that is thine own!
Remember how the impious scoff at thee all the day long;
23 forget not the loud clamour of thy foes,
the endless din that rises from thine enemies.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To the tune of “Destroy it not.” An Asaphite song, for music.
75 We offer thanks to thee, O God, we offer thanks to thee,
telling of all thy wondrous deeds.
2 God says, “Through all the long delay”
I am still ruling in my justice;
3 when men in any panic melt away,
I still uphold the order of the world.
4 I tell the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
I tell the impious, ‘Never flaunt your power.’ ”
5 No, never flaunt your power thus proudly,
defy not God thus loudly;
6 rely not upon east or west,
on the south desert or the northern hills–
7 ’tis God who rules o’er men,
this one he lowers, this one he lifts.
8 The Eternal holds a cup of wine,
foaming and spiced;
he pours it out for all the wicked
to drink and drain it to the dregs.
9 But I will rejoice for ever,
I will sing praise to Jacob’s God,
10 for lopping the power of evil men,
and rallying the power of the upright.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To a string accompaniment. An Asaphite song, for music.
76 In Judah God is renowned,
his fame is high in Israel.
2 In Salem, his pavilion,
at Sion, his abode,
3 he has destroyed all flashing arrows,
shields and swords and martial weapons.
4 Thou didst strike terror
from the hills eternal;
5 the valiant fell a prey to thee
and slept their last,
the veterans – not a man of them
could move a finger;
6 O God of Jacob, at thy stroke
chariot and horse lay stunned.
7 Terrible art thou; who can stand
the weight of thy wrath?
8 The earth was hushed in terror
when thy sentence fell from heaven,
9 when God arose to act on earth,
in aid of the afflicted.
10 All pagans shall give praise to thee;
the rest of us shall keep thy festival.
11 Let vows be paid to your God, the Eternal;
and let all round pay tribute to him,
12 who strips chiefs of their courage,
who terrifies a tyrant.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To Jeduthun’s tune. An Asaphite song.
77 I cry aloud to God,
I cry to God to listen,
2 I turn to the Lord in my hour of need,
I stretch my hands out ceaselessly,
refusing to be comforted.
3 I moan as I remember God,
I muse upon him till I faint;
4 all night I never close my eyes,
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I dwell on days of old,
I recall the years gone by,
6 thinking to myself by night,
musing in my inward quest:
7 “Will the Lord for ever discard us,
will he never be kind again?
8 Has his love left us for ever,
has his faithfulness utterly failed?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he, in anger, stopped his pity?
10 Yes, this is my grief, that the Most High
no longer has the strength he had.
11 Let me recall what the Eternal did,
let me remember thy wonders of old,
12 let me think of all that thou hast done,
and muse upon thy deeds.
13 Thy dealings were divine, O God;
what god was great like the Eternal?
14 Thou wast a God of wonders,
thou didst show the world thy strength,
15 rescuing thy people by thy power,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph,
20 leading thy people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
16 O God, the waters saw thee,
the waters saw thee and quivered,
the depths of ocean shivered;
17 rain rushed from the clouds,
the skies in thunder crashed,
thine arrows flew and flashed,
18 thy thunder rolled and resounded,
lightning lit up the world,
earth shook and was confounded,
19 as thou didst tread upon the sea,
marching through deep waters,
thy footprints all unseen.”
An Asaphite ode.
78 Listen to my teaching, O my people,
give ear to what I say,
2 as I open my lips in a poem
on the deep lessons of the past,
3 that we know as we have heard,
that our fathers told to us,
4 hiding it not from their children,
but telling the next generation
the Eternal’s praise and power,
the wonders he has done.
5 He set up his witness in Jacob,
he appointed a law within Israel,
bidding our fathers instruct their children,
6 that the next generation might understand,
that children yet unborn might rise
and tell their children after them,
7 to put their confidence in God,
and not forget the deeds of God,
but loyally obey him;
8 that they might not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and unruly race,
a wavering race,
no loyal hearts for God.
9 The Ephraimites were like a disappointing bow,
that fails upon the day of battle;
10 they would not keep their compact with God,
they would not follow his directions,
11 they forgot what he had done,
the wonders he had shown them.
12 Marvels he wrought, under their fathers’ eyes,
in Egypt, in the land of Zoan;
13 he split the sea and led them through,
piling the water up like walls,
14 he led them with a cloud by day,
and all night with a blazing fire;
15 he split rocks in the wilderness,
to give them drink in the desert,
16 he brought streams out of the rock,
made water run like a river.
17 But still they sinned against him, in the desert
they defied the Most High;
18 with a doubt of God in their mind
they demanded the food they craved,
19 they question God – was he able
here in the desert to spread us a table?
20 He struck the rock till waters flowed
and streams poured out;
but can he give us food as well,
and furnish flesh to his people?
21 When the Eternal heard this, he was wroth,
he blazed out against Jacob,
his wrath broke upon Israel,
22 for failing to believe in God,
for trusting not his saving aid.
23 So, at his bidding, from the skies,
as he opened the sluices of heaven,
24 manna rained down for their food,
and he gave them heaven’s own grain;
25 men ate the bread of angels,
he sent them food to the full.
26 He brought an east wind over the sky,
he drove a strong wind from the south,
27 raining flesh on them like the dust,
and birds like sand upon the beach,
28 letting them fall inside the camp,
close to their very tents.
29 They ate, and they were gorged then
with the food they craved;
30 and still they were at their surfeit,
still eating up their food,
31 when the anger of God broke on them
and slew their lusty men,
laying the pick of Israel low.
32 Yet on they went in sin;
for all his wonders, they would not believe.
33 So he made their days brief as a breath,
and the end of their life sudden death.
34 Then, if he slew them, they sought after him,
they would earnestly seek God again,
35 remembering God was their strength,
and God Most High their preserver.
36 But it was smooth words and no more,
their promises to him were false;
37 they had a wavering mind,
they were not loyal to his compact.
38 He in his great pity cancels sin,
dooms not to death;
often he will avert his wrath,
without one angry breath.
39 So he remembered they were mortal men,
their life no better than a passing breeze;
40 though often they defied him in the desert,
and vexed him in the wilderness,
41 with doubts of God again and again,
that pained the Majestic One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his power,
nor the day he saved them from the foe,
43 the portents that he wrought in Egypt,
his marvels in the land of Zoan;
44 how he turned streams into blood,
till none could drink the water,
45 sent out dog-flies to devour,
frogs to destroy,
46 let caterpillars have the crops,
and locusts all the fruit of the foe’s labour.
47 he killed their vines with hail,
the sycamores with frost,
48 gave cattle over to the plague,
and beasts to the murrain.
49 His blazing anger he let loose,
fury and rage and ruin,
the messengers of woe;
50 straight and swift his anger sped, unsparing,
letting the deadly pestilence prey on life;
51 he struck down all the first-born within Egypt,
each oldest male child in the tents of Khem.
52 But his own people he led out like sheep,
guiding them in the desert like a flock;
53 he led them safely on, without a fear,
when the sea drowned their foes;
54 he brought them to his sacred soil,
to hills he had won for himself;
55 he drove out nations before them,
and duly divided their land,
for Israel’s clans to occupy.
56 Yet they doubted and defied the Most High God,
they would not obey his rules;
57 they fell back, false like their fathers,
they failed, like a disappointing bow;
58 their idols angered him upon the heights,
their images provoked his jealousy.
59 God heard of it, and he was furious,
he was done with Israel!
60 He abandoned his Dwelling at Shilo,
the tent he had pitched among men,
61 he let his great ark be captured,
let his splendid ark fall to the foe;
62 he abandoned his folk to the edge of the sword,
so furious was he with his own,
63 till their youths fell in the flames of war,
and girls had never a wedding song,
64 till their priests were cut to pieces,
and widows dared not raise a dirge.
65 Then the Lord started up, as from a sleep,
and, like a hero wild with wine,
66 he made rout of his foes,
defeating and disgracing them for ever;
67 and then, disowning the tents of Joseph,
passing by Ephraim’s clan,
68 he chose the clan of Judah,
his beloved hill of Sion,
69 where he built his shrine like heaven on high,
firm as the earth he has founded for ever.
70 He chose David his servant,
took him from the sheepfolds,
71 fetched him from the care of ewes,
to tend his people Jacob,
to shepherd his own Israel;
72 and he did tend them honestly,
he led them with ability.
An Asaphite song.
79 O God, the pagans have invaded thy preserve,
they have profaned thy sacred shrine,
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins;
2 they have flung the corpses of thy servants
to the wild birds as their food,
the flesh of thy followers to wild beasts;
3 all round Jerusalem
their blood has been poured out like water,
and there was none to give them burial.
5 Eternal One, how long wilt thou be angry?
Is thy passion to burn on for ever,
like a fire, against us?
6 Vent thy rage on pagans who disown thee,
on realms that never call to thee,
7 who devour Jacob and lay waste his homestead.
8 Remember not our fathers’ sins against us;
let thy compassion hasten to our need,
for we are low indeed.
9 Help us, O God our saviours,
for the sake of thine own honour,
and cancel thou our sins;
rescue us, as thou art God,
10 for why should pagans sneer,
“Where is their God?”
Oh may we live to see
thy vengeance fall on pagans
for spilling the blood of thy servants!
11 Oh may the moan of prisoners reach thee,
and by thy mighty power
release those who are doomed to death.
12 Pay back our neighbours, Lord,
punish them seven times over for the taunts
that they have heaped on thee.
13 Then we thy people, the sheep of thy pasture,
will ever give thee thanks,
and to all ages tell thy praise.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. To the tune of “Lilies of the Law.” An Asaphite song.
80 O Shepherd of Israel, hear us,
who leadest Joseph like a flock!
Shine from thy throne above the kherubs,
2 for Ephraim and Manasseh!
Oh stir thy strength
and come to our rescue!
3 O God of hosts, restore us to power;
a smile of thy favour, and we are saved!
4 O Lord of hosts, how long will thine anger fume,
though thy people are praying?
5 Thou hast made tears our daily bread,
and tears on tears our drink;
6 thou has made us the butt of our neighbours,
the jest of our foes.
7 O God of hosts, restore us to power;
a smile of thy favour, and we are saved!
8 Thou didst bring a vine from Egypt,
thou didst plant her, driving out the nations;
9 when thou didst clear a place for her,
she took root and she spread over the land,
10 till her shadow lay over the mountains,
and her boughs covered even the mighty cedars;
11 she pushed her tendrils to the sea,
her shoots to the Euphrates.
12 Why hast thou torn her fences down,
till passers-by all strip her,
13 till the boar from the forest gnaws her,
and wild beasts graze on her?
14 O God of hosts, we pray thee,
look once again from heaven, look on her;
15 take this vine, thy charge, replant her,
this the vine thy right hand planted.
16 Men have burned her, cut her down–
may they perish at thy frown!
17 Do thou protect thy chosen folk,
those thou hast nurtured for thyself;
18 then shall we never be faithless to thee;
revive us, and we will worship thee.
19 O God of hosts, restore us to power;
a smile of thy favour, and we are saved!
From the Choirmaster’s collection. Set to a vintage melody. An Asaphite song.
81 Sing aloud to God our strength,
shout for joy to Jacob’s God;
2 raise the chorus, sound the drum,
sound the sweet lyre and the lute,
3 at the new moon blow the trumpet,
and at full moon, for our festival.
4 This is laid down for Israel,
a rule of Jacob’s God;
5 he made it a law in Joseph,
on leaving Egypt’s land.
I heard one whom I knew not, saying:
6 “I freed your shoulder from the load,
your hands from the heavy hod;
7 at your cry of distress I rescued you,
I answered you from thunder-clouds,
I tested you at the waters of Merîbah.
8 Listen, my people, to my warning–
O Israel, if you would only listen:
9 you must allow no foreign god,
no worship of an outside god;
10 I am your God, I the Eternal,
who brought you out of Egypt’s land;
open your mouth and I will fill it.
11 But my people would not listen,
Israel would have none of me;
12 so I left them to their own self-will,
to follow their own devices.
13 Oh that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would live my life!
14 I would soon subdue their foes,
and strike at their oppressors;
15 those who hate them would cower before them,
in unending terror;
16 and I would feed them with the finest wheat,
with honey from the rock to their hearts’ content.”
82 God stands out in the council of the gods,
among the gods he rules supreme.
2 “How long will you rule unjustly,
favouring evil men?
3 Uphold the weak, the fatherless,
let the forlorn and poor have justice;
4 rescue the weak and wretched,
from the grip of evil men.
6 Or, I say, though you are gods,
all sons of the Most High,
7 yet, like mere men, you shall die,
you shall perish like a demon.”
8 Up, O God, rule thou the earth,
the true Lord of all pagans–
5 senseless and ignorant, they blindly move,
till the world shakes to its core!
An Asaphite song, for music.
83 Keep not still, O God,
speak, stir, O God!
2 Here are thy foes in uproar,
thine enemies are alert,
3 plotting against thy folk cunningly,
conspiring against thy precious people,
4 saying, “Come, let us blot them out of being,
ill Israel be no more a nation.”
5 So they plan, with one consent,
in a league against thee–
6 Edomites and Ishmaelites,
Moabites and Hagrites,
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amâlek,
the Philistines and Tyre,
8 Samaria a confederate,
allied to the sons of Lot.
9 Treat them like Sisera and Jabin
at the torrent of the Kishon,
10 who perished at Endor,
dropping like dung.
11 Treat their chiefs like Oreb and Zeêb,
their lords like Zeba and Zalmunna,
12 for thinking they could seize and hold
the fields of God!
13 My God, whirl them away like dust,
like straw before the wind;
14 as fire burns up the forest,
as flames set hills ablaze,
15 so drive them as thou stormiest,
and scare them in thy rage;
16 bring them to blank dishonour,
till they turn to thee, O Eternal!
17 Theirs be defeat and dismay unending,
disgrace and destruction!–
18 to teach them that thou, O Eternal, thou
art the Most High God over all the world.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. Set to a vintage melody. A Korahite song.
84 How dear thy dwelling is,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul has been panting and pining
for the courts of the Eternal;
now soul and body thrill with joy
over the living God,
3b over thine own altars,
O Lord of hosts, my King and God;
3a the bird has found her home at last,
a nest to lay her young!
4 Happy are they who live within thy house,
praising thee all day long!
5 Happy are they who, nerved by thee,
set out on pilgrimage!
6 When they pass through Weary-glen,
fountains flow for their refreshing,
blessings rain upon them;
7 they are the stronger as they go,
till God at last reveals himself in Sion.
8 Hear my prayer, O Lord of hosts,
O God of Jacob, listen;
9 God, our protector, look on us,
welcome thy chosen to thy presence.
10 Better a single day within thy courts
than a thousand days outside!
I would rather sit at the threshold of God’s house
than live inside the tents of worldly men.
11 For God the Eternal is a sun and shield,
favour and honour he bestows;
he never denies bliss to the upright.
12 O Lord of hosts,
happy the man who trusts in thee!
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A Korahite song.
85 Once thou didst favour thy land, O Eternal,
restoring the fortunes of Jacob,
2 pardoning thy people’s guilt,
forgiving all their sins,
3 recalling all thy wrath,
averting thy hot anger.
4 Deliver us again, O God our saviour,
and break off thy displeasure.
5 Wilt thou be always angry with us?
Wilt thou prolong thy wrath, age after age?
6 Wilt thou not again revive us,
that thy people may rejoice in thee?
7 Let us enjoy thy kindness, O Eternal,
grant us thy saving aid.
8 Let me listen to God speaking,
speaking surely words of peace
to his people, to devout men,
whose hearts turn to himself;
9 soon shall his worshippers see his aid,
till his great Presence dwells within our land.
10 Kindness and faithfulness unite,
victory and peace embrace,
11 faithfulness rising from the earth,
and kindness looking down from heaven,
13 victory marching before God,
peace following in his footsteps.
12 [[Yes, the Eternal brings prosperity;
our land is yielding fruit.]]
A payer of David.
86 Bend thine ear to me, O thou Eternal, answer me,
for I am weak and wretched;
2 Oh save my life, for I am true to thee,
rescue thy servant who relies on thee.
3 Thou art my God, be gracious, O Eternal,
for all day long I cry to thee;
4 gladden the soul of thy servant,
for on thee, O Lord, I set my heart.
5 Lord, thou art kind and ready to forgive,
rich in thy love to all who call on thee.
6 O thou Eternal, listen to my prayer,
and hear my pleading cry;
7 I call upon thee in my hour of need,
for thou wilt answer me.
8 There is no god like thee, O Lord,
there are no deeds like thine;
9 all nations thou hast made shall come
and bow down before thee,
glorifying thee, O Lord,
10 for thou art great, thou workest wonders,
thou, only thou, art God.
11 Teach me what is thy way, O thou Eternal,
how to live loyal to thee;
may reverence for thee rejoice my heart.
12 With all my heart I thank thee, O my God,
for ever will I glorify thee;
13 for thou hast a great love to me, O Lord,
saving me from the very depths of death.
14 Proud creatures are assailing me, O God,
a gang of ruthless men would murder me,
men who care nothing for thee.
15 But thou art a God pitiful and gracious,
slow to be angry, rich in love and loyalty;
16 turn and have pity upon me, O Lord,
grant thy strength to thy servant,
help thy retainer;
17 let me have some sign of thy favour,
a sight of thine own aid and consolation,
to the dismay of those who hate me.
A Korahite song, for music.
87 The Eternal founded her upon the sacred hills;
2 aye, Sion and her gates are more to him
than any dwelling in the land.
3 Dear city of God, he utters thy glories:
4 “Egypt and Babylon, Philistia, Tyre
I count as mine
for there this follower and that was born;
5 but Sion! – her name shall be Mother,
for every follower of mine belongs to her by birth.”
6 The Eternal writes of every nation, in his census,
“This follower of mine was born in it”;
but, prince or people, everyone has his home in thee, O Sion.
A Korahite song for music from the Choirmaster’s collection. To the tune of “Suffering sore.” An ode of Heman the Ezrahite.
88 O thou Eternal, I cry for help in the daytime,
and at night I moan before thee;
2 let my prayer reach thy presence,
bend an ear to my cry.
3 For trouble fills my soul to the full,
my life is on the verge of death;
4 I am already reckoned among the departed,
I am but the shadow of a man,
5 left to myself among the dead,
like the slain lying in their graves,
of whom thou hast mind no more–
they are deprived of thee.
6 In the nethermost pit thou hast placed me,
in abysses dark and deep;
7 thy wrath lies heavy upon me,
thy waves all overwhelm me.
8 Thou has removed my friends from afar,
and made them loathe me;
I cannot get free from my prison,
9 and my health pines away under my trouble.
Daily I call to thee, O thou Eternal,
I stretch my hands to thee.
10 Canst thou work wonders for the dead?
Can ghosts arise to praise thee?
11 Can thy love be recounted in the grave,
thy faithfulness within the world below?
12 Can thy wonders be known in the darkness,
thy saving help in the land of oblivion?
13 I am crying for help, O Eternal, to thee,
my prayer comes to thee in the morning.
14 Why discard me, O Eternal?
Why hide thy face from me?
15 Ever since youth I have suffered and languished,
crushed by the dread of thee, I faint;
16 thy burning wrath sweeps over me,
thy terrors have undone me,
17 surging round me without end,
closing round on every side.
18 Thou has put far every friend,
and darkness is my one companion.
An ode of Ethan the Ezrahite.
89 I will sing always of the Eternal’s love,
telling all ages of thy faithfulness;
2 for thy love thou hast promised to be lasting,
thy faithfulness is firmly fixed in heaven,
5 and heaven is praising, O Eternal, heaven’s own host,
the marvel of thy faithfulness.
6 For who above can rank with the Eternal,
what angel can compare with the Eternal?–
7 a God to be dreaded at the heavenly council,
an over-awing God.
8 O thou Eternal, God of hosts, who can compare with thee,
in all thy love and faithfulness?
9 Thy sway is over the proud sea;
when the waves toss, thou stillest them.
10 Rahab thou didst cut and crush to pieces,
scattering thy foes by the force of thine arm.
11 The heavens are thine, the earth is thine,
’twas thou didst found the world and all it holds;
12 the north and south, thou madest them,
Tabor and Hermon hills acclaim thee.
13 Thine is a right powerful arm,
a strong hand, a right hand swung high;
14 thy throne rests upon equity and justice,
Love and Faithfulness are thine attendants.
15 Happy the people who know thy festal songs,
who live in the sunshine of thy favour!
16 All day long they exult, O thou Eternal,
and extol thy equity.
17 For thou art our pride, thou our strength,
and, thanks to thy favour, our honour is high;
18 we are defended by the Eternal,
by our King, the Majestic One of Israel.
3 Thou saidst, “I make a compact with my chosen,
I swear to my servant David,
4 to make his dynasty endure,
to make his throne last for all time”:
19 thou didst tell thy trusted seer,
thy voice came in a vision:
“I have crowned a hero,
chosen a youth from the people,
20 I have picked out my servant David
and consecrated him as king.
21 My hand shall always help him,
my arm shall make him strong:
22 no foe shall ever surprise him,
no miscreants shall master him;
23 I will shatter his enemies before him,
and strike down all who hated him;
24 my loyalty and love shall be with him,
and I will lift him high in honour;
25 I will extend his power to the sea,
and his authority far as the Euphrates;
26 he shall say, ‘Thou art my Father,
my God, my saving strength!’
27 And I will make him my first-born son,
highest of all kings on earth.
28 I will always keep my word to him,
my compact with him is secure;
29 I make his dynasty eternal,
his throne unending as the heavens.
30 If his sons forsake my law,
and follow not my orders,
31 if they break my rules,
and obey not my commands,
32 then I will scourge them for their sin
and lash them for their lawlessness,
33 but I will never take my love from him,
never will I belie my loyalty;
34 my compact I will never break,
my spoken word I will not change.
35 Once and for all I took a solemn oath,
and I will keep my word to David,
36 that for all time his dynasty should last,
his throne endure before me like the sun,
37 fixed as the moon for evermore,
firm as the constant sky.”
38 And yet thou hast scorned, discarded,
stormed against thy chosen!
39 Thou hast abjured the compact with thy servant,
and thrown his sacred crown into the dust;
40 thou hast demolished all his walls
and laid his forts in ruin;
41 the passers-by all plunder him,
and he is the butt of his neighbours.
42 Thou has allowed his enemies to triumph,
giving delight to all his foes;
43 thou hast made him retreat before them,
and hast not upheld him in battle.
44 Thou hast removed his splendid sceptre
and dashed his throne to the ground;
45 thou has shortened the days of his youth
and heaped disgrace on him.
46 How long, O thou Eternal, wilt thou hide?
Shall thy wrath, like a fire, burn on for ever?
47 Remember, Lord, what life is!–
how frail and futile thou has made all men!
48 Who can live on and die not,
who can escape the grave?
49 Where is thy former love, O Lord,
which thou didst pledge to David faithfully?
50 Remember, Lord, the taunts thrown at thy servants,
the insults of the world we have to bear,
51 the taunts of thine own enemies, O Eternal,
taunting thy chosen at every step.
52 [[Blessed be the Eternal for ever and ever!
Even so, even so!]]
A prayer of Moses the man of God.
90 Age after age, Lord, thou has been our home;
from all eternity thou hast been God,
2 ere ever hills were born,
ere ever earth and world were made.
3 Thou crumblest man away,
summoning men back to the dust,
4 thou to whom a thousand years
are like the flight of yesterday,
like an hour passing in the night.
5 Year after year thou sowest men
like grass that grows anew,
6 that in the dawn is fresh and flourishing,
and by the twilight fades and withers.
7 For under thine anger we perish,
we sink in terror at thy wrath;
8 thou dost expose our sins
and layest our guilty secrets bare;
9 our days droop under thy displeasure,
our life is over like a sigh.
10 Our life is seventy years at most,
or eighty at the best;
it is a span of toil and trouble,
soon over, and we flit away.
11 Yet who weighs the full weight of thy displeasure?
Which of us dreads thine anger?
12 Oh teach us so to count our days,
that we may take it to heart.
13 Relent, O thou Eternal, and delay not,
be sorry for thy servants.
14 Let thy love dawn on us undimmed,
that all our life we may be glad and sing;
15 grant joy as long as thou hast been afflicting us,
for all the years that we have suffered;
16 let thy servants see thee at thy saving work,
and let their children see thy glorious power.
17 Lord, may thy loving favour rest on us,
and prosper all the work we undertake.
91 Happy the man who stays by the Most High in shelter,
who lives under the shadow of Almighty God,
2 who calls the Eternal “My refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust”!
3 He saves you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pit;
4 he protects you with his pinions
and hides you underneath his wings.
5 You need not fear the terrors of the night,
nor arrows flying in the day;
6 you need not fear the plague that stalks in the dark,
nor sudden death at noon;
7 hundreds may fall beside you,
thousands at your right hand,
but the plague will never reach you,
4c safe shielded by his faithfulness.
8 You only have to look on and see
how evil men are punished;
9 but you have sheltered beside the Eternal,
and made the Most High God your home,
10 so no scathe can befall you,
no plague can approach your tent.
11 For he puts you in charge of his angels,
to guard you wherever you go,
12 to lift you in their hands
lest you trip over a stone;
13 you can walk over reptiles and cobras,
and trample on lions and dragons.
14 “He clings to me, so I deliver him;
I set him safe, because he cares for me;
15 I will answer his cry and be with him in trouble,
delivering him and honouring him;
16 I will satisfy him with a long life,
and let him see my saving care.
A song for the sabbath. To be accompanied.
92 It is a joy to give thanks to the Eternal,
to sing thy praise, O thou Most High,
2 to proclaim thy goodness in the morning
and thy faithfulness at night,
3 to the sound of a ten-stringed lute,
to the sweet music of the lyre;
4 thy doings have made me glad, O thou Eternal,
I sing for joy at all that thou hast done.
5 How great are thy deeds, O Eternal,
how deep are thy designs!
6 The dull man does not see,
the senseless does not understand,
7 that when bad men thrive like grass,
and evildoers flourish,
it is only to be rooted up for ever,
8 while thou art supreme ever, O Eternal.
9 Yonder are thy foes, O thou Eternal,
yonder are thy foes, destroyed!–
all evildoers scattered!
10 But thou dost raise me high to honour,
thou dost revive my failing strength;
11 I feast mine eyes on my defeated foes,
I hear with joy my enemies’ doom.
12 But good men flourish like a palm,
and grow like cedars on Lebânon;
13 planted inside the Eternal’s precincts,
they flourish in the courts of our God,
14 still bearing fruit when they are old,
still fresh and green–
15 showing how just the Eternal is,
my Strength who never errs.
93 The Eternal is reigning, robed in majesty;
the Eternal is robed with a girdle of power.
Thou hast steadied and settled the world,
2 thy throne stands firm from of old,
thou art from all eternity.
3 The floods may storm, O thou Eternal,
the floods may storm aloud,
the floods may storm and thunder;
4 but high above the roaring billows,
high above the ocean breakers,
the Eternal stands supreme.
5 Thine own authority will never fail,
thy house will never lose its sanctity,
O thou Eternal One.
94 O thou Eternal, thou avenging God,
O thou avenging God, appear;
2 rise up, O Ruler of the world,
and let the haughty have what they deserve!
3 How long is it to last, O thou Eternal,
this exultation of ungodly men,
4 blustering insolently,
lording it arrogantly?
5 They crush thy people, O Eternal,
thy heritage they are harrying,
6 killing the widow and the foreigner
and murdering the fatherless;
7 and they think the Eternal never sees them,
Jacob’s God will never heed them!
8 But mark this, dullest of the dull–
when will you understand, O senseless men?–
9 is he deaf, he who made the ear?
Is he blind, he who formed the eye?
10 Can he not punish men, he who is training them?
Has he no knowledge, he who teaches men?
11 Knowledge! The Eternal knows that human plans
are but an empty breath!
12 Happy is he who has thy discipline
and thine instruction, training him
13 calmly to wait on, in adversity,
till a pit is dug for ungodly men!
14 For the Eternal will not leave his people,
will not forsake his own;
15 no, goodness shall have justice done to it–
the future is with men of upright mind.
16 Who is my champion against the ungodly?
Who sides with me against the evildoers?
17 If the Eternal had not been my help,
I would have soon passed to the silent land.
18 When I think my foot is slipping,
thy goodness, O Eternal, holds me up;
19 when doubts crowd into my mind,
thy comforts cheer me.
20 Can evil rulers have thee for an ally,
who work us injury by law,
21 who attack honest men,
and doom the innocent to death?
22 No, the Eternal who is my protection,
my God who is my strength, my safety–
23 may he requite them for their crime,
and for their evil make an end of them!
95 Oh come, let us sing to the Eternal,
let us sing loudly to our saving Strength,
2 let us come before him with thanksgiving,
shouting to him songs of praise!
3 For a great God is the Eternal,
the King of all the gods;
4 the depths of earth lie in his hand,
the mountain-peaks are his,
5 he made the sea, he made the land,
and sea and land are his.
6 Come, let us worship and bow down,
kneeling to him who made us;
7 the Eternal is our God, and we
the people whom he shepherds.
… if you would only listen to my voice to-day,
8 and be not stubborn as at Meribah,
as once at Massa in the wilderness,
9 when your forefathers doubted me,
and tested me, though they had felt my power.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation;
I said, “They are a senseless people,
they care not for my ways”;
11 so I swore in solemn anger,
they should never reach my rest.
96 Sing a new song to the Eternal,
sing, all the earth, to the Eternal,
2 sing to the Eternal, praise him,
day after day tell of his saving aid;
3 let pagans hear about his glory,
let every nation know his wondrous deeds.
4 For great is the Eternal, loudly to be praised,
and to be feared above all gods;
5 for all gods of the nations are mere idols,
but the Eternal made the heavens;
6 grandeur and majesty attend him,
splendour and power fill his sanctuary.
7 Praise the Eternal, O families of the nations,
praise the Eternal for his glory and his might!
8 praise the Eternal for his open glory,
enter his courts with an offering,
9 kneel before God in sacred vestments,
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Proclaim to pagans that the Eternal reigns;
he has steadied and settled the world,
he will rule the nations justly.
11 Let the skies be glad, let earth rejoice,
let the sea and all within it thunder praise,
12 let the land and all it holds exult,
let all trees of the forest sing for joy
13 at the Eternal’s presence – for he comes,
he comes to rule the earth,
to rule the world with justice
and the nations faithfully.
97 The Eternal reigns! Let earth rejoice,
let many a shore be glad.
2 His throne rests upon equity and justice;
clouds and darkness surround him,
3 fire burns in front of him
and blazes round his steps,
4 his lightnings illumine the world,
till earth shivers at the sight;
5 the mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth;
6 the heavens proclaim his high authority,
all nations see his majesty.
7 All worshippers of images were confounded–
so proud of their empty idols!–
all gods lay prostrate at his feet.
8 Sion heard it and rejoiced,
the towns of Judah were in joy
at thy saving deeds, O thou Eternal;
9 for thou art the Most High o’er all the earth,
thou hast proved greater than all gods.
10 Those who hate evil the Eternal loves,
he saves his followers alive,
rescuing them from evil men.
11 Light dawns for the just,
and happiness for men of upright mind;
12 rejoice, ye just, in the Eternal,
give thanks as you recall his sacred name.
A song.
98 Oh sing a new song to the Eternal,
for marvels he has done,
by his right hand has won victory
by his majestic power;
2 the Eternal has let the nations see
his triumph and his victory.
3 He has remembered to be kind to Jacob
and loyal to the house of Israel;
from end to end the world has seen
the victory of our God.
4 Shout praise, alle earth, to the Eternal,
break into music and song,
5 praise the Eternal with the lyre,
with the lyre and song,
6 shout praise before the King, the Eternal,
with bugle and cornet.
7 Let the sea and all within it thunder praise,
the world and its inhabitants,
8 let rivers clap their hands,
let mountains sing in chorus
9 before the Eternal – for he comes to rule the world,
to rule the world with justice,
nations with equity.
99 The Eternal is king! Let the nations shake!
He is enthroned! let the world quake!
2 Great is the Eternal within Sion,
high over all nations.
3 Praise to him, so great and dread!
A mighty Majesty is he.
4 Thou art a King, in love with justice,
thou has restored equity,
thou maintainest right and justice.
5 Exalt the Eternal One, our God,
and worship at his footstool;
a mighty Majesty is he.
6 His priests have still a Moses and an Aaron,
his worshippers have still a Samuel;
and the Eternal answers when they call to him,
7 still through a cloudy pillar speaks to them,
when they keep the commands he has laid down.
8 O Eternal, our God, thou answerest them;
thou hast been a forgiving God to them,
and hast avenged their wrongs.
9 Exalt the Eternal One, our God,
and worship at his sacred hill:
for the Eternal is a mighty Majesty.
A song for the thankoffering service.
100 Shout praise, all earth, to the Eternal,
2 sacrifice gladly to the Eternal,
enter his presence with songs of praise;
3 confess that the Eternal is God,
’tis he who made us, we are his,
the people whom he shepherds;
4 enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise,
give thanks and praise to him,
5 for kind is the Eternal,
his love will last for ever,
his faithfulness from age to age.
A song of David.
101 I will be kind and just before thee, O Eternal;
2 let a just man’s case come up, and I will deal with it.
I will live uprightly in my own house,
3 I will have no base aims.
Apostates and their practices I hate;
they appeal not to me.
4 I banish purposes perverse,
I disown evil men.
5 If a man slanders secretly his fellow,
I silence him;
if any man is proud and haughty,
I will not suffer him.
6 I look out for the faithful in the land,
to have them at my court;
men of integrity shall be my ministers;
7 deceitful men shall not dwell in my household,
no man who tells a lie shall live with me.
8 I will be active to wipe out all wicked natives from the land,
to root out every evildoer from the Eternal’s city.
The prayer of an unhappy soul who is overwhelmed and pours out his plaint before the Eternal.
102 Listen to my prayer, O thou Eternal,
let my cry for help reach thee;
2 hide not thy face from me
on my day of trouble,
bend thine ear to me,
answer me quickly when I call.
3 My days are vanishing like smoke;
my limbs are fevered like a fire,
4 my health is blighted, withering like grass–
I forget to take my food;
5 my skin is stretched tight on the bone,
so bitterly I moan.
6 I am like a pelican in the desert,
like an owl moping in the ruins;
7 I cannot sleep, I mourn
like a lonely bird on the roof;
8 all day long my foes are taunting me,
those who mock me call me “The accursed.”
9 I eat ashes with my food,
tears fall into my drink,
10 so angry and furious art thou—
thou who didst lift me and hast thrown me down!
11 My days are brief as any evening shadow,
and I am withering away like grass.
23 He has broken my strength,
24 he has shortened my days, till I cry:
“My God, remove me not before my days are done,
O thou whose years endure age after age!”
12 O thou Eternal, throned for ever,
from age to age thy fame endures;
13 thou wilt rise and have pity on Sion—
’tis time, ’tis time to favour her;
14 her scattered stones are dear to thy servants,
and they are distressed at the dust of her ruins.
16 When the Eternal builds up Sion,
appearing in his majesty,
17 when he turns to the folorn,
despising not their prayer,
15 then pagans will revere thee,
all kings on earth will own thy majesty.
19 When the Eternal bends from his sacred height,
and looks from heaven to earth,
20 to hear the prisoner’s groan,
and to release the doomed;
18 let this be set down for future generations,
that people yet unborn may praise the Eternal,
21 rehearsing his fame in Sion
and praising him at Jerusalem,
22 when realms and nations gather there
to worship the Eternal.
25 Thou didst found the earth of old,
the heavens are the work of thy hands;
26 they vanish, but thou shalt endure,
they wear out like a robe;
thou changest them like garments, and they change
27 but thou art still the same, O thou Eternal,
thy years never end;
28 and in thy presence live thy servants’ children,
and their posterity perpetually.
A song of David.
103 Bless the Eternal, O my soul,
let all my being bless his sacred name;
2 bless the Eternal, O my soul,
remember all his benefits;
3 he pardons all your sins,
and all your sicknesses he heals,
4 he saves your life from death,
he crowns you with his love and pity,
5 he gives you all your heart’s desire,
renewing your youth like an eagle’s.
6 The Eternal vindicates the cause of any who are wronged;
7 he let Moses see this purpose,
and Israel his methods.
8 The Eternal is pitiful and gracious,
slow to be angry, rich in love;
9 he will not always chafe,
he will not hold to his anger for all time;
10 he treats us not according to our sins,
he deals not with us as our guilt deserves;
11 but, high as heaven is over earth,
so vast his love is to his worshippers;
12 far as the east is from the west,
so far he puts our sins away from us.
13 As a father pities his children,
so the Eternal pities his worshippers;
14 he knows what we are made of,
he remembers we are dust.
15 Poor man! — his days are like the grass,
he blooms like a flower in the meadow;
16 at the breath of a breeze it is gone,
and its place never sees it again.
17 But the Eternal’s love is everlasting,
his loyalty goes on to children’s children,
18 when they obey his compact
and remember to do his bidding.
19 In heaven has the Eternal fixed his throne,
and his dominion covers all the world.
20 Bless the Eternal, O his angels,
strong spirits who obey his word!
21 Bless the Eternal, all his hosts,
servants who carry out his will!
22 Bless the Eternal, all his works,
in every sphere of his dominion!
104 Bless the Eternal, O my soul!
Eternal One, my God, thou art most great,
arrayed in glorious majesty.
2 Thou wrappest thyself in a robe of light,
thou spreadest the sky like a tent,
3 thou buildest thy chambers on the waters above;
thou makest clouds thy chariot,
thou ridest on the wings of the wind;
4 thou makest winds thy messengers,
fire and flame thy servants.
5 Thou didst found the earth upon its pillars,
never to be shaken,
6 drawing the deep over it,
till the waters stood above the mountains;
7 but they retired at thy rebuke,
scared at the sound of thy thunder,
9 never to pass thine appointed bounds,
or cover the earth again;
8 the mountains rose, the valleys sank,
to the place made for them.
10 He pours the streams into the valleys,
that flow between the mountains,
11 where all the wild beasts drink,
wild-asses quench their thirst;
12 there the wild birds settle,
singing among the branches;
16 and the great trees drink their fill,
the cedars the Eternal sowed on Lebânon,
17 where the birds build their nests,
the stork with her home in the cypress.
18 The high hills shelter the wild goat,
the marmot hides in the rocks.
13 He waters the hills from his high chambers,
and rains abundantly upon the land,
14 till grass grows for the cattle,
and fodder for the beasts that serve mankind;
that he may bring food from the earth,
15 wine to cheer up the heart of man,
oil, that his skin may shine,
bread to sustain his strength.
19 He marks the seasons by the moon,
he tells the sun when it must set.
20 Thou makest it dark; night falls,
and every wild beast in the wood is moving—
21 lions roaring for their prey
and claiming food from God;
22 when the sun rises, then they slink away
to lie down in their lairs,
23 but man comes out to work,
and labours till the evening.
24 How manifold thy works, Eternal One,
all of them wisely made!
25 Yonder the sea lies, vast and broad,
with its countless swarms,
with creatures small and great,
26 with fleets of the nautilus,
with leviathan at his play!
24c The world is full of thy creatures,
27 all looking to thee
for their food in season due;
28 what thou givest, that they gather,
feasting from thine open hand.
29 But when thy face is hidden, they are scared,
when thou recallest their breath, they die.
30 Yet a breath from thee brings them into being,
renewing the face of the earth.
31 For ever may the glorious might of the Eternal last!
May the Eternal joy in his own works!
32 Earth trembles at a glance from him,
the mountains smoke at his touch.
33 Long as I live, I will sing to the Eternal,
and praise my God while I have breath.
34 May these my thoughts please him—
I find my joy in the Eternal!
35 May sinners be swept out of the world,
may evil men no longer live in it!
Bless the Eternal, O my soul!
Hallelujah!
105 Give thanks to the Eternal, proclaim his fame,
celebrate his deeds among the nations,
2 sing to him, make music to him,
go over all the wonders he has done,
3 glory in his sacred name,
let the Eternal’s worshippers rejoice in heart.
4 Worship the Eternal and his might,
worship in his presence evermore;
5 never forget the wonders he has done,
his marvels and his sentences of doom,
6 O race of Abraham his servant,
O sons of Jacob whom he chose.
7 The Eternal, he is our God,
supreme over all nations.
8 He never forgets his compact,
the pledge given for a thousand generations,
9 the compact made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac,
10 confirming it as a degree to Jacob,
for Israel as a lasting compact,
11 that he would give them Canaan’s land,
to hold it as their own possession.
12 Few in number were our fathers,
few and foreigners;
13 wandering from one nation to another,
and from realm to realm;
14 but he would not let a man oppress them,
he would punish kings on their account,
15 saying, “‘ Never touch my chosen,
never harm my prophets.”
16 He called a famine on the land,
destroying all the Egyptians’ sustenance.
17 He sent a man in front of them,
Joseph, sold as a slave;
18 his feet were forced into fetters,
he was laid in irons,
19 till the promise of the Eternal came true,
the promise that tested him.
20 Then the king sent and released him,
the monarch set him free,
21 and made him master of his palace,
lord of all that he possessed,
22 to control his nobles as he pleased,
and dictate to his councillors.
23 Then Israel entered Egypt,
Jacob lived in the land of Khem.
24 God multiplied his people greatly,
till they outnumbered the Egyptians,
25 who turned to hate his people,
to handle his servants craftily.
26 So he sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron whom he chose;
27 he wrought portents within Egypt,
marvels in the land of Khem;
28 darkness he sent, he made it dark,
but they would not heed his word;
29 he turned their waters into blood,
and killed their fish;
30 frogs swarmed over their country,
into the very chambers of the king;
31 dog-flies swarmed at his command,
and lice through all their land;
32 he gave them hail for rain,
and fire flashed over the land,
33 striking their vines and fig-trees,
breaking the trees of the country;
34 at his bidding locusts came,
and grasshoppers past counting,
35 that ate up all the green growth of the land,
and all the crops;
36 he struck down all the first-born in their land,
each oldest male child.
37 Then he led out his clansmen,
carrying spoil of gold and silver,
not a weary man among them;
38 glad was Egypt when they left,
for they were dreaded.
39 He spread out clouds to shelter them,
and lit them in the night with fire;
40 he sent them quails, at their demand,
and bread of heaven in plenty;
41 he opened rocks, and through the sand
water rushed like a river.
42 For he remembered his own sacred pledge
to Abraham his servant.
43 So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen with a song and shout;
44 he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they possessed the fruit of others’ toils
45 ’Twas all to make them carry out his orders
and obey his laws.
106 Hallelujah!Give thanks to the Eternal! – he is good,
his kindness never fails.
2 Who can proclaim the Eternal’s mighty deeds,
or do full justice to his praise?
3 Happy are they who hold to what is right,
who do their duty at all times!
5 They share the welfare of thy chosen band,
thy nation’s joy, the triumph of thy land.
4 Remember us in thy goodwill, Eternal,
oh save and prosper thine own people.
6 For, like our fathers, we have sinned,
we have done evil, have done wickedly.
7 At the Reed Sea our fathers defied the Most High,
heedless of his wonders done in Egypt,
forgetting all the kindness he had shown them.
8 Yet he saved them for his own sake,
to display his power;
9 the Reed Sea dried up at his bidding,
through the deep he led them like a desert,
10 saving them from hostile hands,
rescuing them from the foe;
11 the waters rose over their enemies,
till not a man was left.
12 Then they believed his promise,
and they sang his praise.
13 But soon they forgot what he had done,
they would not be patient with his purposes;
14 they had a craving in the wilderness,
that made them doubt God in the desert;
15 he let them have what they desired.
then – made them loathe it!
16 When they were jealous of Moses in the camp,
and of Aaron, whom the Eternal consecrated,
18 fire broke out in their company,
and flames burned up the wicked;
17 earth opened and swallowed Dathan up,
and closed over Abiram’s crew.
19 At Horeb they made a calf,
and worshipped a metal image,
20 bartering God their glory
for the image of an ox that munches grass!
21 They forgot God their deliverer,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
22 marvels in the land of Khem,
deeds of awe at the Reed Sea.
23 So he threatened to destroy them,
had not Moses stepped into the breach,
had not Moses, whom he had chosen, faced him,
to avert his deadly wrath.
24 And then they scorned the land of delight;
they would not believe what he promised,
25 but grumbled in their tents
and would not listen to his word;
26 so he swore solemnly
to lay them low in the desert,
27 to scatter their children among heathen men,
and disperse them over the world.
28 When they joined the Baal of Pĕor,
and ate food offered to the dead,
29 they angered him with their misdeeds,
and plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas rose to interpose,
and so the plague was checked–
31 which was counted in his favour,
as a merit for all time.
32a At the waters of Merîbah they enraged God,
33a rebelling against his Spirit,
32b till they made Moses go wrong
33b and utter words in haste.
34 Nor did they root out the pagans,
as the Eternal ordered;
35 they mixed with heathen men
and learned their ways,
36 and worshipping their idols
were ensnared;
37 they sacrificed to demons,
sacrificed their sons and daughters,
38 pouring out innocent blood,
till the land was stained with murder.
39 They were befouled by what they did,
and broke faith by their practices.
40 So the Eternal’s anger blazed against his people,
he loathed his heritage;
41 he abandoned them to pagans,
to be ruled by those who hated them;
42 their foes oppressed them,
forced them to submission.
43 Many a time he rescued them;
but they would take their own rebellious way,
till evil-doing wasted them away.
44 Yet he regarded their distress,
when he heard them wailing;
45 he remembered for their sake his compact,
in his great goodness he relented;
46 he made their very captors
have compassion upon them.
47 O thou Eternal, our God, save us,
gather us out of the nations,
that we may give thanks to thy sacred name,
and triumph in thy deeds of praise.
48 [[Blessed be the Eternal, Israel’s God, from age to age, for ever!
Let all the people add “Amen.”]]
“Give thanks to the Eternal! – he is good,
his kindness never fails!”
2 Be this the song of the redeemed,
redeemed by the Eternal from their foes,
3 gathered from lands afar,
from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some wandered in the lonely wilderness,
they could not find a settled town;
5 their soul was faint
with hunger and with thirst.
6 They cried to the Eternal in their need,
to save them from their evil plight,
7 and straight he led them
to a settled town.
8 Let them thank the Eternal for his kindness,
and for the wonders that he does for men;
9 he satisfies their longing thirst,
and fills them in their hunger.
10 Some lay in darkness and in gloom,
prisoners in chains and misery,
11 because they had rebelled at God’s commands
and scorned what the Most High enjoined;
12 hard labour crushed their spirit,
and wearied out, forlorn,
13 they cried to the Eternal in their need,
to save them from their evil plight;
14 he took them from the darkness and the gloom,
and snapped their chains.
15 Let them thank the Eternal for his kindness,
and for the wonders that he does for men;
16 he breaks the gates of bronze,
and shatters iron bars.
17 Some, weakened by their sinful ways,
were sick and suffering by evildoing;
18 they had a loathing for all food,
they were on the verge of death;
19 they cried to the Eternal in their need,
to save them from their evil plight;
20 he sent his word to heal them
and preserve their life.
21 Let them thank the Eternal for his kindness,
and for the wonders that he does for men;
22 let them offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and joyfully recount what he has done.
23 Some crossed the sea in ships,
trading in great waters;
24 they saw what the Eternal does,
his marvels in the deep.
25 When the wind rose at his bidding,
and the waves tossed with the storm,
26 they soared to heaven, sank to the depth,
their courage melting;
27 they reeled and staggered like a drunken man,
and were at their wit’s end.
28 They cried to the Eternal in their need,
to save them from their evil plight;
29 he stilled the storm to a whisper,
till the waves were hushed.
30 Glad were they for the calm,
and then he brought them to their longed-for haven.
31 Let them thank the Eternal for his kindness,
and for the wonders that he does for men;
32 let them extol him, when the people meet,
and praise him in the council of the sheikhs.
33 He turns streams into a desert,
and fountains into dry land;
34 he turns an oasis into a salt waste,
to punish people for their sins.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
and dry land into fountains,
36 where he settles famished folk,
to build a town to settle in,
37 sowing fields and planting vineyards,
gathering in their harvest;
38 by his blessing they increase,
and their herds never diminish.
40 He pours contempt on lords,
and sets them in a pathless waste astray,
39 till they grow few and faint
under the weight of misery.
41 But he lifts poor men from their woes,
and makes their household like a fruitful flock.
42 Good men rejoice to see this,
and wrongdoers are silenced.
43 Let any wise man ponder this,
and lay to heart how kind the Eternal is.
A song of David, for music.
108 My heart is ready, O God,
for song and melody.
2 Awake, my soul! awake, my lute and lyre!
Let me awake the dawn!
3 I would praise thee, O Eternal, among the peoples,
I would chant thee among the nations,
4 for thy love is high over heaven,
thy loyalty soars to the skies.
5 Up, O God, high over heaven!
Up with thy glory over all the earth!
6 To the rescue of thy dear folk!
Save by thy right hand, answer our entreaty.
7 God gave his sacred promise:
“I will divide up Shechem in triumph,
and parcel out the vale of Sukkoth;
8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh mine,
Ephraim I take for helmet,
Judah for my baton,
9 Moab I make a wash-basin,
Edom I claim as subject,
and over Philistia I will triumph.”
10 Ah, who will lead us inside the hill-fort?
Who will take us conquering into Edom?
11 Hast thou not discarded us, shamed us, O God?
thou would’st not march out with our army.
12 Help us against the foe,
for man’s help is in vain.
13 With God we shall do bravely;
he will trample down our foes.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
109 God of my praise, be not thou silent;
2 for wicked men are loud against me,
falsely charging me;
3 they beset me with their words of malice,
they attack me wantonly;
4 they return enmity for love,
even as I pray for them,
5 rewarding me with cruelty for my kindness,
and hatred for my love.
6 Arrest yon evil knave,
let some accuser face him;
7 let him be tried and sentence,
let his prayer pass for a sin!
8 Few days be his!
May another seize his office!
9 May his children become fatherless,
his wife a widow!
10 May they be vagabonds and beggars,
driven out of their ruined home!
11 May creditors seize all he has,
and strangers help themselves to all he made!
12 May not a soul be kind to him,
may no one pity his fatherless children!
13 May his posterity be rooted out,
and his name blotted out in a single generation!
14 But never may his father’s evil be forgotten,
or his mother's sin be blotted out!
15 (The Eternal ever keep them in his mind,
to root them from the earth!)
16 Never did he remember to be kind;
but wretched, weak, and broken-hearted creatures
he persecuted to the death.
17 He would not bless? – blessings be far from him!
He loved to curse? – may curses light on him!
18 May curses cling to him like clothes!
Curses soak into him like water,
sink to his very bones like oil!
19 May curses be the garment he puts on!
curses be like his girdle day by day!
20 So may the Eternal reward my accusers,
and all who threaten my life!
21 O Lord the Eternal, act on my behalf,
oh rescue me in thy kind love;
22 for I am weak and wretched,
my heart is in anguish,
23 my days are brief as any evening shadow,
I am whirled off like a locust,
24 my knees are giving way with fasting,
my flesh is thin and shrivelled;
25 they are taunting, taunting me,
tossing their heads at the sight of me!
26 Eternal One, my God, oh help me,
save me in thy love–
27 to let them know thy power by this,
what thou canst do, Eternal One!
28 They may curse, but do thou bless;
confounded by my foes, but let thy servant joy.
29 May my opponents be covered with disgrace,
robed in their own dishonour!
30 I will give thanks aloud to the Eternal;
yes, I will praise him in the congregation,
31 for he supports a helpless man,
to save him from his persecutors
A song of David.
110 The Eternal has this oracle for my lord:
“Sit throned at my right hand,
until I make you foes your footstool.”
2 Yes, the Eternal shall send you from Sion
the sceptre of your sway,
to let you reign amid your foes,
arrayed in sacred vestments.
3 The day you come to power, you are supreme,
vital and fresh like dewdrops of the dawn;
4 “you are to be a priest for life”–
so swears the Eternal, his oath will not change–
“a priest as once Melkizedek was.”
5 The Lord is at your side,
shattering kings upon his day of wrath.
6 He sends pagans to their doom,
filling the valleys with their corpses,
shattering their chiefs far and wide;
7 he drinks from any stream he crosses,
then charges forward, triumphing.
111 Hallelujah.With all my heart I thank the Eternal,
in gatherings of good men for fellowship.
2 Great are the Eternal’s doings,
to be studied by all who delight in them;
3 splendid and glorious are his deeds,
his victories know no end;
3 he will have us celebrate his wondrous deeds,
for the Eternal is gracious and pitiful.
5 He feeds his worshippers;
never does he forget his compact.
6 He has shown his people his power in action,
as he gave them the homes of the heathen.
7 Faithfully he deals and justly,
trustworthy are all his precepts;
8 his orders are enacted for all time,
issued in faithfulness and justice.
9 He has sent his people freedom,
fixing his compact with them for all time–
a God majestic, terrible.
10 The first thing in knowledge is reverence for the Eternal:
it is sound sense for everyone;
his praise endures for ever.
112 Hallelujah.Happy the man who reverences the Eternal,
who finds rich joy in his commands!
2 His children shall rise to power within the land;
the race of the upright are blessed.
3 Riches and wealth are in his house,
good fortune never fails him.
4 Light dawns upon the good man,
the upright man so mild and merciful.
5 All goes well with the generous, open-handed,
who will act fairly;
6 never shall that man come to grief;
the good man’s memory never fades.
7 He has no fear of evil tidings,
he trusts the Eternal with a steady heart;
8 his heart is firm and fearless,
certain that he will see his foes collapse.
9 He gives to the poor lavishly,
and so good fortune never fails him–
he rises to high power and honour.
10 Ungodly men look on and grieve,
they gnash their teeth and – disappear;
the ungodly’s hope will come to nothing.
113 Hallelujah.Praise the Eternal, servants of the Eternal, praise his name!
2 Blessed be the Eternal’s name from now and evermore!
3 Praise to the Eternal’s name from sunrise to sunset!
4 The Eternal is supreme over the nations, majestic over the heavens.
5 Who is like the Eternal, our God, dwelling in high heaven,
6 stooping to cast his eyes on earth below?
7 He raises poor men from the dust, the wretched from the dunghill,
8 to seat them beside princes, the princes of his people;
9 makes the barren wife a happy mother in her home.
114 Hallelujah.When Israel went from Egypt,
and Jacob’s household from a foreign folk,
2 Judah he took to be his own,
and Israel his for domain.
3 The sea fled at the sight of it,
Jordan made way for them;
4 the mountains leaped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, sea, that you thus flee?
Jordan, that you make way?
6 you mountains, to leap thus like rams?
you hills like lambs?
7 Aye, tremble, earth, at the Eternal’s presence,
before Jacob’s God,
8 who turns a rock into a pool,
flint into fountains!
115 Not for us, O thou Eternal, not for us,
but for thyself, win praise,
to prove that thou thyself art kind and true.
2 Why should pagans sneer,
“Where is that God of theirs?”
3 Ah, he is in heaven, our God,
he does whate’er he pleases.
4 Their idols are mere gold and silver,
made by the hands of men,
5 with mouths – but they never speak,
with eyes – but they cannot see,
6 with ears – but they cannot hear,
with noses – but they cannot smell,
7 with hands – but they cannot feel,
with feet – but they cannot walk!
8 No sound from them!
No breath of life is in them!
So be it with their makers,
with all who trust in them!
9 But Israel trusts in the Eternal;
he is their shield and succour.
10 Aaron’s household trusts in the Eternal;
he is their shield and succour.
11 The Eternal’s worshippers trust in the Eternal;
he is their shield and succour.
12 The Eternal remembers us, and he will bless us,
he will bless Israel and Aaron’s household,
13 he will bless his worshippers,
both high and low alike.
14 The Eternal will make you increase,
will multiply you and your children.
15 Your blessing comes from the Eternal,
who made heaven and earth,
16 the heaven that the Eternal holds himself,
the earth he has assigned to men.
17 The dead cannot praise the Eternal,
nor any who sink to the silent land;
but we bless the Eternal now and evermore.
116 Hallelujah.I love to know that the Eternal listens
to the voice of my appeal;
2 because he bends his ear to me,
I will pray to him all my life.
3 Death had netted me, in desperate straits,
I was in anguish and despair;
4 so I appealed to the Eternal,
“O thou Eternal, save my life!”
5 Tender and true is the Eternal,
our God indeed is pitiful;
6 the Eternal protects poor souls–
when I am helpless, he is my help.
7 Return to thy rest, O my soul,
for the Eternal has dealt lovingly with thee.
8 Thou has saved my life from death,
mine eyes from tears,
9 I will live mindful of thee now
in the land of the living.
10 Though I cried out, “I am crushed,”
11 thinking, in my distraction, “All men are a failure,”
yet I had faith.
12 Now, what can I render to the Eternal
for all his benefits to me?
13 I will offer a libation for my rescue,
and proclaim the Eternal aloud;
14 I will pay what I vowed to the Eternal,
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the eyes of the Eternal
is the death of his devoted.
16 Eternal One, I am indeed thy servant,
thy servant, thy retainer;
thou hast delivered me.
17 I will offer thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and proclaim the Eternal aloud;
18 I will pay what I vowed to the Eternal,
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the Eternal’s house,
within thee, O Jerusalem.
117 Hallelujah.Praise the Eternal, all ye nations,
laud him, all ye races;
2 for his love to us is vast,
his loyalty will ever last.
118 Hallelujah.Give thanks to the Eternal! – he is good,
his kindness never fails.
2 Let Israel repeat,
“His kindness never fails”;
3 let Aaron’s household repeat,
“His kindness never fails”;
4 let the Eternal’s worshippers repeat,
“His kindness never fails.”
5 I was hard pressed, I called to the Eternal;
the Eternal answered, and he set me free.
6 The Eternal is upon my side; I have no fear.
What can man do to me?
7 I have the Eternal as my Helper;
so shall I feast mine eyes on my defeated foes.
8 Far better rely on the Eternal than put faith in men;
far better rely on the Eternal than put faith in princes.
10 The pagans all swarmed around me;
I routed them, relying on the Eternal.
11 They swarmed around me, they beset me;
I routed them, relying on the Eternal.
12 They swarmed like bees about me;
I routed them, relying on the Eternal.
They blazed like a fire among thorns;
I routed them, relying on the Eternal.
13 Hard pressed was I, about to fall,
but the Eternal helped me.
14 The Eternal is my strength, of him I sing,
he has delivered me indeed.
15 Hark, the joyful shout of triumph in the tents of the just!–
“The Eternal’s right hand carries the day,”
16 “The Eternal’s right hand triumphs,”
“The Eternal’s right hand carries the day!”
17 I shall not die, but live
to proclaim the Eternal’s deeds;
18 The Eternal has been chastening me sorely,
but he has not left me to die.
19 Open to me the gates of Victory,
that I may enter in to thank the Eternal.
20 “Here is the Eternal’s gate;
the just alone can enter.”
21 Thanks unto thee for answering me,
for thy deliverance.
22 The stone the builders cast aside
is now the building’s strength and pride;
23 this is the doing of the Eternal–
we can but watch and wonder.
24 This is a day we owe to the Eternal;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
25 O thou Eternal, lend thine aid!
O thou Eternal, prosper us!
26 In the Eternal’s name, blessed be he who enters!
We bless you from the house of the Eternal,
27 our God, the Eternal, who has brought light to us.
Round and round the altar dance,
waving your boughs, linked together,
28 singing, “Thou art my God, I praise thee,
thou art my God, I extol thee.”
29 Give thanks to the Eternal! – he is good,
his kindness never fails.
119 Happy are they who live uprightly, living by the Eternal’s law!
2 Happy are they who follow his injunctions, giving him undivided hearts,
3 who do no wrong, who keep to his paths!
4 Thou has laid down thy behests for us to do them diligently;
5 oh that my life were set on thine obedience!
6 No shame befalls me when I heed thy commands.
7 As I learn the justice of thy rulings, I thank thee with unfeignèd heart;
8 I will obey thee: never do thou forsake me.
9 How can a young man keep life clean? By keeping to thy word.
10 I give thee an undivided heart; oh never may I stray from thy control!
11 I store thy word within my heart, to keep myself from sinning against thee.
12 Blessed be thou, O Eternal; teach my thy will.
13 My lips recount all that thy lips enjoin;
14 I find more joy in thine injunctions than in any wealth.
15 I muse on thy behests and mark thy paths;
16 I delight in thy will, I never forget thy word.
17 Deal kindly with thy servant, that I live to do thy bidding;
18 open mine eyes to see the wonders of thy law;
19 hide not thy commands from me, an alien on the earth.
20 My soul yearns all the time for thee to intervene,
21 to check the arrogant, to curse all those who swerve from thy control;
22 relieve me from their insults and contempt, for I follow thine injunctions.
23 Nobles may plan to attack me, but thy servant muses on thine orders;
24 my advisers are thine own injunctions – I delight in them.
25 My soul is bowed to the dust: revive me, as thou hast promised;
26 teach me thine orders, thou who answerest me when I tell thee my plight;
27 show me how thy will works, that I may muse upon thy wondrous deeds.
28 My soul is melting under trouble: nerve me as thou hast promised;
29 keep me from being false to thee, and graciously direct me.
30 A faithful life is what I choose, thy demands I desire;
31 O thou Eternal, disappoint me not, I bind me to thy bidding;
32 I will obey thee eagerly, as thou dost open up my life.
33 Teach me, Eternal, how thine orders run, and I will follow to the end;
34 instruct me how to carry out thy law, and I will keep it with all my heart;
35 lead me in thine obedience, for it is my joy.
36 Incline my heart to thy behests, and to no love of gain,
37 make me alive to follow thee, and turn mine eyes from cravings vain.
38 Fulfil thy promise to thy servant, to advance thy faith;
39 remove the insults that I dread, and intervene for good;
40 as thou art true, revive me; I am yearning for thy will.
41 Let thy love come to my rescue, as thou has promised;
42 then I can face my revilers, relying on thy promise;
43 leave me not speechless for the truth: my hope is, thou wilt intervene.
44 I would obey thy law continually, always and evermore;
45 let me live unhampered, for I study thy behests.
46 I bear testimony to thy law before kings, unashamed;
47 I take delight in thy commands, so dear to me,
48 I adore thy commands and muse upon thine orders.
49 Remember thy promise to thy servant, for thou didst bid me hope;
50 this comforts me in trouble, thy promise puts life into me.
51 Arrogant men may deride me, but from thy law I never swerve;
52 I console myself, remembering thy judgments of old.
53 Hot indignation seizes me at the ungodly who forsake thy law.
54 Thy statutes are my songs, as I wander through the world.
55 I remember thy name by night and I obey thy law;
56 this is my blessed lot, to carry out thy behests.
57 Yes, O Eternal, to obey thy bidding, this is my lot;
58 with all my heart I pray thee to revive me, as thou hast promised.
59 Thinking on how to live, I turn to thy directions,
60 I hasten instantly to follow thy commands;
61 evil men may ensnare me, but I never forget thy law.
62 At midnight I rise to praise thee for thy just interventions;
63 I keep company with all thy worshippers who carry out thy will;
64 teach me thine orders, for the world is full of thy goodness.
65 Thou has been good to thy servant, as thou didst promise;
66 train me in judgment and knowledge, for I believe in thy commands;
67 before my trouble I went wrong, but now I do thy bidding.
68 Thou art good and doest good, teach me thine orders;
69 proud men bespatter me with lies, but I carry out thy behests;
70 their minds are gross and dull, but I thrill to thy law.
71 It is good for me to have been in trouble – to learn thy will;
72 thy law means more to me than piles of gold and silver.
73 Thy hands made and moulded me, to understand thine orders;
74 may thy worshippers rejoice to see me waiting on thy word!
75 Just are thy dealings, I know, thou wert faithful in afflicting me;
76 but now console me with thy love, as thou has promised thy servant;
77 let thy compassion bring me life, for my delight is in thy law.
78 Confound the arrogant who illtreat me, as I muse on thy behests;
79 let thy worshippers learn how thou rulest, by turning to my case;
80 let my obedience to thee be perfect, that I may not be disgraced.
81 My soul pines for thy saving aid, I am waiting for thy promise;
82 I pine with looking for thy promises; when wilt thou comfort me?
83 Though shrivelled like a wineskin in the smoke, I never forget thine orders.
84 How few thy servant’s days? When wilt thou doom my persecutors?
85 Insolent creatures, reckless of thy law, they dig pitfalls for me;
86 help me against their wanton wiles, O faithful lawgiver!
87 They nearly made an end of me, but I would not give up thy laws;
88 as thou art loving, revive me, and I will do thy bidding.
89 O thou Eternal, evermore thy law stands fast in heaven,
90 thy faithful promise holds from age to age, sure upon earth;
91 thy rule and order last to-day, for all things are thy servants.
92 Unless thy law had been my comfort, I would have died in my misery;
93 never shall I forget thy laws, for they put new life into me.
94 Help me, for I am thine, I study thy behests;
95 the ungodly lie in wait to kill me, but I pay close heed to thine orders.
96 I see a limit to all things, but thy law has a mighty range.
97 Oh how I love thy law! I muse upon it all day long;
98 thy commands make me wiser than my foes; I am never without them.
99 I have more insight than all these oracles, for I muse on thine injunctions!
100 I know more than these sages, for I carry out thy behests!
101 I avoid all evil courses, that I may do thy bidding;
102 thou art my teacher, never do I swerve from thine instructions.
103 How sweet thy sayings are, sweeter than honey to the taste!
104 I learn sense from thy behests, learn to hate godless ways.
105 Thy law is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path;
106 I swore to follow thy just decrees, and I will do it;
107 revive me as thou hast promised, O Eternal, in my great misery.
108 Accept the vows I breathe to thee, and teach me thy decrees;
109 my life is ever in danger, but I never forget thy law;
110 ungodly men set snares for me, but I never give up thine orders.
111 I have a lasting heritage in thy commands, thy are my heart’s delight;
112 I set myself to execute thine orders ever, at every step.
113 I hate men who are half and half, I love thy law;
114 I await thy promise, thou my shield and shelter.
Begone, you villains, let me keep my God’s commands!
116 Uphold me, as thou hast promised, disappoint not my hope, but let me live;
117 hold me up safe, let me delight for ever in thy will.
118 Thou spurnest all who swerve from thy will, their notions end in nothing.
119 I count all the ungodly so much dross; I love thy rule and order;
120 my being shudders before thee, in awe of thy judgments.
121 Leave me not to be oppressed, for I have done right and justice;
122 pledge thy word to help me, let not the arrogant oppress me;
123 I pine with looking for thy rescue, for thy saving promise.
124 Deal in kindness with thy servant, teach thy laws to me;
125 instruct thy servant, let me understand thine orders.
126 High time for thee to act! – men break thy law;
127 but I love thy commands above all things, above solid gold;
128 I order all my life by thy behests, I hate all godless ways.
129 Thy laws are a wondrous mystery – my soul obeys them –
130 the interpretation of thy words enlightens and instructs the open-minded;
131 and I am open, eager, panting for thy commands.
132 Turn to me and have pity – it is due to those who love thee;
133 direct my steps as thou hast promised, free from evil influence;
134 deliver me from man’s oppression, that I may do thy behests.
135 Smile on thy servant, teach thy laws to me;
136 when men are disobedient to thy law, mine eyes stream with tears.
137 O thou Eternal, thou art just, thy sentences are true;
138 the rules thou has enjoined are just and absolutely sure.
139 Zeal carries me away, when my foes forget thy laws;
140 thy promises are tried and true, thy servant loves them;
141 I am weak and despised, but I never forget thy behests.
142 Thy justice is eternal justice, and thy law is truth itself;
143 trouble and anguish seize me, but thy commands are my comfort;
144 thy laws are ever just; let me know them and so live.
145 Answer me as I cry with all my heart, for I would obey thine orders;
146 I call to thee, O Eternal, help me, and I will do thy bidding.
147 I am up before the dawn to pray, waiting for thy promises;
148 I waken through the night to muse upon thy word;
149 oh listen – thou art kind; revive me – thou art just.
150 My pursuers draw near in malice, far away from thy law;
151 but, O Eternal, thou art near, all thy commands are true;
152 I have long seen that thy decrees are valid for all time.
153 Look at what I suffer, save me, for I never forget thy law;
154 take my part, avenge, revive me as thou hast promised.
155 The ungodly are far from help, for they have no mind to thy laws;
156 O Eternal, rich in pity, revive me – thou art just;
157 I never swerve from thy control, though many persecute and press me.
158 I loathe apostates when I see how they disobey thy law;
159 look at my own love for thy law, and in thy love revive me;
160 the sum of thy commands is truth, and all thy just commands are ever binding.
161 Nobles persecute me wantonly, but my heart stands in awe of thy commands.
162 I delight in thy promise, as in ample spoil;
163 ungodliness I hate and I abhor, but I do love thy law.
164 Seven times a day I praise thee for the justice of thy rule;
165 right well they fare who love thy law; their road is clear.
166 I do thy bidding, O Eternal, and I hope for thy deliverance;
167 my soul obeys thy laws, I love them dearly;
168 I obey thy laws and thy behests, I live all my life under thine eye.
169 Let my cry come before thee, O Eternal, and enlighten me as thou hast promised;
170 let my entreaty reach thee, and relieve me as thou hast promised.
171 Let my lips praise thee for teaching me thine orders;
172 let me sing of thy word, for just are all thy commands;
173 let thy hand come to my help, for I have chosen to obey thee.
174 I am longing for thy help, O thou Eternal, and thy law is my delight;
175 let me live that I may praise thee, help me by thy judgments;
176 seek out thy servant in his wanderings, for I forget not thy commands.
A pilgrim song.
120 I cried to the Eternal in my woe – and the Eternal answered me–
2 “Save me from lying lips and crafty tongues!”
3 What will you get from Him, O crafty tongue, what punishment in full?
4 Sharp arrows poured on you, and burning coals!
5 Alas, I have to dwell in Meshek!
Alas, I have to live in Kedar’s tents!
6 Too long have I been living where men hate peace;
7 however peaceably I talk, they are for war.
A pilgrim song.
121 I life mine eyes to the mountains; ah, where is help to come from?
2 Help comes from the Eternal who made heaven and earth.
3 Never will he let you slip; he who guards you never sleeps:
4 he who guards Israel will neither sleep nor slumber.
5 The Eternal guards you, sheltering you upon the right;
6 the sun shall never hurt you in the day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Eternal will guard you from all harm, he will preserve your life;
8 he will protect you as you come and go now and for evermore.
A pilgrim song, by David.
122 I am glad whenever they say to me, “We go to the Eternal’s house,”
2 glad when our feet stand at last inside Jerusalem–
3 Jerusalem that is now rebuilt, a city solid and unbroken.
4 Thither go the clans on pilgrimage, the Eternal’s clans,
5 to offer the Eternal praise, as he prescribed for Israel
[[there were the seats of justice, the royal tribunals of David]].
6 Pray for the welfare of Jerusalem, “May all thy homes be safe,
7 may all go well within thy walls, within thy palaces!”
8 For the sake of my friends and fellows I pray, “May all be well with thee!”
9 for the sake of the house of our God the Eternal, I would have thee prosper.
A pilgrim song.
123 To thee I life mine eyes, enthroned in heaven.
2 As the eyes of servants are fixed on the hand of their lord,
and as a maid’s eyes on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to our God, the Eternal, till he takes pity on us.
3 Take pity on us, O Eternal, oh take pity;
4 for we have had our fill, and more, of scorn and sneers,
from arrogant creatures at their ease.
A pilgrim song, by David.
124 “Had not the Eternal been upon our side”–
2 “had not the Eternal been upon our side,
when men rose to attack us,
3 they would have swallowed us alive,
so fierce their anger flamed;
4 the floods would have swept us away,
the streams would have surged over us,
5 surging clean over us,
with proud, wild waves.
6 But, blessed be the Eternal!
he did not leave us for their teeth to tear;
7 we escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare,
the snare broke, we made our escape.
8 Our help lies in the Eternal,
who made heaven and earth!”
A pilgrim song.
125 Those who trust in the Eternal are like Sion hill, never to be shaken;
2 Jerusalem sites enthroned for ever, with the hills around her,
and the Eternal is around his people now and evermore.
3 He will not leave the land of the just under the sway of knaves;
or else just men themselves might take to evil.
4 O thou Eternal, be good to the good, to those who are upright in heart;
5 as for the shifty and disloyal – may the Eternal scatter them [[with evildoers, and Israel prosper]]!
A pilgrim song.
126 When the Eternal brought the exiles back to Sion,
we were like men who dreamed;
2 laughter filled our lips,
shouts of joy were on our tongues;
the very heathen said,
“The Eternal has done great things for them.”
3 Yes, he had done great things for us,
and we rejoiced at it.
4 O thou Eternal, bring back now the rest of our exiles,
to fill us up, like streams in the dry south.
5 Those who are sowing in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy;
6 sadly they bear seed to the field,
gladly they bear home the sheaves.
A pilgrim song, by Solomon.
127 Unless the Eternal builds the house,
workmen build in vain;
unless the Eternal guards the town, sentries are on guard in vain.
2 Vain is it to rise early for your work,
and keep at work so late,
gaining your bread with anxious toil!
God’s gifts come to his loved ones, as they sleep.
3 Sons are a gift of the Eternal,
and children are a boon from him.
4 Strong sons born when one is young
are like arrows in an archer’s hand;
5 happy the man who has a quiver full of them,
he need not fear to face a hostile band.
A pilgrim song.
128 Happy is everyone who reveres the Eternal,
who lives his life!
2 You shall earn your daily bread,
you happy man and prosperous!
3 Your wife within your house
shall be like a fruitful vine;
your children, round your table,
like slips of olive evergreen.
4 Here is the blessing
for one who reveres the Eternal!
5 The Eternal will send you a blessing from Sion;
you shall see Jerusalem flourish all your days,
you shall live to see your children’s children.
[[May Israel prosper!]]
A pilgrim song.
129 “Cruelly have they harried me from my youth”–
so let Israel say–
2 “cruelly have they harried me from my youth,
but they have never crushed me.
3 The ploughmen ploughed my back,
and long they drew their furrows;
4 but the Eternal, he is just,
he has cut down the ungodly.”
5 May all who hate Sion be routed and shamed!
6 let them fare like grass-blades on a roof,
that fade ere ever they flourish,
7 that fill no reaper’s arms,
that none shall gather as he binds the sheaves,
8 that move no passer-by to say,
“The blessing of the Eternal be upon you!
In the Eternal’s name we bless you!”
A pilgrim song.
130 Out of the depths I call to thee, O thou Eternal;
Lord, listen to my cry,
let thine ears heed my entreaty.
3 If thou didst keep strict tally of sins,
O Lord, who could live on?
4 But thou has pardon,
that thou mayest be worshipped.
5 So I wait in hope for the Eternal,
my soul waits hoping for his promise;
6 my soul looks for the Lord
more eagerly than watchmen for the dawn,
than watchmen for the dawn.
7 Put your hope in the Eternal, Israel,
for with the Eternal there is love,
there is a wealth of saving power;
8 ’tis he who shall save Israel
from all their sins.
A pilgrim song, by David.
131 No haughty heart is mine, O thou Eternal,
no lofty looks are mine;
I never meddle with high schemes,
with matters far beyond me.
2 No, I have soothed and stilled my soul,
as a mother calms her weanèd child;
my soul is liked a weanèd child.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the Eternal,
now and evermore.
A pilgrim song.
132 For David’s sake, O thou Eternal, remember all his piety,
2 how he swore to the Eternal, vowing to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house, I will not lie on my bed,
4 I will not close my eyes in sleep, I will not shut my eyelids,
5 till I find some residence for the Eternal, some dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 We heard of the ark at Ephrathah, we found it in the woodland;
7 we went to where he dwelt, and at his footstool knelt:
8 “Ascend, Eternal, to thy resting-place, thou and thy mighty ark!–
9 thy priests in triumphant array, thy worshippers loudly rejoicing!
10 For the sake of thy servant David, reject not thine own king.”
11 The Eternal swore an oath to David, and he will not break his word:
“I will set one of your own sons upon your throne;
12 and if your sons will keep my compact and the laws I teach them,
their sons shall also sit for ever on your throne.”
13 For the Eternal has chosen Sion as the seat that he desires;
14 “Here is my resting-place,” he says, “the seat I choose for evermore;
15 I will enrich her food-supplies, and satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will robe her priests in triumph, and make her worshippers shout for joy.
17 There will I make David’s dynasty flourish, and my chosen king shine prosperously;
18 his foes I shroud with dark disgrace, but his own crown shall sparkle.”
A pilgrim song, by David.
133 How rare and lovely is it,
this fellowship of those who meet together!–
2 sweet as the sacred oil poured on the heard,
that flows down Aaron’s beard,
down to the very collar of his robe;
3 vital as dew of Hermon,
that falls on the hills of Sion.
For in this fellowship has the Eternal fixed
the blessing of an endless life.
A pilgrim song.
134 Come, all ye servants of the Eternal, bless the Eternal,
ye who stand by night in the Eternal’s house,
2 lift hands of prayer to the shrine, bless the Eternal!
3 “And may the Eternal, who made heaven and earth,
bless you from Sion!”
135 Hallelujah.Praise the Eternal’s name,
praise him, ye servants of the Eternal,
2 who stand within the Eternal’s house,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3 Praise the Eternal, he is good;
sing to his name, he is gracious;
4 the Eternal has chosen Jacob to be his,
and Israel as his prized possession.
5 We know the Eternal is great,
and our Lord high overall gods.
6 The Eternal does whate’er he pleases,
in heaven and earth, the seas and all abysses;
7 he makes mists rise from the ends of the earth,
sends lightning to bring on the rain,
and wind out of his storehouses.
8 ’Twas he who killed the first-born in Egypt,
both of man and beast,
9 who sent portents upon Egypt,
on the Pharaoh and all his servants;
10 many a nation he struck down,
and mighty kings he slew,
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og the king of Bashan,
and all the powers of Canaan,
12 giving their land to Israel,
to his people to possess.
13 Thy name, O thou Eternal, lives for ever,
thy fame from age to age;
14 the Eternal will right his people’s wrongs,
and be sorry for his servants.
15 Pagan idols are mere gold and silver,
made by the hands of men,
16 with mouths – but they never speak,
with eyes – but they cannot see,
17 with ears – but they cannot hear,
with no breath in their lips!
18 So be it with their makers,
with all who trust in them!
19 Bless the Eternal, Israel’s household!
Bless the Eternal, Aaron’s household!
20 Bless the Eternal, Levi’s household!
Bless the Eternal, ye his worshippers!
21 Blessed be the Eternal in Sion,
who dwells at Jerusalem!
136 HallelujahGive thanks to the Eternal! – he is good,
his kindness never fails.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods;
his kindness never fails.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords;
his kindness never fails:
4 to him who alone works wonders;
his kindness never fails:
5 to him whose wisdom made the heavens;
his kindness never fails:
6 to him who spread the earth over the abyss;
his kindness never fails:
7 to him who made great lights;
his kindness never fails:
8 the sun to rule the day;
his kindness never fails:
9 the moon and stars to rule the night;
his kindness never fails.
10 To him who killed Egypt’s firstborn;
his kindness never fails:
11 and brought out Israel;
his kindness never fails:
12 with strong hand and with outstretched arm;
his kindness never fails:
13 who severed the Reed Sea;
his kindness never fails:
14 who brought Israel through it;
his kindness never fails:
15 and drowned the Pharaoh and his host;
his kindness never fails.
16 Who led his people through the desert;
his kindness never fails:
17 who struck down powerful kings;
his kindness never fails:
18 who slaughtered mighty kings;
his kindness never fails:
19 Sihon king of the Amorites;
his kindness never fails:
20 and Og the king of Bashan;
his kindness never fails:
21 and gave their land to Israel;
his kindness neve fails:
22 to his servants to possess;
his kindness never fails.
23 Who remembered us when we were low;
his kindness never fails:
24 and saved us from our foe;
his kindness never fails:
25 who furnishes us all with food;
his kindness never fails:
26 give thanks to the God of heaven;
his kindness never fails.
137 By the streams of Babylon, there we sat
and wept at the thought of Sion!
2 There on the poplars we hung up our harps,
3 when our tyrants asked for a song;
those who had harried us bade us be merry,
“Sing us a song of Sion,” they said.
4 But how can we sing the Eternal’s songs,
here, in a foreign land?
5 Jerusalem, if ever I forget thee,
withered be this my hand!
6 May my tongue cleave to my mouth,
if ever I think not of thee,
if ever I prize not Jerusalem above all joys!
7 The Edomites! remember against them, Eternal,
that day of Jerusalem’s fall,
when “Down with her! down with her!” Edomites cried,
“Raze her to the ground!”
8 And you, Babylonians, you who plundered us,
a blessing on him who deals to you
all that you dealt to us!
9 A blessing on him who snatches your babes
and dashes them down on the rocks!
A song of David.
138 With all of my heart I thank thee,
I sing thy praise in face of all the gods,
for thou hast listened to my cry;
2 I bow before thy sacred shrine
to praise thee for thy love so true,
that far excels all ever known of thee;
3 the very day I call, thine answer comes
with courage to inspire my soul!
V 4 When kings on earth hear of thy mind and methods,
they shall all praise thee, O Eternal One,
5 and sing thy providence;
for great is the Eternal’s sovereign might,
6 he looks upon the lowly from his height,
and from afar he strikes the haughty down.
7 Though I must pass through the thick of trouble, thou wilt preserve me;
thy hand shall fall upon my angry foes,
thy right hand rescues me.
8 The Eternal intervenes on my behalf:
Eternal One, thy kindness never fails,
thou wilt not drop the work thou hast begun.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
139 Thou searchest me, Eternal One, thou knowest me,
2 thou knowest me sitting or rising,
my very thoughts thou readest from afar;
3 walking or resting, I am scanned by thee,
and all my life to thee lies open;
4 ere ever a word comes to my tongue,
O thou Eternal, ’tis well known to thee;
5 thou art on every side, behind me and before,
laying thy hand on me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is far, far beyond me.
7 Where could I go from thy Spirit,
where could I flee from thy face?
8 I climb to heaven? – but thou art there;
I nestle in the nether-world? – and there thou art!
9 If I darted swift to the dawn,
to the verge of the ocean afar,
10 thy hand even there would fall on me,
thy right hand would reach me.
11 If I say “The dark will screen me,
the night will hide me in its curtains,”
12 yet darkness is not dark to thee,
the night is clear as daylight.
14 I praise thee for the awful wonder of my birth;
thy work is wonderful.
13 For thou didst form my being,
didst weave me in my mother’s womb.
14 Thou knowest all about my soul;
15 my body was no mystery to thee,
as I was being moulded secretly
and put together in the world below;
16 all the days of my life were foreseen by thee,
set down within thy book;
ere ever they were shaped, they were assigned me,
ere ever one of them was mine.
17 O God, what mysteries I find in thee!
How vast the number of thy purposes!
18 I try to count them? – they are more than the sand;
I wake from my reverie, and I am still lost in thee.
19 O God, that thou would’st slay the ungodly,
and bid bloodthirsty men begone from me!–
20 men who defy thee lawlessly,
rising against thee!
21 Shall I not hate all who hate thee, Eternal,
shall I not loathe these rebels?
22 I hate them with a perfect hatred,
I count them enemies to myself.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart,
test me and try my thoughts;
24 see if I am taking any course of wrong,
and lead me on the lines of life eternal.
From the Choirmaster’s collection. A song of David.
140 From evil men deliver me, O Eternal,
save me from violent men,
2 from those who in their hearts plot evil,
all the time making mischief,
3 their tongue sharp as a snake,
with venom of vipers on their lips.
4 Preserve me, O Eternal, from the grip of the ungodly,
save me from outrageous men,
who plan to overthrow me,
5 from the arrogant who set a trap for me,
and spread their nets to catch me,
their snares beside my path.
6 “Thou art my God,” I cry to the Eternal,
“oh listen to my plea.
7 Eternal One, my Lord, my saving strength,
who screenest me against attack,
8 let not ungodly men have their desires,
let not their plots succeed!”
9 When they dare to beset me,
may their own intrigues overwhelm them!
10 God rain upon them burning coals!
God hurl them down, never to rise again!
11 Away with slanderers! may violent men
be hunted from one woe to another!
12 They shall find the Eternal champions
the rights of the forlorn and feeble.
13 Just men shall one day give thee thanks for this,
and upright men shall dwell within thy presence.
A song of David.
141 Eternal One, I call thee, hasten to me;
listen, when I call thee.
2 Let my prayer rise like incense before thee,
my lifted hands like the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a watch upon my mouth, O thou Eternal,
guard thou the door of my lips;
4a may I have no mind to evil,
to take part in godless doings.
5 When good men wound us and reprove us, ’tis a kindness;
I would pray ever to have their goodwill.
4b But as for evildoers, never would I taste their feasts,
never would I be their guest.
6 [[They are given over to their tyrants,
to teach them that the Eternal’s threats are true;
7 Their bones lie scattered for the graves to swallow,
like stones splintered and crushed upon the road!]]
8 O Lord, I turn mine eyes to thee;
let me not perish, I shelter with thee.
9 Save me from the snare they laid,
from evildoers and their trap;
10 let the ungodly fall into their own net,
while I pass on rejoicing!
An ode or prayer of David, when he was in the cave.
142 I cry aloud to the Eternal,
loudly I entreat him,
2 I pour out before him my plaint,
and tell him all my trouble
3 when my spirits faint.
They have laid a hidden snare for me
on the road I have to go;
4 I look to right and left,
but no man cares to know;
all help has failed me,
none cares for my life.
But thou knowest my path,
Eternal One, I cry to thee;
5 I say, “Thou art my help,
I have thee, in the land of the living.
6 Oh listen to my cry,
for I am brought very low;
save me from my pursuers,
they are too strong for me;
7 bring me from my prion,
that I may praise thee;
for good men are waiting
till thou deal kindly with me.
A song of David.
143 O thou Eternal, hear my prayer,
listen to my entreaties,
as thou art faithful and true, oh answer me;
2 put not thy servant on his trial,
for before thee no living soul can be acquitted.
3 The foe pursues me,
stamps me to the ground;
he forces me to dwell in darkness,
like those who have been dead for long.
4 And so my spirits faint,
my heart grows numb within me.
5 I remember the days of old,
I meditate on all that thou hast done,
I muse on what thy hands have wrought;
6 and I stretch my hands to thee,
my soul thirsts for thee like dry land;
7 make haste to answer me.
O thou Eternal, my spirits are failing,
withhold not thy favour from me,
lest I become like a dying man.
8 Satisfy me with the dawn of thy love,
for in thee do I trust:
teach me what is the road to take,
for my heart is set on thee;
9 O thou Eternal, save me from my foes,
I flee to thee for refuge;
10 teach me to do thy will,
thou art my God;
guide me by thy good Spirit
on a straight road;
11 O thou Eternal, as thou art thyself, revive me,
as thou art faithful, bring me out of trouble;
12 in love to me, wipe out my foes,
destroy all who harass me–
for I am thy servant.
A song of David.
144 Blest be the Eternal One, my Strength,
who trains my hands to war,
my fingers how to fight!–
2 my Crag, my Stronghold, my Fortalice and Deliverer,
the Shield behind whom I shelter,
the subduer of nations before me!
3 [[What is man that thou should’st care for him,
or mortal man that thou should’st think of him?
4 Man is like a passing breath,
his days are like a flitting shadow.]]
5 Eternal One, come down upon the bending heavens,
touch the mountains till they smoke,
6 flash lightning out to scatter my foes,
shoot thine arrows to discomfit them;
7 reach from on high to raise me from these floods,
rescue me from these alien hordes,
8 with lies upon their lips,
with right hand raised in a false oath!
9 O God, I would sing thee a new song,
and play to thee on a ten-stringed lute,
10 O thou who makest kings victorious,
who savest thy servant David.
Save me from peril of the sword,
11 rescue me from these alien hodres,
with lies upon their lips,
with right hand raised in a false oath!
12 May our sons be straight and strong like saplings,
our daughters like cornices carved in a palace!
13 May our barns be bursting with all sorts of produce,
may our sheep in the fields multiply in myriads!
14 May our rulers be strong, may nothing go wrong–
no raids or retreats, no panic in our streets!
15 Happy the nation that so fares!
Happy the nations whose God is the Eternal!
A song of praise, by David.
145 I will extol thee, my God, O King,
and bless thee for ever and ever;
2 all the day long will I bless thee,
and praise thee for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Eternal, loudly to be praised,
his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One age shall praise thy doings to another,
and utter thy mighty acts,
5 dwelling on the glorious splendour of thy state,
and on thy marvellous doings;
6 they shall proclaim thine awful powers,
and tell thy mighty deeds;
7 they shall spread the fame of thy great goodness,
and sing songs of thy faithfulness.
8 The Eternal is gracious and pitiful,
slow to be angry, very kind;
9 the Eternal is good to all who look to him,
and his compassion covers all he has made.
10 All whom thou hast made shall praise thee, O Eternal,
thy faithful followers shall bless thee,
11 telling of thy glorious kingdom,
telling of thy might,
12 letting men hear of thy mighty acts,
of the glorious splendour of thy kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and thy dominion lasts from age to age.
The Eternal is true to all his promises,
and kind in all his dealings;
14 The Eternal holds up all who are falling,
and raises all who are bowed down.
15 All thy creatures look to thee,
for their food in season due;
16 and from thine open hand
they feast upon thy favour.
17 Faithful in all his dealings is the Eternal,
loving in all he does;
18 the Eternal is near all who call on him,
who call on him sincerely;
19 he satisfies his worshippers,
he hears their cry and helps them;
20 the Eternal preserves all who love him,
but all the ungodly he destroys.
21 My lips shall pour out the Eternal’s praise;
let all men bless his sacred name for ever.
146 Hallelujah.Praise the Eternal, O my soul!
As long as I live, I will praise the Eternal,
and sing to my God, as long as I survive.
3 Rely not upon great men–
mere mortals who can give no help;
4 when their breath goes they return to the dust,
and on that very day their projects perish.
5 Happy the man whose help is Jacob’s God,
whose hope lies in the Eternal One, his God,
6 maker of heaven and earth
and sea, and all they hold.
He remains ever true,
7 he rights those who are wronged,
he feeds those who are hungry.
The Eternal sets the captives free,
8a the Eternal gives the blind their sight,
8b the Eternal raises those who are bowed down,
9a the Eternal preserves poor foreigners,
9b the widow and the orphan he relieves;
8c the Eternal loves those who are good,
9c but the ungodly life he ruins.
10 The Eternal shall be king for ever,
thy God, O Sion, for all ages.
Hallelujah.
147 Hallelujah.Praise the Eternal, for he is good;
make melody to our God, for he is gracious.
2 The Eternal restores Jerusalem,
he gathers the outcasts of Israel,
3 he heals the broken-hearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He fixes the number of the stars,
and gives a name to each.
5 Great is our Lord, mighty in power,
his wisdom is unsearchable.
6 The Eternal has relief for the afflicted,
he brings the ungodly to the ground.
7 Sing thanks to the Eternal,
make melody to our God upon the lyre,
8 who covers the sky with clouds,
provides rain for the earth,
till grass grows on the very hills,
and fodder for the beasts that serve mankind,
9 who gives wild animals their food,
that cry for it at eventide.
10 He cares not for the strength of the war-horse,
delights not in man’s armour;
11 the Eternal delights in those who revere him,
who trust to his own goodness.
12 Praise the Eternal, O Jerusalem,
praise your God, O Sion;
13 for he has fortified your gateways,
and blessed your citizens within,
14 has made Peace guard your boundaries,
and filled you with the finest wheat.
15 He issues his commands to earth,
his orders run apace,
16 showering snow white as wool,
scattering hoarfrost thick as ashes,
16 casting hailstones down like crumbs.
The waters freeze;
17 he sends an order, and they melt;
once he makes the wind blow,
then the waters flow.
19 He makes his purpose known to Jacob,
his orders and his laws to Israel;
20 never has he done so to other nations–
they know not his commands.
148 Hallelujah.Praise the Eternal from the heavens,
praise him in the heights,
2 praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his hosts,
3 praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all stars of light,
4 praise him, heaven of heavens,
ye waters higher than the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Eternal,
for he commanded and they were created,
6 he fixed them fast for evermore,
he set them boundaries that they should not pass.
7 Praise the Eternal from the earth,
ye depths of ocean and ye waterspouts,
8 lightning and hail and snow, and ice,
storms carrying out his will,
9 mountains and every hill,
fruit-trees and every cedar,
10 wild animals and every beast,
crawling things, birds on the wing,
11 kings of earth and all the nations,
princes and all authorities,
12 young men and maidens too,
old men and boys;
13 let them praise the name of the Eternal,
for his name only is supreme;
his majesty is above heaven and earth,
14 and he has raised his people to high honour.
To praise him is for all his faithful,
for Israel, for the nation near to him.
149 Hallelujah.Sing a new song to the Eternal,
praise him where his faithful gather;
2 let Israel be joyful in their Maker,
let the sons of Sion triumph in their King,
3 let them dance in praise of him,
make melody to him with drum and lyre;
4 for the Eternal delights in his people,
adorning the afflicted with a victory.
5 Let the faithful exult over their triumph,
shouting joyfully in their great temple,
6 God's praise upon their lips,
and a sharp sword in their hands,
7 for vengeance upon pagans,
for punishment on nations,
8 to put their monarchs into chains,
their nobles into iron gyves.
9 To execute on such their appointed doom
this is an honour for God's faithful ones.
150 Hallelujah.Praise God in his sanctuary,
praise him in his heaven of power,
2 praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his sovereign strength;
3 praise him with a bugle blast,
praise him with the lute and lyre,
4 praise him with the drum and dance,
praise him with strings and flute,
5 praise him with resounding cymbals,
praise him with the clash of cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Eternal!
Hallelujah.