Metaphrase of the Psalms (Interpretation of the Psalter)

unwavering conscience regarding the mystery of piety long ago to be within you, and our divine father Athanasius has testified to your devoutness, and he brought his disciples to love your perfection, ^A and to pray to God for the preservation of your life for many years, for the benefit of the Churches of Christ.

ANNO DOMINI CCCLXXXI.

APOLLINARIS, BISHOP OF LAODICEA. NOTICE.

I. Apollinaris, being of a presbyter father ^B by the same name, was born in Laodicea in Syria, and was first ordained a reader of that Laodicean Church, as Socrates writes. Instructed in the skill of the liberal arts, he was also an excellent poet and a distinguished orator, excelling greatly in talent, practice, and doctrine, and was heard of as the most prolific of all writers. We understand from ancient writers everywhere that he was held in great esteem in the Church, which is why he was elevated to govern the Laodicean Church. Nor is it right to doubt Apollinaris's episcopate with Photius. Gregory Nazianzen, Basil, Theodoret, Socrates, and Sozomen are indeed silent on this matter; Leontius Byzantinus even calls him merely a presbyter: but Jerome, who knew him well, inasmuch as he had heard him frequently at Antioch and honored him, testifies that Apollinaris was truly a Laodicean prelate. Rufinus, Nemesius, Philostorgius, and others say no differently. But to define when this happened is a very laborious task, if one listens to Lequien. ^C But we at least have it as verified that certain monks sent by Bishop Apollinaris for this very purpose were present at the council held at Alexandria in the year 362 by Athanasius: *And there were also present some monks of Bishop Apollinaris, sent by him for this purpose* ^D sent. Moreover, since it is certain that during this same time Pelagius also governed the Laodicean Church, who in the following year, 363, went to the synod of Antioch, as is evident from Socrates; I would indeed think, with Tillemont, that Apollinaris of Laodicea-on-the-Sea and Pelagius of Laodicea-ad-Libanum existed as bishops at the same time.

II. Furthermore, Apollinaris was famous for the praises of his talent, erudition, and piety; for he had suppressed heresies with many volumes and confuted the enemies of the faith, as Vincent of Lérins says; and, as Epiphanius testifies, he had endured exile because he would not assent to the Arians, and was therefore by all the orthodox long held most dear: Apollinaris, I say, such and so great a man, finally departed from the Church and founded and defended the heresy of the Dinarites—as it was called by his own name. But at what time this occurred, we do not have it fully ascertained. For this most wily man diligently strove to banish every suspicion of perverse opinion from himself: a thing which, for a time at least, seems to have turned out according to his wishes. But before the year 362, in which the Alexandrian synod was celebrated, that heresiarch is found to have sown the seeds of his error secretly. For in that synod, when the doctrine of Apollinaris was to be weighed, the monks sent by him, as we said above, set forth the opinion of their teacher, yet wily and deceitfully,

^A with the poison of his heresy, of course, hidden. That this is ready to hand to be gathered is evident from the epistle of Apollinaris himself to the bishops gathered at Diocæsarea, which Leontius of Byzantium has preserved for us. Indeed, as a learned man observes, in that epistle he professes the rest of his views just as they had been brought by the monks sent by him to Alexandria; yet he adds that "the Word Himself became flesh, not with the taking of a human mind, a mind mutable and led captive by base thoughts, but with a divine, immutable, and heavenly mind." Therefore, in the Alexandrian council, the doctrine of Apollinaris, as set forth by the monks, was admitted as being catholic. And truly, although Athanasius inveighed against the errors of the Apollinarists not once thereafter, he never attacked Apollinaris himself by name; because, obviously, as we believe, while Athanasius lived, Apollinaris, creeping secretly, was indeed spreading his errors as much as lay within his power; yet in the presence of Athanasius he feigned a zeal for the catholic and sincere faith, as is plain primarily from the two epistles inscribed to Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis. When Athanasius had finally passed away, the cunning man, in the very synod of Diocæsarea, openly and in clear words vomited forth the poison of his heresy with impious mouth.

III. Furthermore, that Apollinaris died in the reign of Theodosius, Jerome relates, in the year 382, it would seem, well-advanced in age and worn out by his years, *καταγεγηρακώς*, as Epiphanius and Nilus testify. From which, therefore, you may see what must be thought of those words of Proclus which are read in the oration delivered by him in the second synod of Constantinople: "And Athanasius," he says, "writes various epistles to Apollinaris, as if to one wise in the same faith: and yet later, after the death of Apollinaris, he wrote whole books against him, having recognized the blasphemies in his writings. And those things which were written before to him, as to one wise in the same faith, profited Apollinaris nothing." Proclus therefore supposed that Apollinaris had departed this life before Athanasius. Which opinion is seen to conflict with the more ancient ecclesiastical writers, by whom we are informed that Apollinaris departed from the living earlier under Valens, but later under Theodosius.

IV. "It would be long to commemorate all the works of Apollinaris; works which, in truth, could have been equal to the greatest builders of the Church, had not that profane heresy ^B of his prurient curiosity caused him to invent I know not what, by which he might both defile all his labors with the admixture of a certain leprosy, and bring it about that his doctrine might be called not so much an edification as an ecclesiastical temptation." These are the words of Vincent of Lérins. And Jerome reports that he wrote innumerable volumes on the holy Scriptures. But from so many and such great monuments of Apollinaris's writing, only the Metaphrasis of the Psalms, composed in heroic verses, survives. Some among the moderns, among whom is James Duport, have doubted whether Apollinaris was the author of the metaphrasis that circulates; for the reason, he says, "that although not a few of the ancients have mentioned the works of Apollinaris—Jerome, Socrates, Sozomen, Philostorgius, and others—yet none of them makes mention of this metaphrasis." Nay rather, says Fabricius, they do mention it clearly, when they testify that the Old and New Testament were set forth by Apollinaris, either by a metaphrasis or illustrated by another kind of writing. On which matter you should consult Sozomen first. Therefore, I should judge that one ought not to depart from the authority of the manuscripts, eight of which the illustrious Montfaucon praises, and which indeed ascribe the Metaphrasis of the Psalms to Apollinaris, and specifically to the Bishop of Laodicea.

V. Various judgments of scholars are reported regarding the merit of the work. Some criticize the style of the Metaphrast with a censor's pen, severely, and perhaps more sharply than is fair. Others indeed consider the oration to be Greek and sufficiently poetic, nay sometimes *ποιητικωτάτην*, but often they also think that the genius of Greek poetry is lacking in the writer. Others, on the contrary, deem it a great work. But for my part, I would incline to the opinion of those to whom the work does not seem equally studied throughout; since we learn from Basil that Apollinaris was in a hurry in the writing of his books: "Since he," he says, "had a tongue ready for every subject with a facility of writing, he filled the whole world with his writings, despising the rebuke of him who says: Beware of making many books."

VI. Besides the Metaphrasis of the Psalms, two epistles of Apollinaris inscribed to the great Basil do exist, which Cotelerius brought to light at the end of the previous century. But according to the plan of our undertaking, which we have set forth in the general preface, we had to refrain from printing them, for the reasons which the very learned editor brings forward first of all: "I cannot," he says, "be induced to believe that these..." ^{C D}

four epistles, two of Basil and two of Apollinaris, to be genuine: I suspect they were forged by the Arians or by the Apollinarists, those famous artificers of such fabrications, so that they might render the doctors of most renowned name suspected of Apollinarianism: of which suspicion Gregory complains in Epist. 1 to Cledonius, and Basil in Epists. 73, 82, 293, 345; but truly in Epist. 59. The reason for my opinion is that when letters written to Apollinaris were objected against Basil, he replied that they were not about the faith, but were of simple and friendly greeting, and that he had never held the place of master or disciple toward him. ^A But that epistle fell into interpolating hands. For the letters are about the faith and the holy Trinity, and about difficult places of Holy Scripture, and they suppose that there had been great correspondence between Apollinaris and Basil and Gregory; indeed, and in them Apollinaris is asked as a master and the unique doctor of the Church. What, then, of the fact that they seem to contain seeds, as it were, sown of Arianism and Apollinarianism? Thus he. Nor did the most learned man, who recently published volume III of the works of St. Basil, think otherwise ^B, and who for that reason judged that those same letters of Apollinaris and Basil should be reckoned among the spurious.

APOLLINARIS' INTERPRETATION OF THE PSALTER

^C

PSALM I

PSALM II

^A And breathing fury from his heart, he shall confound them all. He established me as leader, coming forth, Magnifying me on his holy mount of Zion, Proclaiming the commandment of the heavenly King: "Thou art my Son," God the Father said to me; "On this new day I have willed thy birth. Ask of me, that thou mayest receive the lot, while I give nations [to thee, And thou mayest possess all the bounds beneath the moon. Thou shalt shepherd these kings with an iron rod, And shalt shatter them like the vessels of a potter." Now therefore, O kings of mortals, understand, Be instructed, you who hold highest command beneath the sky: ^B Fear; and mingle the trembling of servitude with joy; And rejoice unto him, taking delight with a trembling mind. Lay hold therefore of wisdom, lest the King grow wrathful, And he should suddenly pluck all of you from the way. When he quickly stirs up his burning, grievous mind, All are blessed together who trust always in him.

PSALM III

PSALM IV

^A And for us, the golden sign is the light of your countenance; you have given all gladness to my heart. From the sweet grain, and from the wine that brings forgetfulness, and from the life-bearing virtue you have filled me with oil. I will sleep in peace as one; I will lie down, for you, O Blessed One, sustain me alone in hope.

PSALM V

PSALM VI

Workers of pernicious iniquity, depart: For the King has heard the voice of my weeping. God has heard the voice of our prayer. God the most high has accepted our supplication. May shame and tumult be the portion of my enemies: May they quickly turn back and be put to the blush.

PSALM VII

Confidence in thy trust, O King, I have always had: I beseech thee, save me from all who pursue me, Lest at some time a lion should snatch my heart like one, When no defender or helper is present. But if I have done such a thing as stirs thy wrath, If I bear hateful deeds in my wicked hands, If I have even evil-treated the author of evils himself, May I fall utterly empty before my enemies, And may the hostile man pursue my soul and drive it, And may he trample my life into the ground with his feet, And may he defile my celebrated glory with dust. But, incensed, arise from thy mighty seats, And be exalted to the ends of my hostile enemies. Arise by thy precepts, offering strength, And may every gathering of peoples surround thee: Of whom, O Blessed One, thou wast the leader, raised on high. Thou, O King, shalt be judge for the peoples forever: Judge me, O King, according to the law of my righteousness: And deal with what is similar to our good mind. Let there be an end to sin, but do thou direct the righteous. Thou alone provest the reins and the hidden recesses of the heart. That thou mightest keep for me, O King, a helping hand, Always delivering the nations of good-minded mortals. Always a King, both holy and a prudent judge, Both strong in power, and having obtained a patient spirit, Knowing not how to stir up harsh wrath in any place. Cease, before he whets his long, shining sword, And bends his bow: for it is most prepared: For he has fashioned weapons of deadly death upon it: And he has made fierce arrows for those who burn. Behold now the unjust work of his childbearing: He conceived labor, and brought forth sorrowful iniquity. He opened a great lake, but he dug it with an evil intent: But into the wicked pit which he made, he shall fall. And may the prepared pain recoil upon his own head, And upon his crown shall vast injury ascend. I will sing praise worthy of the King of righteousness: And I will celebrate the name of the Most High with a ringing cithara.

PSALM VIII

^A I shall see the spacious heaven, which thy fingers established, The stars and the moon, for which thou didst set a foundation with thy hand. For what is man, since thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, because thou art also his guardian? Thou hast made him lesser than the celestial hosts; Surrounding him with both glory and honors, Thou didst appoint him to rule over the works of thy hands. Thou hast placed all things, O King, in subjection under his feet, Both rural oxen and the race of wool-bearing sheep, And whatever other things graze upon the fruit-bearing field, The ethereal winged creatures, and the fishy breeds, Whatever things traverse the paths of the sea. O immortal one, steering the rudder of our generation, How truly admirable is thy name upon the earth!

PSALM IX

^B Prince of justice, thou hast sat upon strong thrones. Thou hast threatened the nations, and the impious one perished at once; Thou hast utterly blotted out his name among all. The weapons of the enemy have perished, and thou hast overthrown cities; Their memory has perished entirely with much noise: But the celestial King remains very much forever. He has established his most high throne in equity, That he might judge with righteousness the noble ends of the earth, And provide straight justice to his own peoples. God is immortal, a refuge for the poor in tribulation; And in troubles he stands ready as a convenient helper. Thou art a confidence to all who have known thy name: For thou hast not abandoned those who are zealous for thee, O Shepherd. Celebrate the King, the inhabitant of Sion; Announce the deeds of the Immortal to the frequent peoples: For he remembered them, the slain, seeking their blood, Nor has he entirely forgotten the cry of the wretched poor.

^C Have mercy on my weakness, repelling my enemies, Thou thyself lifting me up even from the gates of death, That I may celebrate thy praise in all the gates of Sion. I shall greatly exult in thy saving helps: The nations have been wounded by their own foolishness: The snare which they hid, their own foot has been caught in. The King who makes justice is revealed as the famous one; The sinner is caught in the works of his own hand. Let sinners return backward to hell, All the nations that have always forgotten the God who is. For the King shall not perpetually forget the poor man, Nor shall the firm hope of the weak ever pass by.

^A Arise, and let not man in his violence be king. Let the nations be judged before thy eyes. Appoint, O Lord, another good legislator over them. Let the nations of the mortal generation know that they exist. Why, O Supreme One, hast thou stood afar off from the needy, And hidden thy face from the helper of the oppressed? The poor man is inflamed by the pride of the wicked man; By their own counsels the guilty men perish. Truly everyone has lauded the desire of the sinner, And they speak of the lawless man with better words. The transgressor has always provoked the mind of the ever-living King, Raging immeasurably, he seeks not, nor inquires, Nor does he regard God with his proud eyelids. ^B He always walks in the most disgraceful paths. With his own eyes he has denied thy laws. He shall rule, being a wicked man over all his enemies. For he considered in his heart to remain confident in malice, His mouth is stuffed with the most bitter deceit and curses, His tongue is always heavy with wiles of distress. He sits lying in wait in the dwellings of the rich, Slaughtering the innocent with hidden counsels. He is always looking with his eyes at the poor man. As a lion in the woods sends forth evil designs, So that he may quickly snatch up the pitiable beggar, That he may fulfill the delights of his rapacious counsel, And in a wily net may fashion evil and pride for him. But let him fall headlong before the King heeds the poor. For he spoke, unmindful of the ancient counsel of the King, And that he had altogether turned away his all-seeing face. Arise for me, O King, and lift up thy hand on high, And do not altogether forget the cry of the wretched poor. Why does the evil-doer provoke the God who is ever present? ^C For he said in his heart, that the King no longer seeks. You see that you increase toil and anger at the same time, Desiring to take them with your hands by the necessity of the unwilling. For the King has not abandoned the poor man to you, Or were you yourself ever before a helper to the orphan? O King, shiver the arm of the horrid man. And let him not find even the end of your vice. But let God reign perpetually among all: Let the nations perish from the earth for their own folly. God himself has perfected the desire of the weak. ^D He has known with his ears the most prepared yearning of their heart, That you may judge for the orphans and the lowly, So that no man may hold a boastful voice.

PSALM X

^A Wicked men bend their bows, and have set their arrows in the quiver, Desiring to shoot at the upright of heart in the darkness; Destroying with folly the things that thou, O Shepherd, hast prepared. But what has the man who is the care of God done to deserve this? The King of all, reigning in a glorious temple, Having obtained the starred heaven as a high-crested throne, Stretching out an all-seeing eye upon the poor man, And seeking out the works of the mortal generation with his eyelids. The King himself judges both the good and the baneful man. He who loves injustice is an enemy to his own soul. From heaven he sends forth deadly snares upon the wicked: Fire, and sulphur together, and the breath of a grim storm, This is the portion of the cup intended for the wicked. For the King is just, and greatly loves justice; And his countenance has always beheld the straight path.

^B PSALM XI The eleventh, which David spoke for the octave. Save me, O Lord: for the holy race has clearly failed; For the works of truth have perished from the mortal root. Each one has spoken to his neighbor with empty words; They have spoken with their lips, meditating deceits in their hearts. May God quickly destroy all deceitful lips, And the boastful tongue of the arrogant. All who are lifted up by their own tongues, And who thought it was theirs to bear their deeds upon their lips: "What mortal among you has been an undefiled king?" For the sake of the needy, the wretched, and the groaning of the poor, The powerful King himself has promised that he will arise, And that he will set light, and make it manifest in brightness. Divine words, words that are inviolate, Are like silver tested in a burning furnace, Purified many times, and refined sevenfold. But may you appear as our guardian and defender in all things, From hence, O King, and even unto eternity. The impious walk about in a round of deceit ^C like the stars, As you, O good one, multiply the generations of men in their seasons.

PSALM XII The twelfth is a hymn of the mighty David. Why have you so grandly forgotten me? How long do you turn away your royal countenance? How long shall I store up anxious griefs in my heart, Together with the pangs of the mind, by night and by day? How long shall my enemy strike at me from above? But look upon me, more quickly, and hearken to my voice. Give light, that I may flee the sleep that is the parent of death, So that my enemy may not greatly boast, as if he had subdued me. ^D If I were to succumb to fear, those hostile men would exult; But I, trusting in your mercy, rejoice in your hope. I shall always rejoice in the succor of your heart. I will sing a suppliant hymn to the benignant King, And I will celebrate the name of the Most High with melodic songs.

^A

PSALM XIII

PSALM XIV

PSALM XV

^A For my inheritance has been established as strong and faithful. I will praise the King, the giver of prudent counsel. All night long I have been chastened in my reins. I always look upon God before me as my helper, He stands at my right hand, that He may support me. Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue has exulted. And my dear body shall rest in hope, rejoicing, because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You assign a holy one to be numbered with corruptible men. You have shown me the paths of life. Fill me, O Blessed One, with the gladness of Your countenance; may the delight at Your right hand be ever-living.

PSALM XVI

PSALM XVII

^A when the King delivered him from all his enemies, and from Saul who was bent on destroying him, he dedicated the seventeenth hymn with his spirit.

My strength: for You alone, O God, I love always; You Yourself have become my firmament and shield and helper. You exist as my hope, and the protector of my deeds, The unbroken horn of life and fighting strength. Praising You with prayers, I shall escape the hands of my foes. Grave pangs of death encompassed me, And torrents of immense iniquities unsettled me. Pangs of Tartarean abysses surrounded me, And the woven snares of death's long-stretching doom beset me. But I, in my distress, called out to God, Crying for the helping hand of the King from heaven. He heard my voice from the holy temple as I called; May my cry run into the faithful ears of God. The heavy earth was shaken: trembling possessed it all, And from elsewhere the foundations of the lofty mountains were troubled, ^B Shuddering at the divine bile and wrath of the King. A boundless smoke of the Immortal in anger arose, And the power of the Blessed one, illuminated by fire, rose from His face. Coals were kindled, burning from Him. He descended from heaven, inclining the fiery heaven; A darkness of the Immortal was borne under the feet of God. Ascending His chariots, He flew upon the cherubim, He flew, lifted up on the wings of howling winds, Covered by darkness: for He wished to take this as a shelter. Around Himself, encircling, He placed a glorious covering, As if it were water hidden behind an ethereal cloud. The clouds moved forward at His brightness; Coals of the stirred fire were mixed with hail. Then He thundered, and God Himself from heaven, The Most High from the ether, resounded with an Immortal voice; ^C He scattered them with divine, whirling arrows. All were troubled together at the frequent lightning-flashes; Then the unstained, water-bearing fountains appeared, And the fertile foundations of the whole earth were seen, O Immortal One: for all things tremble at Your reprimand: They feared the breath of Your spirit, such great inspiration and wrath. He sent from heaven, and quickly delivered me from necessity; And quickly He took me up from the sonorous floods. He will rescue me from my enemies, to whom there is vast strength, And from hateful men, because they are stronger than I. They came against the weak on the day they were armed, And my King protected me: He confirmed my endeavor; And He set me standing boldly on wide paths. He will rescue me from my enemies, and will confute the haters, ^D Granting a reward according to justice, and worthy glory: This is the gain of our pure hands, Because I guarded the dear ways of the Immortal.

^A Nor did I conceive another God in my mind; for there was none. For I see His living laws always in my thoughts; Nor did I abandon the custody of His immaculate statutes; And I will be present with His blameless tracks forever. I will keep my mind far from sin for the King. May He grant a reward according to justice and worthy glory: May He look upon the purity of our hands. ^B If you are a companion of the holy, you will be holy, And if with a prudent mind you learn innocence from the innocent: You, being mixed with a virtuous man, will hear virtuous things; And again, you will not be easily conversant with a perverse man. He Himself will always deliver a humble people from calamity, And you will blind the insatiable eye of the arrogant. ^C May You Yourself always make my lamp shining; May the splendor from You illuminate our dark shadows. By Your nod may I escape the baneful peril of evils. May I transcend the tower, trusting in God who is always. The ways of the immortal King are unpolluted, And the fiery words of the King boil over. He protects those who have hope in Him. Who is a blessed immortal, except the immortal King? Or who is God outside of our God? Embracing me, God girded me with mighty strength: He placed our path pure and immaculate, Making my feet like those of swift deer, But in the heights, He fixed my dear footprint, Teaching my hands strong and warlike. He made my arms like a bronze bow. ^D And You offered me as a light to mortals, and a repeller of necessity, And Your right hand was always my champion. By Your wisdom, O Blessed One, I direct my heart always: Your illustrious wisdom always teaches me. I hold a firm footprint, but You have widened my paths. No one of my enemies shall pass me by in the race. Nor shall I cease from force, before they cease, being vanquished; Nor does a firm footprint remain for the oppressed themselves, But they shall fall, subdued beneath our feet. With courage You armed me against the strife; You bound the adversaries beneath my sandals. The hostile-minded were terrified in flight, turning their backs; But those who hated me You destroyed with bitter ruin. They themselves cried out, but there was no defender for them: They called upon the Immortal, but He did not hear their prayers. I will mince them like dust existing in a storm, Like clay I will tread them upon terrestrial paths. Save me from the contention and discord of the people, And establish me, O King, as a leader of the peoples. A people whom I do not know have placed a servile neck under my yoke; They have received my voice with credulous ears. Children who were aliens have lied to me,

^A in vain have they gone toward old age, always limping far from their own paths. My King lives, and he is always most highly to be praised. May God be the Most High of our life. May the Vindicator, having been made such in like manner, slaughter my enemies, taming the people with my divine might. May he preserve me from the wickedness of those who are angry; but against those rising up, O King, may I be far superior. Preserve me from the malice of the iniquitous man. Therefore I will openly declare your way to the nations: truly I will celebrate your most high name with the lyre. Therefore you have lifted up the saving light of the King, and you have shown immortal mercy to your anointed, David, and to his descendants for all time.

PSALM XVIII

PSALM XIX

^A And may he support you from lovely Sion, a protector drawing near. May he himself be mindful of all your sacrifice, and may he fill your dried-up sacrifice with richness. May the Immortal grant that all things dear to your heart be brought to pass, and may he fulfill every divine counsel of yours. We shall rejoice in the life-bearing strength of yours; trusting in the Immortal, we shall be magnanimous forever. May he fulfill all the fitting gifts of your prayers. Now I have known that God has saved his Christ, and he, desiring it, shall hear him calling from heaven. The glorious light of his right hand is for his own strength. Those indeed, therefore, move forward with horses and chariots, but we, trusting in the Immortal, shall be magnified forever. ^B They are bound by the feet; they have lain hidden, having fallen shamefully, but for us who have risen, all things are directed conveniently. Immortal, may you always save the strong king, and may you hear us when we have truly called upon you in prayer.

PSALM XX

PSALM XXI

^A To you, Blessed One, I cried out, yet you will not hear my voice; nor was I unaware of your sense in the depths of my heart by night. You dwell in the holy place, the great praise of Israel. You have been the manifest hope of our fathers, and those who hoped in you, you delivered from distressing toils. To you, Blessed One, they cried out, and were saved from their necessity; nor did they bring back shame instead of your immortal hope. But I have been made a worm and not a man, a reproach among men, and a foolish casting-off for the people. All those who saw me mocked me; they spoke with their lips and moved their heads in arrogance. "He pinned his hope on God, may He rescue him from calamity; may He take him away from evil, if he is pleasing to Him." You, O King, drew me out of the womb, from the fruitful cave; I call you my hope even from the breasts of the one who bore me. I became confident in you while I was still dwelling in the secret places of the womb. You yourself are my God from my dear mother’s womb. Do not depart from me, for the day of necessity is near me, nor is there another helper for me in my need. Many horned calves indeed surrounded me, and fat bulls crowded about me in their midst. They rushed upon me, opening their mouths wide against me, like a destructive lion roaring with rapacious intent. And like water poured out, all my bones were scattered; like wax, my heart melted in the midst of my belly. ^B My strength dried up like a fragile potsherd; my tongue clove to my throat, O Prince. They placed me, leading me down to the end of death; an infinite swarm of dogs surrounded me in their sight, and a malicious congregation of sinners beset me. They pierced my hands and feet together, and they numbered all my bones with their eyes. And they who looked upon me left me neglected; raging immensely, they divided my garments, and cast lots among them, as to who might carry away my raiment. But do not remove your aid far from me. Rescue my heart from the sharp sword; deliver my only-begotten from the insolent dog. ^C Safely preserve me, O King, from the grim mouth of the lion, and rescue me from the baneful horns of the unicorns. I will announce your name to my brethren, and in the midst of the God-pleasing congregation I will sing hymns to you. Let all who fear the King sing praise; let the seed of Jacob glorify God the King, and let all the seed of Israel fear Him. For He did not despise nor abhor the prayer of the poor man, nor did He turn His gracious face away from me; but when I called upon Him, He hearkened to my entreaties. From you shall my praise be in the great assembly of men; in the presence of the pious I will pay my dear vows. The needy, having eaten, shall fill their soul; and god-fearing men shall praise the immortal Shepherd; may their soul enjoy life forever. ^D

^A The recurrent bounds of the earth shall remember the Immortal, And all nations shall worship Him openly. For the reign is divine, and God is King of the peoples. The distinguished men of the earth, having eaten, have worshipped; In His sight shall fall all those who come under the earth. But my soul lives for Him, and my lineage is His handmaid. This generation of descendants shall tell of the King to God. The heavens shall declare the good justice of God Unto a growing people, whom the ageless Prince has created.

PSALM XXII

^B The Immortal, lacking nothing, feeding me, Has placed me well in a verdant place; He has nurtured my soul beneath beatific waters of silence. He has raised my heart from infirmity, And has directed the sacred paths of justice, On account of the immortal, magnanimous King. For if I walk through the midst of the shadowy death, I will not fear, trusting in Thy strength. Thy rod and staff have provided consolation for my mind. Thou hast set before me, O King, the immortal table, Bearing the weight of my enemies in their sight. Thou hast anointed my head with good oil; Let Thy cup of joy be ever firm for me. Let Thy mercy follow me continuously, In the long days of my dwelling in the palaces of God.

PSALM XXIII

^C The earth belongs to the King, and all that is the ornament of the earth, The cities, and all who dwell around. He Himself founded it upon the untamed sea, And prepared it above the rivers by His own counsel. Who of the mortal generation shall ascend the divine mountain? Or who shall plant a dear footprint in the holy place? He who has pure hands and a heart that is undefiled, Who has never deceived his own soul with vanities, Nor sworn a deceitful oath to a friend in a manner contrary to what is right. This man shall receive praise from the immortal King, And shall quickly find the divine mercy of the Savior.

^D This is the generation seeking God, the King of mortals, Desiring to know God Himself, the God of Jacob. Lift up your gates at once, O princes, And be lifted up, you strong bars of the gates, That the glorious Prince advancing may enter. Who then is this pure King of glory? The Immortal and strong, and unprovided with haste, The Immortal, the man of war, always exulting in His powers. Lift up your gates at once, O princes, And be lifted up, you strong bars of the gates, That the glorious Prince, ready, may enter.

^A Who then is this pure King of glory? The one King of powers, this is the eternal Prince of glory.

PSALM XXIV. The twenty-fourth

song

PSALM XXV. The twenty-fifth

hymn

the mercy of my eyes is before Thee, And by Thy truth I have been made joyful always. I never went and sat in the seats of vanity, Nor did I come as a companion to those gathered in sin. I have hated to be with the authors of pernicious error: And I have rejected the evil and arrogant seat of the impious. ^A

I will wash my hands in pure waters, And I will celebrate Thy spotless altar, O King, Until I sing the renowned praise of a favorable voice, And tell of Thy divine works with diligence. I have loved the manifest seat of Thy divine palaces, And the most blessed rest of Thy glorious might. Do not, O King, destroy my soul with the impious, Nor at any time grant me a share of life with murderers: Of those whose iniquities are in their hands, And whose right hands are laden with wretched gifts. But I, being diligent, have led a life ever mild: Redeeming me, have pity, since I have attained a firm footing: And Thee, O Blessed One, I will sing, proclaiming Thee with exhortations. ^B

PSALM XXVI

^A For iniquity has lied to the unjust with injuries. In the land of the blessed, I shall see God with blessed eyes. Commend all your hope to the kingly God; take courage, and may your mind be always most valiant: Commend all your hope to the kingly God.

PSALM XXVII

To Thee, O Blessed One, I cry, but do not pass me by in silence, nor, while Thou remainest quiet and restrainest Thy voice, may I become like those who dwell in the depths of the earth. Hearken to the prayer of my supplication, O Blessed One, when I lift my hands to Thy holy temple. Do not drag my heart along with sinners, and do not subdue me with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace with their companions, while they hide sorrows in their breasts. May they receive a calamity equal to their destructive labors. ^B Give to them, O King, a recompense for their own deeds: and as they have done with their hands, may they likewise receive their gifts: may they receive a reward pleasing to justice for what they have given to others: since they were entirely unmindful of the works of the Immortal, and they forgot the great works of the hands of God. May You always destroy them, and may You never raise them up. The much-praiseworthy Immortal God has heard my voice. The King Himself is my helper and my protector. I know in my mind how much hope finds gain in help. And my body has blossomed again like leafy boughs. And to Him, of my own accord, I will sing a good and great hymn. The King is always the strength and might of His people, the constant protector of His own anointed. Save Thy people and Thine excellent inheritance, and exalt them forever, ruling them with good things.

PSALM XXVIII

Bring to the Lord God, O magnanimous sons, bring to the Lord God tender lambs: bring true glory to the honored King: adore the Shepherd of the world in the holy court. ^D The fearless voice of the Immortal resounded over the waters, and the Prince of glory thundered out. The King Himself went about over many waters. The voice of the Lord in His immense power, the voice of the Lord in illustrious works, the divine voice shattered the tall cedars. The Immortal shall break the strong cedars of Lebanon, making the cedars of Lebanon fine like a calf, and the Only-Begotten like the mountain-born son of the unicorn. The voice of the Shepherd, cutting through the divine flame of fire, the voice of God shaking the wilds that nourish the beasts. May God shake the rustic deserts of Kadesh. The sound of the King is equal to the course of the fawns beginning to run,

^A revealing the long saltus. Everyone truly in the temple of blessed God let them sing His glory.

The King dwells, virtues going forth like a torrent. ^B May the immortal and eternal King sit upon His throne: May He Himself provide strong virtue to His people: May He Himself increase His people in sufficient peace.

PSALM XXIX. The wise David sang the twenty-ninth holy song, dedicating a new house. ^C I will exalt Thy power, because Thou hast taken me up, O Shepherd, and hast not given me as a laughingstock to my proud enemies. Daily I cried out, and Thou hast healed my sickness. Thou hast led back my soul from the underworld, and hast snatched me from those descending into the depths of the earth. O holy ones, celebrate God with divine songs, and may incorruptible memory be an honor to Him: because there is heaviness in the anger of the offended God, and light of life in the propitious One. Morning joy shall transform evening weeping: and I, being cheerful, said that instability should never be mine. ^D May immortal strength be ours for adornment from Thee. When Thou turnedst Thy face, a shaking seized my limbs. To Thee, O Blessed One, crying out, I beseech God who always exists. What is the gain if I offer blood, and go down into the underworld? Shall the dust praise Thee, or shall it declare Thy truth? The King heard and had mercy on me, and stood as a helper: He turned my lamentation, and He changed my mourning into joy. He girded me with gladness, and He wiped away the mournful day. That my blessedness may sing to Thee, and the song may overcome my whole being. ^A Immortal Lord, I will sing of Thee perpetually.

PSALM XXX. The wise David, filled with the divine Spirit, sings this thirtieth holy song. ^B Do not put me to shame, since Thou hast become my hope: O Blessed One, take care of me in Thy justice, and preserve me. Do Thou save me more quickly, inclining a ready ear. Our God is a suitable protector according to His debt: that Thou mayest save me, being like a house of deliverance. Thou Thyself art my solid seat and firm fortress. Having become the nurturer of our life, do Thou lead us. ^C Easily, O Pure One, mayest Thou save me from the hidden snare, because Thou alone art the protector of our life. I would commit my dear spirit into Thy gentle hands. Being the Prince of truth, Thou hast redeemed me from labors. Thou hast always loathed the guardian of empty vanity. But I, trusting in Thy mercy, rejoice in hope. May I rejoice in Thy mercy, gladdening my mind; because Thou hast beheld my infirmity with gentle eyes, and hast snatched our soul from destructive necessity,

^A nor didst Thou shut me up in the harmful hand of an enemy. Thou hast set my feet on a broad path. Have pity on me, for I am grievously troubled. Wrath, pressing upon me, hath disturbed my countenance, And my belly, and my sorrowful heart. In many sorrows I drag out my withering life, And in groans my years of life come to an end. My strength hath failed through the miserable labors of poverty, And my horrible confusion hath seized all my bones. I have become a great reproach above all my enemies. To be blamed by acquaintances, and to friends a terror to neighbors, Who seeing me from before, have fled very far away. I have been forgotten as one dead, like one useless from the heart. I have become like a shattered vessel, Hearing the unseemly disgrace of my neighbors, And as many as were gathered together, my enemies, hovered about, ^B Plotting in their hearts to take away my life. But I called upon Thee, O God: for Thou art my hope, In Thy hands, O Blessed One, are my lots. Snatch me from the hands of enemies and violent men. Make Thy immortal face shine upon Thy servant. For the sake of Thy good mercy mayest Thou save me, Lest at any time disgrace overtake me: for I have called upon Thee as my defender. Let the impious be brought down to Hades and be put to shame. Let deceitful lips of men become silent, Who speak iniquity against the just man, With much arrogance, despising the hateful ones. The multitude of Thy sweetness is infinite, Which Thou hast hidden, truly keeping it for those who fear Thee, Thou hast always perfected help for those who are in need of Thee, Before the mortals of much-suffering generation. Thou shalt hide them outside mortal tumult. Thou shalt protect them far away in the tents from strife. Praised be He, for He hath established His wonderful mercy in the city. Stupefied, I said: I have been cast out from Thy sight. Therefore the King heard the prayers of me who was crying out. Love the King, all ye saints, For the King ever careth for truth, Requiting the proud with a deserved reward. Be of good courage, and let your heart be very firm, Whosoever hopeth for the help of heavenly God. ^{C D}

PSALM XXXI

^A And you have passed over the impiety of our heart. For the sake of this, there shall be supplication for the holy ones at an opportune time. ^B Nor would they flee the necessity of the poured-out waters. You are my tower of pain against those who assail me; dear joy, make me free from those surrounding me. May you know from me what manner of path it behooves one to tread. Upon you, O Blessed One, I have fixed my eyes continually; the splendors of my eyes I will fix beneath you. Cease to be like mules and horses, for they are bereft of glorious wisdom. Constrain their jaws with strong bridles, those who do not desire to draw near to you rejoicing. Various are the scourges that always attend the sinner; but mercy shall encompass him who is concerned for God. Joy and gladness shall catch up with men who delight in God, and let fame be spoken of among those who are upright in heart.

PSALM XXXII

This thirty-second hymn David sounded forth, sweetly delighting himself with the cithara. Rejoice for me in the King, O men who are ministers of justice. Immense praise is becoming for upright men. Sing to me of the living God with a melodic harp; sing to Him, sending forth a song on ten strings. From your inmost hearts sing a new hymn to the King of all. And let the pleasant praise of justice be sung well; because the word of the immortal God has been brought forth straight. All of the King's works are indeed very faithful to Him. The King loves justice and that law which hides away anxieties. The whole earth is abundantly full of the mercy of God. ^C The heavens were fixed by the command of the King, and every power of their immortal spirit. Like a wineskin, gathering the roaring deep of the sea, placing it by art in the hidden treasuries of the abyss. Let the far-flung ends of the earth fear God the King; and let all those who inhabit the earth be shaken by Him. Because He Himself spoke, and all things were accomplished. The King Himself commanded, and they sprang up at once. May the Immortal one scatter the infinite counsels of the nations, and may He reject the shifting anxieties of the peoples, and may He pass over the counsels of the haughty princes. But the counsel of the Immortal One remains forever, ^D and the thoughts of His heart from generation to generation. A race ever most blessed is that which trusts in its King, a people whom He chose from all to take as His inheritance. From heaven the King extended His all-seeing gaze; from His own private chamber He saw the mortal generation; with His eyes He beheld the dwellers of the whole earth, He who alone fashioned the heart of mortals with His hand, He who continually looks upon the works within their inmost hearts. Strength does not know how to save the glorious King, nor shall a giant flee affliction, trusting in his strength. A horse is useless in wars to save a man, nor shall he himself, boasting in his strength, escape. The eyes of the King are strained upon those who fear Him,

^A those who are cared for by his divine mercy, to rescue their souls from inexorable death and to feed those oppressed by mournful famine of the spirit. Our soul surely hangs upon the King, because He has become our defender and helper. In Him let the mind rejoice, glad in its innermost heart, and our famous hope is his name. May You yourself, O King, grant us infinite mercy, as we, hoping in You, always await your aid.

PSALM XXXIII (XXXIV)

And those who hate the holy one shall always be lawless. He shall deliver the hearts of His servants from calamity, so that they may not sin, lacking His assistance.

PSALM XXXIV

David sang this thirty-fourth hymn, singing with a clear-toned lyre. 1 Judge, O undefiled King, against those who slay us, 2 And mightily wage war against our enemies. 3 Take up shield and sharp sword, and be my helper; 4 Stretch forth a two-edged blade before my foes. 5 Say to my soul: I am your secure defense. 6 Let reproof confound those who seek my spirit; 7 Let those who plot cares against me be turned back, 8 And be driven like dust by black winds. 9 Let the swift angel of the Immortal one restrain them, 10 And let their way be slippery and dark at once, 11 And let the angel of the Immortal one pursue them swiftly, 12 Since they vainly set a net for me in secret, 13 And vainly bruised my heart with insults. 14 Let the snare which they do not see with their minds catch them, 15 And the net which they hid become the profit of the hunt, 16 Perishing in the deceitful net which they themselves wove. 17 But my soul shall rejoice in the King, 18 And shall delight in His saving light. 19 All my bones shall say: Who is like Thee, O Blessed One, 20 Delivering the poor from strong destroyers, 21 And the poor and needy from rapacious slayers? ^B 22 Unjust witnesses rising up were asking me things I did not know. 23 They repaid me with evil instead of good, 24 Leaving my soul barren, as they rushed upon me. 25 But I, when they were pressing hard, put on a mourning garment, 26 And I tamed my heavy-suffering heart with the labors of fasting, 27 And my prayer, turning back into my bosom, shall hasten. 28 As for a friend, as for a brother, I always pleased them so, 29 And like one mourning and downcast, I was humbled, increasing grief in my heart. 30 But they gathered against me, rejoicing; 31 Scourges were gathered, and I did not know it at all. 32 Their bowels were torn by force, and they did not understand the distress, 33 And they gnashed upon me with their teeth in their malice, 34 Setting their teeth against me with cruel lips. 35 Say, O Blessed One, when wilt Thou see my unavoidable necessity? 36 Deliver my soul from their malignant generation, 37 And rescue my only-begotten one from the lions. 38 I will sing of the King in the holy assembly, 39 And I will sing Thy hymn among a mighty people. 40 Let not those who act lawlessly and hate me without cause rejoice over me, 41 Neither let them wink with their eyes, 42 For they spoke things resembling peace to me, 43 But they think bitter things against me in their crafty wrath, 44 And enlarging their mouth against me in their anger, 45 They said, rejoicing, that they were spectators of my evils. 46 If Thou hast seen this, O Blessed One, do not pass me by, 47 And do not depart from me, O all-seeing Giver of good things, 48 Nor pass over the cause of my plight with Thine eyes without knowing it. 49 Under Thy righteous judgments, O undefiled King, judge me.

Judge me, O provident Pastor, by Thy mercy, ^A And let not my enemies rejoice over me. Let not the double laughter of my mind ever bring grief, Nor let them swallow me up with their throats. Let disgrace take all who rejoice at my affliction: But let those who think proud things meet confusion. Let joy and gladness attend the holy race: Let them always celebrate the magnanimous gifts of God, Desiring to see the peace of His servant. Let my tongue frequently sing Thy righteousness, Let it sing Thy highly-renowned praise all the day long.

PSALM XXXV

The incorrupt servant of the Immortal, David, entire, Sang this, the thirty-fifth of the songs. The unjust man spoke follies in his heart, Not bearing the fear of God before the eyes of the King, Increasing his pernicious tongue in deceitful torments, Always seeking to find hateful anguish. His deceitful words are concerned with iniquity, He never loves the whole holy way. But even in his beds, the stolid man is injurious, He took no care to do good, nor to understand, Nor does he hate the grief of baneful vice. O Incorrupt One, the heaven contains Thy venerable mercy: Thy truth indeed exults even in the clouds: Thy righteousness is very like the divine mountains, Thou bringest judgment equal to the deep abysses. ^B Thou savest the flocks of quadrupeds and the races of mortals alike; ^C Thus, O King, Thou dost magnify Thy full mercy. Hope in Thy wings shall always be a covering for mortals. They abound with the rich goods of Thy palaces, And a gentle torrent of gladness waters them; Because with Thee, O Blessed One, is the life-giving fountain. And in Thy light we shall see Divine light. Extend Thy mercy, O King, to those who desire it, And show Thy righteousness to the upright of heart. Let not the indecorous and proud step come upon me, Nor let the hand of the sinner, O Blessed One, move me. There fell all the servants of pride, And they shall not rise up, neglected, cast out from thence.

PSALM XXXVI

^D Singing sweetly the thirty-sixth along with the sixth, David resounded a sweet song on the lyre. Do not emulate me, seeing an evil man, Nor be astonished at the workers of iniquity. For they are quickly withered like hay, Falling down quickly, like green herbs. Extend your hope to God, and do gentle deeds, And inhabit the land, and the riches of the continent shall feed you. Rejoicing, bring all pleasing things to the Immortal. Openly show Thy ways to the King: Hope, and do not cease: for He himself will do all things for you: And He shall bring forth your righteousness like the light.

^A And thy judgment like the noonday. Supplicate me, entreating the mighty King. Let not the zeal of an easiest life harm thee, of a man who is occupied with injustice, being ever lawless. Flee from terrible anger, and leave behind joyless fury. Do not ever envy me the troublesome iniquity. For the wicked shall perish by evils; but those who wait for God shall possess the whole earth. But yet a little while, and the hope of the sinner shall quickly pass away, and thou shalt search for his seat, but it has become invisible. But the gentle men shall possess the whole earth, exulting in the frequent blessings of peace. The sinner shall always observe the servant of justice, and shall gnash his rabid teeth at him. But the Most High, seeing him, shall laugh sweetly, knowing that his deadly day is ready and comes for him. ^B The evildoers have unsheathed a double-edged sword; they have stretched the string upon a powerful bow, hastening to catch the poor and to destroy the needy, desiring to slaughter with swords those upright in heart. But let their sharp sword pierce through their own breast, and do Thou, O Blessed One, break their sorrowful bows into pieces. It is better to have a little as a noble just man than to gather infinite riches of iniquity. Let the frail arms of the foolish be crushed. The Immortal shall sustain the noble footsteps of the just. The King himself, the undefiled, has known the ways of the blameless; a portion of good things and an inheritance shall always be firmer. They shall not be put to shame in the horrible time of necessity; but even with famine raging, they shall abound with a satiety of all things. The servants of iniquity shall perish abundantly on every side. ^C But when the honor of the King rises above his enemies, they are like unto smoke that perishes. The wicked man who borrows knows not how to repay; but the just man is always merciful and bestows upon all. They who praise Him shall possess the whole earth; but those who strike with evil curses shall perish everywhere. By a divine nod are the footsteps of a man directed; and God shall always love his paths. Nor shall he stumble when falling into the ruins of the earth, because the King reaches out His hand as a helper to him. I was a young man, and now again old age has overtaken me, nor have I ever seen a just man lacking, nor his offspring craving life-giving bread. He has learned to be merciful, and to lend all the day long, and his seed shall be beautiful in blessing. Flee from plotting evil, and be zealous for good works, and thou shalt inhabit the earth; for the King loves justice, ^D and He will not despise His athletes; they shall be preserved by the perpetual aids of the Immortal. But those who are occupied with lawlessness shall be driven out, and the generations of the impious, cruel-hearted ones shall perish. The servants of justice shall possess the whole earth, and shall inhabit it for endless times. The mouth of the pious will always sing of divine wisdom.

^A His tongue shall proclaim the judgment of the King. His heart bears the full law of God. Nor shall his own steps be hampered when he falls. The sinner watches the servant of justice too closely, and desires to slay him in his pride. But God will not leave him in his hands, nor will He abandon him when he is oppressed and lacking in victory. Wait for the Lord, and keep His ways, and He will make you endure for a long age of earthly portion; you shall see the generations of the wicked who perish. I saw the wicked man exalted in the highest, ^B spread out high above the fragrant cedars of Lebanon; yet I passed by, and the wretched man was no more, nor did his place appear to me even when I sought it. Keep watch over gentleness, so that you may perceive all things as right. For the remnants of the guardian of good peace remain. But let the iniquitous generation utterly perish. Let the remnants of the impious die an embittered death. But the light of the King is robust for the saints, and a swift protector shall come to them when they are oppressed, stretching out an immortal hand as an assistant to them always. He shall deliver the needy from the iniquitous violence of sinners, and they shall be saved from evils, those to whom divine hope is a care.

PSALM XXXVII

^A But I became as one not hearing, And as a man unaware of all manner of words, Like one ignorant of varied hearing, Who knows not how to utter proofs with his tongue. My hope, I pray; but do Thou hear me when I call. For I said: Lest I become a joy to my adversaries. Those who moved their feet against me urged on the revilers. My body is ready for cruel scourges; Nor shall misery ever leave my eyes. Declaring my iniquity, I shall not hide my sins. My enemies are flourishing and are stronger than I. And those who hate me unjustly abound, They who gave me evil recompense for good, And attacked me, the companion of justice, with reproaches. Do not depart from me, Inspector of all, nor desert me. Send to me, Incorruptible One, send Thy saving countenance.

PSALM XXXVIII

^A Since I am a guest of the earth and a wanderer at once, And equally a sojourner among my fathers. Refresh me from my labors, that I may gather a grateful heart, Before I go, from whence I may surely never return.

PSALM XXXIX

PSALM XL

Let him have the King as his guardian and at once as the caretaker of his life, ^A And may he, blessed by God, hear throughout the whole earth: May He not surrender him to the hands of hostile ravagers, But may the King assist him even in the bed of affliction; He turned his bed for him, and loosened the pains of his sickness. I myself, O King, called upon Thy merciful assistance ^B That Thou mightest heal my soul, guilty with evils. Malicious and hostile men devised troubles for me, Praying for when the memory of my life might vanish. He went forth seeing in vain, and speaking vanity. He gathered iniquity in his spiteful mind. Going out, he spoke, gathering all against me. All hostile men were whispering against me; And round about me they imagined a heavy burden of evils, Adorning a discourse fortified with iniquity. Will anyone who is asleep always sleep without waking? This mortal is one of peace; for my hope has been in Him. Whom I was feeding, I had as an enemy, and he set me at a lower place by [the heel. Raising me up, have mercy, that I may render them what is worthy. From this, O Blessed One, I became knowing of Thy kindness; I thought that my enemy will not rejoice over me in vain. Because of my innocence, O King, Thou didst arise as a helper, And didst establish me forever in Thy sight. To be praised always is the incorrupt God of Israel; May He be for ages of ages, always supreme.

PSALM XLI

For instruction once to the sons of the high-minded Core, The forty-first chant of the song. As a deer desires fountain waters, So my mind desires Thee, O supreme King. My soul has thirsted for the living God ^C What time, when shall a mortal see God openly with his eyes? Days and nights together I had mourning as bread, With them always saying: Where then is thy God? These things I remembered, and I poured out my soul within me, Because I shall cross the wondrous pavement of the tabernacle, From here as far as the palaces of the heavenly King, With the sound of joy and praise after the glorious sound of the feast. Soul, why do you tarry? And why do you stir up my mind within? Let God be your hope, and I shall sing praise to Him; He Himself is the present help of my countenance. Voluntarily, my spirit was troubled in my heart. ^D Therefore, O King, I shall call upon Thee from the land of the Jordan, And from Hermon; here indeed the mountain was small to Thee. Some dark abyss was calling to an abyss, Meeting at the shore of Thy rushing waters. Thy billows came over me, and all grievous things press upon me. By day the King commands mercy, and at night He shines.

^A

Prayer to God the King of life from me: I said to God: Why art Thou ever thus unmindful of me? Why do I walk in sorrow hither and thither, While the hostile man afflicts me with grief? The enemies reproached me when all my bones were broken: They say to me always: Where is your God? O soul, why dost thou tarry? Why dost thou stir up my mind within? Let God be your hope, and I will sing praise to Him; He Himself is the supreme succor of my countenance.

PSALM XLII. This sweet and prudent song in the fortieth, David also sang. Judge, O King, how much the iniquitous people have harmed me: Deliver me from the deceitful and iniquitous man. My strength, why hast Thou cast me so far from Thee? Why do I walk in sorrow hither and thither, While the hostile man afflicts me with grief? Send forth Thy light and Thy clear truth, By which, being illuminated, I shall come to Thy holy mountain, And I am Thy fellow-dweller in Thy most glorious palaces. I shall now approach the glorious altar of God, Who gladdens my grace with the budding of youth; With the sonorous lyre, O Blessed One, I will sing Thy praise. O soul, why dost thou tarry? Why dost thou stir up my mind within? Let God be your hope, and I will sing praise to Him; He Himself is the present succor of my countenance.

PSALM XLIII. For the understanding of the sons of the magnanimous Core This forty-third song was fashioned. We have heard with our ears, O eternal Shepherd, What our dear parents once told us Of the work which Thou didst perform in ancient generations. Thy hand destroyed the nations, and Thou didst plant our fathers. Thou didst overthrow the peoples, and didst drive them from their land. For they did not possess the land before by their own sword, Nor did their bellicose arm of enemies save them; But Thy hand, and the great light of Thy countenance, Because, trusting in Thy mind, Thou didst will to restrain them. ^B Thou art my King; Thou, O God, hast ever been my God, Who didst command the light of life for Jacob. Relying on Thee, we slaughter the strength of the enemies with horns; Calling upon Thy name, we may laugh at those who rise up. For I am not puffed up by hope in our bow, Nor shall the sharp sword save me from evils from afar. Thou Thyself art King, and Thou hast delivered us from those who press upon us, O Shepherd, And Thou hast shown our enemies to be worthy of blame. Daily we have glory before the immortal King, And we will sing Thy divine name assiduously. ^C But now Thou hast poured out shame, repelling us so much, Nor dost Thou go forth to those in arms as a helper as before. We have been turned [and] became inferior to the horrid enemies, And we are a prey ready before the feet of those who hate us. ^D

^A Thou hast given us like sheep for slaughter, And hast scattered us abroad separately among the nations; Thou hast sold Thy people without price, without a ransom, O King, And there was no number or account for the sake of the exchange. Thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbors, a derision to all round about, To the nations hast Thou made us a proverb of many voices, And to the railing peoples a ridiculous shaking of the head. Before my eyes my confusion is spread abroad all the day, And the shame of a joyless countenance hath overwhelmed me At the voice of the insolent and the reviler, At the eyes of the enemy and of the one who drives away my flight. But we have not forgotten Thee for the sake of such things, O Shepherd, Nor have we transgressed the manifestation of Thy ordinances, Nor have we turned our heart away from Thee at all; But Thou hast turned Thy paths away from us. Thou hast afflicted us in the places of wicked diseases, And we have been covered by the shadowy cloud of death. If at any time we have altogether forgotten God, Or have stretched forth our hands to a strange god, Shall not the Immortal One Himself search out all these things? For He Himself knows the secret chambers of the mortal heart. For Thy sake we are put to death all the time, O Shepherd; We have become like sheep destined for slaughter. Arise, O All-King; why dost Thou sleep such a sleep for me? Arise, and do not drive [us] far from Thy eyelids. Why hast Thou turned away Thy glorious countenance, And forgotten our labors and our poverty ^B altogether? Our soul, like unto dust, hath failed; Our belly, wretched, draws near to the needy earth. Arise, O All-King, stretching out a helping hand; And redeem us, for the sake of the profitless harm [wrought] upon us.

PSALM XLIV

The sons of Core, singing in return by their deeds, Celebrate the admirable offspring of God; This is the forty-fourth hymn. My heart hath brought forth a good discourse. I shall diligently declare my works unto the King. I have a tongue like the pen of a swift scribe. Thou shinest in beauty above the other children ^C of the human race. Grace is poured out upon thy lips for the wise; Therefore God Himself hath kindled for thee immortal praise. O Mighty One, gird Thy sharp sword upon Thy thigh, Trusting in Thy beauty and confident in Thy most glorious grace. Bending [the bow], proceed, and reign as King, For the sake of meekness, holiness, and true work. Thy right hand shall lead Thee in marvels. Thy arrows are ever sharp and strong. Many peoples shall fall trembling beneath Thee, Ready against the breasts of the King’s enemies. Indesinently, O Incorruptible One, is Thy throne; Directing the scepter, the scepter of kingly portion. ^D

^A You love justice, but you hate the iniquitous deed: Therefore God Himself has poured forth His oil upon You, Anointing You above all others as a companion of gladness, With myrrh and drop-myrrh, and cassia as well from Your garments, From temples of ivory, which for You also gladdened the soul. Your daughters are the glory of kings who are in power. Adorned in gilded garments, the queen stood near, Well-clothed, in diverse patterns of form. Hear, O daughter, and see; incline Your ear to me, And forget Your own people and the house of Your father; For the King has longed for Your honored beauty. For He Himself was before You, reigning in majesty, And the daughters of Tyre worshiped Him with gifts: The rich of the land shall entreat Your eye with prayers. ^B All the glory of the royal maiden was from within; She is adorned, clothed around with golden fringes. Virgins shall be led to the King as a glory after the queen: To You, the glorious queen, they are companions. They shall be led with gladness and honest rejoicing on the foundation, Hastening into the temple of the mighty King. In place of Your fathers, Your sons have flourished; You shall appoint them princes of the whole earth. I shall be very mindful of You in eternal generations; Unto generations of generations I shall sing Your good name. Therefore, O most Blessed One, the peoples shall celebrate You, From thence simultaneously and thereafter and in eternal generations, From thence simultaneously and thereafter and unto the ages to come.

PSALM XLV

The Prince of the heavenly hosts is our helper; \ God Himself, the champion of Jacob, has become our protector.

PSALM XLVI

This pleasant song was composed for the sons of Core, \ As the forty-sixth song. \ Clap your hands for me, all nations, in a single clapping; \ Resonate to the King, God, with a most joyful voice. \ For the Most High is terrible and at the same time is for all, \ Reigning over the various borders of the earth. \ He subdued the peoples to us, and placed the tribes under our feet; \ He chose and provided for us a dear and peaceful lot, \ A portion acceptable to God, forever belonging to Jacob. \ God has ascended, crying out a triumphal hymn; ^A \ The echo of the resounding trumpet, as of a king, has gone forth. \ Celebrate our God with songs on the lyre, \ Sing to our King with skillful melodies; \ Because God, the eternal One, rules over the whole earth. \ Sing to me with a wise heart and prudent speech. \ The Immortal One has seized great power over all peoples. \ God sits upon His undefiled throne. \ The leaders have gathered together with the God of Abraham; \ Before God, the princes of the earth are armed in their pride. ^B

PSALM XLVII

A pleasant song was written for the sons of Core; \ They sang it on the second day of the Sabbath, \ And it was the forty-seventh in sequence. \ The Immortal One is to be praised, and indeed He is great alone, \ In His city and on His holy mountain forever. \ Expanding joy on all sides upon the earth that nourishes many, \ The mountains of Sion are on the northern side; \ The city is illustrious, belonging to the mighty King. \ The Immortal One is manifest by His towers, \ When He comes as a helper for those in need. ^C \ All the kings of the earth have come, gathering together; \ Seeing with their eyes, they themselves marveled in their hearts; \ Being roused, they were shaken, and trembling took hold of them all, \ As if they were seized by the frequent pains of a woman in labor, \ Or as when the wind of Tharsis captures the ships by force. \ Was not the report true (for the deed follows the words)? \ In the renowned city of God, of the God of the powers, the King, \ The Shepherd Himself fixed an immovable foundation for it. \ In the midst of Thy peoples, O King, grant mercy. \ As thy name is famous, O King, \ So let thy praise be unto the ends of the earth. \ Thy right hand is full of righteousness, O Shepherd. ^D \ Let the noble mountain of Sion be occupied with joys. \ Let the children of Judaea be very glad and rejoice, \ Because of Thy holy ordinances, O Immaculate One. \ Hasten to go around and surround Sion for me, \ And tell the words clearly regarding its towers; \ Place your hearts around it, and establish them in His strength; \ Distribute the ramparts of His power, \ So that one might tell the generations to come \ That He Himself is always King and at the same time God; \ Ruling from the earliest generations unto the infinite ones, \ He will unceasingly shepherd us, ageless in all things.

PSALM XLVIII

PSALM XLIX

^A From Sion its form of beauty shines forth: The Immortal God shall manifest be to mortals, Nor shall anyone be ignorant of God; for He shall not permit it. Before His feet shall pass an ardent fire: And round about Him a great oncoming storm has roared. He shall call to the starry heaven with His words, And to the earth that nourishes many, that He may judge the peoples. Gather together to the Immortal all His servants, As many as have confirmed the covenant of their sacrifice: That they may announce His lovely justice. For He is an honored King who judges among all. Hear, my people, and I shall speak to you as is right. Hear me, Israel: for I shall teach you concerning high things: I myself am God to you, and I have become God to you indeed. I shall not reprove you for vain sacrifices: But I behold your dried-up sacrifice always. I do not care for the calves which you nurture in your halls: And from your herd I shall refuse the fat sheep. For I myself made all things, both the wood which the forest nourishes, And as many things as are a concern to the shepherds of the mountains. Nor do the abundant birds that fly through the air escape me: But also the happiness of the earth, adorned with flowers, crowns me. I shall never hunger and be in need of your assistance: For my divine hand fashioned all things. I do not accept bulls, nor shall I drink the blood of goats: Offer to God a sweet sacrifice; for praise is the sacrifice appointed for Him: And to the Most High render the favor of your prayers. But if you call upon me, being in need of a helper in a time of necessity, I am a good helper to you, but you shall sing my glory. Then God spoke such things to the one acting wickedly: Why do you declare my glorious righteous deeds, And bear my covenant upon your lips? You have always hated to consider noble thoughts, And have always refused the grace of my words. And you had a foot running with an insane thief, You appeared as a partner in the portion of the impurity of adulterers. And your incontinent mouth abounded in wickedness, And your tongue is wrapped in deceitful troubles. Sitting with your brother, you uttered evils, And you wove a difficult calamity for the son of your mother. These things you yourself did: and I was silent. ^D You thought wickedly, that I would be like you in mind: I shall set your sins before you, always reproving: Gather together, you who are unmindful of the Immortal, ^C of what I speak, Lest at any time He should snatch away, when no defender is present. The most blessed sacrifice to me is a grateful hymn, And that way shows forth the life-giving power of the Immortal.

PSALM L

^A placates the gentle Lord, and moves Him to great compassion. Having sung this song with the contrition of his heart, the fiftieth psalm is established as the melody. Nathan, revealing the sin of adultery, extinguished the pleasure with groans of joy and tears. Calling upon the divine King, the true God, for a merciful spirit by lamenting, he set forth the ways of mortals, that he might increase prudent counsel for posterity. And this fiftieth psalm is a saving hymn.

Be very propitious to me, O King: and destroy my iniquity by thy merciful counsel. Wash away my sin, cleansing me more with water: cleanse me far from our sin. Since I myself have known my iniquity in my mind, ^B and my sin is before my eyes. I have sinned against thee, O Blessed One, and have caused grief in thy sight. That thou mayest appear holy in thy words to all, and in judgment thou alone shalt be more excellent than others. For my father sowed in iniquity, trusting in it: and my venerable mother conceived me under sins, and thou hast taught me the hidden ways of thy wisdom: sprinkling me with hyssop thou shalt make me pure, and washing me thou shalt make me much whiter than snow. Mayest thou appear to us a messenger of gladness and joy: all the bones of those who are oppressed shall rejoice in thee. Turn thy face far from my sin: and destroy my various follies. Restore a pure heart to me, O King, in my breast, ^C and set a firm spirit in our inward parts. Do not cast me far from thy face, nor take thy holy spirit away from me entirely.

Give me back the joy of returning light, O King: and strengthen my power with thy principal spirit. May I well point out thy ways to the wicked: and from thee, those who wander shall turn back again. O light of my life, keep me from the fall: my tongue shall make thy righteousness joyful. Open my lips, O Blessed One, and I will proclaim thy righteousness clearly. If thou hadst commanded sacrifice, I would have offered it readily: but thou shalt not delight in dry sacrifices. ^D To the Immortal One, a sacrifice of a humble spirit is a concern: the King will not despise a humbled and gentle heart. Grant desirable things to my Sion, O Blessed One. And may the renowned walls of Jerusalem be built. For then thou shalt receive the sacrifice of righteousness in our minds: a dry sacrifice and a vapor rising upward. Then they shall sacrifice calves upon thy altar.

PSALM LI. Doeg the wicked, but afterwards to Saul, told that David had come to the temple of the Immortal One: but he met with the benevolent and magnanimous Abimelech. And this is the fifty-first song. Why, O robust man, do you trust in your own wickedness, performing iniquity in your mind all day long? Moreover, your tongue has poured forth wicked insolence around you:

^A You have fashioned deceit like a sharpened razor. Instead of benevolence, you love grievous malice; Instead of justice, you utter all manner of lawless things. You embrace every word of a deceitful tongue: Therefore the King shall destroy you, stripping you of glory forever; As one cutting a branch, He shall banish you from your homes, And He shall pluck up your inglorious root from the earth. Seers, beholding justice, shall be struck with fear, And they shall say these things over him, smiling: "This man refused to have the immortal God as his helper, But trusted in his heart and in his own possessions, Always arming his violence with vain works." But I, like an olive tree, flourish in the divine seat, Awaiting the divine mercy with my own eyes, Both now and hereafter unto all time. Because You have accomplished this, O King, I shall sing Your praise, Always beholding Your sweet name among Your saints.

PSALM LII

PSALM LIII

^A With Your truth, O King, strike them with blindness. But I will bring You a sacrifice with a willing mind; I will sing to Your name, O King, for it is good. Because You have delivered my soul from every necessity, And have shown to my eyes the destruction of my enemies.

PSALM LIV

PSALM LV

PSALM LVI

^A They fell into the pit which they placed before my eyes. My mind is ready, O All-seeing One, my mind is ready: My glory will sing to you, and in psalms it will chant. Arise for me, O honorable and immortal glory of wisdom: Arise for me, O lyre and psalter of my hymns: I shall resound, rising studiously at dawn: I shall proclaim a famous song to you, O King, among the peoples, And to many nations I shall sing a harp-strumming praise. You have mercy above the celestial gates, And your truth flies toward the face of the clouds. Be exalted above the celestial gates, supreme Shepherd, And may Your immense glory come upon all the earth. ^B

PSALM LVII

Concerning the inscription on the pillar which David wrote, That the beautiful song should never perish at the end: Of which the fifty-seventh is the hymn. Do you truly speak righteous words, And do you direct right justice to mortals, O children of men, Fashioning wickedness in your spirits upon the earth, Weaving iniquities with malevolent hands? Sinners are alienated from God from before their birth, And from the womb they have wandered, always speaking falsehoods, Raging like poisonous serpents, Like a deaf asp, whose anger shuts its ears, Which indeed does not hear the enchanter, Nor is the medication of a wise man a care to it. But God shall crush their teeth in their foul mouth, The King shall break the jaws of the lions who destroy. They become blameworthy in vain just as water flows away; ^C May the King stretch his bow until they fail from their maladies: Like melting wax, let them waste away by their evils: They have forgotten the fire of the sun proceeding upon them. Before your rhamnus can understand its thorns: Let calamity immediately absorb them as if they were living. The holy one, seeing it, shall rejoice at the avenging day: He shall indeed wash his hands in the blood of the sinner, Saying that there is a fruit for the glorious righteous man, That God is the judge of works on the earth of mortals. ^D

PSALM LVIII

Writing on the pillar for an inscription, the blameless David, Beginning, prophesied that the hymns should have a blameless end: When Saul, bearing a heart unmindful of the labors Of this man, and having forgotten the former compositions, Sent men to watch the house of the valiant man, That he might receive from him a heavy reward of death in return for good deeds. Of this man the fifty-eighth is the hymn. Eternal One, rescue me from the evil calamity of enemies: And grant me a free day from those who rise up against me. But also from the murderous men, deliver my grief-stricken soul,

^D those who before were tracking me, O King, quickly deliver. Most strong men were pressing upon me with force, not on account of lawlessness, nor because of my sins. Running without iniquity, I found the way ready. Arise, O King, stand by me, and see the work. And you, O King, Pastor of the powers and of Israel, may you stretch out your all-seeing eye to the various nations, and may you not have pity on those who serve folly. At the evening hours they shall return, famished, and like hungry dogs they shall prowl about the city. Their sound is indeed unheard, but there is a sword on their lips, that someone might hear; but you, indeed, surely laugh at them sweetly. May you punish the tribes of mortals on account of their evil transgressions. I will keep my strength for the glorious King, because God is always my champion with mighty power. May the mercy of the King, anticipating me, surround me. May you tame the sinners before our eyes, not killing them, so that they may not entirely forget your law; but may you easily scatter them with great strength and power, and may you bring their strength down to the pavement, as an avenger, of the transgression of their mouth, and of the word of their lips at the same time. May they be caught in their own great acts of arrogance; whose end shall be announced from execration and lying. May an end come to those who are angry, and a limit to their life. ^B Let them know that God rules over Jacob, holding the royal authority of the earth in various spheres. At the evening hours they shall return, famished, and like hungry dogs they shall prowl about the city. But they shall be scattered so as to take their pleasant meal. If they should roar in vain, having been satisfied ^C in their spirit, I myself will celebrate your glorious strength; and in the morning I will rejoice in your mercy, O Eternal One; because you are my God, and you yourself have proved to be an avenger, and you have been a ready tower for me in the day of my malice. O Prince, I sing to you, because you have become my helper; our King, your mercy is mine.

PSALM LIX

^A If only you would heal what you have broken, O Healer. To your peoples, O Blessed One, you have given iron to see: mindful of many things, you have offered us wine of affliction. You have given a sign to your servants to flee the force of the bow, so that you might snatch your servants from necessity. Rescue me with your right hand, and hear my voice. The King spoke a word in harmony to his holy one: "Rejoicing, I will quickly divide Shechem, and I will measure out the valley of the crowded sheepfolds." Our Gilead, and our Manasseh is ours; Ephraim has become the protection of our head. But Judah is my glorious King. And Moab is the cauldron of my hope, blameless. I shall extend my shoe before Idumea; the foreign races have been subdued under our feet. I would desire the leader of the tower-crowned city, or even the ruler of the Idumean peoples. ^B Will you not yourself, O King, be our leader, you who previously dismissed us, and will you not come to us as an ally with armed men? Appear openly, O King, as a helper to the afflicted; to us, however, grant the vain light of mortals. In the brave King let us accomplish ready virtue: may he crush the foul insolence of the enemies.

PSALM LX

PSALM LXI

^A O soul, fall before the King, being subject and trusting in God; for He is the life-giving honor of my confidence. For He himself is my God, and He has been made my savior. My defense, who indeed shall move me from my dear nurse? My glory and light are in the mandates of the King: my hope awaits the King and the strength of his help. All manner of people, the fold, trust in the King; pour out your heart openly before God: for indeed God is ever an aid to us. Nevertheless, empty is every generation of mortals, a lying race of men in unjust scales. From the mind they were stirred up, going together in a boastful way. Never foster a mind occupied with unjust things, nor place a rapacious mind on the goods of others; nor lust after the flux of the wealth of the rich. The King has spoken once, and I have heard two such things: that the strength is God’s, and that mercy is the King’s. ^B To all, O King, you will render a reward equal to their deeds.

PSALM LXII

PSALM LXIII

^A You have hidden me far from those traveling in crowds of evils, From the multitude to whom wicked works are a care: Who sharpened their tongues like swords, But threw their works like a terrifying projectile, So that they might shoot at the innocent man in secret. Nor will they fear in their heart when they suddenly shoot. They firmly established their wayward speech with counsels: They considered hiding a net with their cunning. They said: "Who indeed might see the dark work with their eyes?" But in their soul they searched out oppressive iniquity: And they were failing, having searched out immense things. A man having deeply prudent counsel will approach, He who truly might exalt the power of the high-thundering King. Thus they threw their weapons, as much as a little child, Speaking proud things with weak tongues. All who saw them were troubled together. What mortal did not see, and seeing, did not tremble in his soul, And announced the highly glorious works of God, Observing the arts of the immortal hand with his mind? Let the righteous man rejoice in the hopes of the King: And for all the upright, immense praise shall grow.

PSALM LXIV

^C To you, Blessed One, in Sion, a great hymn befits, And in Jerusalem you bear a repeated vow, Every mortal race entreats you; but do you listen, O Shepherd. Hear the prayer: for all human flesh greets you. We forget our strength, listening to iniquitous words. But for our follies, may you have a merciful mind. Blessed is he whom you choose to dwell in your homes, May he fix his dwelling beside your courts. We will fill our soul with the good things of your houses: Your temple is immaculate, admirable for its fairness.

^D Helper and King, listen to the common voice: The hope of all the ends of the earth and those far off at sea: Preparing the dark places with your strength, O Blessed One, Having girded your power as an unexpected belt, You who were agitating the devastation of the immense sea. Who can bear the force of its surging impulse? The races of mortals shall be troubled, and they shall carry fears in their soul, Those dwelling at the ends, where you fixed a sign for them. You will delight together the rising of the dawn and the evening. Visiting with snows, O King, you intoxicated the earth,

you made it rich with the pregnant fruits of good. The immortal river is heavy with thick streams, and as God you have held out ready food for them. Make the fruit-bearing furrows of your earth joyful, O King; lead for it a vigorous, multifaceted fruit. It rejoices with the dews of heaven, springing up. May the crown of your gentle year give praise, O King, and the ground will be filled with your fatty season. The mountains of the beast-pasturer become the fat of the desert, and the high hills shall clothe themselves with gladness. The wool-bearing sheep are abundant ^A in their offspring, and the valleys shall carry sufficient life-sustaining grain; may all celebrate the fertility of the King.

PSALM LXV

If anyone were to consider the life of the resurrected dead, and how the summoning follows the commands of the King, he will not wonder greatly; ^B for this song knows such an end. It is both the fifth and the sixtieth song together. All the earth, shout aloud the melody to the King God; and celebrate the divine name with a tuneful lyre, sing the grace pleasing to God in glorious works. Say: "Your works, O God, are truly divine; let your enemies lie concerning your excellent power." Sing to me, all earth, and worship God; may all sweetly celebrate, O King, your name. Come, friends, see the glorious works of the great God; invincible in counsels over the human race, he commanded the sea and solidified it into dry land, and he set the resounding rivers as paths for his feet. There let us rejoice in the immortal King, ^C ever-ruling by his strength and power. The eyes of the King look upon the races of mortals. Let not those to whom the power is harsh think great things of themselves. Celebrate God with auspicious songs, O peoples, receiving in your ears his obedient voice; he who set my heart so that it should be numbered among the living, ^D firmly establishing the trace of my feet in all things. You tested us, O King, with prudent counsel, thoroughly examining us as a smith does silver in the fire. You brought us into the treacherous snare, and those unwilling you restrained; you placed burdens upon our backs. You made men ride over our heads; we passed through the rush of water and of burning fire, and you led us into a refreshing place of new beauty. Let us come to your house with dry sacrifices; I will pay my vows, which I promised beforehand; which, even though afflicted, I said I would perform in the past. I will bring marrow-filled sacrifices burning with fire, and wool-bearing rams, and the fragrant smoke of myrrh; and with goat-kids I will offer horned bulls. Hear me, all you who fear the King; how many numberless good things he has prepared for our soul. I was calling upon the Immortal, exalting him under my tongue; but if I looked upon lawless insolence in my heart,

^A MIGHT THE KING NOT HEAR THE SPEECH OF ONE WHO CRIES OUT. Therefore he, surveying all things, heard our voice, and did not turn his countenance away from my supplication. Praised be he who did not reject my mercy and my prayer.

PSALM LXVI

PSALM LXVII

^A The King directs the word to those who boldly herald it, The leader of the virtues of the Only-begotten Son, the King, The Son who shall divide the spoils of the house with a gift: If you sleep in the midst of the clergy, Like the wings of a silver dove, beautiful with livid hues, Whose golden color of bright gold clothed her back, The Immortal sending his kings upon her. In Selmon the snow covers its own body: A divine mount, a flowering mount, was made very fertile, A fertile mount, it resembled curdled cheese. Why do you all look upon me as curdled mountains? This is the mount where God inhabits favored homes: There the blessed one shall always firmly fix his tabernacle. The manifold chariot of God, and many are the dancers upon it.

^B There the Blessed One, amidst the pure foundations of Sinai, Raised on high, took much booty: But he himself accepted the gifts of mortal generation: For they refused to dwell in contempt. May the King always be good and supremely praiseworthy, The King shall always be called praiseworthy, day after day. He is the perpetual leader of our light. ^C It is the work of my King to help those in need. The King alone knows how to save even from death. Yet he might break the heads of his own enemies, The long-haired crown, in those whose hearts there is sin. The King said from Basan: I shall return, confident, Again I shall go, returning from the barren sea: That you might dip your pure foot in blood: The tongue of your dogs, and they themselves, shall be there for your enemies. Openly, O Incorrupt One, mortals saw your ways, The footsteps of the King in the holy seats. The leaders drew closer to those singing, Midst the virgins playing on drums. Faithfully in the stalls, sing of the dear King, The Immortal from the fountains of gentle Israel. There Benjamin was already in his long-lasting youth: And there were present their leaders who formerly ruled Juda, The princes of Zabulon together and of Nephthalim. In your honored strength, command, O Pastor, That which you have built for us, may you establish as a firm defense, Starting from the temple, your sacred city, Let kings bring gifts to the most famous God. Provoke the roar of the reed against the mountain beasts. The nations of bulls shall enter against the common heifers, That those for whom a price is openly set may be shut out. The tribes of mortals, O Incorrupt One, you would scatter, O you lover of battle.

Supplicants hasten from the cities of Egypt; The race of the Ethiopians shall stretch forth hands to the Immortal. O dominions, sing to the King from every part of the earth, Strum to the Shepherd of the world with the well-tuned cithara. Celebrate him who ascended to the pole of the east from the pole. Let them utter his dear praise with a life-giving voice. Resound immense glory to the Lord, He always has bright glory over Israel,

^A And strength together with the ethereal clouds, admirable. The immortal one is wondrous, dear to his holy ones. May the King grant good virtue and strength to Israel; always let the all-sovereign Lord be praised.

PSALM LXVIII

'Αντα σέθεν σύμπαντες ἐμῇ μεμελημένοι άτῃ. Μῶμον ἐμὸς λώβην τε μετὰ φρεσὶν ἔλπετο θυμός. ^A Coram te omnes meam procurantes perniciem. Vituperationem meus contumeliamque in mentibus speravit animus. Οὐδέ μοι ἀλγεινοῖσιν ὁμήγορος ήλυθεν ἀνήρ Οὐδ' εὗρον πόθεν ἄμμι πέλει παραμύθιον ἄτης. Neque mihi dolorificis condolens venit vir; Neque reperi unde nobis sit levamen miseriæ. Βρώματι νωιτέρῳ θυμοφθόρον ἐμβαλον ἰὸν, Καί μοι διψαλέῳ θανατηφόρον ὤπασαν ὄξος. Escæ nostræ perniciosum immiscuerunt venenum, Et mihi sitibundo mortiferum dederunt acetum. Τοῖσι λίνον τεύχοιτο πολύπλοκον ἀντὶ τραπέζης, Θήρη καὶ δολόεσσα πάγη καὶ μισθὸς ἐπ᾽ ἔργῳ· Ipsis rete fiat sinuosum pro mensa, Captura et dolosus laqueus et merces propter opus: Σφωιτέρην κακότεχνον ἀποσβέσσειας ὀπωπὴν, Καί σφεων ἠνεκέως καμάτῳ κατὰ νῶτα δαμάσσοις· Suum maleficum exstinguas aspectum, Et eorum semper labore dorsa domes : Καδδὲ κότον βαρύμηνιν ἐπὶ σφίσι πάντοτε τεύχοις, Καί σφεας ἀμφιβάλοι θολερής σεο μήνιδος ὁρμή. Iram vero gravem in ipsos semper effundas, Et eos circumdet turbidæ tuæ iræ impetus. Ἔστω πουλυβότειρα μετὰ σφίσιν αὖλις ἐρήμη, Μηδέ τις ἐν μεγάροισιν τοῖς ναετῆρα κιχάνοι. Ούνεκεν ἦν δ' ἐπάταξας ^B ἅλις ποθέεσκον ἐκεῖνοι, Πληγῆς ἡμετέρῃσι καὶ ἄλγεσιν ἄλγεα θέντες. Fiat multos alens inter ipsos mansio vacua, Neque quis in palatiis suis habitatorem reperiat: Quoniam quem percussisti satis inquisierunt illi, Plagis nostris et ærumnis ærumnas addentes. Ἀμπλακίην ἐπίραψον ἐπ' ἀμπλακίῃσιν ἐῇσι· Μηδὲ δικαιοσύνῃ πίσυνοι σέο θῶκον ἱκέσθων. Θάσσον ἀποσμήχοιντο φερεζώων ἀπὸ βίβλων· Μηδέ ποτ' εὐδικίης ναέταις ἐναρίθμιοι εἶεν. Scelus assue super scelera sua: Neque justitia freti tuam sedem ingrediantur. Ocius expungantur vitalibus a libris: Neque unquam justitiæ incolis numerati sint. Πτωχὸς ἐγὼ τελέθω, καὶ κήδεα μυρία πέσσω· Ἀλλ' ἴσχω Βασιλῆος ὑπέρμαχον ἄλκαρ ὀπωπῆς. Αἴνετὸν οὔνομα θεῖον ἀνυμνήσαιμι χορεύων, Καί μιν ἀνυψώσαιμι διαμπερές αἰνετὰ μέλπων. Pauper ego sum, dolores varios concoquens: Verum habeo Regis vindicem auxilium vultus. Laudabile nomen divinum celebrem exsultans, Et ipsum exaltem semper laudabilia canens. Ἡβητὴν δ' ἀρέσειεν ὑπὲρ μόσχον Βασιλῆς, Ὃς νέον ἡδῴη πίσυνος κεράεσσι καὶ ὁπλαῖς. Πτωχοῦ δερκομένοιο νέος πραπίδεσσι χαρείη. Ποιμένα δίζεσθε ψυχέων βιότοιο δοτῆρα· Ούνεκεν ἀθάνατος Βασιλεὺς ὑπάκουσε πενιχροῦ· Οὐδ' αὕτως μεθέηκε κακοῖς πεπεδημένον ἄνδρα. Puberem vero placeat super vitulum Regi Qui primum pubescat fretus cornibus et ungulis. Pauperis videntis animus in præcordiis lætetur. Pastorem quærite animarum vitæ datorem: Quoniam immortalis Rex exaudivit pauperem: Neque temere deseruit malis compeditum virum. Οὐρανοὶ ἀμφί τε γαῖα χορευόντων Βασιλῆς, Πόντος ἀπειρέσιος, καὶ ὅσα τρέφει οἶδμα θαλάσσης· Ούνεκεν ἀθάνατος Βασιλεὺς Σιώνα σαώσει· ^C Ἄστεα δ' ἀνστήσειεν Ἰουδαίης ἐρατεινῆς· Καί μιν ναιετάοντες, ὅλην κτησαίατο κλήροις· Καὶ δμώων σφετέρων γενεὴ σύμπασαν ἐρύξει. Ἀμφαγαπαζομένοισι περικτιόνεσσι μελέσθω. Cœli circumque terra tripudient Regi, Mare immensum, et quæ nutrit tumor maris Quoniam immortalis Rex Sionem servabit, Civitates vero reparet Judææ amabilis: Et ipsam habitantes, totam possideant sortibus: Et servorum suorum generatio universam tenebit. Diligentibus vicinis provideat.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΛΘ'

PSALM LXIX

Ἄφθιτε, νωιτέρην σκοπιάζει πάντοτ᾽ ἀρωγήν. Αἶσχος ὅλοι δ' ὅσοι ἦτορ ἐμὸν μεμάασιν ὀλέσσαι. Immortalis, nostrum observa semper auxilium. Dedecus capiat vero qui cor meum gestiunt perdere: Στρεφθείη μωμητὸς ὅ μοι κακὰ βυσσοδομεύων· Αὐτίχ' ὅλοι τοὺς δ' αἶσχος ἐμῇ κεχαρηότας ἄτῃ. Χάρμα καὶ εὐφροσύνη ὅσιον γένος ἀμφιπολεύοι· Πάντοτε βαζόντων μεγαλαυχία δῶρα θεοῖο, ^D Ὀσσάτιοι ποθέουσιν ἀλεξίκακόν σεο φέγγος. Ἄλγος ἀλεξήσαις πτωχοῦ, Μάκαρ, ἠδὲ πενιχροῦ Μήποτε δηθύνειας ἐμοὶ καλέοντι παρεῖναι. Avertatur vituperabilis qui mihi mala moliens Statim occupet ignominia meo gaudentes infortunio. Gaudium et lætitia sanctum genus complectatur: Semper loquantur magnifica dona Dei, Quicunque cupiunt salutare tuum lumen. Dolorem arceas mendici, Beate, et inopis. Ne quando moreris mihi invocanti adesse.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ Ο'

PSALMUS LXX

^A With your equity, Blessed One, take care, and guard me. Zealously keep me, inclining an attentive ear: Be our God, a convenient examiner, Like a certain firm house, where it is possible to escape evil. Be yourself my stable seat, and firm protection. Rescue me, O King, from the hand of the wicked man, From the hand of the unjust and of him who desires injustice: Since you, O Highest, are always my trust, My trust always living even from my verdant youth. Trusting in you, I am from my mother's womb, You were my protection in my mother's dear belly. In you, O Best One, is my melodious song, I have been considered by many to be a portent of life, But you have appeared to me as a strong helper among them. ^B May my mouth always be full of grateful songs, That I may celebrate your immortal honor, Blessed One, Singing your magnificent glory all the day long. Do not desert me, O Incorruptible One, at the evil limit of old age: When I have lost my dear strength, then do not abandon me: Since wicked and invisible men have said these things to me. They have searched out the guardians of our soul, gathering together, Saying that their servant has deserted the Immortal One: Hasten, and seize him, because he has no helper. But you, O Lord, do not ever turn away from me: Nor take away the blindness of me, a needy man. ^C May disgrace seize those who strike my heart with evils: May vituperation and blushing seize those who wish me evil. But I will be trusting in the King God, And I will sing a becoming hymn to him even more than before. Our mouth will tell of your justice: I will celebrate your immortal light all the day long. Being ignorant of business, and also devoid of trouble, Seeing, I will enter into the temple of the Immortal One. I will remember your justice alone, O King. From adolescence you taught me what is right, O immortal Shepherd: Therefore I will proclaim your divine works even until now. Do not desert me, O Blessed One, as I grow old and gray, ^D Until I proclaim your arm to posterity, Announcing your strength and lovable justice: You have accomplished magnanimous things even to the highest, O Shepherd. Who indeed is like you, reconciling so many evils to me? Even you, having turned back, have provided much strength of life, Nay, you have recalled me from the depth of the dark earth. You have poured out upon me the immense strength of your justice, And, having turned, you have healed my former disease: You have called me, depressed from the bottom of the dark earth. For I will celebrate you, O Blessed One, with a most true song, Singing the immaculate Israel on the cithara.

^A May I, singing of you, greatly rejoice with my lips, And also in my soul, which you, O King, delivered from deadly diseases. Furthermore, my tongue shall also sing of your righteousness, When those who seek my pain shall be put to shame.

PSALM LXXI

That, indeed, was without inscription among the Hebrews, A sweet song pleasing to the illustrious Solomon. It is the first poem of the seventh decade. ^B Grant your judgment to the king, O best of Shepherds, And set forth your royal righteousness to the Child, That he may judge your people in righteousness, And pronounce the best justice for the needy poor. May there be strong peace for the mountains and care for the hills; To judge the commoners of the poor in righteousness, And to aid the children of the destitute who are oppressed. May he lay low the calumniating man by his might; May he shine as brightly as the radiant sun, Outshining all, before the horned moon. May he come down from on high gently, like rain upon the fleece, As when the sky silently casts snowflakes upon the earth. Then that day shall be the mother of righteousness, And of lovely peace, as long as the strength of the moon shines. From one sea to the other may he extend his dominion, And from the sacred rivers unto the many ends of the earth. The tribes of the Ethiopians shall swiftly offer him homage, And his enemies, subdued, shall lick the dust. Bring gifts, O islands, and also bring them, O rulers of Tharsis; ^C From the Arabs and the Sabeans, let suppliant gifts be brought. May the kings of all the earth worship him together; May all nations place their necks beneath his yoke, Because he set free the poor man from the hand of the powerful, And him who was harmed by poverty, for whom there was no helper near. He shall spare the anxious and needy poor, And shall deliver the souls of the indigent from deadly harm; From usury and from iniquitous violence he shall rescue them: Of these, his name shall surely appear admirable in their sight. He shall live: and let Arabia bring an offering of gold; Let them invoke the King with ceaseless prayers concerning him, And celebrate him all day long with goodly songs. On the highest mountains shall be the famous seat of the land; May it bear sweet fruit, fatter than Lebanon. Let them flourish from the city like the grass of the whole earth. Laudable is the divine name unto endless generations: ^D Before the sun remains the renowned divine name, Clear also before the nurturing moon. In him may the nations of the earth receive the most desired glory, And may all nations call God most blessed forever. Laudable always is the incorrupt God of Israel, Who also alone performs wondrous works. Laudable is the divine name, pleasing with praises, Both now, and hereafter, and unto future generations. May the whole earth be filled with the glory of God, so be it.

PSALM LXXII

^A The divine mind of David's songs has ceased, From the feebleness of the son of Jesse: But Asaph arose, and rang out with divine spirit, Pouring forth the second hymn of the seventh decade. How good is the God of Israel to the upright of heart! Yet my feet were indeed all but necessarily wavering, And my footsteps were slipping to and fro on either side: Because I was truly envying the erring in my soul, Seeing the peace of the companions of iniquity. For them, there was always inevitable and impassable death, And valid scourges upon grievous blows. They are ever ignorant of human labors. For neither are they subdued equally as is right for men: Hence they are weighed down by the pride of their heart, And ungodly lawlessness encompasses them. As though some fat their insolence shall go forth. They went forth handling the cares of their own soul, Thinking in their breasts, they spoke iniquitous things, They were striking the Most High with pernicious insults. They have placed their greedy mouth even unto the gates of heaven, Lifting their tongue above the whole circuit of the earth. Therefore my people shall turn back hither. And days fully counted shall appear among them. But I said: How then shall God know these things in His mind? Or is the King on high truly understanding? How do these supporters of iniquity rejoice, Securely obtaining abundant riches? Shall I perchance have said in vain that I maintain a holy mind, Washing my clean hands with most pure water? All the day long, I was bound by the scourge without cause: And in the morning I was wounded in heart by powerful reproofs. I pondered, whence shall I skillfully recount this? I am consumed by the works of the generation of Thy children. But I devised this in my wise ^B inward parts. And this labor appeared in my eyes, Until I might enter the undefiled house of God: And I investigate the ultimate end of their tabernacles. To these, Thou hast provided a labor equal to their deceitful works; Thou hast cast down those lifted on high to earthly foundations. Suddenly, whence have they been thus tamed and strictly subdued? They have perished, wasting away in their own sins. But as when a soft dream comes to those rising from beds, So Thou obscurest their form in Thy city. Because my heavy mind was burning in my inward parts: And our reins were changed by reason of helplessness. But I, tamed by the scourge, did not know it in my soul: I became as a beast of burden before Thee, O Supreme Shepherd, ^C Being ever grateful to Thy good eyes. Thou heldest my right hand, O Immortal One, Thou who guidedst me, O Blessed One, by Thy precepts, And Thou hast taken me up with Thy bright glory. What portion is there for me in the heavenly dwellings? Or what have I desired more to possess on earth than Thee? My heart is wasting away, and my body, O incorruptible Shepherd, ^D

^A nor did my soul endure; but Thou art the God of my heart, and God is my portion for ever. For, behold, they that are far from Thee shall perish; Thou hast destroyed all that commit fornication ^A against Thee. But it is good for me to cling unto my King, and to place my constant hope in God, that I may chant Thy praise at the gates of Sion.

PSALM LXXIII.

Why, O Shepherd, hast Thou repulsed us forever, and why has Thy wrath been kindled against the flocks of Thy sheep? Be mindful of Thy fold, which Thou didst possess of old. Thou hast redeemed the sceptre of Thy royal inheritance. The mount of Sion is glorious, where Thou dwellest in noble dwellings. ^B Lift up Thy hands against their pride, against the evil things that the wicked man has malignantly devised against the saints. And Thine enemies boasted in the midst of Thy festival. They did not recognize their signs, setting up signs, as those entering within a narrow passage; as though with axes they were hewing down the woods of this place, and with the tools of a craftsman, breaking them with a hatchet. Further, as they burned Thy whole divine temple, they cast Thy holy name to the ground in profanation. They said in their heart, when gathered together: “Come, let us make the festivals of the Blessed One cease on the earth.” We have not seen our signs; there is no longer a King, God, to be our guardian and minister. ^C Tell me, O Blessed One, how long shall the enemy increase his reproach, and the hostile man provoke Thy name forever? Why dost Thou so turn away Thy vengeful hand, and move Thy right hand from the midst of Thy bosom? Yet God reigns forever before the life of man, and He prepared His light for us in the midst of the earth. The boundless sea is made firm on every side by Thy strength. Thou hast broken the heads of the poisonous dragons in the waves. ^D Thou hast broken the head of the pestiferous dragon, and casting him out, hast provided him as a feast for the peoples of the Ethiopians. Thou hast broken open the winter torrents, and brought forth fountains, and Thou hast dried up the echoing flow of the rivers of Etham. The day and the night are both the possession of Thy command; Thou hast fashioned the sun and the moon together; Thy tireless hand has fashioned all the ends of the earth. But regarding the sacred season of laborious summer, be mindful, O King, of these works. The enemy has previously provoked the royal strength in quarrels, and a foolish people has sufficiently provoked the King. Do not deliver to the wild beasts the heart that is dear to God, and do not perpetually forget the souls of the poor. Behold the covenant of Thy servant, O King, because the earth is filled with dark sins.

^A Do not cast away the lowly man who is quite ashamed; let the needy and the poor man, O King, celebrate Thy name. Arise, O Incorruptible One, and judge our cause. Be mindful of how the foolish man behaves toward Thee in strife the whole day long. Do not ever forget the groaning voices of those who supplicate Thee; against Thee, O Blessed One, the proud insolence of enemies ascends.

PSALM LXXIV

Do not ever ruin the good cares of song, requested the noble Asaph as he sang. The fourth hymn to the seven wise decades has been composed. Let us speak a divine hymn to the honored Shepherd; let us sing, praying to the glorious name of the King of all. I shall duly recount Thy infinite miracles. When Thy time shall appear, O Blessed One, I shall judge rightly. The earth is wasting away for all its inhabitants together. I established its unassailable pillars. I told the iniquitous to cease from iniquity, and the foolish not to lift up their horn at all—not to lift their horn on high beyond what is fated, nor to speak unjustly and proudly against the Immortal. Neither from the glorious east, nor from the west, nor from the much-deserted, tree-covered mountains, because God is always the judge for the ignorant. ^B He has set down one, a miserable man, and has exalted another to the heights. In the hand of the Blessed One is a cup of wine, properly mixed; from one it is tilted and poured into another. Yet, its dregs remain unemptied; let all the servants of folly drink together. But I shall rejoice in these things perpetually; I shall pleasantly play for the God of immortal Jacob. But I shall shatter all the horns of the proud, that the horn of the pious alone may be exalted.

PSALM LXXV

Laughing at the King of the Assyrians, the prudent Asaph sang the fifth song of the seventh decade. The King of Judea alone was shown to be glorious; His name is glorious among the nations of Israel. And in peace His strong place was built, in lovely Zion, the dear and undefiled house. There He shattered the strength of mighty bows, the shield, and the sharp sword, and unyielding clamor. ^C Thou appearest, a wondrous light, from the eternal mountains. Those senseless in heart were thrown into turmoil, falling into an unexpected sleep; they found nothing, those men wealthy and confident in their own hands. Because of the raging King of Jacob, a deep sleep seized all the horsemen completely. Thou art terrible, O Blessed One; who competes with Thy might? From the beginning Thy wrath has great force. Thou hast placed justice into the ears of mortals from heaven; and the trembling earth was quieted and shackled. ^D

^A Of the Immortal King rising to judge, To deliver the gentle inhabitants of the whole earth. Human understanding shall sing of Thee in the heart, And the remnants of thought shall make a feast for Thee. Supplicate the Immortal, and give unto Him a gentle prayer; And those who care for God, let them bring famous gifts, To the Strong One, to whom the death of rulers is a concern, Power among all illustrious kings.

PSALM LXXVI

I sent up a cry to our King in my need, And He, knowing [our plight], beheld our voice. ^B I prayed, touching the Immortal God in the day of labor, With my hands through the night, coming near, and I was not deceived. I refused to hear a comforter in my soul. I had honorable pleasure, remembering the King; But suddenly I sang, and in my soul I was fainting. My dear eyes busied themselves, anticipating the watches. My heart, though silent, sustained me in my agitation. I thought of the most ancient day of life in my mind, And remembering the years, I sang of former generations, Singing many meditations all night in my soul: And my mind was searching and inquiring always: Will the Shepherd truly forget the human race? Or will He still remember those things which He planted? Shall He cease His mercy forever? Did the merciful God think to forget entirely? Shall He, being greatly angered, withhold His mercy? Now, scarcely beginning to understand, I perceived what is right in my mind: This is the change of the right hand of the Most High. I remembered the works of the immortal King: I shall remember the wonders of the King from the beginning; I shall meditate forever upon Thy divine works. I shall sing in my mind the rewards of Thy God-given virtues. O Eternal One, Thy way is always in the sanctuary. What god is like unto our King? The King alone is God, doing famous wonders. Thou hast shown Thy power to all peoples alike. With Thy prepotent arm Thou didst deliver the people, The children of Joseph and of great-hearted Jacob. ^D The waters saw Thee, and feared as they saw; The foundations of the deep currents were shaken; A terrible roar went up through the ethereal clouds. For Thy missiles were passing hither and thither, In a revolving circle the onrush of thunder resounded. The whole earth is illuminated by the lightnings of the Immortal; The flower-bearing earth was shaken, moved from its roots. In the roaring sea, O Blessed One, are Thy ways, In many waters are Thy paths; And no trace of the King shall be distinct to men: Thou didst lead peoples like the pasturing of beautiful sheep, By the wise hand of Moses and of Aaron the priest.

PSALM LXXVII

^A

Like to the whistling of wintry torrents, Whence does He provide so much for the needy, Or whence does He set the table for the people? These things emboldened the mind of the great King, On whose account a mighty fire consumed Jacob, And sudden wrath urged on Israel, Because he did not trust in the heavenly King, And in the divine light they had no full desire. From above, the Shepherd rose from the ethereal cloud, And quickly bid open the portals of the heavenly gates; He rained down upon them the known, sweet manna for eating, To eat the bread of heaven, He set it forth for mortals; An angelic feast he gave to the human race; A ready meal God bestowed on them in abundance. He caused the wind of the stormy south to cease blowing, And sent forth the rough blast of the sounding Africanus. He provided them with spontaneous flesh as if it were dust, And gave winged birds as if they were the sand of the sea. And these suddenly fell in the midst of the gathering of men, Encircling the various tents in a straight line. Having feasted, they were all filled with food; And for them, desiring it, He granted a favorite meal, Nor did He deprive those who longed for it of their desire. Not yet was the banquet ended, and the soul still needed more to be satisfied, When the wrath of the Immortal took hold, standing ready, Causing unexpected destruction on the heads of the many: And He struck down the strongest of noble Israel. But not even in these things did they forget their wickedness, Nor did they trust in the King for such great wonders. But seeing their life to be vain and of little strength, Driven on by the swiftly passing years, they perished in vain. O miserable ones! Then, in their perishing, they sought the King, Going at dawn they invoked Him as their helper, Considering the multitude of His former benefits, Which He afforded them, granting them a day of freedom. But they loved Him only with the tips of their lips, Chattering with the flatteries of a false tongue. For they did not have hearts that were upright, nor understanding, Nor a unified faith in His covenant. O King, but Thou always hast a merciful counsel, And Thou wilt be propitiated for their transgressions, and not slay them; But subduing Thy returning, great-hearted anger, Thou dost quickly restrain Thy wrath when it is ablaze. For Thou knowest what the race of frail mortals is, Whose life does not return once Orcus has restrained it. Ah! How much they armed Him by provoking Him in the desert, And they stirred up His spirit in places greatly waterless, Testing the power of the Most High God beyond what is right, And irritating the Spotless One of Israel with their words. ^{B C D}

^A How they forgot the hand of the life-giving helper, How He delivered them all from the bondage of the Egyptians, And how He wrought wondrous signs in Egypt, And accomplished marvels upon the plain of Taneos! Water became blood, and denied its former appearance. The wells were changed, and belied their sweet taste. First, the all-devouring dog-fly invaded the land. Thereafter the frog, coming in, ravaged the fields, And it gave up the blooming fruit to the blight; The locust, bitterly harvesting, destroyed the labors of the earth; The vine-bearing land was ruined by cold hail, And the thick mulberry withered in the melancholy frost. The blast of hail slew the herds of four-footed beasts, And the burning flame consumed their property. But not even so did He cease, ever increasing His wrath against them, wrath and grievous indignation equal to their sorrowful labor. Commanding the pitiless spirits of the air, He prepared a ruinous path for the incited fury, Nor did He spare the slain souls at all: But He also bound the flocks grazing in the fields with slaughter. Ah! how the land lamented the fate of the firstborn, As it saw the flower of the youth of the buried children! ^B But the King delivered His people like beautiful sheep, Pasturing them like a splendid flock along the long mountains, Trusting in His hope and the power of the leader. But the vast surge of the sea covered their enemies. They, indeed, were approaching by design the mountain of the Immortal, The famous mountain which He had formerly acquired with His dear hand. ^C But the King drove out the former inhabitants of the land, And bringing them in, He divided the fields by lot, Rooting out [the nations] according to their clans with their tents. Yet they still made trial, provoking the power of the King, Turning their mind away from His testimonies, Practicing the wicked deeds of their fathers of old; And having a treacherous, unwarring bow, as it were, they provoked the Immortal upon the mountain heights, And stirred up their spirits toward their own idols. ^D Hence, hearing this, God neglected their wicked counsel, And immediately censured Israel, formerly to be admired; And He destroyed the sanctuary of Silome, which was dear and pleasing to God. For He was no longer a companion to the calamitous mortals. They forgot His power, and He delivered that same [power] to plunderers, And gave his own glory as a prey to the enemies. The sword did not yet cease, always slaughtering them; But those whom He greatly loved, He cast aside from His dear assistance. The divine fire miserably devoured the youths,

^A nor did any one lament for them, like one coming forth, ^A neither did any virgin weep, nor did they groan for the priests killed by the sword. Nor did any one pity the hoary hair of the perishing region, until God awoke as if from sleep, like one laboring with dizziness on account of strong wine. And rising from His seat, He punished the erring ones most cruelly, and gave them reproach for everlasting generations. Truly then He dissipated the splendid fraud of Joseph; ^B and in turn He quickly mocked the lovely tribe of Ephraim; but He chose for Himself the noble tribe of Judah. The divine mountain of Sion, which He loves in His heart, the King built as a dwelling for His Temple, like a unicorn, and fixed it in the earth for perpetual generations. Then the King chose His servant David, and truly called him from among many shepherds. He took him from behind the nursing flocks of the peoples, holily commanding him to gather together Jacob His servant, and to possess as a bright inheritance the great Israel. ^C And He fed him justly according to the kindness of His heart, and led His people by the prudence of His hands.

PSALM LXXVIII

^A For as great as is the might of the Immortal arm, so greatly take thought for those children who have been unjustly slain. Sevenfold, return their grievous contumely into the bosom of the neighbors, by which they have reproached Thine immense honor. For we are Thy people, O King, and the nurslings of Thy pasture. For Thy beneficence, O King, we shall sing Thy praise, and from generation to generation we shall celebrate Thy glory.

PSALM LXXIX

But we shall never depart from the immortal way. Make the light of life, and do Thou hearken to those who beseech Thee. Easily, when Thou hast turned, Thou wilt call us again, O King, and send the light of Thy eyelids upon our life.

PSALM LXXX

PSALM LXXXI

^A The foolish have not considered with their minds ^B nor understood, because they rashly pursued a pernicious darkness. Then let them be stirred up about the foundations of the whole earth. I myself voluntarily said, that we were blessed before, and children of the noble King most high. But you shall die like mortals on the earth, falling like a pernicious leader. Arise, O Lord, and judge for me within your land, because you shall inherit all the nations.

PSALM LXXXII

O Eternal, who indeed shall be like you, or another? Do not ever be silent, nor be bland of mind, because the clamor of your enemies has been frequently raised. For those who hate you lift up their heads, and have machined a noxious counsel for your people, and have devised pernicious things against your saints. ^C saying, "Come, let us go, dear men, so that we may destroy them, and let us extinguish the name of Israel from the earth." For immediately rising up, the deceitful ones pondered; they contrived a pact, O Blessed One, against you, the tribes of the Idumeans and the sons of Ishmael. With these, Moab and the proud Agareni, the Ammonites and the Gebalians and the sons of Amalek, and the aliens rising up together with the maritime Tyrians. Nor was the infinite people of the Assyrians left behind, but armed leaders came to the sons of Lot. Do as you did sometime to Sisera and Madian, or to Jabinus at the winter ^D stream of Cisson, who formerly, having been subdued in Aendor with heavy labor, appeared like dung upon the earth, like dust, which a wind quickly drives along the ground. Make their princes, O highest King, equal to Oreb and Zeb and Zebee and Salman, and all who are the leaders with them, who formerly thought to seize the beautiful altar of God. Give them all, O King, like a spinning wheel, or like dry stubble before a storm, or like fire feeding in dense marshes and a wood, or to the flame rushing upon the dry mountains. Thus, O Blessed One, may you pursue them with your storm, appalling them all with untamed and cruel fury. Fill their eyes with shame, so that they, blushing, may seek your name. Let them be stirred up perpetually by hateful rebukes; let disgrace occupy them all, and at the same time let them perish in their senselessness. Let them, while perishing, know in their heart your divine name, because you alone have been found most high over all the earth.

PSALM LXXXIII

PSALM LXXXIV

Peace truly kissed lovely justice. Truth arose from the earth, But lovely justice looked down from heaven. For the King shall bestow gentle kindness, And the earth, bearing fruit, shall yield vital food. Justice shall go before God the King, Directing His footsteps on rotating paths.

PSALM LXXXV

PSALM LXXXVI

There, all who go together have placed their common fold. ^A A man shall call the honored mother Zion; for she brought forth a noble and true man. And the King shall knowingly describe her in his writings, of the peoples and of the mighty leaders whom she brought forth. And they who dwell in her shall ever cry out in joy.

PSALM LXXXVII

This too is for Mahaleh, for the prudent sons of Korah, the seventh [for the] eighth, upon the melody of the tenth.

O strength of ours, most high Prince of light, By day I cry out and by night with prayer; Would that my supplication might come before your eyes, Would that you might incline your ear, O King, to my prayers. For my weak soul is burdened with sorrows, And my dear life draws near to the lower abyss. I am counted like those cast down into the pit, I have become as a mortal to whom no helper appears, Though I am one who remains free among the dead: Like the wounded lying in the sepulchers Who sleep, of whom you take no heed nor care. For they have been cast out from your glorious hand. They have cast me into the destructive pit, In the gloomy and shadowed place of death. Your heavy fury is confirmed upon me, And all your troubles disturb me continually. You have removed far from me all consolation of companions; They have hated me as someone pernicious. Ah! Then how they urged me, even when I did not wish to follow! ^C Indeed, because of my weakness, even the light of my eyes grew dim. But I was calling upon you, the helper of such great necessity, And my hands were stretched out to you all day long. Will you manifest your wonders among the unburied dead? Or shall physicians indeed raise up those who sing? Will any, O King, chant your mercy in the sepulcher, And your lovely truth in the lost place? Will your wonders appear in the darkness, And will the earth, having forgotten, know your justice? But I, living, seek you, and I pray for a helper; In the morning, aroused by prayers, I will call upon you. Why do you cast my mild prayer far away, And turn your face, shrinking back, from a suppliant? ^D From my youth I have been poor and diligent in labors; From on high I have again become lowly and powerless in deeds. Around me, O Blessed One, your wraths have passed, And the terrors of your awesome power disturb me. They encompass me like deep water, Surrounding me on every side all day long. You have distanced neighbor and my own faithful companion from me, Nor has any external consoler come to one oppressed.

PSALM LXXXVIII

^A Worthy of heavenly prudence, a grace-filled song of Ethan, The eighty-eighth, following the ten, around the song. Incessantly, O King, will I celebrate Thy mercy; From generation to generation, O Blessed One, will I chant the truth. You said that mercy is to be wrought for all days, And Thy truth prepared to be set above the heavens. We have made a covenant with our best men; I swore to David, and he was ever my servant. Incessantly I will adorn thy line with habitations, And I will make thy glorious throne stand forever. The heavens shall celebrate, O Blessed One, Thy divine works, And let Thy truth be the care of the dwellings of the saints. Who among the dwellers in the clouds shall be like the King? Or who at any time shall be like Thee among the sons of the Immortal? ^B A glorious God is always in the counsels of the saints, How great, how fearful, and trembling has seized all men. Prince of virtues, who shall be equal to Thee in strength? Thou Thyself, armed with truth, workest mighty deeds. Thou Thyself hast possessed the raging force of the sea, Mitigating the waves when they are stirred up and curve. As one wounded, Thou didst cast down the proud man, And pressing with might, Thou didst disperse the hateful ones who err.

The heavens also and the earth are the possession of Thy command; ^C With round hands Thou didst lay the foundations of the world, And Thou Thyself didst create the North and the boundless sea. In Thee let Tabor and Hermon rejoice, Always unshaken by the power of Thy arm. Let Thy right hand be exalted with confidence; Justice and judgment surround Thy throne. Before Thee run forth both truth and mercy. Blessed is the people who know how to shout with joy; Whom, at any rate, Thy eternal light shall lead, Always rejoicing, for whom Thy name is a delight, And famous glory under Thy righteous deeds; Because Thou hast been for them a glory exceeding in strength; And let those trusting in Thee lift up their own horn. The Immortal is on earth always a bulwark of aid, ^D Of the Immaculate King, of noble Israel. Then, indeed, didst Thou add these things, speaking to Thy children: "I have provided help in the mighty one, and in him valiant in strengths; Choosing the best from the people, I adorned him with seats. I found David, a dear servant and worker, And I anointed his beautiful body with holy oil. For indeed he shall have My hand as an aid, And My arm shall always rouse him. Never shall there be pleasure for enemies in him, Nor shall the son of iniquity refute him in his misfortunes." With hands that see, I will slay his enemies,

^B and those who hate him I will declare blameworthy. And truth and mercy shall be his companions together, and in me he shall have a glorious, uplifted horn. I will set his hand over the indomitable sea, and his right hand shall rise above the rivers. He, desiring, shall call me a clear Father, having me as a helper, his light, and his God. And I myself will set him as my firstborn, a beloved son, exalted among all the best kings. I will keep my gentle mercy for him forever, and I will confirm for him the glorious faith of the covenant. From generation to generation his dear offspring shall be stable, and his seat glorious, as long as the days of heaven endure. But if his children should forget my laws, and shall not walk with my righteousness; if they should make my justice profane, and become unmindful of our commandments; I will look upon their hateful works with a hastening scepter, searching out their follies with lashes. Yet I will not entirely scatter my previous mercy from them, nor will I do any injustice contrary to my truth, nor will I commit profane things against my covenants, nor will I change what I have spoken with my lips. I have sworn to David, I do not lie concerning the stable covenants; blessed shall his kindred ever be among all, and his throne shall be like the shining sun, being such as the full moon is, and the faithful witness dwelling in the great heaven for him. ^C But you, O King, have pursued him with every kind of reproof, and have driven away him who was anointed with your oil. You have overturned the covenant of your mighty servant, and have set his sanctuary as profane upon the earth for all to see. You have destroyed all his glorious enclosures by which he was previously guarded; they have become terrible things to him. And wandering travelers have plundered him; he has become an object for insults among his neighbors. You have raised the right hand of those hastening to destroy him, and you have adorned his shameless ravishers. You have turned back the powerful force of his fighting sword, and you have not come as a helper to him in the war, but have allowed him to be stained with the pernicious works of battle. ^D Ah! How the mournful seat is cast down for him from on high! Ah! How the throne has lost so much in a short time! For instead of crowns, disgrace has held him on every side. Tell me, O Blessed One, how long will you remain angry, growing fierce, increasing your burning, powerful wrath? Remember, O Lord, how great mortal life is. For did you create the race of men in vain? Who is the mortal who shall escape the force and the bond of death

^A or who shall rescue his soul from the hand of the underworld, calling back his changeable heart? Where for me is the immense power of your former mercy, which you promised and granted to David of old? And do not forget your servants who are mocked, whose evil insults I bore before in my bosom, just as enemies previously reproached you with their wicked deeds, who also mocked the very image of your Christ. Laudable shall be the King, God shall be of Israel.

PSALM LXXXIX

If it is fitting for a mortal to speak to the Heavenly One, Moses was always the most faithful servant of the Immortal; he who formerly uttered this prayer: and this is the song, round about the ninth one of the eighth decade. ^B Be to us, Blessed One, a fortress in eternal generations. Before the foundations of the mountains, and before the earth was made strong, from the beginning and unto the age I will sing of you as King. Do not, being turned away from me, make me a castaway man again, commanding mortals to choose a changeable life. A thousand days are as yesterday in your eyes, you who before provided a safeguard to the perishing in the night. Reproachable for them shall deeds be for the years. The morning dawn will pass by like a flower; let it bloom, and blooming let it pass away. ^C Let evening fall again, and being dried up and turned to stone, for we truly have become weak because you are angry, and we are troubled by the King who is gravely incensed. You have placed our iniquities before your eyes; our life is the light of your countenance. On account of our infirmity we have become like smoke, and as you are incensed we consume our dear strength. Our years are very like a spider. The decades of human life are seven. But if we should live even more, unto eighty years, the labor and hardship of these is always more to life, since your kindness might have tamed the mortal generation. Who knows the great strength of you when you are angry? ^D Who shall count the grim terrors of your wrath? Reveal your honored right hand, O King, to them who have immortal wisdom as a care in their hearts. Cease from being angry; why do you increase an irascible mind? Indulge, O Blessed One, your supplicant servants. From the dawn we are full of your mercy, O Immortal One; with pleasure and gladness, all our days. For the sake of which days we are bound to you in hardships, in place of the years in which we previously saw such great sorrows, look upon your servants, O Immaculate One, and upon your works; and turn to lead their dear children. Let the splendor of the King appear to us, and direct the works of our hands.

PSALM XC

PSALM XCI

^A viewing from on high the initiates of ungodliness, That they may always be authors of their own evil destruction. But Thou alone, O King, art immortal, the Most High. May the malignant nations of Thine enemies perish. For the sinners shall be utterly scattered by the winds, Even as my horn may hasten upward like that of a unicorn, And my hoary age may flourish in rich oil. I have seen with my gaze the laborious fate of my enemies, And I shall rejoice in the bitter reports of my adversaries. Then indeed shall the holy mortal flourish like a palm tree, Abounding equally like the green cedar of Lebanon. As many as have been planted in the divine houses, They shall flourish in the immortal courts of God. Abounding still in fatness in the time of old age, As it is right, those who have suffered well shall declare each thing; For the upright King, God, has always been, And He does not conceal an unjust mind in His wise heart.

PSALM XCII

PSALM XCIII

^A Instructing the nations, does He not know how to reprove wickedness, He who alone plants all thoughts in humans? The King knows the vanity of human counsel. Blessed is he who has been tamed by Your commandments, pondering in his heart Your law-bearing cares. Consulting mild things so that he may escape the time of vice, until the inescapable pit opens for the foolish one. For He will never cast off His people from His sight, nor will He neglect His own portion, until judgment bringing justice arrives again, suspending all the upright-minded works of those dear to Him. Who will have stood up to prepare for me a destroyer? Or who will have armed me to rouse me for the battle of the lawless? ^B Unless the King, valiant in battle, had stood as my helper, my soul, my companion, would even have flown to the underworld. For when I waited for flight with a limping spirit, immediately Your mercy, O King, saved me when it appeared. As much as I bore measureless pain in my sufferings, my spirit was exhilarated by Your consolations. Shall the seat of iniquity be near You, O King, which weaves trouble by rigid prophecy, and men desired to destroy the soul of the holy one; in vain they have plotted destruction from elsewhere for innocent blood. But the King himself has become my most high defense, God has come ready as a helper for my confidence: who may render to them the things corresponding to their insults, and the King shall destroy them in their own works. ^C

PSALM XCIV

^A As formerly, when in the rugged desert of God, Your fathers previously tempted me, Who for forty years saw my works and my might. Then I loathed that pernicious generation, And I said: In their hearts they always wander, And they did not at all understand my ways; I swore in my wrath, that they should not see my rest.

PSALM XCV

From the house of the illustrious King, awakened, David the king sang out, after the parting of the spoils, About the ninety-fifth elegant song. Sing to me of the King with newly-born melodies, All you, sing to the all-powerful Shepherd, O earth: Resonate the glorious name of the King: On a blessed day, announce his light day by day: To various nations announce his honor. Announce the glorious miracles of God to the peoples: Since he is truly great, and is always to be praised, And he holds the greatest fear among all gods. All the idols of the demons are gods to the nations; But God established the firm heaven by his counsel: Praise and great splendor are in the sight of his eyes.

^B Purity and illustrious glory befit the temple. Bring to the King, to God, honor and glory; Bring true glory to the honorable King. Taking your sacrifices, enter into the courtyards: In the holy courtyard, entreat the Shepherd of the world. Before God the King, let all the earth be moved. Say indeed to the peoples: God reigns over all. For he established the circle, which no time knows how to move. May he always judge the peoples with equitable laws. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth together exult; Let the sea be stirred, and all that the water of the sea nourishes; May all things together rejoice with the fruit-bearing fields. Then indeed let the thick trees and the woods together exult, Before God the King hastening after the earth: For he came to judge miserable men, Calling all to a truthful mind through equity, Pouring forth speech with truth to the peoples.

PSALM XCVI

When David received his restored land, About the ninety-sixth cherished song. Rejoice, O earth, for your origin rules over the heavenly ones, Rejoice because of the splendor, O islands of the hoary sea. ^D Near is the King, wrapped in cloud and whirlwind, Adorning his throne under the equity of judgment in all things. A strong, burning fire goes before his sovereignty, So that he may burn up the wanderers on this side and that. The earth was illuminated by divine brightness: As it saw, as the foundations of the earth were shaken on all sides. But the mountains flowed around the King like wax.

^A From the sight of the all-bearing earth, before the Ruler of all. The starry heavens have declared his justice, And all have seen the glory of the heavenly King. Let them be ashamed, falling down before sculptured images, They who render glory to their own idols. Resplendent angels, likewise bow the knee. Let the chief mountains of Sion rejoice in their minds, And let the daughters of Judah be glad in their hearts, beating their feet, Because of your magnanimous justice, O Altipotent. Since you alone are, O Most High, in the ends of the earth, As no one else is, O noted for counsel, you have been exalted on high indeed as God. You who love God alone from the heart, put aside curious things; The all-seeing One loves the spirit of his servants above all, And he will always deliver them from the hands of the destroyer. The Dawn has shone upon the eyelids of the just, And joy from above has occupied the heart of the upright. Rejoice in the Lord, O blameless judges, And celebrate his memory with human ears. ^B PSALM XCVII. David sang this with the ninety-seventh. Celebrate the King to me with new songs, Because he alone has made stupendous things with his own wise hands. With his own vital right hand he has saved all things, And with his glorious arm he guards all things. He has revealed himself to mortals as the dispeller of various evils. Across the face of scattered generations, the Immortal one Has made his own lovely justice to rise. For he has remembered from his heart the palaces of Jacob, And his truth in the houses of Israel. Openly, the noble ends of the whole earth have understood The saving light of the prepotent King. Let all the earth jubilate to the most glorious Shepherd; Psallite (sing psalms) exulting, and sing with a sonorous canticle; Sing to the Lord with a melodious cithara, ^C With ductible trumpets (and the horn itself sounded a boom). Jubilate in the sight of the immortal King. Let the sea be moved, and all that the wave of the sea nourishes, The whole circle, and all that inhabit the earth. Let the rivers be gathered together, clapping hands at once; Let the mountains exult before the divine face. For he has gone, and indeed he has come, that he might judge the earth with justice, Calling everyone under the true law with righteousness, Sending forth a stable tongue to those who are hastened. ^D PSALM XCVIII. In the ninety-eighth, a sweet song, As David sings with a melodious cithara. The immortal God has reigned; do not rejoice, O nations; He who sits upon the cherubim has come: let the support of the whole earth be shaken. The glorious King is great among the peoples and wondrous among the gods. Let all together celebrate your ageless name.

^A Since indeed he is to be feared and is hidden, and the honor of the King always loves justice. You gave to Jacob a prudent impulse; you provided equity and counsel to your Israel. Exalt our immortal Lord, worshiping at his footstool: for he is holy. Moses among the priests is great, and Aaron illustrious; and among those who supplicate, Samuel is strong. They truly called out, and he answered them by his voice, and from the pillar of cloud he answered them by his word. They were the strenuous guardians of the testimony of God, and they did not neglect the divine things which they had learned. Immortal one, you gave to them from heaven a ready ear, and your mind was always propitious toward them: and you hastened help for all things which they did. Exalt our immortal Lord, and worship him always on his holy mountain, ^B because indeed in all things the King is immaculate.

PSALM XCIX

PSALM C

^A In the morning I put to death the authors of wickedness, desiring to tame the servants of injustice with destruction.

PSALM CI

Hear our prayer, O best Pastor: receive the voice in your ears of one who is needy. Do not turn your pleasant face away from me: unto one who is oppressed, O King, send down a ready hearing. When, O Blessed One, I call upon you, quickly attend your dear ear; because my life was flowing away like smoke; and my bones are like to the parched embers that are burnt. I was struck like hay, and my soul was wasting away; and in my belly I forgot to give the friendly bread of necessity. By our groaning, bones cling to the flesh. You would say you see a solitary pelican, or a crow by night, an inhabitant of the bare fields, or a certain sleepless sparrow being alone in a house. My enemies were beating me with words all the day, and those who swore against me were swearing in vain; because, being afflicted, I ate ash like bread, and I drank a draught with tears, mixing them together, from the ruinous wrath, O Supreme One, and from your anger, because you lifted me up from the ether and cast me down again. The days of our age end like a shadow, but I myself am become like dry hay. For you alone drag on a living life forever, retaining a memorial for mortals from generation to generation. ^{B C} Do you yourself rising up, O King, have mercy on Sion. For it is the very time to have mercy on this oppressed one; and indeed that time is now at hand, which you previously approved. Because your servants have placed it upon their own stones, and they will have mercy on the dust in their own hearts. Let all nations fear your name, O King, and let all kings fear your glory; because God has restored the collapsed Sion, appearing openly to men on earth. The Pastor, surveying all things, looked upon the prayer of the humble, nor did he, by blaming them, neglect their petitions. Write these things, therefore, for me for the generations to be born late, and the people that is to be shall call upon you with their hands. Because he himself looked down from on high, stooping, and from heaven he extended his own gaze toward the earth, so that he might hear the groaning of those in shackles and loose the dear pledges of those doomed to death; so that he might announce again a name much-prayed-to in Sion, and in Jerusalem a resonant and celebrated praise: that he might stir up the people of various cities; and thereafter he will place his own yoke upon the neck of kingdoms.

^A Advancing courageously, he made answer to him, and said such things: Tell me the few paths of our life, And do not, by cutting off life before the time, destroy me. Thine, O Blessed One, are the everlasting years. From the beginning Thou didst first establish the earth, And the heavens are the works of Thy hands, O Blessed One. They themselves shall perish, but Thou remainest eternal to me. Let them perish, like old garments. All things indeed shall be changed, rolled up like a cloak; But Thou art eternal, and life shall never fail Thee. Let the children of Thy servants ever be present in Thy tabernacles, And let their righteous generation not cease.

PSALM CII

^C Remember, O Lord, that we are but vile dust. Human life is very like to hay, Creeping like the fleeting flowers of the earth, Which, when the soul has flown out, has altogether departed from the limbs, And the sight, having seen, shall no longer know its place. Great mercy always accompanies those who fear the King, And their sons, for whom He shall grant success after their sons, Those for whom divine protection is a care of the elements, And they themselves do not forget His commandments forever. In the starry heaven the Blessed One fashioned His seat, And He rules the great glory of His empire over all. ^D

^A Illustrious angels, together resound the King, You mighty ones, to whom the command of the King is a care. Virtues of all kinds, resound the Lord, To whom the hearing of eternal succor was a care. Glorious works of God, resound the King, Whose strength holds power ever stretched out over the dominions. My soul, sing ever laudably to your King.

PSALM CIII

^A Shadowy mountains are the care of swift stags; Hares are confident upon steep rocks. You, O King, have fashioned the moon as the disposer of times. The shining sun has known its settings. Gloomy darkness is the sign of night, And night is truly the nurturer of wild beasts: for wild beasts love the night, And the cubs, eagerly desiring the necessary hunt, Seeking their own feast from God always. At the shining of the sun, they are gathered upon the earth, And they have reached their lair among their thickets. But man, returning, resumes his own work, Awaiting the evening time, the end of labor. How glorious, O Blessed One, how sublime are your works! You have fashioned all things together with divine wisdom, O Shepherd. ^B The holy earth is laden with your infinite works, And the bed of the immense and spacious sea. O how many creeping things of the roaring sea are stirred up for you! You may see animals mingled, the larger with the small: There the course for ships with many benches was made; There is the dragon whom you fashioned before to be a plaything. All things look to you to give friendly food to each: And everyone may receive good gifts from you. All things exceedingly rejoice when you open your hands, And severe trouble seizes them when you turn away your countenance. When you take away their spirit, they die overcome, And they perish immediately upon the mother earth of old. But if you grant their spirit to return again, ^C They grow young again, and the whole earth is illuminated. The glory of the King shall be; it shall be immortal forever: The King shall rejoice in the splendors of his works. The earth trembles at the brightness of your countenance; It is touched by you for a little while, and the mountains resound with smoke. But I shall always celebrate the King: I shall sing to the Immortal, much to be adored, as long as I creep. Receive the cares of my sweet song with joy: I shall dance in the unceasing joys of the King. Let the authors of wickedness be brought to an end entirely; And let the whole lawless race cease from the earth. My soul, always sing praise to your King.

PSALM CIV. The fourth alleluia of the helper of armies, It is the one hundred and fourth psalm. Sing, praying to the immortal name of the King: Announce the works of God to all nations. Sing, and with psalms shrilly play the lyre to the King; Duly speak of his divine and wondrous works. Our praise is upon the immortal King. Let the heart exult, always seeking the King; Seek the King from whom strength is to you, And always investigate his divine countenance yourselves. Remember the wonders which he fashioned with his hands, And the judgments of his tongue that follow his prodigies. His servants are the dear race of Abraham; ^D

^A he found the chosen people, the sons of Jacob. The King himself displays justice in all things. He remembered his covenants eternally, and the word which he commanded for a thousand generations, ^B which he desired and promised before to his servant Abraham, swearing a great oath to his dear servant Isaac, which he commanded to be fulfilled for wise Jacob, promising an immutable covenant to true Israel, promising to give him the whole land of Canaan, measuring out the cords of your inheritance. Their number was indeed very small; they were indeed few, dwelling as sojourners in a strange land. Often they passed from one nation to another, ^B and they followed the people from one kingdom to another. He permitted no one to arm his hand against them, but he even tamed kings, rebuking them for their sake: "Keep yourselves from the impious: why do you afflict my prophets?" He called a bitter destroyer, famine, upon the land; he broke the life-giving force of abundant food. But he sent before them a gentle, chaste guardian, and Joseph, O King, endured a servile day. Ah! How did he toil then, bound in fetters? How was his oppressed heart chained in iron? Until he looked forward even to the good end of his dreams. The Most Blessed one inflamed his servant with his word. The king of the Nile, at his command, released him from his bonds. The prince of the peoples let him go from his necessity, entrusting his house to be governed under his nod, and set him as the renowned leader of the kingdom, so that he might instruct the princes of the Nile in his laws, and make their very ancient generation prudent. ^C Thence Israel came into the Egyptian land, and Jacob dwelt in the glorious region of Ham. But the King increased his people wondrously, and made them most powerful against their enemies. But they again afflicted the people pleasing to God, Changing their customs for divine servants. ^D God sent to them his prudent servant Moses, and divine Aaron, who was chosen for him. He committed to them the signs of his counsel with beauty, and he brought about the force of his prodigies in the land of Ham. Then he sent darkness over the Niliac land; but they devised bitter things contrary to the words of God. He turned their water, making it deadly blood; he again slew the fish of the blackening river. The earth bubbled forth a brood of water-nurtured frogs, and they were armed in the houses of the powerful kings. He spoke, and the dog-fly invaded the houses of the king, and the gnats destroyed the renowned houses of the whole land.

^A Cold hail resounded from rain-bearing clouds, And flame, a helper eating the earth, came with the hail. It destroyed the vines, and the fig trees perished, And it broke down the flowering trees of their land. He spoke, and the countless, flowing locust rushed in, And the caterpillar, countless in its great spirit, Which ravaged all the flowering grass of the land. Ah, how each one mourned the death of the firstborn, Burying the first-ripened youth of the departing generation! With gold and silver he led out the people, And they had no weak person as a companion among the people. Oh, how the Nilotic land rejoiced at their departure! For all had been struck with foul terror in their souls. ^B Spreading a shady cloud, he led the people, And with fire he scattered the night-long, pervasive darkness. The boundless quail came to those who greatly asked, And he filled their soul with heavenly bread. Breaking the rock, he led forth a flowing of waters, And rivers resounded with force upon the waterless plains. For he remembered in his soul the lovely promise, Which long ago the King had pledged to his Abraham. Therefore he rescued his honored, rejoicing people, Gathering together his servants increased in gladness. He gave them the regions of dispersed nations, And they divided the labors of other peoples, So that they might always remember divine righteousness, And examine the law of the heavenly King.

PSALM CV

^A They for a time believed in God's life-giving word, And cheered Him with songs of praise. But they quickly forgot the words of the King and turned away, And belied the counsel of the immortal God. They craved a wicked desire in the desert place, And in the waterless land they tempted the King. Yet even so He granted the desire of their mind, Filling their hearts with the food they themselves craved. But they stirred the mild spirit of Moses to anger, And in all things they withstood the divine Aaron. The earth opened and swallowed up the impudent Dathan, And covered the whole company of the wicked Abiron; A burning flame devoured their tents, And the flame consumed the people given over to sin. ^B In Horeb they fashioned a horned calf, And prostrate at the feet of the idol they supplicated in vain. Fools! who exchanged their former glory For a calf that grazes on sweet grass. They forgot the strength of the bellicose King, Who formerly in Egypt, performing glorious works, Was heralded as admirable and grave in the land of Ham, Creating terrors for all mortals at the Red Sea. And in truth He would have destroyed them all, as He said He would destroy all, Had not His most excellent servant Moses risen up near Him, Supplicating with his hand that He might stay the destruction. They insulted the glorious land with evils; They never trusted in the equitable precept of the Blessed One: But even in their tents they were always murmuring; They refused to hear with their ears God speaking. ^C Therefore the King armed His right hand against the sinners, Desiring to strike them all down at once in the desert place, To destroy their race among the foreign-born nations, Or to scatter them through diverse cities. But they, defiled by the rites of Beelphegor, Tasted of the sacrifices of the dead, Provoking the King with the lost loves of their impurity. The outrage of the death that God brought forth became the mother of wrath. But Phinees appeased the All-Sovereign with his prayers. He indeed prayed; and before his prayers the pestilence retreated; And he found a reward of righteousness, illustrious from God, From generation to generation, for all days. The water of contention—thou knowest how they provoked Him, How Moses was vexed by the pain of the wicked, Always oppressed in his heart by bitter grievances, Who, even against his will, did not belie his former faith. For they saved the nations that He told them to destroy. Mingling with them, they learned their iniquitous works, And bowed their necks to inanimate idols Nor indeed were they helped by them; but they were oppressed by evil necessity, Sacrificing their own daughters and sons to demons. The land, irrigated by innocent blood, groaned; Those whom they brought forth, whom they reared, were slaughtered by the ruinous,

^A Sacrificing to idols, the oath-breaking Canaanites. The earth was reddened on all sides by the blood of the slain, Vainly defiled by hateful deeds, And by baneful wantonness: for this held great sway over them. Yet the King himself was altogether wroth with the wicked people, Hating the proud insolence toward his own inheritance. He gave his dear servants into the hands of enemies, Yielding his dominion to their foes. They were subdued by the dire necessity of their adversaries. Lowly, falling by the hands of others, Often were they delivered, though he thought to destroy them. But they provoke the King with their hateful mind more than before, Their necks bowed down by their own iniquities. When he saw them afflicted, he spared his own people; He took pity on those who besought him, and heard their prayers. For immediately he remembered his covenants, And, overcome by mercy, he desisted from his former intent. Wonder takes hold of me, how the King softened his heart, And those who were previously their spoilers took pity on them. Do thou save us easily, O highest King, Gathering us from all sides, where we have been scattered among the peoples, ^C That we might quickly celebrate thy divine name, Being wise in thy great and glorious songs. Ever is the renowned King of Israel to be praised, From generation to generation, throughout all days. And all the people shall say together, Truly let it be so.

PSALM CVI. This is the sixth alleluia of the aids of the hosts. O peoples, celebrate the benignity of the Lord, Since he perpetually increases his mercy. Let those to whom God has granted a free day tell of it, Those whom he once delivered from the strong hand of their enemies. He gathered those dispersed from their cities hither, Some from the east, and others from the western land, ^D And others from the north and the untamed sea, Wandering through an infinite and dry desert place, Nor had they a path to discern for their own city. They were perishing from thirst and likewise from implacable hunger, And their heart was pining away from weakness. But they cried to God, moved in their mind by their labors; Yet the King delivered them from every necessity, And showed them a straight path, leading them, That they might come to the beloved city for which they yearned. Celebrate the mercy of the King, his power,

^A And may his divine works be a care to the mortal race; Because to the needy soul he provided a prepared meal, And supported the hungry spirit with good things, Those sitting in the shadowy darkness of death, Bound by poverty and by iron chains; Because in their hateful mind they had angered the commands of God, Vainly provoking his glorious counsel. Therefore they were subdued by fruitless labor and calamity, And no one came to help them in their feebleness. But they cried out to God, troubled in mind by their labors; Yet the King delivered them from every necessity: He led them out from the darkness and from the jaws of death, Breaking the strong and relentless chain of their limbs. The mercies of the King, sing forth his power, And may his divine works be a care to the mortal race; Because he shattered the might of the brazen gates, And quickly broke the well-wrought bars of adamant, Snatching them all away from the path of wretched wickedness. Because they had found the ignominious reproach of impiety, Spitting out in their heart all food that sustains men, They reached even to the gates of cold death. But they cried out to God, troubled in mind by their labors; Yet the King delivered them from every necessity: He healed those oppressed, cheering their soul, And delivered those perishing from anxious sorrow. The mercies of the King, sing forth his power, And may his divine works be a care to the mortal race. Let them offer the King a sacrifice with grateful songs; Let them speak of his works with joy of mind. Sailors to whom the strength and ships of the sea are a care, To whom labor is stirred up through the surge and the immense ^B water, With their eyes they beheld the works of the wise God, And his divine wonders amidst the sea-traversed abysses. At the command of the King a violent squall was stirred up, And it rushed with the raised-up, arched waves of the deep. You would say the broad heaven was at once mingled with the abyss. Their soul was melting away with clamorous sorrow; And a trembling seized them all, as if bound with wine; They forgot their navigation, and their wise art did not appear. But they cried out to God, troubled in mind by their labors; But the King delivered them from every necessity: Immediately he changed the storm into a former breeze; Again the waves were calmed into a stable silence, And gladness seized them all, when they saw the tranquil ^C water, Hastening to the harbor by the warnings of God. The mercies of the King, sing forth his power, And may his divine works be a care to the mortal race. ^D

^A Exalt him well with the tents of the people, and celebrate him in the sacred seats of the elders. He released a great flood of a beautifully flowing river, but the water-bearing way was wasting away in unpleasant thirst. He quickly turned the salt-nourishing land into a region parched by the malice of its neighbors; but he set the wilderness as a surging lake, and water-like, the waters of the thirsty land burst forth, where once there were wretched, hungry inhabitants; and the good settlers held the cities. ^B They planted vineyards and sowed fields, and rejoiced in the abundance of lovely fruits. God indeed praised the work, and the peoples were multiplied, and they themselves fed the herds of four-footed animals in the pastures: there they were languishing, entangled in affliction, crushed by pains and ineffectual torments; and heavy dishonor seized the inglorious leaders. They, abandoning the path, wandered on impassable ways. But he came as a helper to the poor man in his destitution, placing families like beautiful flocks in pastures. Let those who are upright in mind rejoice in their gladness: and manifest iniquity shall open its heavy mouth. Who is prudent enough to know how to keep all these things in his soul, and to understand in his heart the mercy of the Immortal?

PSALM CVII

^A O defender of the oppressed, O King, mayest Thou appear openly; But to us may the vain light of mortals be granted. In the mighty King let us make ready our strength, He shall utterly despise the terrible insolence of our enemies.

PSALM CVIII

^B When he is judged by the votes of justice, may he come forth condemned; And may his ruinous prayer become a wretched thing for him instantly. May his days be few and sad, And may another receive his illustrious priesthood. May widowhood seize his own sinful sons, And may a cruel wife, following him, fetter him with childlessness. His children shall wander as beggars among foreigners; Driven from their dear threshold, compelled by necessity. May the usurer hunt down all that he possesses, And may strangers be the plunderers of his labors. May there be no one from elsewhere who acts as his helper, And may no one pity his orphaned offspring. His dear children will be the sport of a ruinous destruction, His name will perish utterly, unknown and unheard of in the day. Before God let the wickedness of his fathers be remembered, And let not the sin of his hateful mother cease for him.

^C Let them remain always in the sight of the King as infamous persons, And let their memorial perish from the good earth. For he did not remember to act with mercy, Pursuing the destitute and the beggar, the wicked man Wishing to slay him who was laden with sorrows. And that which he loved greatly, may he speedily receive—a curse: He pursued a blessing with hatred; it fled from him, turned far away. He put on the ruinous curse as a cloak, And it entered like water into his inward parts, Nurturing his bones like oil in his need. And instead of necessary clothing, let it clothe him, And like the girdle with which he is always girded in his work. This is the reward for those who make it their care to malign me before the King, And for those who make it their care to inflict infinite sorrows upon my soul.

^D But do Thou, O Lord, work a remedy for me for Thy sake, Since Thou increasest Thy mercy with gentleness. Destitute and poor am I, but do Thou not forsake me.

^A Our spirit is shaken within our limbs. I was grieving, shaken in mind like a declining shadow; I was shaken off, far resembling birds of prey. I have been subdued, trembling in my dear knees from impotent hunger, And my body was changed, deprived of shining oil. Thence I became a mockery unto all among everyone; As they saw me, so they were wagging the head, every one of them in deceit. But, O Blessed One, may God come to me as I call, a helper, And may You, O King, grant me Your mercy as an aid, That they may know the good help of Your hand, Which You, O King, were intending to fulfill for Your servant. They shall curse, but You shall grant me blessed things. Let there be disgrace for my enemies who rise up against me; But may Your honorable servant rejoice in his heart on all sides. Let those who reproach me always undergo blame; Let them be clothed with shame like a double cloak. I will praise the Lord with songs in my mouth, And in the midst of many I will proclaim His glory. Because He attends at the right hand of the poor, That He might deliver my soul from the men who are my enemies. PSALM CIX. The sonorous song of David, the one-hundred-and-ninth. The Lord said to the Lord, Sit at my right hand, Until I subdue your enemies under your feet as a footstool. The Eternal One shall send a blameless rod out of Sion, That You may rule, O King, in the midst of Your enemies. The strength of Your beginning is with You, as You had it of old, With Your splendors You shall have the firm honor of the holy ones: You Yourself are the fruit of my womb before the day-star. The faithful King has sworn, and He will not lie in His oaths: You shall be a priest such as Melchisedech was. O Intact One, You have a defender near at Your right hand, Who in His wrath might subdue earthly kings. The Blessed One shall judge the nations, and He shall fill the ruins of the peoples, And He shall shatter the heads of many upon the earth. He shall drink the water of the torrent, going upon the glorious way; Thereon the King shall exalt His venerable head. PSALM CX. The immortal alleluia, the one-hundred-and-tenth. With unceasing heart, O King, I will sing Your praise, With the mind of the righteous and the holy in the brilliant tents. The works of the immortal King are always extraordinary, Obedient to every kind of divine counsel. God's works are always praise and outstanding glory: His justice remains from generation to generation. The King has remembered His wonders in His mind; God is compassionate toward all and merciful; He gave a glorious feast to His dear servants.

^A He will remember His harmonies without ceasing; He has declared to the people the noble strength of His works, desiring to give them the illustrious portion of the nations; He practices justice and truth always. The mandates of the King possess glorious fidelity, firmly established from generation to generation, fashioned with truth and upright intentions. The King bestowed true redemption upon His people. The Shepherd has always mandated His own covenant. Pure and terrible is the celebrated name of God. The beginning of heavenly wisdom is the fear of God, and prudence is for mortals who are prophets of wisdom. The immortal praise of God remains from generation to generation.

PSALM CXI

PSALM CXII

PSALM CXIII

^A With the eleventh decade, also the third alleluia. The strong Israel, when he came from the shadows, And the people of Jacob left the barbarous house, The temple of Judea became the honored [temple] of God, And the Immortal reigned over glorious Israel. The sterile sea fled when it sensed Him, But Jordan recoiled far backward. The mountains leaped like rams, And the summits of the shaggy mountains were like lambs.

Tell me, O sea, why you were divided thus in your flight; Why, O Jordan, did you recoil so far backward; Mountains, you leaped like rams, And the summits of the shaggy mountains were like lambs? The earth trembled in the presence of the Immortal God, Who reigns forever over magnanimous Jacob. Who turned the lake of waters into a rock like itself, Commanding the sheer peak to gush forth with springs.

Not for our sake do this: for what strength has been found in us? But grant the highest glory to your wisdom, And to your mercy, O King, and true will, Lest the nations ever say: Where then is their God?

Our God, in turn, reigns forever in heaven: He is established in the heaven, but He governs the works of the earth, Accomplishing all that He purposes in His sagacious mind. Idols of gold and silver are those of the peoples, The weak likenesses of the clever hands of men. ^B To which there is no sound, even if a mouth has been formed for them, Neither do they bear light in their polished eyes. They have ears only, but they do not hear the voice, Nor does a holy scent enter their nostrils. There is no strength for one who touches them, even if they are adorned with hands, Nor can they plant their feet for walking upon the earth, Nor send forth a voice from their throat; For there is no rush of breath panting in their mouths. May the craftsmen become like the idols, And all are those who trust in them with their mind.

Glorious Israel placed his trust in the King; He is a helper and an undying defender for them. The renowned house of Aaron placed its trust in the King; Their helper is he and an intrepid defender. They placed their hope in the King, and to those who fear God is his care; ^C He is a helper and a brave defender for them. The Immortal, mindful of us, praised all: He praised the splendid house of gentle Israel; He praised the undefiled priestly house of Aaron; He praised all the people who are mindful of the All-King, Together the greater and the lesser age. He greatly increased all with our children. You are praiseworthy in the mind of the Immortal All-King, Who created the green earth and the wide heaven. The heaven belongs to the radiant heavenly King: ^D

^A but the earth He gave to the mortal race to possess. The dead, O Blessed One, shall not praise You, Nor those hastening to the infernal paths of death: But we the living shall praise the King, Now and hereafter unto everlasting ages.

PSALM CXIV

PSALM CXV

PSALM CXVI

PSALM CXVII

^A Say, O servants of the King, for this is good, Because He ever increases His mercy. Oppressed, I called upon the mighty King, And He, leading me out of affliction, widened my paths. The incorruptible King is ever the helper of my need: I shall never fear what a mortal may do to us. The incorruptible King is ever the helper of my need: But I shall see the evil destruction of His enemies. It is better to live trusting in the immortal King, Than to have a heart trusting in a mortal man in vain, Than to place strange hope in princes. All nations surrounded me in a circle, But I, trusting in the King, overcame them all. They stood around me like a tower in a circular ring: But I, trusting in the King, overcame them all. ^B From all sides they swarmed about me like bees about a hive; They blazed like fire among the thorns in the atrium: But I, trusting in the King, overcame them all. And I would have fallen, pushed down, but the King came to me as a champion. My praise and my strength are in the immortal King, And the ready light of salvation appeared to me. The voice of joy and light is in the tabernacles of the just. The right hand of the King has wrought glorious virtue. The right hand has set my noble head high: The right hand of the King has wrought glorious power. I shall never die, but the opportunity of life shall be mine; But I will zealously proclaim the works of the King. The immortal Shepherd tamed me with friendly chastisements, ^C But He has not yet let me be subdued by evil death. Come, open the faithful gates of righteousness for me now, And having entered, I will sing a hymn to be revered to the King. This is the gate of the King, let the way be a care to the good. Immortal One, I glorify Thee, because Thou hast heard my voice, And hast shown me the ready light of salvation. The stone which the builders rebuked and rejected, The same has appeared as the holy head of two walls. This, God raised up with His hands, an honorable thing, And it is marvelous before human eyes. This day God made with His own hands, That it might appear as gladness and joy to mortals. Hearing me, O highest King, save me quickly, Hearing me, direct my sweet path: Praiseworthy is he who shall come exalting the name of the King. We praise you, blessed ones, entering from the house. ^D The renowned King and good God has appeared to mortals. Joyfully gather the green solemnity with crowns, Even to the divine horns of the altar of sacrifice. Thou art our God, and I will sing praise to Thee; Thou art our God, and I will exalt Thee on high. Incorruptible One, I glorify Thee, because Thou hast heard my voice, And hast shown me the ready light of salvation. Celebrate the King for me, for this is good, Because He ever increases His mercy. PSALM CXVIII. Alleluia of the eleventh decade and the eighth. 1. Blessed are those whose path is ever pure, Whose mind desires to walk in the law of God.

^A They sought out His testimonies with their souls, Seeking the good King with their whole heart. For not as men who are authors of hateful lawlessness Did they tread the paths in the footsteps of the Immortal. Thou hast commanded the people to keep the ordinance firmly. Would that my ways were very well directed, That I might ever be devoted to Thy equities. I would also escape, in my mind, the heavy and shameful reproach, If I should fix my eyes upon Thy divine ordinances. With a right heart, O King, I will sing Thy praise, When I have learned the works of divine justice. I will guard Thy justices in my thoughts, O Incorrupt One, Do not abandon me forever, most gentle Shepherd. ^B 2. How shall a youth direct his way, if he be volatile, Unless he keep the ordinance of the Blessed One in his thoughts? I sought Thee, O King, with all manner of meditations, Do not drive me far away from Thy ordinances. I have placed Thy sweet discourses, O Blessed One, in my breast, That I may not be subdued by pernicious transgressions. Thou art worthy of praise, O Blessed One, and mayest Thou teach me Thy laws. With my lips I have declared the laws of Thy mouth, I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, O most Blessed One, As one who rejoices in his breast in great riches. I will diligently sing under Thy ordinances, And I will trace out Thy honorable way. I will meditate perpetually upon Thy justices, And I will not thus forget Thy sacred words. ^C 3. For my labors do Thou grant a reward to Thy servant, O Blessed One; I shall live, increasing the profit of the immortal words in my soul. Dispel the mist from my eyes, O Blessed One, before it falls, That I may behold the glorious miracles of Thy laws. I dwell upon the earth in the transience of a strange life; Do not withhold from me the grace of Thy good ordinances. I have longed for Thy justices in my mind all the days. Thou didst denounce from heaven a threat to the proud. They are very much to be blamed who have forgotten Thy ordinances. Thou shalt remove reproach and many insults from me, O King, Because I sought out Thy honored testimonies. Contumelious princes murmured against me, But I sang of Thy justifications. The testimonies of the King are the meditations of my mind; Thy laws are my counsels. ^D 4. My soul was brought low to the very dust. Yet I would live, O Incorrupt One, by Thy words. Thou hast heard me as I proclaimed my ways. Quickly do Thou teach me, O most Blessed One, Thy justice. Commit to my mind the clear way of Thy justice, And I will skillfully sing of Thy wondrous works. My soul inclined, stricken by evil hurt; But do Thou, O King, confirm my heart with Thy words.

^A O King, far from me mayest Thou banish the unrighteous way, And in Thy just laws mayest Thou have pity upon us. The way of truth have I always found pleasant, Nor have I forgotten Thy divine equities. Do not utterly rebuke me, who trust in Thy testimonies. I have run the clear way of Thy commandment, When Thou didst greatly enlarge the spirit within my breast. 5. Teach me, O Blessed One, the path of Thy righteous laws, That I may search it out throughout all generations. Grant me, O King, wisdom, that I may inquire into Thy law, And keep it always within my breast. If Thou be my guide in Thy equities, I desire to embrace them with all my heart. May my heart incline toward Thy testimonies, Nor may I choose the insatiable, most greedy insolence. Remove from my eyes vain destruction. By Thy life-giving ways, O Blessed One, may I live; Render Thy word glorious to Thy servant through fear. Deliver us from the reproach which I formerly suspected. Since they are tempered with Thy gentle equities, I stimulate my soul toward the desire for Thy commandments; I have chosen Thy justice to be my companion in life. 6. May Thy mercy, O King, encompass me. May light follow Thy saving words, That I may repay the wicked as is right, Because I have placed my hope in Thy words. ^C Do not utterly take from my mouth the word of truth; For I have a longing for Thy just righteousness, And I will keep Thy radiant law in my heart, From generation to generation, throughout all days. Thence, indeed, I always ran in broad paths, Because I sought the royal commandment, Nor, reverencing any, did I speak of Thy testimonies. ^B And how did kings greatly marvel at my tongue then? I fed my soul on those things which Thou didst love through meditation; And I stretched forth my hands to Thy lovable commandments, Fostering my soul with desire for Thy justifications. 7. Be mindful of Thy servant, who hopes in Thy words. ^D This is a good consolation for my infirmity, Because Thy word is always a good life to me. The proud always wrought iniquity; But my mind always agreed with Thy laws. I have inhaled sustenance for my spirit, O King, by unfolding Thy laws. My heart, wounded by weakness, has been stricken, Seeing the corruptors of Thy good laws. I have often celebrated the song of Thy beloved laws, Even while being a wanderer in strange lands. In the dark night I remembered the King, And I kept Thy immortal law in my dear breast. I account this as equal to Thy good justice.

^A 8. Thou hast been my portion, and I have said that I would keep Thy decrees. With unceasing heart I besought the King's countenance; Have mercy on me, O King, and I will do things worthy of Thy words. For I have pondered what is pleasing to Thy ways, And I have turned my steps toward Thy testimony. ^A Thence I became most ready, remaining immovable, Having a heart devoted to Thy commandments. Though my body was entangled in the deceitful chains of the wicked, I did not forget Thy just precepts in my mind. However, I rose and hastened in the middle of the night To celebrate the laws of Thy justice with my understanding. I am a companion of all Thy servants, O Blessed One, To whom the commandments of God are kept. The earth is full of the good mercy of the King; Do Thou teach us Thy illustrious justices.

9. Thou hast bestowed benignity upon Thy servant. Do Thou teach us Thy benignity and Thy wisdom, O Blessed One, Because I have trusted in Thy commandments, O Blessed One. Before I was humbled, I committed sin; Therefore I have kept Thy words in my dear breast. Thou art benign, O Blessed One, and do Thou teach me Thy justifications. ^B The contumely of the proud has been extended against me in a way I cannot describe; But I will search out Thy thoughts with my soul. Their breast has been hardened like white milk; But Thy law was always a care to my mind. How good it is that I be made humble and weak, That I may understand Thy glorious justice. How good was the law of the royal mouth, Better to us than thousands of gold and silver.

10. By Thy hands, O Blessed One, I was made and fashioned. ^C Grant me prudence, that I may learn Thy counsels. May Thy servants, seeing me, rejoice in soul, Because I have connected my cares with Thy words. I have openly understood the laws of Thy justice, And by Thy truth I have been made humble and weak. Mayest Thou provide Thy mercy as a comfort to us, And grant a harmonious word to Thy servant. ^D Have mercy on me well, that I may live trusting, Because the royal meditation was a law to me. Shame to the proud who have done acts against me contrary to divine law, But I will resonate in Thy commandments. May Thy servants turn to Thy refuge, trembling, Knowing the testimonies of the industrious King. May my mind be blameless in Thy commandments, That I may be far from evils and without shame.

11. My mind has been extended towards the divine light, Desiring to hear the word of Thy good covenant. My eyes have wasted away for Thy word, Saying: When wilt Thou come and be a comfort to me? I have become like a wineskin near to snowy frost.

^A But I have never forgotten Thy righteousness in my spirit. Tell me, how long is the life of Thy servant? If at some time they will pay the price to me for the injury I have suffered, those arrogant men who sang of their own foolishness, but did not hold to Thy law, they followed a way of falsehood. Thy commands are entirely the true words of the King; but they pursued me unjustly, yet do Thou be my helper, O King; yea, they made me almost perish, casting me down to the earth; but I remained, trusting in Thine injunctions. O incorruptible One, O King, may I live honorably by Thy mercy, and I will keep the testimonies of Thy mouth in my breast.

12. From generation to generation Thou dost dispense Thy truth-telling counsel. Thy word abides forever in the starry heaven. O blessed One, the earth abides established by Thy hands; and the early-born dawn brings forth light at Thy command; for all things which Thou didst make by Thy hands serve Thee. If Thy law were not the concern of my contemplation, even then I would have perished in a miserable and unheard-of fate. I will never forget Thy divine justifications, since from them I have found a pleasant end to life. I am Thy servant; do Thou ward off from me an evil doom, because I have always trusted in Thy commands. The wicked waited in vain to destroy me; but I understood the grace of Thy testimonies. I have known the limit of life with my whole heart; I have recognized that Thy command, O King, is broad.

13. How greatly I loved Thy kingly law; I took it and kept it in my breast and sang of it all the day. By Thy command Thou didst teach me more than my enemies; for it is my treasure, and it warms me continually. Yield to me, O ye men who adorn yourselves with former wisdom, I have the meditations of the King's commands in my spirit; I have found a wisdom far greater than the prudence of the elders, searching out the testimonies of the King according to my heart. I have turned away my foot from every evil path, so that I might keep Thy beloved word in my heart. ^B I have guarded Thy equity with a steadfast resolve, ever fearing the guidance of Thy command. I found Thy law of words sweeter in my throat, being to us more pleasant than the sweet honeycomb. I have understood every thing well by the grace of Thy commands, thence I have hated every unrighteous path. ^C

14. Thy law is a lamp to my feet, O King, and a light ever-abiding and ageless for my footsteps. I have sworn, O Immaculate One, to keep the decree of Thy righteousness. I became weak, but I will live by Thy words. May Thou also command what is pleasing to my tongue, and teach me Thy glorious righteousness. I hold my heart in Thy hands continually, nor would I ever forget Thy life-giving law. ^D

^A Wicked men have fashioned for me a snare, nor have I wandered far from Thy commandment. I have chosen the testimonies of the King as my life-giving lot, for they are the joy of my heart. I, O Blessed One, desired to perform Thy righteousness with my heart, that Thou mightest gladden my heart with mutual blessings.

15. I loved Thy law, but I hated the ungodly. Thou art my aid and the defender of my strength. I have always had a glorious confidence in Thy words. Depart from me, you authors of hateful crimes, that I may search out the commandments of the King, God. Extend a protecting hand in Thy words, and do not confound me who wait for Thy strength. Help me in my affliction, O Most Blessed One, and save me; ^B for I will meditate continually upon Thy righteous decrees. Thou hast brought to nothing those who, by hating righteousness, despise it, because the thought of the impious is wicked. I have held all the erring ones to be iniquitous; therefore, I have loved the grace of Thy testimonies. Fix my body within Thy fear as with nails, for I dread the powerful strength of Thy righteous decrees.

16. I have performed righteousness and lovely justice; do not deliver me to those that oppress me, to be a spoil and a mockery. Remain with Thy good servant, O Most Supreme One, and let not lying men overcome me by judgment. My eyes longed for Thy saving light and for the mild and glorious word of Thy covenant. Do for Thy servant, O Blessed One, that which is worthy of Thy mercy, and teach me Thy glorious righteousness. I am Thy servant; grant me wisdom, and I shall understand the cares of Thy testimonies. It is time for the King of all to perform a work worthy of veneration. The workers of evil have dissipated Thy vital law; ^C therefore, I have longed for the great glory of Thy commandments, more than gold and the preeminent topaz. I have directed my mind thence, the handmaid of Thy commandment; I have hated every form of violence and iniquitous ways.

17. The testimonies of the King are always wondrous; therefore, I have searched them all out with my heart. May the grace of Thy words grant us strength and light, always imparting wisdom to the minds of the simple. I received the most high Spirit with a gaping heart within my breast, because I always longed for the glory of Thy commandments. ^D Extend to us Thy merciful countenance, O King, as it is right to do for servants who love Thee. Direct my swift steps by Thy words, and let not the blameworthy malice of men fetter me. Save me from the pernicious lying of men, and I shall guard Thy good commandments in my breast. Show Thy countenance to Thy needy servant, and teach me Thy glorious righteousness. I poured forth tearful ways from my dear eyes, because I have transgressed the ways of the divine laws.

18. In truth, Thou art a holy King, and Thou judgest all things righteously.

^A Thou hast commanded Thy righteousness in Thy testimonies, and the firm strength of Thy lovely truth. I waste away with grief for Thy divine houses, because the mad-minded have forgotten Thy commandments. Thy word is like unto burning fire, yet Thy servant loves it with his heart. I am young and held in contempt by some, but I always sing of Thy justifications in my soul. Thy righteousness is eternal all my days, and Thy truth accompanies Thy wise laws. Odious labor and difficult necessities have beset me, yet I have not so forgotten to sing of Thy thoughts. Thou bearest witness to the saints, full of works; give me, O King, prudence, and may my life be sufficient for me.

19. From my heart I cried out, O Immaculate One, and may Thou save me, and I will keep Thy good testimonies in my breast. Praeventing [the dawn], I cried out, O Immaculate One, in the dead of the night, extending my confidence in the King with my words. My eyes shone forth quickly after the morning hour, that I might sing the noble thoughts of Thy words. Hear my voice with a merciful mind, and direct my path in Thy equities. Those who cast out injustice had it as their companion, but they fled from Thy honorable and glorious law.

^B Near, O King, and Thy ways are true. From the beginning, in a praiseworthy manner, I knew Thy testimonies, for Thou hast unceasingly fixed firm foundations for all. 20. Look upon my weakness, O King, and save me, for I keep my mind mindful of Thy law. Redeeming me, O King, judge my judgment; let Thy word be the cause of my life. Far from the wicked is Thy saving light, for they have forgotten to seek out Thy justifications. The mercies of the King are infinite; direct my path in Thy equities. Many pursue me and burden me with labors, but not so have I turned away from Thy testimonies.

^C Seeing the servants of folly, I waste away in my heart, for their mind refused to keep Thy word. Consider how I am occupied in Thy commandments; I have chosen Thy mercy as the confidence of my life. Thou hast indeed established the truth of Thy words as a mother, but to these Thou hast always commanded law in equity. 21. Vainly did the shameless princes pursue me, ^D

I solely feared the terrors of thy words in my mind. ^A In thy words my heart shall rejoice, As one who carries off much spoil from the enemies. I hated iniquity, loving thy law. Seven times a day, O King, I praised thy glory, Proclaiming the magnificent works of thy justice. May peace keep the ministers of the King, Nor do they have any strife among them when stirred up. I considered thy light, and I longed for thy precepts; I kept thy testimonies, and I loved them with my soul; I kept thy precepts and the lovely harmonious laws. Thou hast known the end of our paths before us. 22. Let my supplication, O King, come before thee; Mayest thou send to us a mind worthy of thy words. ^B O Blessed One, may the grace of our prayers come before thee; May thy word always be present as a protector for me against malice. With sonorous lips I will sing a melody full of harmony, When thou shalt teach me thy glorious justice. May my tongue utter thy dear life-giving word, Because thou hast mingled justice with thy precepts. Stretch forth thy right hand, O King, and save me; Because I long for thy precepts in my soul. From my heart I longed for thy saving light; With my tongue I will celebrate the royal ordinance. May my soul live, and it shall sing thy renowned praise; And may I be always dedicated to thy equities. I have wandered like a wool-bearing, lost sheep; Seek out thy mindful servant according to thy command. ^C

PSALM CXIX.

PSALM CXX.

For sleep, deep and profound, shall not seize the glorious guardian of wise Israel. May God, as your protector, cover your right hand: the daily force of the sun shall not burn you, nor shall the horned moon by night do you harm. May the King keep away from you all manner of wickedness, caring for your soul so that it may never encounter pain. May the Eternal guard you as you go in and as you go out, both now and in ages everlasting.

PSALM CXXI

PSALM CXXII

PSALM CXXIII

The net has been shattered, and we have escaped a vain necessity. ^A Ours is strength from the immortal King, Who fashioned the verdant earth and the wide heaven.

PSALM CXXIV

PSALM CXXV

PSALM CXXVI

^A

PSALM CXXVIII.

PSALM CXXIX.

PSALM CXXX.

and I exalted my voice thus, as a child, needy of milk, wails around its mother: so will my heart rejoice in mutual things. Let Israel observe God the King in the depths of his heart, now and hereafter through everlasting generations.

PSALM CXXXI

PSALM CXXXII

^A of Aaron the honored, flowing down to the very edges of his robe. As the ethereal dew of flowery Hermon, flowing down upon the bloom-covered mountains of Zion. For there the Shepherd commanded every blessing, that it should be a protection for life forevermore.

PSALM CXXXIII

All servants of the King, sing to the Shepherd of the world, standing firm in the King's house, who seek the well-fenced courts of God's habitations. Through the whole night, lift up your hands in the holy houses, and praise the mighty Lord. May the King grant you from Zion a ready praise, He who made the green earth and the wide heaven.

PSALM CXXXIV

^A Idols of gold and silver are the output of peoples, weak contrivances of the hands of learned men. In them there is no sound, even if they have a mouth; neither do they carry light in their polished eyes. They have ears only, and they do not hear a voice, nor does a holy scent of air reach their nostrils. There is no strength for the one groping them, even if they are adorned with hands, nor to plant a footprint on the nourishing earth with their feet, nor to emit a voice from the throat; for it is not possible for them to produce spirit through the mouth. Let the makers of idols become like them, and all who trust in them with their mind. Sing to me of the King, house of wise Israel: all the house of Aaron, resound the universal King; renowned house of Levi, sing to the Shepherd of the world; those for whom the fear of God is a care in their hearts, resound the King. ^B Praiseworthy from Sion shall the supreme King be, dwelling in Jerusalem in houses pleasing to God.

PSALM CXXXV

^A because He perpetually increases His mercy. Indeed, when He seized their land, He divided it to His [people] as a lot, because He perpetually increases His mercy. He gave Israel as a lot to His servant according to duty, because He perpetually increases His mercy. Because the Shepherd took thought of us when we were oppressed, because He perpetually increases His mercy. He delivered the people from fierce enemies, because He perpetually increases His mercy. Who alone gives food to all things that He created, ^B because He perpetually increases His mercy. Sing to me of the great King of the starry heaven, because He perpetually increases His mercy.

PSALM CXXXVI

Of the thirteenth decade of the wise David, a song of lamentations concerning Jeremiah, which is the sixth [song], concerning Jerusalem, [where] the water of Babylon came.

We wept as we sat by the rivers of Babylon, remembering Zion and its preeminent protection. In the midst of the rivers, upon the destructive willow, our tuneful lyres were hung. There, the plunderers questioned us, the men who overturned us, saying, "Sing for us a hymn: tell a song from the songs of glorious Zion." But how is it possible to sing a divine song in a strange land? If, O dear Jerusalem, I should forget you, may my dear right hand forget me; may my tongue wither, hardening in my throat, if I do not always remember you in my heart, ^C as I have set Jerusalem before my joy. And you, Blessed One, do not ever forget the children of Edom, who at that time said, "Empty, empty; may whatever [is yours] perish, and do not spare until it still has roots." O daughter of Babylon, may you always be miserable; blessed is the man who shall repay you with the violence you caused, who shall go and dash your little ones against the rock.

PSALM CXXXVII

This song is common to Zechariah and Haggai, ^D the seventh [psalm] in the thirteenth decade.

With an unceasing heart, O King, I will sing Your praise, because You have heard my many-sided words. Before the heavenly hosts, Blessed One, I will celebrate You; I will diligently pray toward Your immaculate temple. With zeal I will sing of the pure name of the Lord, and Your mercy, and Your true counsel, because Your name reigns over all things, ruling over all. Hear me calling when it is the duty to pray; grant my soul a time sufficient [for life].

May kings of all the earth celebrate the Immortal One, Because they heard Your manifold discourses with their ears. They shall hymn God in divine songs, Because He always covers the earth with the glory of clouds. The Most High King is eternal, yet He looks upon the lowliest; He is skilled in the things of the highest, and sees from afar. You shall keep me alive in the midst of the ruin by which I am bound. You armed Your hands against my enemies in Your anger, And Your right hand delivered me from evil labors. For the sake of me, may You grant a ruinous reward to the foes; May You keep mercy in Your breast perpetually; And do not, O King, despise the works of Your hands.

PSALM CXXXVIII

In the dispersion David fashioned a shrill song; It is the hundred and thirty-eighth. You Yourself, O King, have known me and tested me exceedingly, And neither sitting nor rising do I ever escape Your notice. From afar You understood the intentions within my breast, Tracing my footprint and my straight path; Nor did any of my ways lie hidden from Your eyes; And I never chose to pour forth wickedness from my tongue. You Yourself are ^B skilled in the last things and the ancient things, And You, having fashioned me, placed Your hand upon my head. A miracle takes hold of me when I ponder Your counsel in my mind, Nor am I able to see much with my strongest thought. It would not be possible to escape the great power of Your Spirit, Nor to be hidden apart from Your countenance. If I should ascend to heaven, that is Your throne; If I should go down into Hades, even among the dead You rule; If I should extend straight-coursing wings upon the winds, And dwell in the furthest reaches of the sounding sea, There I shall need Your hand as a guide, And Your right hand, so that my life may be steadfast. But I said: Lest perhaps the man-destroying darkness trample me, Yet joy prevailed over the night, and darkness drove away the light. For it knows how to cover Your light with gloom, And makes the dark night into a light-bringing day; No one could be ignorant of what kind of darkness or light it might be. Because, O King, You possessed our kidneys— My protection, O Blessed One, You are from the womb of my dear mother. I shall cry out to my wondrous King with great awe; My soul recognized Your works, O Blessed One, with amazement. You know my bones, which You fashioned in secret, And for me there is strength of life in the deep foundations. You saw, O King, me as yet imperfect in my mother's womb, Adorning all things at once in Your pure book; ^C Nor would anyone be present for things crafted openly. But to me Your other friends are wonderful; The strength of those subject to You truly appears more excellent. I would sooner count the sand than them; Rising up, I still remain with You continually. If You should slay the ^D servants of impiety, I command my strength to flee immediately from the murderers. But You will say, because they will overturn my empty cities,

^A if I did not hate those who hated the King, and if my spirit did not pine away over my enemies, I would have hated everyone with a most perfect hatred, and they would have been enemies and hostile to my heart. But examine my mind accurately: explore my steps with inevitable proofs. Look, moreover, to see if I am not entirely ignorant of evils, so that You may lead me in everlasting paths.

PSALM CXXXIX

PSALM CXL

May I be tamed by the mercy and corrections of the holy, and let not the oil of a destructive man anoint my head; for our prayer is still directed towards their schemes. May their judges be brought to nothing near the rock; let them hear my strong words, for they have vanished like a hill torn up by the roots; their bones have been scattered near the underworld. To you, O Blessed One, I extended my yearning gaze; do not cast my hoping heart far away. Quickly rescue me from the treacherous snares which the wicked have set, and from the pernicious workers of iniquity ^B. Let the net of the Immortal One seize the workers of iniquity, while I pass by, calm and alone.

PSALM CXLI

David, in his prudence, when wandering in the cave, sent forth a prayer to God the King, crying out. It is indeed the one hundred and forty-first, concerning the first glorious song. I sent forth my cry to the King, crying aloud; I spoke and prayed to the compassionate Shepherd of the world. I would pour out my supplication before the face of the Lord, and I would declare to Him my grievous labor. When my spirit was trembling with weakness, You were searching out my footprints with divine ^C gaze. They hid treacherous snares for me in the paths. I looked to my right, extending my eyes, and not one of my friends thought to see me at all. My flight perished for one desiring to flee, and there was no one who would seek after the heart of the fugitive. But I cried out and said: You have become my hope, my portion of life in the land of the living, O Blessed One; attend to my supplication, for I have been overcome by misery. Deliver me from the deadly malice of my enemies, because they are much stronger than I in their violence. If only You would deliver my soul from fruitless custody, that I may diligently sing Your name; the generations of the righteous await their reward from You ^D.

PSALM CXLII

A glorious hymn of David, regarding the innocent Absalom, when his son drove him from his rock. It is indeed the one hundred and forty-second, following in harmony with the illustrious song. Hearken to our prayer, O best of Shepherds, grant favor to the entreaties of one who calls upon You truly; by Your righteousness, O King, may You hear me as I cry out; and do not come against me in judgment when I am called into contention.

^A For no mortal, being holy, could appear before You. The enemy has pursued my groaning soul, driving it: He has subjected my life to the depths of the earth, Making me sit in darkness, equal to the idle dead; And my spirit is fettered by dense perplexities. Distressed by my griefs, my spirit was stirred within my heart. But I, mindful of the time of former generations, Have pondered in my mind the god-given works of the All-King; I have diligently sung of the divine deeds of His hands, Stretching out my hands to the glorious King. My soul desires You, as the furrows of parched earth. Hear me quickly, before I breathe out the spirit from my limbs. Do not turn away from me Your glorious countenance, Lest I appear like those going down into the pit. Would that I might hear of Your mercy, O Blessed One, from the dawn, Because You have been an ageless hope for us. Grant me a favorable path, where I must walk, For my soul is ever stretched out toward You. O Most Blessed One, save me quickly from the hand of my adversaries, For, being terrified, I have ever found You a firm tower. You Yourself are my King; may You teach me Your mind; May the good Spirit of God lead me into the right land. Grant me equity, the nurse of life, for Your sake. O King, save my soul from agonizing labor; And by Your mercy, destroy my enemies for Your sake. Subdue all those who destroy my soul, O King, For I glory in being Your well-pleasing servant.

PSALM CXLIII

^A And the lawless right hand shall always do futile things. Now I shall sing to Thee a new song, O Most Supreme One, I shall sing Thy glory with the harmony of the ten-stringed lute. Thou who grantest light to the kings of our life, and who hast delivered Thy servant David from the sword. Deliver me, O Most Blessed One, from the hand of foreign sons, whose mouth has spoken vain words in vain, and the lawless right hand shall always do futile things. Whose sons are like the new shoots of youth, but for the daughters there is such adornment in the flower, that with your eyes you would say you see a gilded temple. Their stalls are laden with every kind of good. From one to another flows the boundless water. Their sheep are fat and bearing many lambs; ^B their oxen are stout and better than all others. Truly, all their wounds are far from harm, and there is no clamor in their broad ways. They all call blessed the people adorned with such things. Blessed is the people who have the care of God in their hearts.

PSALM CXLIV

The renowned hymn of David, the most mighty king: he sang the fourth melody of wisdom. It is, however, the one hundred and fortieth. ^C Immortal One, I glorify Thee, and I raise Thy power on high: I shall celebrate Thy name with frequent songs, from age to age, for all days. Joyfully I shall sing Thee from day to day; I shall celebrate Thy name with frequent songs, from age to age, for all days. You are praiseworthy, O Blessed One, although great glory is raised on high, and to Thee is unceasing and excellent glory. Thy works, O Most Blessed One, will proclaim to generations ^D of generations, and they will clearly announce Thy hidden power; they will recount Thy magnificent and illustrious glory. And they will announce Thy divine works, O Most Blessed One: it is not a mediocre work that they shall sing with trembling mouth. May the mute not pass over Thy magnificent works; he shall clearly tell of Thy firm strength. In the justice of the King of all they shall exult; the King is compassionate, most supreme, and merciful, having a patient spirit and increasing His own mercy. God has taught all to keep kindness, pitying all the works which He fashioned with His hand. With an unceasing heart, O Most Blessed One, Thy works shall cry out to Thee, and the race of Thy holy ones shall sing Thy glorious praise. They shall tell of the supreme honor of the Kingdom, and Thy firm power, O King, they shall celebrate, so that among men Thou mayest have immortal strength, and the magnificent honor of the lovely Kingdom.

^A Always does the sovereignty rule over every generation. With incorrupt words does God bind his faith, and justice is perfected for Him, tempered by works. The Immortal has learned to raise up those who are always falling, to upright the man who has fallen under a ruinous blow. To Thee, O Blessed One, look all the things Thou hast fashioned, and Thou wilt grant to all, as is fitting, suitable food. Thou wouldst fill every kind of being when Thou stretchest forth Thy hand. On every side justice tracks the ways of the King; and from good administration the holy man shines forth in his works. He stands round about everyone who calls upon Him, and guards him, provided he has appeased Him with true prayer. May He always fulfill the desire of His servants: hearing their supplication, He will deliver them from harm. Always has the King preserved His own workmen from iniquity, but He subdues the servants of wickedness with destruction. My faithful mouth shall sing the praise of the King of all, and the unnumbered tribes of mortals shall sing the glorious name of God, from generation to generation, unto endless ages.

PSALM CXLV. The hymn is common to Zechariah and Haggai. It has the fifth alleluia as its companion. Yet it is the one hundred and fortieth. ^B Celebrate God, dear soul, the Lord of thy life: I shall praise the King, who is greatly to be prayed to so long as I exist, and I shall celebrate the Immortal one with the zither entirely. Never be confident in your mind in princes, nor in the sons of mortals, from whom no light has ever come, who, when their soul flies away, shall return again to the earth. With them at the same time all the thoughts of the dead perish. Blessed is he to whom the highest God is a helper, and whose trust is in the precepts of the King, who made the green earth and the broad heaven, the roar-sounding sea, and whatever the waves ^C of the sea nourish. He always zealously guards truth in his heart, who manifests justice to the oppressed, and to all the starving He distributes life-giving food. He himself knows how to preserve one bound in shackles; He himself raises up men from difficult ruin; He himself, the King, makes a prudent mind for the blind; He himself, the Lord, loves the holy race; He himself, the King, knows how to guard the stranger, and to take the widow and the orphan into His arms. But may He grind down the sorrowful way of the wicked. Perpetually, the Immortal and glorious One shall reign, God reigning over Sion from generation to generation.

PSALM CXLVI. The hymn is common to Zechariah and Haggai. It has the sixth alleluia as its companion. Yet it is the one hundred and fortieth. ^D Celebrate the Lord, for a good song has been made. Praise will be pleasing to our King. The noble King building divine Jerusalem:

^A He will gather the dispersed nation of Israel. The Physician, to those whose dear heart is broken, binds up the cares of their suffering. He alone knows the number of the countless stars, calling all the heavenly bodies by His names. Great is our God, and great is His power; nor has any man understood the noble measures of the Blessed One’s wisdom.

He knows how to exalt the race of the gentle, but to subdue the ungodly to the ends of the earth. ^B Begin to sing to the King with swift melody: celebrate the Lord God with a tuneful lyre. He covers the firm heaven with His clouds, preparing for His earth the life-giving rain. He who causes grass to grow even on the high mountain peaks, ^C producing sweet herb for the cattle of mortals. He who also grants fitting food to the herds of four-footed animals, and has helped the calling chicks of the ravens. The King will never praise the indomitable strength of the horse; nor will He at all marvel at the impulse of a man’s legs. Rather, the King will rejoice in His servants to whom the mercy of the King is pleasing.

PSALM CXLVII. The hymn is common to Zechariah and Haggai, having the seventh disputed sound of alleluia; yet it is the one hundred and fortieth. Lauda honoratum, Hierusalem, Regem: Sion, celebrate the King of your life, Because He forged the strong bolts of your gates. In you He has praised your prudent and glorious children. He who placed peace as the guardian of your borders, And filled you with the rich fat of placid wheat. He who sent forth His word to the earth, the nurse of many. Yet He who runs swiftly will pass to and fro, Like the wool, showing forth from on high the power of the cold snow, Scattering like ash the smoke-like filth of the fog. Sending forth His ice like morsels; Who can compare with His coldness in strength? All things will be dissolved at the incitement of the living Word; ^D The waters indeed hiss under His breath. ประกาศพระองค์ (Sermonem) to Jacob the prudent one, And telling of His glorious judgments to glorious Israel; Never did He do such a thing for alien nations, Nor did He show them His own justifications.

PSALM CXLVIII. The hymn is common to Zechariah and Haggai, having the eighth disputed sound of alleluia; yet it is the one hundred and fortieth. Celebrate for me the great glory of the King from heaven; Celebrate Him, crying out in the highest seats; Celebrate Him, you peoples of the great-hearted armies; Celebrate Him, all you renowned strength of virtues;

^A Celebrate, let the sun and the bright moon, Celebrate all the stars, celebrate God, and the immense splendor; Celebrate those of the heavenly places above another heaven, And the pure water superior to the heavenly circles: Let all things together celebrate the glorious name of the Lord. Because He Himself spoke, and all things came into being, And by His inflexible commands they have been rooted; They stand by the everlasting order which He Himself made. Never shall the divine command of the Blessed One pass away. Praise the Lord on the broad earth, You creeping dragons together with the dark abysses, Fire with ice, and let snow together follow the hail, And the breath of the dark storm passing through the air, Always serving the true word of God. ^B Mountains, and the shaggy summits of arboraceous mountains, Cedars of every kind, and flourishing trees, Herds of quadrupeds, and the mountain-dwelling serpents of the earth, Reptiles, and birds leaping with wings, All peoples, and most powerful kings, Judges with all rulers, Youths, elders, and virgins trailing their garments, Stronger ones along with the younger ones going into one, In one let them celebrate the glorious name of the Lord: Because only the royal name is exalted. His praise covers both the earth and the heaven, And He exalts the glorious horn of His people. ^C And let a glorious hymn be a care to the generations of the just, To the divine people of the wise Israel.

PSALM CXLIX

Sweet is the one hundred and forty-ninth song, bearing a heavenly sound, Alleluia. Sing to me a new and lovely song to the King: He always holds a pleasing hymn in the assemblies of the saints. Let Israel rejoice, trusting in his dear King: Let the sons of Sion again rejoice in their King. Let them celebrate the royal name in choirs: Let them sing to Him, taking up again the timbrel and the harp: ^D Because His own people were pleasing to Him. And in the light He shall exalt the dear race of the meek. Hence the lovely generations of the saints shall exult: In their holy resting-places let them rejoice with a friendly spirit. Bearing royal excellences in their throat, Having in their right hands a two-edged sword, To destroy the maleficent men of diverse peoples, And He shall rebuke with an immortal yoke those who abandon the nations. He has bound the kings who are friends of these with shackles, And in iron bonds the hands of the precious ones, And He shall perform the written equity with them in earnest. Thus the good glory is for His own saints in all things.