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6

Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth:

break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.

7

Let them melt away as waters which run continually:

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when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.

8

As a snail which melteth,

let every one of them pass away:

like the untimely birth of a woman,

that they may not see the sun.

9

Before your pots can feel the thorns,

he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.

1 0

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

1 1

So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

59

A Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.

1

Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God:

defend me from them that rise up against me.

2

Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,

and save me from bloody men.

3

For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul:

the mighty are gathered against me;

not for my transgression,

nor for my sin, O Lord.

4

They run and prepare themselves without my fault.

Awake to help me, and behold.

5

Thou therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen:

be not merciful to any wicked transgressors.

Selah.

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6

They return at evening:

they make a noise like a dog,

and go round about the city.

7

Behold, they belch out with their mouth:

swords are in their lips:

for who, say they, doth hear?

8

But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them;

thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.

9

Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defense.

1 0

The God of my mercy shall prevent me:

God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.

1 1

Slay them not, lest my people forget:

scatter them by thy power;

and bring them down, O Lord our shield.

1 2

For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride:

and for cursing and lying which they speak.

13

Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be:

and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob

unto the ends of the earth.

Selah.

14

And at evening let them return;

and let them make a noise like a dog,

and go round about the city.

1 5

Let them wander up and down for meat,

and grudge if they be not satisfied.

1 6

But I will sing of thy power;

yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense

and refuge in the day of my trouble.

1 7

Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing:

for God is my defense,

and the God of my mercy.

1 2 7 7

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6 0

60

A Prayer for Help against the Foe

To the chief Musician upon Shushan-eduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand.

1

O God, thou hast cast us off,

thou has scattered us,

thou hast been displeased;

O turn thyself to us again.

2

Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.

3

Thou hast showed thy people hard things:

thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

4

Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.

Selah.

5

That thy beloved may be delivered;

save with thy right hand, and hear me.

6

God hath spoken in his holiness;

I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem,

and mete out the valley of Succoth.

7

Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;

8

Moab is my washpot;

over Edom will I cast out my shoe:

Philistia, triumph thou because of me.

9

Who will bring me into the strong city?

Who will lead me into Edom?

1 0

Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off?

and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?

1 2 7 8

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6 1

1 1

Give us help from trouble:

for vain is the help of man.

1 2

Through God we shall do valiantly:

for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

61

Confidence in God’s Protection

To the chief Musician upon Neginah,

A Psalm of David.

1

Hear my cry, O God;

attend unto my prayer.

2

From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee,

when my heart is overwhelmed.

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; 3

for thou hast been a shelter for me,

and a strong tower from the enemy.

4

I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever:

I will trust in the covert of thy wings.

Selah.

5

For thou, O God, hast heard my vows:

thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.

6

Thou wilt prolong the king’s life:

and his years as many generations.

7

He shall abide before God for ever:

O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.

8

So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever,

that I may daily perform my vows.

1 2 7 9

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6 2

62

God the Only Refuge

To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun,

A Psalm of David.

1

Truly my soul waiteth upon God:

from him cometh my salvation.

2

He only is my rock and my salvation;

he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

3

How long will ye imagine mischief against a man?

Ye shall be slain all of you:

as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.

4

They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies:

they bless with their mouth,

but they curse inwardly.

Selah.

5

My soul, wait thou only upon God;

for my expectation is from him.

6

He only is my rock and my salvation:

he is my defense; I shall not be moved.

7

In God is my salvation and my glory:

the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

8

Trust in him at all times;

ye people, pour out your heart before him:

God is a refuge for us.

Selah.

9

Surely men of low degree are vanity,

and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance,

they are altogether lighter than vanity.

1 0

Trust not in oppression,

and become not vain in robbery:

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if riches increase,

set not your heart upon them.

1 1

God hath spoken once;

twice have I heard this;

that power belongeth unto God.

1 2

Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

63

God Satisfies the Thirsting Soul

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1

O God, thou art my God;

early will I seek thee:

my soul thirsteth for thee,

my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

2

to see thy power and thy glory,

so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

3

Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

4

Thus will I bless thee while I live:

I will lift up my hands in thy name.

5

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6

when I remember thee upon my bed,

and meditate on thee in the night watches.

7

Because thou hast been my help,

therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

8

My soul followeth hard after thee:

thy right hand upholdeth me.

9

But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

1 2 8 1

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6 4

1 0

They shall fall by the sword:

they shall be a portion for foxes.

1 1

But the king shall rejoice in God;

every one that sweareth by him shall glory:

but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

64

A Prayer for Protection from Hidden Enemies

To the chief Musician,

A Psalm of David.

1

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer:

preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

2

Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked;

from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: 3

who whet their tongue like a sword,

and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: 4

that they may shoot in secret at the perfect:

suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

5

They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily;

they say, Who shall see them?

6

They search out iniquities;

they accomplish a diligent search:

both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.

7

But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.

8

So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.

9

And all men shall fear,

and shall declare the work of God;

for they shall wisely consider of his doing.

1 0

The righteous shall be glad in the Lord,

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and shall trust in him;

and all the upright in heart shall glory.

65

Praise for God’s Bounty in Nature

To the chief Musician,

A Psalm and Song of David.

1

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion:

and unto thee shall the vow be performed.

2

O thou that hearest prayer,

unto thee shall all flesh come.

3

Iniquities prevail against me:

as for our transgressions,

thou shalt purge them away.

4

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,

and causest to approach unto thee,

that he may dwell in thy courts:

we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

5

By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation;

who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea: 6

which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:

7

which stilleth the noise of the seas,

the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.

8

They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

9

Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it:

thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water:

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thou preparest them corn,

when thou hast so provided for it.

1 0

Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly:

thou settlest the furrows thereof:

thou makest it soft with showers:

thou blessest the springing thereof.

1 1

Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;

and thy paths drop fatness.

1 2

They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.

13

The pastures are clothed with flocks;

the valleys also are covered over with corn;

they shout for joy, they also sing.

66

Praise for God’s Mighty Deeds

To the chief Musician,

A Song or Psalm.

1

Make a joyful noise unto God,

all ye lands:

2

sing forth the honor of his name:

make his praise glorious.

3

Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works!

Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.

4

All the earth shall worship thee,

and shall sing unto thee;

they shall sing to thy name.

Selah.

5

Come and see the works of God:

he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.

6

He turned the sea into dry land:

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they went through the flood on foot:

there did we rejoice in him.

7

He ruleth by his power for ever;

his eyes behold the nations:

let not the rebellious exalt themselves.

Selah.

8

O bless our God, ye people,

and make the voice of his praise to be heard:

9

which holdeth our soul in life,

and suffereth not our feet to be moved.

1 0

For thou, O God, hast proved us:

thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

1 1

Thou broughtest us into the net;

thou laidst affliction upon our loins.

1 2

Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads;

we went through fire and through water:

but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

13

I will go into thy house with burnt offerings:

I will pay thee my vows,

14

which my lips have uttered,

and my mouth hath spoken,

when I was in trouble.

1 5

I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams:

I will offer bullocks with goats.

Selah.

1 6

Come and hear, all ye that fear God,

and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

1 7

I cried unto him with my mouth,

and he was extolled with my tongue.

1 8

If I regard iniquity in my heart,

the Lord will not hear me:

19

but verily God hath heard me;

he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

2 0

Blessed be God,

1 2 8 5

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which hath not turned away my prayer,

nor his mercy from me.

67

The Nations Exhorted to Praise God

To the chief Musician on Neginoth,

A Psalm or Song.

1

God be merciful unto us, and bless us;

and cause his face to shine upon us;

Selah.

2

that thy way may be known upon earth,

thy saving health among all nations.

3

Let the people praise thee, O God;

let all the people praise thee.

4

O let the nations be glad and sing for joy:

for thou shalt judge the people righteously,

and govern the nations upon earth.

Selah.

5

Let the people praise thee, O God;

let all the people praise thee.

6

Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.

7

God shall bless us;

and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

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6 8

68

The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary

To the chief Musician,

A Psalm or Song of David.

1

Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered:

let them also that hate him flee before him.

2

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire,

so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

3

But let the righteous be glad;

let them rejoice before God:

yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

4

Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:

extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him.

5

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

6

God setteth the solitary in families:

he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

7

O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness;

Selah.

8

The earth shook, the heavens also dropped

at the presence of God:

even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

9

Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain,

whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance,

when it was weary.

1 0

Thy congregation hath dwelt therein:

thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.

1 1

The Lord gave the word:

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great was the company of those that published it.

1 2

Kings of armies did flee apace:

and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.

13

Though ye have lain among the pots,

yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

14

When the Almighty scattered kings in it,

it was white as snow in Salmon.

1 5

The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; a high hill as the hill of Bashan.

1 6

Why leap ye, ye high hills?

This is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever.

1 7

The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels:

the Lord is among them,

as in Sinai, in the holy place.

1 8

Thou hast ascended on high,

thou hast led captivity captive:

thou hast received gifts for men;

yea, for the rebellious also,

that the Lord God might dwell among them.

19

Blessed be the Lord,

who daily loadeth us with benefits,

even the God of our salvation.

Selah.

2 0

He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death.

2 1

But God shall wound the head of his enemies,

and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

2 2

The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan,

I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea: 23

that thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

2 4

They have seen thy goings, O God;

1 2 8 8

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6 8

even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.

2 5

The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.

2 6

Bless ye God in the congregations,

even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

2 7

There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council,

the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.

2 8

Thy God hath commanded thy strength:

strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.

29

Because of thy temple at Jerusalem

shall kings bring presents unto thee.

3 0

Rebuke the company of spearmen,

the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.

3 1

Princes shall come out of Egypt;

Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.

3 2

Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth;

O sing praises unto the Lord.

Selah.

3 3

To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens,

which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.

3 4

Ascribe ye strength unto God:

his excellency is over Israel,

and his strength is in the clouds.

3 5

O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people.

Blessed be God.

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69

A Cry of Distress

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim,

A Psalm of David.

1

Save me, O God;

for the waters are come in unto my soul.

2

I sink in deep mire,

where there is no standing:

I am come into deep waters,

where the floods overflow me.

3

I am weary of my crying:

my throat is dried:

mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4

They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head:

they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty:

then I restored that which I took not away.

5

O God, thou knowest my foolishness;

and my sins are not hid from thee.

6

Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake:

let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

7

Because for thy sake I have borne reproach;

shame hath covered my face.

8

I am become a stranger unto my brethren,

and an alien unto my mother’s children.

9

For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up;

and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

1 0

When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting,

1 29 0

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6 9

that was to my reproach.

1 1

I made sackcloth also my garment;

and I became a proverb to them.

1 2

They that sit in the gate speak against me;

and I was the song of the drunkards.

13

But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time:

O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me,

in the truth of thy salvation.

14

Deliver me out of the mire,

and let me not sink:

let me be delivered from them that hate me,

and out of the deep waters.

1 5

Let not the waterflood overflow me,

neither let the deep swallow me up,

and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

1 6

Hear me, O Lord;

for thy loving-kindness is good:

turn unto me

according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

1 7

And hide not thy face from thy servant;

for I am in trouble:

hear me speedily.

1 8

Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it:

deliver me because of mine enemies.

19

Thou hast known my reproach,

and my shame, and my dishonor:

mine adversaries are all before thee.

2 0

Reproach hath broken my heart;

and I am full of heaviness:

and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

2 1

They gave me also gall for my meat;

and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

2 2

Let their table become a snare before them:

1 29 1

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6 9

and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.

23

Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not;

and make their loins continually to shake.

2 4

Pour out thine indignation upon them,

and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.

2 5

Let their habitation be desolate;

and let none dwell in their tents.

2 6

For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.

2 7

Add iniquity unto their iniquity:

and let them not come into thy righteousness.

2 8

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

29

But I am poor and sorrowful:

let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.

3 0

I will praise the name of God with a song,

and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

3 1

This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

3 2

The humble shall see this, and be glad:

and your heart shall live that seek God.

3 3

For the Lord heareth the poor,

and despiseth not his prisoners.

3 4

Let the heaven and earth praise him,

the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.

3 5

For God will save Zion,

and will build the cities of Judah:

that they may dwell there,

and have it in possession.

3 6

The seed also of his servants shall inherit it:

and they that love his name shall dwell therein.

1 29 2

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7 0

70

A Prayer for Deliverance

To the chief Musician,

A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.

1

Make haste, O God, to deliver me;

make haste to help me, O Lord.

2

Let them be ashamed and confounded

that seek after my soul:

let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.

3

Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.

4

Let all those that seek thee

rejoice and be glad in thee:

and let such as love thy salvation

say continually, Let God be magnified.

5

But I am poor and needy;

make haste unto me, O God:

thou art my help and my deliverer;

O Lord, make no tarrying.

7 1

The Prayer of an Old Man

1

In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust:

let me never be put to confusion.

2

Deliver me in thy righteousness,

and cause me to escape:

incline thine ear unto me,

and save me.

3

Be thou my strong habitation,

1 29 3

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7 1

whereunto I may continually resort:

thou hast given commandment to save me;

for thou art my rock and my fortress.

4

Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

5

For thou art my hope, O Lord God:

thou art my trust from my youth.

6

By thee have I been holden up from the womb:

thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

7

I am as a wonder unto many;

but thou art my strong refuge.

8

Let my mouth be filled with thy praise

and with thy honor all the day.

9

Cast me not off in the time of old age;

forsake me not when my strength faileth.

1 0

For mine enemies speak against me;

and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, 1 1

saying, God hath forsaken him:

persecute and take him;

for there is none to deliver him.

1 2

O God, be not far from me:

O my God, make haste for my help.

13

Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul;

let them be covered with reproach and dishonor that seek my hurt.

14

But I will hope continually,

and will yet praise thee more and more.

1 5

My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness

and thy salvation all the day;

for I know not the numbers thereof.

1 6

I will go in the strength of the Lord God:

I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.

1 7

O God, thou hast taught me from my youth:

and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

1 29 4

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7 2

1 8

Now also when I am old and grayheaded,

O God, forsake me not;

until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.

19

Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things:

O God, who is like unto thee!

2 0

Thou, which hast showed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again,

and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

2 1

Thou shalt increase my greatness,

and comfort me on every side.

2 2

I will also praise thee with the psaltery,

even thy truth, O my God:

unto thee will I sing with the harp,

O thou Holy One of Israel.

23

My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

2 4

My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded,

for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

72

The Reign of the Righteous King

A Psalm for Solomon.

1

Give the king thy judgments, O God,

and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.

2

He shall judge thy people with righteousness,

and thy poor with judgment.

3

The mountains shall bring peace to the people,

and the little hills, by righteousness.

4

He shall judge the poor of the people,

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7 2

he shall save the children of the needy,

and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

5

They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

6

He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

7

In his days shall the righteous flourish;

and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

8

He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,

and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

9

They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

1 0

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

1 1

Yea, all kings shall fall down before him:

all nations shall serve him.

1 2

For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth;

the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

13

He shall spare the poor and needy,

and shall save the souls of the needy.

14

He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

1 5

And he shall live,

and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba:

prayer also shall be made for him continually;

and daily shall he be praised.

1 6

There shall be a handful of corn in the earth

upon the top of the mountains;

the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon:

and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

1 7

His name shall endure for ever:

his name shall be continued as long as the sun:

and men shall be blessed in him:

all nations shall call him blessed.

1 8

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,

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who only doeth wondrous things.

19

And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen, and Amen.

2 0

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

73

The Fate of the Wicked

A Psalm of Asaph.

1

Truly God is good to Israel,

even to such as are of a clean heart.

2

But as for me, my feet were almost gone;

my steps had well-nigh slipped.

3

For I was envious at the foolish,

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4

For there are no bands in their death:

but their strength is firm.

5

They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.

6

Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.

7

Their eyes stand out with fatness:

they have more than heart could wish.

8

They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.

9

They set their mouth against the heavens,

and their tongue walketh through the earth.

1 0

Therefore his people return hither:

and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.

1 1

And they say, How doth God know?

And is there knowledge in the Most High?

1 2

Behold, these are the ungodly,

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who prosper in the world;

they increase in riches.

13

Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

14

For all the day long have I been plagued,

and chastened every morning.

1 5

If I say, I will speak thus;

behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.

1 6

When I thought to know this,

it was too painful for me;

1 7

until I went into the sanctuary of God;

then understood I their end.

1 8

Surely thou didst set them in slippery places:

thou castedst them down into destruction.

19

How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment!

They are utterly consumed with terrors.

2 0

As a dream when one awaketh;

so, O Lord, when thou awakest,

thou shalt despise their image.

2 1

Thus my heart was grieved,

and I was pricked in my reins.

2 2

So foolish was I, and ignorant:

I was as a beast before thee.

23

Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.

2 4

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel,

and afterward receive me to glory.

2 5

Whom have I in heaven but thee?

And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.

2 6

My flesh and my heart faileth:

but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

2 7

For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

2 8

But it is good for me to draw near to God:

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I have put my trust in the Lord God,

that I may declare all thy works.

74

An Appeal to God against the Enemy

Maschil of Asaph.

1

O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever?

Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

2

Remember thy congregation,

which thou hast purchased of old;

the rod of thine inheritance,

which thou hast redeemed;

this mount Zion,

wherein thou hast dwelt.

3

Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.

4

Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.

5

A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.

6

But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.

7

They have cast fire into thy sanctuary,

they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.

8

They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.

9

We see not our signs:

there is no more any prophet:

neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

1 0

O God, how long shall the adversary reproach?

Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

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1 1

Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand?

Pluck it out of thy bosom.

1 2

For God is my King of old,

working salvation in the midst of the earth.

13

Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength:

thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

14

Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces,

and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

1 5

Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood:

thou driedst up mighty rivers.

1 6

The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

1 7

Thou hast set all the borders of the earth:

thou hast made summer and winter.

1 8

Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.

19

O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked:

forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.

2 0

Have respect unto the covenant:

for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.

2 1

O let not the oppressed return ashamed:

let the poor and needy praise thy name.

2 2

Arise, O God, plead thine own cause:

remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.

23

Forget not the voice of thine enemies:

the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.

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75

God Abases the Wicked and Exalts the Righteous

To the chief Musician, Altaschith,

A Psalm or Song of Asaph.

1

Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks,

unto thee do we give thanks:

for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.

2

When I shall receive the congregation

I will judge uprightly.

3

The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it.

Selah.

4

I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly:

and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn:

5

lift not up your horn on high:

speak not with a stiff neck.

6

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

7

But God is the judge:

he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

8

For in the hand of the Lord

there is a cup, and the wine is red;

it is full of mixture;

and he poureth out of the same:

but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

9

But I will declare for ever;

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

1 0

All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

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76

The God of Victory and Judgment

To the chief Musician on Neginoth,

A Psalm or Song of Asaph.

1

In Judah is God known:

his name is great in Israel.

2

In Salem also is his tabernacle,

and his dwelling place in Zion.

3

There brake he the arrows of the bow,

the shield, and the sword, and the battle.

Selah.

4

Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.

5

The stout-hearted are spoiled,

they have slept their sleep:

and none of the men of might have found their hands.

6

At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob,

both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.

7

Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?

8

Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,

9

when God arose to judgment,

to save all the meek of the earth.

Selah.

1 0

Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee:

the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

1 1

Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God:

let all that be round about him bring presents

unto him that ought to be feared.

1 2

He shall cut off the spirit of princes:

he is terrible to the kings of the earth.

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77

Comfort from Recalling God’s Mighty Deeds

To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun,

A Psalm of Asaph.

1

I cried unto God with my voice,

even unto God with my voice;

and he gave ear unto me.

2

In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord:

my sore ran in the night, and ceased not:

my soul refused to be comforted.

3

I remembered God, and was troubled:

I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.

Selah.

4

Thou holdest mine eyes waking:

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

5

I have considered the days of old,

the years of ancient times.

6

I call to remembrance my song in the night:

I commune with mine own heart:

and my spirit made diligent search.

7

Will the Lord cast off for ever?

And will he be favorable no more?

8

Is his mercy clean gone for ever?

Doth his promise fail for evermore?

9

Hath God forgotten to be gracious?

Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?

Selah.

1 0

And I said, This is my infirmity:

but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.

1 1

I will remember the works of the Lord:

surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

1 2

I will meditate also of all thy work,

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and talk of thy doings.

13

Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:

who is so great a God as our God?

14

Thou art the God that doest wonders:

thou hast declared thy strength among the people.

1 5

Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah.

1 6

The waters saw thee, O God,

the waters saw thee;

they were afraid:

the depths also were troubled.

1 7

The clouds poured out water:

the skies sent out a sound:

thine arrows also went abroad.

1 8

The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world:

the earth trembled and shook.

19

Thy way is in the sea,

and thy path in the great waters,

and thy footsteps are not known.

2 0

Thou leddest thy people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

78

God’s Faithfulness to His Unfaithful People

Maschil of Asaph.

1

Give ear, O my people, to my law:

incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2

I will open my mouth in a parable:

I will utter dark sayings of old:

3

which we have heard and known,

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and our fathers have told us.

4

We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come

the praises of the Lord, and his strength,

and his wonderful works that he hath done.

5

For he established a testimony in Jacob,

and appointed a law in Israel,

which he commanded our fathers,

that they should make them known to their children: 6

that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: 7

that they might set their hope in God,

and not forget the works of God,

but keep his commandments:

8

and might not be as their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation;

a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

9

The children of Ephraim,

being armed, and carrying bows,

turned back in the day of battle.

1 0

They kept not the covenant of God,

and refused to walk in his law;

1 1

and forgat his works,

and his wonders that he had showed them.

1 2

Marvelous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13

He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as a heap.

14

In the daytime also he led them with a cloud,

and all the night with a light of fire.

1 5

He clave the rocks in the wilderness,

and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

1 6

He brought streams also out of the rock,

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and caused waters to run down like rivers.

1 7

And they sinned yet more against him

by provoking the Most High in the wilderness.

1 8

And they tempted God in their heart

by asking meat for their lust.

19

Yea, they spake against God;

they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

2 0

Behold, he smote the rock,

that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also?

Can he provide flesh for his people?

2 1

Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob,

and anger also came up against Israel;

2 2

because they believed not in God,

and trusted not in his salvation:

23

though he had commanded the clouds from above,

and opened the doors of heaven,

2 4

and had rained down manna upon them to eat,

and had given them of the corn of heaven.

2 5

Man did eat angels’ food:

he sent them meat to the full.

2 6

He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven:

and by his power he brought in the south wind.

2 7

He rained flesh also upon them as dust,

and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: 2 8

and he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

29

So they did eat, and were well filled:

for he gave them their own desire;

3 0

they were not estranged from their lust:

but while their meat was yet in their mouths, 3 1

the wrath of God came upon them,

and slew the fattest of them,

and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

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3 2

For all this they sinned still,

and believed not for his wondrous works.

3 3

Therefore their days did he consume in vanity,

and their years in trouble.

3 4

When he slew them, then they sought him:

and they returned and inquired early after God.

3 5

And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

3 6

Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

3 7

For their heart was not right with him,

neither were they steadfast in his covenant.

3 8

But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not:

yea, many a time turned he his anger away,

and did not stir up all his wrath.

39

For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

40

How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness,

and grieve him in the desert!

4 1

Yea, they turned back and tempted God,

and limited the Holy One of Israel.

4 2

They remembered not his hand,

nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy: 4 3

how he had wrought his signs in Egypt,

and his wonders in the field of Zoan:

4 4

and had turned their rivers into blood;

and their floods, that they could not drink.

4 5

He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

46

He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labor unto the locust.

4 7

He destroyed their vines with hail,

and their sycamore trees with frost.

48

He gave up their cattle also to the hail,

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and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

49

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger,

wrath, and indignation, and trouble,

by sending evil angels among them.

5 0

He made a way to his anger;

he spared not their soul from death,

but gave their life over to the pestilence;

5 1

and smote all the firstborn in Egypt;

the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham: 5 2

but made his own people to go forth like sheep,

and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

5 3

And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

5 4

And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.

5 5

He cast out the heathen also before them,

and divided them an inheritance by line,

and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

5 6

Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:

5 7

but turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

5 8

For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

59

When God heard this, he was wroth,

and greatly abhorred Israel:

6 0

so that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,

the tent which he placed among men;

6 1

and delivered his strength into captivity,

and his glory into the enemy’s hand.

6 2

He gave his people over also unto the sword;

and was wroth with his inheritance.

6 3

The fire consumed their young men;

and their maidens were not given to marriage.

64

Their priests fell by the sword;

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and their widows made no lamentation.

6 5

Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep,

and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

6 6

And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts:

he put them to a perpetual reproach.

6 7

Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph,

and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

6 8

but chose the tribe of Judah,

the mount Zion which he loved.

6 9

And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

7 0

He chose David also his servant,

and took him from the sheepfolds:

7 1

from following the ewes great with young

he brought him to feed Jacob his people,

and Israel his inheritance.

7 2

So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

79

A Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem

A Psalm of Asaph.

1

O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled;

they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

2

The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven,

the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.

3

Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.

4

We are become a reproach to our neighbors,

a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.

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5

How long, Lord ? Wilt thou be angry for ever?

Shall thy jealousy burn like fire?

6

Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.

7

For they have devoured Jacob,

and laid waste his dwelling place.

8

O remember not against us former iniquities:

let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us;

for we are brought very low.

9

Help us, O God of our salvation,

for the glory of thy name:

and deliver us, and purge away our sins,

for thy name’s sake.

1 0

Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God?

Let him be known among the heathen in our sight

by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.

1 1

Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;

1 2

and render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.

13

So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture

will give thee thanks for ever:

we will show forth thy praise to all generations.

80

A Prayer for Restoration

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim-eduth,

A Psalm of Asaph.

1

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,

thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;

thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth.

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2

Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh

stir up thy strength,

and come and save us.

3

Turn us again, O God,

and cause thy face to shine;

and we shall be saved.

4

O Lord God of hosts,

how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?

5

Thou feedest them with the bread of tears;

and givest them tears to drink in great measure.

6

Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbors:

and our enemies laugh among themselves.

7

Turn us again, O God of hosts,

and cause thy face to shine;

and we shall be saved.

8

Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt:

thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

9

Thou preparedst room before it,

and didst cause it to take deep root,

and it filled the land.

1 0

The hills were covered with the shadow of it,

and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.

1 1

She sent out her boughs unto the sea,

and her branches unto the river.

1 2

Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?

13

The boar out of the wood doth waste it,

and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.

14

Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts:

look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; 1 5

and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.

1 6

It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.

1 7

Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,

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upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.

1 8

So will not we go back from thee:

quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

19

Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts,

cause thy face to shine;

and we shall be saved.

81

God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness

To the chief Musician upon Gittith,

A Psalm of Asaph.

1

Sing aloud unto God our strength:

make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

2

Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel,

the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

3

Blow up the trumpet in the new moon,

in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

4

For this was a statute for Israel,

and a law of the God of Jacob.

5

This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt:

where I heard a language that I understood not.

6

I removed his shoulder from the burden:

his hands were delivered from the pots.

7

Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee;

I answered thee in the secret place of thunder:

I proved thee at the waters of Meribah.

Selah.

8

Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;

9

there shall no strange god be in thee;

neither shalt thou worship any strange god.

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1 0

I am the Lord thy God,

which brought thee out of the land of Egypt:

open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

1 1

But my people would not hearken to my voice;

and Israel would none of me.

1 2

So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust:

and they walked in their own counsels.

13

Oh that my people had hearkened unto me,

and Israel had walked in my ways!

14

I should soon have subdued their enemies,

and turned my hand against their adversaries.

1 5

The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him:

but their time should have endured for ever.

1 6

He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

82

A Rebuke of Unjust Judgments

A Psalm of Asaph.

1

God standeth in the congregation of the mighty;

he judgeth among the gods.

2

How long will ye judge unjustly,

and accept the persons of the wicked?

Selah.

3

Defend the poor and fatherless:

do justice to the afflicted and needy.

4

Deliver the poor and needy:

rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

5

They know not, neither will they understand;

they walk on in darkness:

all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

1 3 1 3

P s a l m s

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6

I have said, Ye are gods;

and all of you are children of the Most High.

7

But ye shall die like men,

and fall like one of the princes.

8

Arise, O God, judge the earth:

for thou shalt inherit all nations.

83

A Prayer for the Destruction of Israel’s Enemies A Song or Psalm of Asaph.

1

Keep not thou silence, O God:

hold not thy peace,

and be not still, O God.

2

For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult:

and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

3

They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

4

They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

5

For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

6

the tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites;

of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

7

Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek;

the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

8

Assur also is joined with them:

they have helped the children of Lot.

Selah.

9

Do unto them as unto the Midianites;

as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison: 1 0

which perished at En-dor:

they became as dung for the earth.

1 3 1 4

P s a l m s

8 4

1 1

Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb:

yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna: 1 2

who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

13

O my God, make them like a wheel;

as the stubble before the wind.

14

As the fire burneth a wood,

and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

1 5

so persecute them with thy tempest,

and make them afraid with thy storm.

1 6

Fill their faces with shame;

that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

1 7

Let them be confounded and troubled for ever;

yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

1 8

that men may know that thou,

whose name alone is Jehovah,

art the Most High over all the earth.

84

Longing for God’s House

To the chief Musician upon Gittith,

A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

1

How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!

2

My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

3

Yea, the sparrow hath found a house,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young,

even thine altars, O Lord of hosts,

my King, and my God.

4

Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee.

Selah.

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5

Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

6

Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

7

They go from strength to strength,

every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

8

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer:

give ear, O God of Jacob.

Selah.

9

Behold, O God our shield,

and look upon the face of thine anointed.

1 0

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.

I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

1 1

For the Lord God is a sun and shield:

the Lord will give grace and glory:

no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

1 2

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

85

A Prayer for God’s Mercy on Israel

To the chief Musician,

A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

1

L o r d , thou hast been favorable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.

2

Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people;

thou hast covered all their sin.

Selah.

3

Thou hast taken away all thy wrath:

thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

4

Turn us, O God of our salvation,

and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

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5

Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?

Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?

6

Wilt thou not revive us again:

that thy people may rejoice in thee?

7

Show us thy mercy, O Lord,

and grant us thy salvation.

8

I will hear what God the Lord will speak:

for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

9

Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

1 0

Mercy and truth are met together;

righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

1 1

Truth shall spring out of the earth;

and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

1 2

Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

13

Righteousness shall go before him;

and shall set us in the way of his steps.

86

A Prayer for God’s Continued Mercy

A Prayer of David.

1

Bow down thine ear, O Lord,

hear me: for I am poor and needy.

2

Preserve my soul; for I am holy:

O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

3

Be merciful unto me, O Lord:

for I cry unto thee daily.

4

Rejoice the soul of thy servant:

for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

5

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive;

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and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

6

Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer;

and attend to the voice of my supplications.

7

In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee:

for thou wilt answer me.

8

Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

9

All nations whom thou hast made

shall come and worship before thee, O Lord;

and shall glorify thy name.

1 0

For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

1 1

Teach me thy way, O Lord;

I will walk in thy truth:

unite my heart to fear thy name.

1 2

I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

13

For great is thy mercy toward me:

and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

14

O God, the proud are risen against me,

and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

1 5

But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

1 6

O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me;

give thy strength unto thy servant,

and save the son of thine handmaid.

1 7

Show me a token for good;

that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.

1 3 1 8

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8 7

87

The Privileges of Dwelling in Zion

A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah.

1

His foundation is in the holy mountains.

2

The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

3

Glorious things are spoken of thee,

O city of God.

Selah.

4

I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia;

this man was born there.

5

And of Zion it shall be said,

This and that man was born in her:

and the Highest himself shall establish her.

6

The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there.

Selah.

7

As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there:

all my springs are in thee.

88

A Prayer for Deliverance from Death

A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.

1

O Lord God of my salvation,

I have cried day and night before thee:

2

let my prayer come before thee:

incline thine ear unto my cry;

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3

for my soul is full of troubles:

and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.

4

I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:

5

free among the dead,

like the slain that lie in the grave,

whom thou rememberest no more:

and they are cut off from thy hand.

6

Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit,

in darkness, in the deeps.

7

Thy wrath lieth hard upon me,

and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves.

Selah.

8

Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them:

I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.

9

Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction:

L o r d , I have called daily upon thee,

I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

1 0

Wilt thou show wonders to the dead?

Shall the dead arise and praise thee?

Selah.

1 1

Shall thy loving-kindness be declared in the grave?

or thy faithfulness in destruction?

1 2

Shall thy wonders be known in the dark?

and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13

But unto thee have I cried, O Lord;

and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.

14

L o r d , why castest thou off my soul?

Why hidest thou thy face from me?

1 5

I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.

1 6

Thy fierce wrath goeth over me;

thy terrors have cut me off.

1 7

They came round about me daily like water;

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they compassed me about together.

1 8

Lover and friend hast thou put far from me,

and mine acquaintance into darkness.

89

God’s Covenant with David

Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

2

For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.

3

I have made a covenant with my chosen,

I have sworn unto David my servant,

4

Thy seed will I establish for ever,

and build up thy throne to all generations.

Selah.

5

And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.

6

For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord ?

Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord ?

7

God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.

8

O Lord God of hosts,

who is a strong Lord like unto thee?

or to thy faithfulness round about thee?

9

Thou rulest the raging of the sea:

when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

1 0

Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.

1 1

The heavens are thine,

the earth also is thine:

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as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

1 2

The north and the south thou hast created them:

Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.

13

Thou hast a mighty arm:

strong is thy hand,

and high is thy right hand.

14

Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

1 5

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.

1 6

In thy name shall they rejoice all the day:

and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

1 7

For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favor our horn shall be exalted.

1 8

For the Lord is our defense;

and the Holy One of Israel is our King.

19

Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.

2 0

I have found David my servant;

with my holy oil have I anointed him:

2 1

with whom my hand shall be established:

mine arm also shall strengthen him.

2 2

The enemy shall not exact upon him;

nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

23

And I will beat down his foes before his face,

and plague them that hate him.

2 4

But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

2 5

I will set his hand also in the sea,

and his right hand in the rivers.

2 6

He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

2 7

Also I will make him my firstborn,

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higher than the kings of the earth.

2 8

My mercy will I keep for him for evermore,

and my covenant shall stand fast with him.

29

His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

3 0

If his children forsake my law,

and walk not in my judgments;

3 1

if they break my statutes,

and keep not my commandments;

3 2

then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

3 3

Nevertheless my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

3 4

My covenant will I not break,

nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

3 5

Once have I sworn by my holiness

that I will not lie unto David.

3 6

His seed shall endure for ever,

and his throne as the sun before me.

3 7

It shall be established for ever as the moon,

and as a faithful witness in heaven.

Selah.

3 8

But thou hast cast off and abhorred,

thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.

39

Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

40

Thou hast broken down all his hedges;

thou hast brought his strongholds to ruin.

4 1

All that pass by the way spoil him:

he is a reproach to his neighbors.

4 2

Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.

4 3

Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword,

and hast not made him to stand in the battle.

4 4

Thou hast made his glory to cease,

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and cast his throne down to the ground.

4 5

The days of his youth hast thou shortened:

thou hast covered him with shame.

Selah.

46

How long, Lord ?

Wilt thou hide thyself for ever?

Shall thy wrath burn like fire?

4 7

Remember how short my time is:

wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

48

What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death?

Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave?

Selah.

49

Lord, where are thy former loving-kindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?

5 0

Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants;

how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people; 5 1

wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Lord; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.

5 2

Blessed be the Lord for evermore.

Amen, and Amen.

90

God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness

A Prayer of Moses the man of God.

1

L o r d , thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

2

Before the mountains were brought forth,

or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

3

Thou turnest man to destruction;

and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

4

For a thousand years in thy sight

are but as yesterday when it is past,

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and as a watch in the night.

5

Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

6

In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up;

in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

7

For we are consumed by thine anger,

and by thy wrath are we troubled.

8

Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,

our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

9

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath:

we spend our years as a tale that is told.

1 0

The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow;

for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

1 1

Who knoweth the power of thine anger?

Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

1 2

So teach us to number our days,

that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

13

Return, O Lord, how long?

And let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

14

O satisfy us early with thy mercy;

that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

1 5

Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.

1 6

Let thy work appear unto thy servants,

and thy glory unto their children.

1 7

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

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91

Abiding in the Shadow of the Almighty

1

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2

I will say of the Lord,

He is my refuge and my fortress:

my God; in him will I trust.

3

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4

He shall cover thee with his feathers,

and under his wings shalt thou trust:

his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6

nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7

A thousand shall fall at thy side,

and ten thousand at thy right hand;

but it shall not come nigh thee.

8

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold

and see the reward of the wicked.

9

Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation;

1 0

there shall no evil befall thee,

neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

1 1

For he shall give his angels charge over thee,

to keep thee in all thy ways.

1 2

They shall bear thee up in their hands,

lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder:

the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

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1 5

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him, and honor him.

1 6

With long life will I satisfy him,

and show him my salvation.

92

Praise for the Lord’s Goodness

A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day.

1

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:

2

to show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

3

upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.

4

For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

5

O Lord, how great are thy works!

And thy thoughts are very deep.

6

A brutish man knoweth not;

neither doth a fool understand this.

7

When the wicked spring as the grass,

and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: 8

but thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.

9

For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord,

for, lo, thine enemies shall perish;

all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

1 0

But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

1 1

Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies,

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and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.

1 2

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13

Those that be planted in the house of the Lord

shall flourish in the courts of our God.

14

They shall still bring forth fruit in old age;

they shall be fat and flourishing;

1 5

to show that the Lord is upright:

he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

93

The Majesty of the Lord

1

The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty;

the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself:

the world also is stablished,

that it cannot be moved.

2

Thy throne is established of old:

thou art from everlasting.

3

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,

the floods have lifted up their voice;

the floods lift up their waves.

4

The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.

5

Thy testimonies are very sure:

holiness becometh thine house,

O Lord, for ever.

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9 4

94

A Prayer for Vengeance

1

O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth;

O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself.

2

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth:

render a reward to the proud.

3

L o r d , how long shall the wicked,

how long shall the wicked triumph?

4

How long shall they utter and speak hard things?

and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

5

They break in pieces thy people, O Lord,

and afflict thine heritage.

6

They slay the widow and the stranger,

and murder the fatherless.

7

Yet they say, The Lord shall not see,

neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

8

Understand, ye brutish among the people:

and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

9

He that planted the ear, shall he not hear?

He that formed the eye, shall he not see?

1 0

He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct?

He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?

1 1

The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man,

that they are vanity.

1 2

Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;

13

that thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

14

For the Lord will not cast off his people,

neither will he forsake his inheritance.

1 5

But judgment shall return unto righteousness:

and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

1 6

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?

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Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

1 7

Unless the Lord had been my help,

my soul had almost dwelt in silence.

1 8

When I said, My foot slippeth;

thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.

19

In the multitude of my thoughts within me

thy comforts delight my soul.

2 0

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?

2 1

They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

2 2

But the Lord is my defense;

and my God is the rock of my refuge.

23

And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness;

yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.

95

A Song of Praise and Worship

1

O come, let us sing unto the Lord:

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

2

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

3

For the Lord is a great God,

and a great King above all gods.

4

In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.

5

The sea is his, and he made it:

and his hands formed the dry land.

6

O come, let us worship and bow down:

let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

7

For he is our God;

and we are the people of his pasture,

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and the sheep of his hand.

Today if ye will hear his voice,

8

harden not your heart, as in the provocation,

and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9

when your fathers tempted me,

proved me, and saw my work.

1 0

Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

1 1

unto whom I sware in my wrath

that they should not enter into my rest.

96

A Song of Praise

1

O sing unto the Lord a new song:

sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

2

Sing unto the Lord, bless his name;

show forth his salvation from day to day.

3

Declare his glory among the heathen,

his wonders among all people.

4

For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.

5

For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

6

Honor and majesty are before him:

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7

Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.

8

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.

9

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:

fear before him, all the earth.

1 0

Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth:

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the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

1 1

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.

1 2

Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

13

before the Lord: for he cometh,

for he cometh to judge the earth:

he shall judge the world with righteousness,

and the people with his truth.

97

The Lord’s Dominion and Power

1

The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice;

let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

2

Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

3

A fire goeth before him,

and burneth up his enemies round about.

4

His lightnings enlightened the world:

the earth saw, and trembled.

5

The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

6

The heavens declare his righteousness,

and all the people see his glory.

7

Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols:

worship him, all ye gods.

8

Zion heard, and was glad;

and the daughters of Judah rejoiced

because of thy judgments, O Lord.

9

For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.

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1 0

Ye that love the Lord, hate evil:

he preserveth the souls of his saints;

he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

1 1

Light is sown for the righteous,

and gladness for the upright in heart.

1 2

Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous;

and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

98

Praise for God’s Righteousness

A Psalm.

1

O sing unto the Lord a new song;

for he hath done marvelous things:

his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

2

The Lord hath made known his salvation:

his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen.

3

He hath remembered his mercy and his truth

toward the house of Israel:

all the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

4

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

5

Sing unto the Lord with the harp;

with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

6

With trumpets and sound of cornet

make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.

7

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;

the world, and they that dwell therein.

8

Let the floods clap their hands:

let the hills be joyful together

9

before the Lord;

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for he cometh to judge the earth:

with righteousness shall he judge the world,

and the people with equity.

99

The Lord’s Faithfulness to Israel

1

The Lord reigneth;

let the people tremble:

he sitteth between the cherubim;

let the earth be moved.

2

The Lord is great in Zion;

and he is high above all the people.

3

Let them praise thy great and terrible name;

for it is holy.

4

The king’s strength also loveth judgment;

thou dost establish equity,

thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.

5

Exalt ye the Lord our God,

and worship at his footstool;

for he is holy.

6

Moses and Aaron among his priests,

and Samuel among them that call upon his name;

they called upon the Lord,

and he answered them.

7

He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar:

they kept his testimonies,

and the ordinance that he gave them.

8

Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God:

thou wast a God that forgavest them,

though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.

9

Exalt the Lord our God,

and worship at his holy hill;

for the Lord our God is holy.

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100

An Exhortation to Thanksgiving

A Psalm of praise.

1

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

2

Serve the Lord with gladness:

come before his presence with singing.

3

Know ye that the Lord he is God:

it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,

and into his courts with praise:

be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5

For the Lord is good;

his mercy is everlasting;

and his truth endureth to all generations.

101

A Pledge to Live Righteously

A Psalm of David.

1

I will sing of mercy and judgment:

unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.