Speak to your hearts alone, Of righteousness, and in Jehovah trust. Who yet will show us good? Lift up the favour of thy countenance bright. Into my heart more joy And gladness thou hast put, Than when a year of glut And from their plenteous grounds With vast increase their corn and wine abounds. In peace at once will I Both lay me down and sleep; For thou alone dost keep Me safe where'er I lie; As in a rocky cell Thou, Lord! alone, in safety makest me dwell. PSALM V. Aug. 12, 1653. JEHOVAH! to my words give ear, My meditation weigh; The voice of my complaining hear, Shalt in the morning hear; I' the morning I to thee with choice Will rank my prayers, and watch till thou appear. For thou art not a God that takes In wickedness delight; Evil with thee no biding makes; Fools or madmen stand not within thy sight. All workers of iniquity Thou hat'st; and them unblessed Thy numerous mercies, go Set thy ways right before, where my step goes. No word is firm or sooth, Their inside, troubles miserable; Then all, who trust in thee, shall bring Their joy; while thou from blame Defend'st them, they shall ever sing And shall triumph in thee, who love thy name: For thou, Jehovah! wilt be found To bless the just man still; As with a shield, thou wilt surround Him with thy lasting favour and good will. PSALM VI. Aug. 13, 1653. LORD, in thine anger do not reprehend me, restore My soul; O save me for thy goodness' sake! Who in the grave can celebrate thy praise? Depart from me; for the voice of my weeping The Lord hath heard; the Lord hath heard my prayer; My supplication with acceptance fair The Lord will own, and have me in his keeping. Mine enemies shall all be blank, and dashed With much confusion; then, grown red with shame, They shall return in haste the way they came, And in a moment shall be quite abash'd. PSALM VII. Aug. 14, 1653. Upon the words of Cush, the Benjamite, against Lord, my God, if I have thought An open grave their throat, their tongue they Or to him have rendered less, smooth. God! find them guilty, let them fall By their own counsels quelled; Push them in their rebellions all Still on; for against thee they have rebelled. And not freed my foe for nought; Let the enemy pursue my soul In the dust my glory dead, In the dust; and, there outspread, Lodge it with dishonour foul. Rise, Jehovah! in thine ire, And wake for me, their fury assuage; So the assemblies of each nation But the just establish fast, Since thou art the just God that tries God is a just judge and severe, His sword he whets, his bow hath bended The tools of death that wait him near. (His arrows purposely made he He digged a pit, and delved it deep, Then will I Jehovah's praise PSALM VIII. Aug. 14, 1653. O JEHOVAH, Our Lord, how wondrous great And glorious is thy Name through all the earth! So as above the heavens thy praise to set Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou When I behold thy heavens, thy fingers' art, set In the pure firmament: then saith my heart, That him thou visit'st, and of him art found! Scarce to be less than gods, thou mad'st his lot, With honour and with state thou hast him crowned. O'er the works of thy hand thou mad'st him Lord, Fowl of the heavens, and fish that through the wet April, 1648. J. M. Nine of the Psalms done into metre, wherein all, but what is in a different character, are the very words of the text translated from the original. PSALM LXXX. 1 THOU, Shepherd, that dost Israel keep, Give ear in time of need; Who leadest like a flock of sheep Thy loved Joseph's seed; That sitt'st between the Cherubs bright, 2 In Ephraim's view and Benjamin's, Awake thy strength, come, and be seen 3 Turn us again; thy grace divine 4 Lord God of Hosts! how long wilt thou, Thy smoking wrath, and angry brow 5 Thou feed'st them with the bread of tears; 6 A strife thou mak'st us and a prey To every neighbour foe; 7 Return us, and thy grace divine, 8 A vine from Egypt thou hast brought, And drov'st out nations, proud and haught, 9 Thou didst prepare for it a place, And filled the land at last. 10 With her green shade that covered all, Advanced their lofty head. 11 Her branches on the western side 12 Why hast thou laid her hedges low, And broken down her fence, 13 The tusked boar out of the wood Wild beasts there browse, and make their food 14 Return now, God of Hosts! look down From Heaven, thy seat divine; 15 Visit this vine, which thy right hand 17 Upon the man of thy right hand Let thy good hand be laid; 18 So shall we not go back from thee To ways of sin and shame; Quicken us thou; then gladly we Shall call upon thy Name. 19 Return us, and thy grace divine, Lord God of Hosts! vouchsafe; Cause thou thy face on us to shine, And then we shall be safe. PSALM LXXXI. 1 To God our strength sing loud, and clear, Sing loud to God our King; To Jacob's God, that all may hear, 2 Prepare a hymn, prepare a song, 3 Blow, as is wont, in the new moon, 4 This was a statute given of old, A law of Jacob's God, to hold, 5 This is a testimony ordained 6 From burden, and from slavish toil, His hands from pots, and miry soil, 7 When trouble did thee sore assail, I answered thee in thunder deep, I tried thee at the water steep, 8 Hear, O my people, hearken well; I testify to thee, Thou ancient stock of Israel, If you wilt list to me: 9 Throughout the land of thy abode 10 I am the Lord thy God, which brought Thee out of Egypt land; Ask large enough, and I, besought, 11 And yet my people would not hear, And Israel, whom I loved so dear, 12 Then did I leave them to their will, 13 O, that my people would be wise, To walk my righteous ways! 14 Then would I soon bring down their foes, That now so proudly rise; And turn my hand against all those, That are their enemies. 15 Who hate the Lord should then be fain To bow to him and bend; But they, his people, should remain, 16 And he would feed them from the shock With flower of finest wheat, And satisfy them from the rock PSALM LXXXII. 1 GOD in great assembly stands Of kings and lordly states; Among the gods, on both his hands, He judges and debates. 2 How long will ye pervert the right With judgment false and wrong, Favouring the wicked by your might, Who thence grow bold and strong? 3 Regard the weak and fatherless, Despatch the poor man's cause; And raise the man in deep distress By just and equal laws. 4 Defend the poor and desolate, And rescue from the hands Of wicked men the low estate Of him that help demands. 5 They know not, nor will understand, 6 I said that ye were gods; yea, all The sons of God Most High; 7 But ye shall die like men, and fall As other princes die. 8 Rise, God; judge thou the earth in might, This wicked earth redress; For thou art he who shall by right PSALM LXXXIII. 1 BE not thou silent now at length, 2 For lo, thy furious foes now swell, And they that hate thee, proud and fell, 3 Against thy people they contrive 4 Come, let us cut them off, say they, 5 For they consult with all their might, 6 The tents of Edom, and the brood Of scornful Ishmael, Moab, with them of Hagar's blood, 7 Gebal and Ammon there conspire, And hateful Amalec, The Philistines, and they of Tyre, 8 With them great Ashur also bands, And doth confirm the knot: All these have lent their armed hands 9 Do to them as to Midian bold, That wasted all the coast; To Sisera; and, as is told, Thou didst to Jabin's host, 10 When, at the brook of Kishon old, They were repulsed and slain, At Endor quite cut off, and rolled As dung upon the plain. |