Category: Songs of Christ
1 Plead, Lord, with those that plead; and fight
with those that fight with me.
2 Of shield and buckler take thou hold,
stand up mine help to be.
3 Draw also out the spear, and do
against them stop the way
That me pursue: unto my soul,
I’m thy salvation, say.
4 Let them confounded be and sham’d
that for my soul have sought:
Who plot my hurt turn’d back be they,
and to confusion brought.
5 Let them be like unto the chaff
that flies before the wind;
And let the angel of the Lord
pursue them hard behind.
6 With darkness cover thou their way,
and let it slipp’ry prove;
And let the angel of the Lord
pursue them from above.
7 For without cause have they for me
their net hid in a pit,
They also have without a cause
for my soul digged it.
8 Let ruin seize him unawares;
his net he hid withal
Himself let catch; and in the same
destruction let him fall.
9 My soul in God shall joy; and glad
in his salvation be:
10 And all my bones shall say, O Lord,
who is like unto thee,
Which dost the poor set free from him
that is for him too strong;
The poor and needy from the man
that spoils and does him wrong?
11 False witnesses rose; to my charge
things I not knew they laid.
12 They, to the spoiling of my soul,
me ill for good repaid.
13 But as for me, when they were sick,
in sackcloth sad I mourn’d:
My humbled soul did fast, my pray’r
into my bosom turn’d.
14 Myself I did behave as he
had been my friend or brother;
I heavily bow’d down, as one
that mourneth for his mother.
15 But in my trouble they rejoic’d,
gath’ring themselves together;
Yea, abjects vile together did
themselves against me gather:
I knew it not; they did me tear,
and quiet would not be.
16 With mocking hypocrites, at feasts
they gnash’d their teeth at me.
17 How long, Lord, look’st thou on? from those
destructions they intend
Rescue my soul, from lions young
my darling do defend.
18 I will give thanks to thee, O Lord,
within th’ assembly great;
And where much people gather’d are
thy praises forth will set.
19 Let not my wrongful enemies
proudly rejoice o’er me;
Nor who me hate without a cause,
let them wink with the eye.
20 For peace they do not speak at all;
but crafty plots prepare
Against all those within the land
that meek and quiet are.
21 With mouths set wide, they ‘gainst me said,
Ha, ha! our eye doth see.
22 Lord, thou hast seen, hold not thy peace;
Lord, be not far from me.
23 Stir up thyself; wake, that thou may’st
judgment to me afford,
Ev’n to my cause, O thou that art
my only God and Lord.
24 O Lord my God, do thou me judge
after thy righteousness;
And let them not their joy ‘gainst me
triumphantly express:
25 Nor let them say within their hearts,
Ah, we would have it thus;
Nor suffer them to say, that he
is swallow’d up by us.
26 Sham’d and confounded be they all
that at my hurt are glad;
Let those against me that do boast
with shame and scorn be clad.
27 Let them that love my righteous cause
be glad, shout, and not cease
To say, The Lord be magnify’d,
who loves his servant’s peace.
28 Thy righteousness shall also be
declared by my tongue;
The praises that belong to thee
speak shall it all day long.
1 The wicked man’s transgression
within my heart thus says,
Undoubtedly the fear of God
is not before his eyes.
2 Because himself he flattereth
in his own blinded eye,
Until the hatefulness be found
of his iniquity.
3 Words from his mouth proceeding are,
fraud and iniquity:
He to be wise, and to do good,
hath left off utterly.
4 He mischief, lying on his bed,
most cunningly doth plot:
He sets himself in ways not good,
ill he abhorreth not.
5 Thy mercy, Lord, is in the heav’ns;
thy truth doth reach the clouds:
6 Thy justice is like mountains great;
thy judgments deep as floods:
Lord, thou preservest man and beast.
7 How precious is thy grace!
Therefore in shadow of thy wings
men’s sons their trust shall place.
8 They with the fatness of thy house
shall be well satisfy’d;
From rivers of thy pleasures thou
wilt drink to them provide.
9 Because of life the fountain pure
remains alone with thee;
And in that purest light of thine
we clearly light shall see.
10 Thy loving-kindness unto them
continue that thee know;
And still on men upright in heart
thy righteousness bestow.
11 Let not the foot of cruel pride
come, and against me stand;
And let me not removed be,
Lord, by the wicked’s hand.
12 There fallen are they, and ruined,
that work iniquities:
Cast down they are, and never shall
be able to arise.
1 Lord, I will thee extol, for thou
hast lifted me on high,
And over me thou to rejoice
mad’st not mine enemy.
2 O thou who art the Lord my God,
I in distress to thee,
With loud cries lifted up my voice,
and thou hast healed me.
3 O Lord, my soul thou hast brought up,
and rescu’d from the grave;
That I to pit should not go down,
alive thou didst me save.
4 O ye that are his holy ones,
sing praise unto the Lord;
And give unto him thanks, when ye
his holiness record.
5 For but a moment lasts his wrath;
life in his favour lies:
Weeping may for a night endure,
at morn doth joy arise.
6 In my prosperity I said,
that nothing shall me move.
7 O Lord, thou hast my mountain made
to stand strong by thy love:
But when that thou, O gracious God,
didst hide thy face from me,
Then quickly was my prosp’rous state
turn’d into misery.
8 Wherefore unto the Lord my cry
I caused to ascend:
My humble supplication
I to the Lord did send.
9 What profit is there in my blood,
when I go down to pit?
Shall unto thee the dust give praise?
thy truth declare shall it?
10 Hear, Lord, have mercy; help me, Lord:
11 Thou turned hast my sadness
To dancing; yea, my sackcloth loos’d,
and girded me with gladness;
12 That sing thy praise my glory may,
and never silent be.
O Lord my God, for evermore
I will give thanks to thee.
1 In thee, O Lord, I put my trust,
sham’d let me never be;
According to thy righteousness
do thou deliver me.
2 Bow down thine ear to me, with speed
send me deliverance:
To save me, my strong rock be thou,
and my house of defence.
3 Because thou art my rock, and thee
I for my fortress take;
Therefore do thou me lead and guide,
ev’n for thine own name’s sake.
4 And sith thou art my strength, therefore
pull me out of the net,
Which they in subtilty for me
so privily have set.
5 Into thine hands I do commit
my sp’rit: for thou art he,
O thou, Jehovah, God of truth,
that hast redeemed me.
6 Those that do lying vanities
regard, I have abhorr’d:
But as for me, my confidence
is fixed on the Lord.
7 I’ll in thy mercy gladly joy:
for thou my miseries
Consider’d hast; thou hast my soul
known in adversities:
8 And thou hast not inclosed me
within the en’my’s hand;
And by thee have my feet been made
in a large room to stand.
9 O Lord, upon me mercy have,
for trouble is on me:
Mine eye, my belly, and my soul,
with grief consumed be.
10 Because my life with grief is spent,
my years with sighs and groans:
My strength doth fail; and for my sin
consumed are my bones.
11 I was a scorn to all my foes,
and to my friends a fear;
And specially reproach’d of those
that were my neighbours near:
When they me saw they from me fled.
12 Ev’n so I am forgot,
As men are out of mind when dead:
I’m like a broken pot.
13 For slanders I of many heard;
fear compass’d me, while they
Against me did consult, and plot
to take my life away.
14 But as for me, O Lord, my trust
upon thee I did lay;
And I to thee, Thou art my God,
did confidently say.
15 My times are wholly in thine hand:
do thou deliver me
From their hands that mine enemies
and persecutors be.
16 Thy countenance to shine do thou
upon thy servant make:
Unto me give salvation,
for thy great mercies’ sake.
17 Let me not be asham’d, O Lord,
for on thee call’d I have:
Let wicked men be sham’d, let them
be silent in the grave.
18 To silence put the lying lips,
that grievous things do say,
And hard reports, in pride and scorn,
on righteous men do lay.
19 How great’s the goodness thou for them
that fear thee keep’st in store,
And wrought’st for them that trust in thee
the sons of men before!
20 In secret of thy presence thou
shalt hide them from man’s pride:
From strife of tongues thou closely shalt,
as in a tent, them hide.
21 All praise and thanks be to the Lord;
for he hath magnify’d
His wondrous love to me within
a city fortify’d.
22 For from thine eyes cut off I am,
I in my haste had said;
My voice yet heard’st thou, when to thee
with cries my moan I made.
23 O love the Lord, all ye his saints;
because the Lord doth guard
The faithful, and he plenteously
proud doers doth reward.
24 Be of good courage, and he strength
unto your heart shall send,
All ye whose hope and confidence
doth on the Lord depend.
1 O blessed is the man to whom
is freely pardoned
All the transgression he hath done,
whose sin is covered.
2 Bless’d is the man to whom the Lord
imputeth not his sin,
And in whose sp’rit there is no guile,
nor fraud is found therein.
3 When as I did refrain my speech,
and silent was my tongue,
My bones then waxed old, because
I roared all day long.
4 For upon me both day and night
thine hand did heavy lie,
So that my moisture turned is
in summer’s drought thereby.
5 I thereupon have unto thee
my sin acknowledged,
And likewise mine iniquity
I have not covered:
I will confess unto the Lord
my trespasses, said I;
And of my sin thou freely didst
forgive th’ iniquity.
6 For this shall ev’ry godly one
his prayer make to thee;
In such a time he shall thee seek,
as found thou mayest be.
Surely, when floods of waters great
do swell up to the brim,
They shall not overwhelm his soul,
nor once come near to him.
7 Thou art my hiding-place, thou shalt
from trouble keep me free:
Thou with songs of deliverance
about shalt compass me.
8 I will instruct thee, and thee teach
the way that thou shalt go;
And, with mine eye upon thee set,
I will direction show.
9 Then be not like the horse or mule,
which do not understand;
Whose mouth, lest they come near to thee,
a bridle must command.
10 Unto the man that wicked is
his sorrows shall abound;
But him that trusteth in the Lord
mercy shall compass round.
11 Ye righteous, in the Lord be glad,
in him do ye rejoice:
All ye that upright are in heart,
for joy lift up your voice.