The Psalter

[Colin]

Psalm 60 ( After a defeat )



.3 O God, you have rejected us and broken us.
You have been angry; come back to us.

.4 You have made the earth quake, torn it open.
Repair what is shattered for it sways.
.5 You have inflicted hardships on your people
and made us drink a wine that dazed us.

.6 You have given those who fear you a signal
to flee from the enemy's bow.
.7 O come, and deliver your friends,
help with your right hand and reply.

* * *

.8 From his holy place God has made this promise;
"I will triumph and divide the land of Shechem,
I will measure out the valley of Succoth.

.9 Gilead is mine and Manasseh,
Ephraim I take for my helmet,
Judah for my commander's staff.

.10 Moab I will use for my washbowl;
on Edom I will plant my shoe.
Over the Philistines I will shout in triumph."

.11 But who will lead me to conquer the fortress?
Who will bring me face to face with Edom?
.12 Will you utterly reject us, O God,
and no longer march with our armies?

.13 Give us help against the foe:
for the help of man is vain.
.14 With God we shall do bravely
and he will trample down our fo

 

[Colin]

Psalm 61 ( Prayer of an exile )



.2 O God, hear my cry!
Listen to my prayer!
.3 From the end of the earth I call;
my heart is faint.

On a rock too high for me to reach
set me on high,
.4 O you who have been my refuge,
my tower against the foe.

.5 Let me dwell in your tent for ever
and hide in the shelter of your wings.
.6 For you, O God, hear my prayer,
grant me the heritage of those who fear you.

.7 May you lengthen the life of the king;
may his years cover many generations.
.8 May he ever sit enthroned before God:
bid love and truth be his protection.

.9 So I will always praise your name
and day after day fulfill my vows.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 62 ( God , the rock of strength : a psalm of confidence )


.2 In God alone is my soul at rest;
my help comes from him.
.3 He alone is my rock, my stronghold,
my fortress; I stand firm.

.4 How long will you all attack one man
to break him down,
as though he were a tottering wall,
or a tumbling fence?

.5 Their plan is only to destroy;
they take pleasure in lies.
With their mouth they utter blessing
but in their heart they curse.

.6 In God alone be at rest, my soul;
for my hope comes from him.
.7 He alone is my rock, my stronghold,
my fortress; I stand firm.

.8 In God is my safety and glory,
the rock of my strength.
/.9 Take refuge in God, all you people.
Trust him at all times.
Pour out your hearts before him
for God is our refuge.

.10 Common folk are only a breath,
great men an illusion.
Placed in the scales, they rise;
they weigh less than a breath.

.11 Do not put your trust in oppression
nor vain hopes on plunder.
Do not set your heart on riches
even when they increase.

.12 For God has said only one thing;
only two do I know:
that to God alone belongs power
.13 and to you, Lord, love;
and that you repay each man
according to his deeds.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 63 ( Longing for God )


2 O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.
.3 So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.

.4 For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.
.5 So I will bless you all my life,
in your name I will lift up my hands.
.6 My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy.

.7 On my bed I remember you.
On you I muse through the night
.8 for your have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
.9 My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.

.10 Those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down to the depths of the earth.
.11 They shall be put into the power of the sword
and left as the prey of the jackals.
.12 But the king shall rejoice in God;
(all that swear by him shall be blessed,)
for the mouth of liars shall be silenced.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 64 ( The defeat of God's enemies )


.2 Hear my voice, O God, as I complain,
guard my life from dread of the foe.
.3 Hide me from the band of the wicked,
from the throng of those who do evil.

.4 They sharpen their tongues like swords;
they aim bitter words like arrows
.5 to shoot at the innocent from ambush,
shooting suddenly and recklessly.

.6 They scheme their evil course;
they conspire to lay secret snares.
They say: "Who will see us?
.7 Who can search out our crimes?"

* * *

He will search who searches the mind
and knows the depths of the heart.
.8 God has shot them with his arrow
and dealt them sudden wounds.
.9 Their own tongue has brought them to ruin
and all who see them mock.

.10 Then will all men fear;
they will tell what God has done.
They will understand God's deeds.
.11 The just will rejoice in the Lord
and fly to him for refuge.
All the upright hearts will glory.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 65 ( Song of springtime : a psalm of worship )


.2 To you our praise is due
in Zion, O God.
To you we pay our vows,
.3 you who hear our prayer.

To you all flesh will come
.4 with its burden of sin.
Too heavy for us, our offenses,
but you wipe them away.

.5 Blessed is he whom you choose and call
to dwell in your courts.
We are filled with the blessings of your house,
of your holy temple.

.6 You keep your pledge with wonders,
O God our savior,
the hope of all the earth
and of far distant isles.

.7 You uphold the mountains with your strength,
you are girded with power.
.8 You still the roaring of the seas,
(the roaring of their waves,)
and the tumult of the peoples.

.9 The ends of the earth stand in awe
at the sight of your wonders.
The lands of sunrise and sunset
you fill with your joy.

.10 You care for the earth, give it water;
you fill it with riches.
Your river in heaven brims over
to provide its grain.

And thus you provide for the earth;
.11 you drench its furrows;
you level it, soften it with showers;
you bless its growth.

.12 You crown the year with your goodness.
Abundance flows in your steps;
.13 in the pastures of the wilderness it flows.

The hills are girded with joy,
.14 the meadows covered with flocks,
the valleys are decked with wheat.
They shout for joy, yes they sing.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 66 ( A people's thanksgiving )



1 Cry out with joy to God all the earth,
2 O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
3 Say to God: "How tremendous are your deeds!

Because of the greatness of your strength
your enemies cringe before you.
4 Before you all the earth shall bow,
shall sing to you, sing to your name!"

5 Come and see the works of God,
tremendous his deeds among men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the river dry-shod.

Let our joy then be in him;
7 he rules for ever by his might.
His eyes keep watch over the nations:
let rebels not rise against him.

8 O peoples, bless our God;
let the voice of his praise resound,
9 of the God who gave life to our souls
and kept our feet from stumbling.

10 For you, O God, have tested us,
you have tried us as silver is tried;
11 you led us, God, into the snare;
you laid a heavy burden on our backs.

12 You let foes ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water
but then you brought us relief.

13 Burnt offering I bring to your house;
to you I will pay my vows,
14 the vows which my lips have uttered,
which my mouth spoke in my distress.

15 I will offer burnt offerings of fatlings
with the smoke of burning rams.
I will offer bullocks and goats.

16 Come and hear, all who fear God,
I will tell what he did for my soul:
17 to him I cried aloud,
with high praise ready on my tongue.

18 If there had been evil in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened;
he has heeded the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God who did not reject my prayer
nor withhold his love from me.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 67 ( Harvest song )



.2 O God, be gracious and bless us
and let your face shed its light upon us.
.3 So will your ways be known upon earth
and all nations learn your saving help.

.4 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.

.5 Let the nations be glad and exult
for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
you guide the nations on earth.

.6 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.

.7 The earth has yielded its fruit
for God, our God, has blessed us.
.8 May God still give us his blessing
till the ends of the earth revere him.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 68 ( The journey of God's people : triumphant hymn of thanks )


.2 Let God arise, let his foes be scattered.
Let those who hate him flee before him.
.3 As smoke is blown away so will they be blown away;
like wax that melts before the fire,
so the wicked shall perish at the presence of God.

.4 But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God,
they shall exult and dance for joy.
.5 O sing to the Lord, make music to his name;
make a highway for him who rides on the clouds.
Rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence.

.6 Father of the orphan, defender of the widow,
such is God in his holy place.
.7 God gives the lonely a home to live in;
he leads the prisoners forth into freedom;
but rebels must dwell in a parched land.

.8 When you went forth, O God, at the head of your people,
/.9 when you marched across the desert, the earth trembled:
the heavens melted at the presence of God,
at the presence of God, Israel's God.

.10 You poured down, O God, a generous rain;
when your people were starved you gave them new life.
.11 It was there that your people found a home,
prepared in your goodness, O God, for the poor.

.12 The Lord gives the word to the bearers of good tidings:
"The Almighty has defeated a numberless army
.13 and kings and armies are in flight, in flight
while you were at rest among the sheepfolds."

.14 At home the women already share the spoil.
They are covered with silver as the wings of a dove,
its feathers brilliant with shining gold
.15 and jewels flashing like snow on Mount Zalmon.

.16 The mountains of Bashan are mighty mountains;
high-ridged mountains are the mountains of Bashan.
.17 Why look with envy, you high-ridged mountains,
at the mountain where God has chosen to dwell?
It is there that the Lord shall dwell for ever.

.18 The chariots of God are thousands upon thousands.
The Lord has come from Sinai to the holy place.
.19 You have gone up on high; you have taken captives,
receiving men and women in tribute, O God,
even those who rebel, into your dwelling, O Lord.

.20 May the Lord be blessed day after day.
He bears our burdens, God our savior;
.21 this God of ours is a God who saves.
The Lord our God holds the keys of death.
.22 And God will smite the head of his foes,
the crown of those who persist in their sins.

.23 The Lord said: "I will bring them back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depth of the sea.
.24 Then your feet will tread in their blood
and the tongues of your dogs take their share of the foe."

.25 They see your solemn procession, O God,
the procession of my God, of my king, to the sanctuary:
.26 the singers in the forefront, the musicians coming last,
between them, maidens sounding their timbrels.

.27 "In festive gatherings, bless the Lord;
bless God, O you who are Israel's sons."
.28 There is Benjamin, least of the tribes, at the head,
Judah's princes, a mighty throng,
Zebulun's princes, Naphtali's princes.

.29 Show forth, O God, show forth your might,
your might, O God, which you have shown for us.
.30 For the sake of your temple high in Jerusalem
may nations come to you bringing their tribute.

.31 Threaten the wild beast that dwells in the reeds,
the bands of the mighty and rulers of the peoples.
Let them bow down offering silver.
Scatter the peoples who delight in war.
.32 Envoys will make their way from Egypt;
Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God.

.33 Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, praise the Lord
.34 who rides on the heavens, the ancient heavens.
He thunders his voice, his mighty voice.
.35 Come, acknowledge the power of God.

His glory is on Israel; his might is in the skies.
.36 God is to be feared in his holy place.
He is the Lord, Israel's God.
He gives strength and power to his people.

Blessed be God!

 

[Colin]

Psalm 69 ( Cry from the depths of sorrow )



.2 Save me, O God,
for the waters have risen to my neck.

.3 I have sunk into the mud of the deep
and there is no foothold.
I have entered the waters of the deep
and the waves overwhelm me.

.4 I am wearied with all my crying,
my throat is parched.
My eyes are wasted away
from looking for my God.

.5 More numerous than the hairs on my head
are those who ate without cause.
Those who attack me with lies
are too much for my strength.

How can I restore
what I have never stolen?
.6 O God, you know my sinful folly;
my sins you can see.

.7 Let not those who hope in you be put to shame
through me, Lord of hosts:
let not those who seek you be dismayed
through me, God of Israel.

.8 It is for you that I suffer taunts,
that shame covers my face,
.9 that I have become a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my own mother's sons.
.10 I burn with zeal for your house
and taunts against you fall on me.

.11 When I afflict my soul with fasting
they make it a taunt against me.
.12 When I put on sackcloth and mourning
then they make me a byword,
.13 the gossip of men at the gates,
the subject of drunkard's songs.

.14 This is my prayer to you,
my pray for your favor.
In your great love, answer me, O God,
with your help that never fails;
.15 rescue me from sinking in the mud,
save me from my foes.

Save me from the waters of the deep
.16 lest the waves overwhelm me.
Do not let the deep engulf me
nor death close its mouth on me.

.17 Lord, answer, for your love is kind;
in your compassion, turn towards me.
.18 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly for I am in distress.
.19 Come close to my soul and redeem me;
ransom me pressed by my foes.

.20 You know how they taunt and deride me;
my oppressors are all before you.
.21 Taunts have broken my heart;
I have reached the end of my strength.
I looked in vain for compassion, for consoles;
not one could I find.

.22 For food they gave me poison;
in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
.23 Let their table be a snare to them
and their festive banquets a trap.
.24 Let their eyes grow dim and blind;
let their limbs tremble and shake.

.25 Pour out your anger upon them,
let the heat of your fury overtake them.
.26 Let their camp be left desolate;
let no one dwell in their tents:
.27 for they persecute one whom you struck;
they increase the pain of one you wounded.

.28 Charge them with guilt upon guilt;
let them never be found just in your sight.
.29 Blot them out from the book of the living;
do not enroll them among the just.
.30 As for me in my poverty and pain,
let your help, O God, lift me up.

.31 I will praise God's name with a song;
I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
.32 A gift pleasing God more than oxen,
more than beasts prepared for sacrifice.

.33 The poor when they see it will be glad
and God-seeking hearts will revive;
.34 for the Lord listens to the needy
and does not spurn his servants in their chains.
.35 Let the heavens and the earth give him praise,
the sea and all its living creatures.

.36 For God will bring help to Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah
and men shall dwell there in possession.
.37 The sons of his servants shall inherit it;
those who love his name shall dwell there.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 70 ( Prayer of trust and appeal )


.2 O God, make haste to my rescue,
Lord, come to my aid!
.3 Let there be shame and confusion
on those who seek my life.

O let them turn back in confusion,
who delight in my harm,
.4 let them retreat, covered with shame,
who jeer at my lot.

.5 Let there be rejoicing and gladness
for all who seek you.
Let them say for ever: "God is great,"
who love your saving help.

.6 As for me, wretched and poor,
come to me, O God.
You are my rescuer, my help,
O Lord, do not delay.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 71 ( Prayer in old age )



1 In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your justice rescue me, free me;
pay heed to me and save me.

3 Be a rock where I can take refuge,
a mighty stronghold to save me;
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
4 Free me from the hand of the wicked,
from the grip of the unjust, of the oppressor.

5 It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
6 On you I have leaned from my birth;
from my mother's womb you have been my help.
My hope has always been in you.

7 My fate has filled many with awe
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My lips are filled with your praise,
with your glory all the day long.
9 Do not reject me now that I am old;
when my strength fails do not forsake me.

10 For my enemies are speaking about me;
those who watch me take counsel together.
11 Saying: "God has forsaken him; follow him,
seize him; there is no one to save him."
12 O God, do not stay far off:
my God, make haste to help me!

13 Let them be put to shame and destroyed,
all those who seek my life.
Let them be covered with shame and confusion,
all those who seek to harm me.

14 But as for me, I will always hope
and praise you more and more.
15 My lips will tell of your justice
and day by day of your help
(though I can never tell it all).

16 Lord, I will declare your mighty deeds,
proclaiming your justice, yours alone.
17 O God, you have taught me from my youth
and I proclaim your wonders still.

18 Now that I am old and gray-headed,
do not forsake me, God.
/19 Let me tell of your strength and justice to the skies,
tell of you who have worked such wonders.
O God, who is like you?

20 You have burdened me with bitter troubles
but you will give me back my life.
You will raise me from the depths of the earth;
21 you will exalt me and console me again.

22 So I will give you thanks on the lyre
for your faithful love, O God.
To you will I sing with the harp,
to you, the Holy One of Israel.
23 When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice
and my soul, which you have redeemed.

24 And all the day long my tongue
shall tell the tale of your justice:
for they are put to shame and disgraced,
all those who seek to harm me.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 72 ( The kingdom of peace )


1 O God, give your judgment to the king,
to a king's son your justice,
2 that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgment.

3 May the mountains bring forth peace for the people
and the hills, justice.
4 May he defend the poor of the people
and save the children of the needy
(and crush the oppressor).

5 He shall endure like the sun and the moon
from age to age.
6 He shall descend like rain on the meadow,
like raindrops on the earth.

7 In his days justice shall flourish
and peace till the moon fails.
8 He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth's bounds.

9 Before him his enemies shall fall,
his foes lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and the seacoasts
shall pay him tribute.

The kings of Sheba and Seba
shall bring him gifts.
11 Before him all kings shall fall prostrate,
all nations shall serve him.

12 For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
13 He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.

14 From oppression he will rescue their lives,
to him their blood is dear.
15 (Long may he live,
may the gold of Sheba be given him.)
They shall pray for him without ceasing
and bless him all the day.

16 May corn be abundant in the land
to the peaks of the mountains.
May its fruit rustle like Lebanon;
may people flourish in the cities
like grass on the earth.

17 May his name be blessed for ever
and endure like the sun.
Every tribe shall be blessed in him,
all nations bless his name.


- - -

[18] Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel,
who alone works wonders,
[19] ever blessed his glorious name.
Let his glory fill the earth.

Amen! Amen!

 

[Colin]

Psalm 73 ( The problem of innocent suffering )



1 How good God is to Israel,
to those who are pure of heart.
2 Yet my feet came close to stumbling,
my steps had almost slipped
3 for I was filled with envy of the proud
when I saw how the wicked prosper.

4 For them there are no pains;
their bodies are sound and sleek.
5 They do not share in men's sorrows;
they are not stricken like others.

6 So they wear their pride like a necklace,
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 Their hearts overflow with malice,
their minds seethe with plots.

8 They scoff; they speak with malice;
from on high they plan oppression.
9 They have set their mouths in the heavens
and their tongues dictate to the earth.

10 So the people turn to follow them
and drink in all their words.
11 They say: "How can God know?
Does the Most High take any notice?"
12 Look at them, such are the wicked,
but untroubled, they grow in wealth.

* * *

13 How useless to keep my heart pure
and wash my hands in innocence,
14 when I was stricken all day long,
suffered punishment day after day.

15 Then I said: "If I should speak like that,
I should betray the race of your sons."

16 I strove to fathom this problem,
too hard for my mind to understand,
17 until I pierced the mysteries of God
and understood what becomes of the wicked.

* * *

18 How slippery the paths on which you set them;
you make them slide to destruction.
19 How suddenly they come to their ruin,
wiped out, destroyed by terrors.
20 Like a dream one wakes from, O Lord,
when you wake you dismiss them as phantoms.

21 And so when my heart grew embittered
and when I was cut to the quick,
22 I was stupid and did not understand,
no better than a beast in your sight.

23 Yet I was always in your presence;
you were holding me by my right hand.
24 You will guide me by your counsel
and so you will lead me to glory.

25 What else have I in heaven but you?
Apart from you I want nothing on earth.
26 My body and my heart faint for joy;
God is my possession for ever.

27 All those who abandon you shall perish;
you will destroy all those who are faithless.
28 To be near God is my happiness.
I have made the Lord God my refuge.
I will tell of your works
at the gates of the city of Zion

 

[Colin]

Psalm 74 ( God's people mourn over the ruined temple : a national lament )


1 Why, O God, have you cast us off for ever?
Why blaze with anger at the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember your people whom who chose long ago,
the tribe you redeemed to be your own possession,
the mountain of Zion where you made your dwelling.

3 Turn your steps to these places that are utterly ruined!
The enemy has laid waste the whole of the sanctuary.
4 Your foes have made uproar in your house of prayer:
they have set up their emblems, their foreign emblems,
5 high above the entrance to the sanctuary.

/6 Their axes have battered the wood of its doors.
They have struck together with hatchet and pickax.
7 O God, they have set your sanctuary on fire;
they have razed and profaned the place where you dwell.
8 They said in their hearts: "Let us utterly crush them;
let us burn every shrine of God in the land."
9 There is no sign from God, nor have we a prophet,
we have no one to tell us how long it will last.

10 How long, O God, is the enemy to scoff?
Is the foe to insult your name for ever?
11 Why, O Lord, do you hold back your hand?
Why do you keep your right hand hidden?

12 Yet God is our king from time past,
the giver of help through all the land.
13 It was you who divided the sea by your might,
who shattered the heads of the monsters in the sea.

14 It was you who crushed Leviathan's heads
and gave him as food to the untamed beasts.
15 It was you opened springs and torrents;
it was you who dried up ever-flowing rivers.
16
Yours is the day and yours is the night.
17 It was you who appointed the light and the sun;
it was you who fixed the bounds of the earth:
you who made both summer and winter.

18 Remember this, Lord, and see the enemy scoffing;
a senseless people insults your name.
19 Do not give Israel, your dove, to the hawk
nor forget the life of your poor ones for ever.

20 Remember your covenant; every cave in the land
is a place where violence makes its home.
21 Do not let the oppressed return disappointed;
let the poor and the needy bless your name.

22 Arise, O God, and defend your cause!
Remember how the senseless revile you all the day.
23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes,
the daily increasing uproar of your foes.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 75 ( Judge of the world )


.2 We give thanks to you, O God,
we give thanks and call upon your name.
We recount your wonderful deeds.

* * *

.3 "When I reach the appointed time,
then I will judge with justice.
.4 Though the earth and all who dwell in it may rock,
it is I who uphold its pillars.

.5 To the boastful I say: 'Do not boast,'
to the wicked: 'Do not flaunt your strength,
.6 do not flaunt your strength on high.
Do not speak with insolent pride.' "

.7 For neither from the east nor the west,
nor from desert or mountains comes judgment,
.8 but God himself is the judge.
One he humbles, another he exalts.

.9 The Lord holds a cup in his hand,
full of wine, foaming and spiced.
He pours it; they drink it to the dregs;
all the wicked on the earth must drain it.

.10 As for me, I will rejoice for ever
and sing psalms to Jacob's God.
.11 He shall break the power of the wicked,
while the strength of the just shall be exalted.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 76 ( Song after victory )



.2 God, you are made known in Judah;
in Israel your name is great.
.3 You set up your tent in Jerusalem
and your dwelling place in Zion.
.4 It was there you broke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, the armor.

.5 You, O Lord, are resplendent,
more majestic than the everlasting mountains.
.6 The warriors, despoiled, slept in death;
the hands of the soldiers were powerless.
.7 At your threat, O God of Jacob,
horse and rider lay stunned.

.8 You, you alone, strike terror.
Who shall stand when your anger is roused?
.9 You uttered your sentence from the heavens;
the earth in terror was still
.10 when you arose to judge,
to save the humble of the earth.

.11 Men's anger will serve to praise you;
its survivors surround you with joy.
.12 Make vows to your God and fulfill them.
Let all pay tribute to him who strikes terror,
.13 who cuts short the breath of princes,
who strikes terror in the kings of the earth