Psalm texts, in a variety of meters, suitable for singing to music in the style of the Sacred Harp. Many of the poems below are metrical paraphrases of psalms; some are freer interpretations based on psalms. This is not a complete psalter -- some of the psalms are represented only by a verse or two -- but rather a collection providing a taste of the sweetness of each psalm. Authors and sources include: Joseph Addison, Francis Bacon, Hosea Ballou, Joel Barlow, John Barnard, Bay Psalm Book, Belknap's Sacred Poetry, Thomas Carew, Elizabeth Carter, John Denham, Phillip Doddridge, Queen Elizabeth I, Anne Finch, Foundling Hospital Collection, John Hall, Philip Hayes, Mary Sidney Herbert, Hymns of the Spirit, Thomas Kelley, Abner Kneeland, James Merrick, John Milton, John S. B. Monsell, James Montgomery, The New Psalter [1912], Rippon's Collection, George Sandys, Scottish Psalter, Philip Sidney, Christopher Smart, Anne Steele, Sternhold and Hopkins, Tate and Brady, ------ Vincent, Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, B. Williams's Collection, and George Wither. Plus short prose passages from the King James Version. ----- Psalm 1 (Bay Psalm Book, rev. ed.) C.M. 1. O blessed man that walks not in Th'advice of wicked men, Nor standeth in the sinner's way, Nor scorner's seat sits in. 2. But he upon Jehovah's law Doth set his whole delight, And in his law doth meditate Both in the day and night. 3. He shall be like a planted tree By living brooks, and shall In his due season yield his fruit, His leaf shall never fall. ----- Psalm 2 (Scottish Psalter, 1800) C.M.D. 1. Why rage the heathen? and vain things Why do the people mind? Kings of the earth do set themselves, And princes are combin’d, To plot against the Lord, and his Anointed, saying thus, Let us asunder break their bands, and cast their cords from us. 2. God shall, as with a weighty rod Of iron, break them all; And, as a potter’s sherd, he shall Them dash in pieces small. Now therefore, kings, be wise; be taught, Ye judges of the earth: Serve God in fear, and see that ye Join trembling with your mirth. ----- Psalm 3 (Bay Psalm Book, rev. ed.) L.M. 1. O Lord, my foes how great are they? How many up against me stand? No help is to my soul, they say, In God for him at any hand. 2. My shield and glory yet art thou, And the up-lifter of my head: I called with my voice to Jah, who From's holy hill me answered. Selah. ----- Psalm 4 (Bay Psalm Book) C.M. 1. God of my justice, when I call, O hear me when distressed, Thou has enlarged me; show me grace, And hear thou my request. 2. Ye sons of men my glory turn To shame, how long will you? How long will ye love vanity, And still deceit pursue? Selah. ----- Psalm 4 (Phillip Doddridge) L.M. 1. Return, my roving heart, return, And chase these shadowy forms no more; Seek out some solitude to mourn, And thy forsaken God implore. 2. Wisdom and pleasure dwell at home; Retir'd and silent seek them there: True conquest is ourselves t' o'ercome, True strength to break the tempter's snare. 3. Through all the mazes of my heart My search let heavenly wisdom guide, And still its radiant beams impart, Till all be search'd, and purified. ----- Psalm 5 (John Davies) 10.10.10.10. 1. My God, my King, bow down thine ear to me, While I send up mine humble prayer to thee. Early before the morn doth bring the day I will, O Lord, look up to thee and pray. 2. The fool may not before thy wisdom stand, Nor shall the impious 'scape thy wrathful hand. Thou will destroy all such as utter lies; Blood and deciet are odious in thine eyes. 3. But trusting in thy many mercies dear, I will approach thy house with holy fear. Teach me the plain and righteous way to go, That I may never fall before my foe. ----- Psalm 6 (Bay Psalm Book, rev. ed.) L.M. Lord, in thy wrath rebuke me not, Nor in thy hot wrath chasten me, Lord pity me, for I am weak; Lord, heal me for my bones vex'd be. ----- Psalm 7 (Bay Psalm Book) S.M. 1. O Lord, my God, in thee I do my trust repose Save and deliver me from all My persecuting foes. 2. Left like a Lion they my soul in pieces tear: rending asunder, while there is not one deliverer. 3. Jehovah will I pray for his just equity; and I will sing unto his name: Jehovah, the most high. ----- Psalm 8 (Tate and Brady) C.M. 1. O God, to whom all creatures bow, Within this earthly frame! Through all the world, how great art thou, How glorious thy name! 2. When heaven, thy glorious work on high, Employs my wondering sight; The moon that nightly rules the sky, With stars of feebler light -- 3. Lord, what is man! that thou should choose To keep him in thy mind! Or what his race, that thou should prove To them so wondrous kind! ----- Psalm 9 (Doddridge) L.M. 1. Sing to the Lord, who loud proclaims His various and his saving names; O may they not be heard alone, But by our sure experience known. 2. The great Jehovah be adored, Th'eternal, all-sufficient Lord; Through all the world, most high confessed, By him 'twas formed, and is possessed. 3. Through every age his gracious ear Is open to his servant's prayer; Nor can one humble soul complain That he has sought his God in vain. ----- Psalm 10 (Tate and Brady) C.M. 1. The wicked, swelled with lawless pride, Have made the poor their prey; O let them fall by those designs Which they for others lay! 2. To own a power above themselves Their haughty pride disdains; And therefore in their stubborn mind No thought of God remains. 3. They fondly think their prosperous state Shall unmolested be; They think their vain designs shall thrive, From all misfortune free. 4. Sometimes they act the harmless man, And modest looks they wear; That, so deceived, the poor may less Their sudden onset fear. 5. But thou, O Lord, at length arise; Stretch forth thy mighty arm; And, by the greatness of thy power, Defend the poor from harm. ----- Psalm 11 (Sternhold and Hopkins) C. M. 1. Behold, the wicked bend their bows, Their arrows they prepare: To shoot in secret at those who Sincere and upright are. 2. The poor and simple man's estate Considers in his mind, And searches out full narrowly The manners of mankind. 3. And with a cheerful countenance The righteous man will use, But in his heart he doth abhor All such as mischief muse. ----- Psalm 12 (Francis Bacon) 10.10.10.10. 1. Now for the bitter sighing of the poor The Lord hath said, I will no more forebear The wicked's kingdom to invade and scour, And set at large the men restrained in fear. 2. And sure the word of God is pure and fine, And in the trial never loses weight; Like noble gold, which, since it left the mine, Has seven times passed through the fiery strait. ----- Psalm 13 (Elizabeth I, Queen of England) L.M. 1. Fools that true faith yet never had Saith in their hearts, there is no God. Filthy they are in their practice, Of them not one is godly wise. 2. So blind they are, no truth they know, No fear of God in them will grow. How can that cruel sort be good, Of God's dear flock which suck the blood? ----- Psalm 14 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. The Lord from his celestial throne Looked down on things below, To find the men that sought his grace, Or did his justice know. 2. He saw that all were gone astray, Their practice all the same; That none did fear his Maker's hand, That none did love his name. 3. Such seeds of sin, that bitter root, In every heart are found; Nor will they bear diviner fruit Till grace refine the ground. ----- Psalm 15 (Hymns of the Spirit) C.M. 1. O, who before the righteous God Shall uncondemned appear? The man whose soul abides with truth, In deed and thought sincere. 2. The man whose heart from guile is pure, Whose hands from bribes are free, Who honest poverty prefers To gainful perjury: 3. The man who to his plighted word Has ever firmly stood; Who, though he promise to his hurt, Still makes his promise good. ----- Psalm 16 (The Psalter [1912]) S.M. 1. To thee, O Lord, I fly And on Thy help depend; Thou art my Lord and King Most High; Do Thou my soul defend. 2. I praise the Lord above Whose counsel guides aright; My heart instructs me in his love In seasons of the night. ----- Psalm 17 (Christopher Smart) 8.8.8.6. 1. In this my cause, O Lord, preside, Weigh my complaint and take my part; Attend my prayer, untaught to glide From lips of practiced art. 2. To guard me from my foes professed, That torture me with endless strife; My enemies my bounds invest To take away my life. 3. They're swollen with fatness, as their days To sumptuous banquets they devote; Their mouths are filled with pompous phrase, As on their wealth they gloat. 4. A numerous offspring they conceive According to their gross desires; And their ill-gotten wealth they leave To children like their fires. 5. Meanwhile to these my joyful eyes Thou shalt thyself in truth present; And when I in thy semblance rise, My heart shall rest content. ----- Psalm 17 (Anne Steele) C.M. Lord, guide this wandering heart to thee; Unsatisfied I stray; Break through the shades of sense and sin, With thine enlivening ray. ----- Psalm 18 (Tate and Brady) L.M. 1. When God arose my part to take, The conscious earth was struck with fear; The hills did at his presence shake, Nor could his dreadful fury bear. 2. Thick clouds of smoke dispersed abroad, Ensigns of wrath before him came; Devouring fire around him glowed, That coals were kindled at its flame. 3. He left the beauteous realms of light, Whilst heaven bowed down its awful head, Beneath his feet substantial night Was like a sable carpet spread. 4. Black watery mists and clouds conspired With thickest shades his face to veil; But at his brightness soon retired, And fell in showers of fire and hail. ----- Psalm 19 (Bay Psalm Book) S.M. Let the words of my mouth, And the thoughts of my heart, Be pleasing with thee, Lord, my Rock Who my redeemer art. ----- Psalm 20 (Thomas Campion) P.M. (11.11.11.4.) 1. O sacred spirit, invisible, ageless, Everywhere, yet unlimited, that all things Can in one moment come in and revive me, O holy spirit. 2. Rescue, O rescue me from earthly darkness, Banish hence all these elemental objects, Guide my soul that thirsts to the lively fountain Of thy divineness. 2. But when once thy beams do remove my darkness, O then I'll shine forth as an angel of Light, And record, with more than an earthly voice, thy Infinite honors. ----- Psalm 21 (John Barnard, A New Version of the Psalms of David, 1752) 5s. 1. The king, in the Lord, His trust doth repose; The favor of God Confirms his high state. Thy hand shall discov'r, And punish thy foes: In vengeance thy hand, Crush them that thee hate. 2. As furnace of fire, Thy wrath shall them make; Thine anger, O Lord, Consume them in flames. Their fruit from the earth, Thou wholly shalt take; And root out from man, Their seed's hateful names. 3. Exalted be God Throughout the whole land; His strength still appear, His glory to raise: With joy will we sing The works of thy hand; And thy mighty power, Forever will praise. ----- Psalm 22 (Bay Psalm Book) C.M. My God, my God, wherefore has thou forsaken me? and why, art thou so far from helping me, far from the words I cry? ----- Psalm 23 (Bay Psalm Book) C.M. 1. The Lord to me a shepherd is, Want therefore shall not I. He in the folds of tender-grass Doth cause me down to lie: 2. To waters calm me gently leads Restore my soul doth he: He doth in paths of righteousness: For his name's sake lead me. 3. Yea though in valley of death's shade I walk, none ill I'll fear: Because thou are with me, thy rod And staff my comfort are. 4. For me a table thou hast spread, In presence of my foes: Thou does anoint my head with oil, My cup it overflows. 5. Goodness and mercy surely shall All my days follow me: And in the Lord's house I shall dwell So long as days shall be. ----- Psalm 23 (Phillip Doddridge) S.M. 1. Behold the gloomy vale, Which thou, my soul, must tread, Beset with terrors fierce and pale, That leads thee to the dead. 2. Ye pleasing scenes, adieu, Which I so long have known: My friends a long farewell to you, For I must pass alone. 3. But see a ray of light, With splendors all divine, Breaks through these doleful realms of night, And makes its horrors shine. 4. Where death and darkness reigns, Jehovah is my stay: His rod my trembling feet sustains, His staff defends my way. ----- Psalm 24 (Philip Sidney) 12.8.12.8. 1. The earth is God’s, and what the globe of earth contains, And all who in that globe do dwell; For by his power, the land upon the ocean reigns, Through him the floods to their beds fell. 2. And who shall climb the hill, which God’s own hill is named? Who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath hurtless hand, whose inward heart is framed All pureness ever to embrace. ----- Psalm 25 (Tate and Brady) S.M. 1. Thy mercies and thy love, O Lord, recall to mind; And graciously continue still, As thou were ever, kind. 2. Let all my youthful crimes Be blotted out by thee; And for thy wondrous goodness' sake, In mercy think on me. 3. Through all the ways of God Both truth and mercy shine, To such as with religious hearts To his blest will incline. ----- Psalm 26 (Philip Sidney) 6.6.10.D 1. Lord, judge me and my case, For I have made my race Within the bounds of innocence to bide: And setting thee for scope Of all my trustful hope, I held for sure that I should never slide. 2. Prove me, O Lord most high, Me with thy touchstone try, Yea, sound my reins, and inmost of my heart. For so thy loving hand Before my eyes did stand, That from thy truth I would not once depart. ----- Psalm 27 (Anne Steele) L.M. 1. When troubles rise, my guardian God Will hide me safe in his abode; Firm as a rock my hope shall stand, Sustained by his almighty hand. 2. Should every early friend depart, Should love forsake a parent's heart; The God on whom my hopes depend Will be my father and my friend. 3. Ye humble souls, in every strait On God with faith and patience wait; His hand shall life and strength afford; Wait, therefore, ever on the Lord. ----- Psalm 28 (Tate and Brady) C.M. 1. O Lord, my rock, to thee I cry, In sighs consume my breath; Hear me, O Lord, or I shall be Like those who sleep in death. 2. O, see my supplication, Lord, The cries that I repeat, With weeping eyes and lifted hands, Before thy mercy seat. 3. If wicked men thy works despise, Nor will thy grace adore, Thy justice shall avenge the the cause, And build them up no more. 4. But I, with gratitude inspired, Thy praises will resound; From whom, the cries of my distress A gracious answer found. ----- Psalm 29 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. The Lord proclaims his power aloud Over the ocean and the land; His voice divides the watery cloud, And lightnings blaze at his command. 2. He speaks, and tempest, hail, and wind, Lay the wide forests bare around; The fearful hart, and frighted hind, Leap at the terror of the sound. 3. To Lebanon he turns his voice, And, lo, the stately cedars break; The mountains tremble at the noise, The valleys roar, the deserts quake. 4. The Lord sits sovereign on the flood, The thunderer reigns for ever king; But makes his church his blest abode, Where we his awful glories sing. 5. In gentler language there the Lord The counsels of his grace imparts; Amidst the raging storm his word Speaks peace and courage to our hearts. ----- Psalm 30 (Anne Steele) C.M. 1. Hear, O my God, in mercy hear, Attend my plaintive cry; Be thou, my gracious helper, near, And bid my sorrows fly. 2. Again I hear the voice divine; New joys exulting bound; My robes of mourning I resign, And gladness girds me round. 3. To thee, my gracious God, I raise My thankful heart and tongue; O be thy goodness and thy praise My everlasting song! ----- Psalm 31 (Anne Steele) C.M. 1. Come, O ye saints, your voices raise To God in grateful songs; And let the memory of his grace Inspire your hearts and tongues. 2. His frown what mortal can sustain? But soon his anger dies; His life-restoring smile again Returns, and sorrow flies. 3. her deepest gloom, when sorrow spreads, And light and hope depart, His face celestial morning sheds, And joy revives the heart. ----- Psalm 32 (Isaac Watts) S.M. 1. O blessed souls are they Whose sins are covered o'er! Divinely blest, to whom the Lord Imputes their guilt no more. 2. They mourn their follies past, And keep their hearts with care; Their lips and lives without deceit, Shall prove their faith sincere. 3. While I concealed my guilt I felt the festering wound, Till I confessed my sins to thee, And ready pardon found. 4. Let sinners learn to pray, Let saints keep near the throne; Our help in times of deep distress, Is found in God alone. ----- Psalm 33 (Isaac Watts) 8s. 1. Ye holy souls, in God rejoice, Your Maker's praise becomes your voice; Great is your theme, your songs be new: Sing of his name, his word, his ways, His works of nature and of grace, How wise and holy, just and true. 2. Justice and truth he ever loves, And the whole earth his goodness proves, His word the heavenly arches spread; How wide they shine from north to south! And by the Spirit of his mouth Were all the starry armies made. 3. He gathers the wide-flowing seas, Those watery treasures know their place, In the vast storehouse of the deep: He spake, and gave all nature birth; And fires, and seas, and heaven, and earth, His everlasting orders keep. 4. Let mortals tremble and adore A God of such resistless power, Nor dare indulge their feeble rage: Vain are your thoughts, and weak your hands; But his eternal counsel stands, And rules the world from age to age. ----- Psalm 34 (Tate and Brady) C.M. 1. Through all the changing scenes of life, In trouble and in joy, The praises of my God shall still My heart and tongue employ. 2. The hosts of God encamp around The dwellings of the just: Protection he affords to all Who make his name their trust. 3. While hungry lions lack their prey, The Lord will food provide; And all who put their trust in him, Will see their wants supplied. ----- Psalm 35 (Christopher Smart) 8.7.8.7. 1. Judge me, O my God, to spare me, As thy mercy is for all; Let not clamor overbear me, Nor exult upon my fall. 2. Let them say, which like the measure, That in charity I deal; Blessed by the Lord, whose pleasure Is hi servant's bliss to seal. 3. As for me in heavenly phrases I will harmonize my tongue, Day by day Jehovah's phrases Shall in sweeter notes be sung. ----- Psalm 36 (Isaac Watts) L.M. Life like a fountain rich and free Springs from the preference of my Lord; And in thy light our souls shall see The glories promised in thy word. ----- Psalm 37 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. Why do the wealthy wicked boast, And grow profanely bold? The meanest portion of the just Excels the sinner's gold. 2. The wicked borrows of his friends, But ne'er designs to pay; The saint is merciful and lends, Nor turns the poor away. 3. His alms with liberal heart he gives Amongst the sons of need; His memory to long ages lives, And blessed is his seed. ----- Psalm 38 (Phillip Doddridge) C.M. 1. My soul, the awful hour will come, Apace it passes on, To bear this body to the tomb, And thee to scenes unknown. 2. My heart, long laboring with its woes, Shall pant and sink away; And you, my eye-lids, soon shall close On the last glimmering ray. 3. Whence in that hour shall I receive A cordial for my pain, When, if earth's monarchs were my friends, Those friends would weep in vain? 4. Great King of nature, and of grace, To thee my spirit flies, And opens all its deep distress Before thy pitying eyes. ----- Psalm 39 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. Teach me the measure of my days, Thou maker of my frame; I would survey life's narrow space, And learn' how frail I am. 2. A span is all that we can boast, An inch or two of time; Man is but vanity and dust In all his flower and prime. 3. See the vain race of mortals move Like shadows o'er the plain; They rage and strive, desire and love, But all the noise is vain. ----- Psalm 40 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. I waited patient for the Lord, He bowed to hear my cry; He saw me resting on his word, And brought salvation nigh. 2. Firm as a rock he made me stand, And taught my cheerful tongue To praise the wonder of his hand In new and thankful song. ----- Psalm 41 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. Blessed is the man whose heart is moved, And melts with pity to the poor, Whose soul by sympathizing love Feels what his fellow-saints endure. 2. His heart contrives for their relief More good than his own hand can do; He in the time of general grief Shall find the Lord has pity too. ----- Psalm 42 (James Montgomery) 7s. 1. As the hart, with eager looks, Panteth for the water-brooks, So my soul, athirst for thee, Pants the living God to see; When, O when, without a fear, Lord, shall I to thee draw near? 2. Why art thou cast down my soul? God, thy God, shall make thee whole. Why art thou disquieted? God shall lift thy fallen head, And his countenance benign Be the saving health of thine. ----- Psalm 43 (James Merrick) L.M. 1. God of my strength, to thee I cry, To thee, my surest refuge, fly; O may thy light attend my way, Thy truth afford its cheering ray. 2. Conduct me to thy hallowed seat, Where wisdom, truth, and mercy meet; And there, in all its best array, My heart its richest gifts shall pay. ----- Psalm 44 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. Though dragons all around us roar With their destructive breath, And thine own hand has bruised us sore Hard by the gates of death --- 2. Yet have we not forgot our God, Nor falsely dealt with heaven, Nor have our steps declined the road Of duty thou hast given. ----- Psalm 45 (Phillip Doddridge) H.M. 1. Loud to the prince of heaven Your cheerful voices raise; To him your vows be given, And fill his courts with praise: With conscious worth All clad in arms, All bright with charms, He sallies forth. 2. Gird on thy conquering sword, Ascend thy shining car, And march, Almighty Lord, To wage thy holy war: Before his wheels, In glad surprise, Ye valleys rise, And sink, ye hills. 3. Fair truth, and smiling love, And injured righteousness In thy retinue move, And seek from thee redress: Thou in their cause Shalt prosperous ride, And far and wide Dispense thy laws. ----- Psalm 46 (Anne Steele) L.M. 1. Great Ruler of the earth and skies, A word of thy almighty breath Can sink the world, or bid it rise; Thy smile is life, thy frown is death. 2. When angry nations rush to arms, And rage and noise and tumult reign, When war resounds its dire alarms, And slaughter spreads the crimson plain; 3. Thy sovereign eye looks calmly down, And marks their course, and bounds their power; Thy word the angry nations own, And noise and war are heard no more. ----- Psalm 47 (Bay Psalm Book) L.M. 1. Clap hands, all people, shout for joy, to God with voice of singing mirth: For high Jehovah fearful is, A great King over all the earth. 2. God is ascended with a shout: Jehovah with the trumpets' noise, Sing psalms to God, sing psalms, sing psalms Unto our King with singing voice. ----- Psalm 48 (James Montgomery) 7.7.7.7. 1. Heralds of creation! cry,--- "Praise the Lord, the Lord most high!" Heaven and earth! obey the call, Praise the Lord, the Lord of all. 2. For he spake, and forth from night Sprang the universe to light; He commanded,--- nature heard, And stood fast upon his word. 3. Praise him, all ye hosts above; Spirits perfected in love! Sun and Moon! your voices raise; Sing, ye stars! your Maker's praise. 4. Earth! from all thy depths below, Ocean's hallelujahs flow; Lightning, vapor, wind, and storm, Hail and snow! his will perform. 5. Vales and mountains! burst in song; Rivers! roll his praise along; Clap your hands, ye trees! and hail God, who comes in every gale. 6. Birds! on wings of rapture soar, Sing ye at his temple door, Joyful sounds from herds and flocks, Echo back, ye caves and rocks! 7. Let his truth by babes be told, And his wonders by the old; Youths and maidens! in your prime, Learn the lays of heaven betime. ----- Psalm 49 (Isaac Watts) L. M. 1. Why do the proud insult the poor, And boast the large estates they have? How vain are riches to secure Their haughty owners from the grave! 2. They can't redeem one hour from death, With all the wealth in which they trust; Nor give a dying brother breath, When God commands him down to dust. 3. There the dark earth and dismal shade Shall clasp their naked bodies round; That flesh, so delicately fed, Lies cold, and molders in the ground. ----- Psalm 50 (Benjamin Williams's Collection) L.M. 1. Uplifted eye and bended knee Are but vain homage, Lord, to thee; In vain our lips thy praise prolong, The heart a stranger to the song. 2. Can rites and forms and flaming zeal The breaches of thy precepts heal? Or fast and penance reconcile Thy justice, and obtain thy smile? 3. The pure, the humble, contrite mind, Thankful and to thy will resigned, To thee a nobler offering yields Than Sheba's groves or Sharon's fields. ----- Psalm 51 (Thomas Carew) L.M. 1. God, thou love truth and shall impart Thy secret wisdom to my heart. Thou shall with hyssop purge me; so Shall I seem white as mountain snow. 2. Thou shall send joyful news, and then My broken bones grow strong again. Let not thine eyes my sins survey, But cast those cancelled debts away. 3. O God my God of health, unseal My blood-shut lips, and I'll reveal What mercies in thy justice dwell, And with loud voice thy praises tell. ----- Psalm 52 (Sternhold & Hopkins [Hopkins]) C.M. 1. Why do you, tyrant, boast abroad Your wicked ways to praise? Do you not know there is a God, Whose mercies last always? 2. Why does your mind yet still devise Such wicked wiles to warp? Your tongue's untrue, it forges lies, It's like a razor sharp. 3. You do delight in fraud and guile, In mischief, blood, and wrong: Your lips have learned the flattering style, Your false deceitful tongue. 4. Therefore the Lord shall you confound, And pluck you from your place, Your seed root out from off the ground, And utterly deface. ----- Psalm 53 (James Merrick) L.M.D. Behold th'unwise, whose hearts deny The God who formed the earth and sky: While fearless sin's worst paths they tread, Mark how their dire examples spread Through all the land. How few we find To virtue's heaven-taught rules inlcined, Who midst infectious times have stood Unstained, and obstinately good. ----- Psalm 54 (John Hall) C.M. 1. O God, I call to thee for help In my distress and need, For thy name's sake, and in thy strength, Avenge my cause with speed. 2. For strangers full of tyranny Against me rise and rave: Such foolish folk as fear not God Do seek my life to have. 3. With offerings of a heart most free, Now will I praise thy name: Because, O Lord, my comfort still Consisteth in the same. 4 As it from the beginning was, And at this time is sure, And as it shall world without end Continue and endure. ----- Psalm 55 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. O God, my refuge, hear my cries, Behold my flowing tears, For earth and hell my hurt devise, And triumph in my fears. 2. With inward pain my heart-strings sound, I groan with every breath; Horror and fear beset me round Amongst the shades of death, 3. O were I like a feathered dove, And innocence had wings, I'd fly, and make a long remove, From all these restless things. 4. Let me to some wild desert go, And find a peaceful home, Where storms of malice never blow, Temptations never come. ----- Psalm 55 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. By morning light I'll seek his face, At noon repeat my cry, The night shall hear me ask his grace, Nor will he long deny. 2. God shall preserve my soul from fear, Or shield me when afraid; Ten thousand angels must appear If he command their aid. ----- Psalm 56 (Mark Sidney Herbert) 10.10.7.7.10. 1. Thou didst, O Lord, with careful counting, look On every journey I, poor exile, took: Every tear from my sad eyes Saved in thy bottle lies, These matters are all entered in thy book. 2. Then whensoever my distressed sprite Crying to thee, brings these unto thy sight, What remaineth for my foes? Blames, and shames, and overthrows, For God himself I know for me will fight. ----- Psalm 57 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. My God, in whom are all the springs Of boundless love and grace unknown, Hide me beneath thy spreading wings Till the dark cloud is overblown. 2. Up to the heavens I send my cry, The Lord will my desires perform; He sends his angel from the sky, And saves me from the threatening storm. ----- Psalm 58 (Isaac Watts) 8s. 1. Judges, who rule the world by laws, Will ye despise the righteous cause, When th'injured poor before you stands? Dare ye condemn the righteous poor, And let rich sinners ‘scape secure, While gold and greatness bribe your hands? 2. Have ye forgot, or never knew, That God will judge the judges too? High in the heavens his justice reigns? Yet you invade the rights of God, And send your bold decrees abroad, To bind the conscience in your chains. 3. A poisoned arrow is your tongue, The arrow sharp, the poison strong, And death attends where'er it wounds: You hear no counsels, cries or tears; The deaf adder stops her ears Against the power of charming sounds. 4. Break out their teeth, eternal God, Those teeth of lions dyed in blood; And crush the serpents in the dust: As empty chaff when whirlwinds rise, Before the sweeping tempest flies, So let their hopes and names be lost. ----- Psalm 59 (Joel Barlow) S.M. 1. Lord, let our humble cry Before thy throne ascend; Behold us with compassion's eye And still our lives defined. 2. For foes, a numerous band, Against our lives conspire; They aim destruction through the land, And spread the raging fire. 3. Beneath the silent shade Their secret plots they lay, Our peaceful town by night invade, And waste the fields by day. 4. In vain their secret guile, Or open force they prove: Thine eye can pierce the deepest veil, Thy hand their force remove. ----- Psalm 60 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. When will thou, Lord, the nation bless? Must we forever mourn? Long have we been in deep distress, Shall mercy ne'er return? 2. The nation shakes beneath thy stroke, And dreads thy threatening hand; O heal the nation thou hast broke, Confirm the wavering land. ----- Psalm 61 (Isaac Watts) S.M. 1. When overwhelmed with grief My heart within me dies, Helpless and far from all relief To heaven I lift mine eyes. 2. O lead me to the rock That's high above my head, And make the covert of thy wings My shelter and my shade. 3. Within thy presence, Lord, For ever I'll abide; Thou art the tower of my defense, The refuge where I hide. ----- Psalm 62 (James Merrick) L.M. 1. O Vanity, thy name is Man: Intent the human mind to scan, Come, try, if aught of weight there seem; Suspend the balance, fix the beam: 2. In vain. -- With equal ease were weighed The flitting air, or empty shade; Trust not in wrong and fraud; no more On Hope's light wing presumptuous soar. 3. Let gathered wealth before thee lie Beheld with unretorted eye, Nor let the glittering heap impart One wish to thy deluded heart. ----- Psalm 63 (James Montgomery) L.M. 1. O God! thou art my God alone, Early to thee my soul shall cry, A pilgrim in a land unknown, A thirsty land whose springs are dry. 2. Yet, through this rough and thorny maze, I follow hard on thee, my God; Thy hand unseen upholds my ways, I lean upon thy staff and rod. 3. Thee, in the watches of the night, When I remember on my bed, Thy presence makes the darkness light, Thy guardian wings are round my head. 4. Better than life itself thy love, Dearer than all beside to me; For whom have I in heaven above, Or what on earth, compared to Thee! ----- Psalm 64 (Tate and Merrick, combined and alt. by Jeremy Belknap) 8s. 1. O Lord, to our request give ear, And free our souls from hostile fear; For crafty men, of impious mind, (Their powers in secret leagues combined) With factious rage their plots devise, And vent their malice, mixed with lies. 2. But, wretches, whither will ye fly? Behold the arrow from on high Descends, and bears upon its wing The wrath of heaven's offended King! Your slanders on yourselves shall fall, Hated, despised, and shunned by all. ----- Psalm 65 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. Sailors, that travel o'er the flood, Address their frighted souls to God; When tempests rage and billows roar At dreadful distance from the shore. 2. He bids the noisy tempest cease; He calms the raging crowd to peace, When a tumultuous nation raves Wild as the winds, and loud as waves. 3. Whole kingdoms shaken by the storm He settles in a peaceful form; Mountains established by his hand, Firm on their old foundations stand. ----- Psalm 65 (Henry Vaughan) L.M. 1. Sion's true, glorious God! on thee Praise waits in all humility. All flesh shall unto thee repair, To thee, O thou that hearest prayer! 2. But sinful words and works still spread And overrun my heart and head; Transgression make me foul each day, O purge them, purge them all away! ----- Psalm 66 (Phillip Doddridge) 10.10.10.10.11.11. Lightnings and storms God's mighty word obey, And planets roll, where he has marked their way; Unnumbered cherubs veiled before him stand, At his first signal all their wings expand; His praise gives harmony to all their voices, And every heart through the full choir rejoices. ----- Psalm 67 (John Davies) 10.10.10.10. 1. Show us thy mercy, Lord, and grace divine; Turn thy bright face, that it on us may shine, That all the men on earth enlightened so, Their own salvation, and thy ways may know. 2. O let thy people praise thy blessed name, And let all tongues and nations do the same, And let all mortal men rejoice in this, That God their judge and just his judgment is. 3. O let thy people praise thy blessed name, And let all tongues and nations to the same, Then shall the earth bring forth a rich increase, And God shall bless us with a fruitful peace. ----- Psalm 68 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. We bless the Lord, the just, the good, Who fills our hearts with joy and food; Who pours his blessings from the skies, And loads our days with rich supplies. 2. He sends the sun his circuit round, To cheer the fruits, to warm the ground; He bids the clouds with plenteous rain Refresh the thirsty earth again. ----- Psalm 69 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. "Save me, O God, the swelling floods "Break in upon my soul: "I sink, and sorrows o'er my head "Like mighty waters roll." 2. "I cry till all my voice be gone, "In tears I waste the day: "My God behold my longing eyes, "And shorten thy delay." ----- Psalm 70 (Joel Barlow) C.M. 1. Great God, attend my humble call, Nor hear my cries in vain; O let they grace prevent my fall, And still my hope sustain! 2. When foes insulting wound my name, And tempt my soul astray; Then let them hide their face with shame, To their own plots a prey: 3. While all who love thy name rejoice, And glory in thy word, In thy salvation raise their voice, To magnify the Lord. ----- Psalm 71 (Joseph Addison) C.M. 1. When all thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys; Transported with the view, I'm lost In wonder, love, and praise. 2. To all eternity to thee A joyful song I'll raise; For oh! eternity alone Can utter all thy praise. ----- Psalm 72 (Rippon's Collection) L.M. 1. As showers on meadows newly mown, Our God shall send his Spirit down; Eternal Source of grace divine, What soul-refreshing drops are thine! 3. Lands which beneath a burning sky Have long been desolate and dry, Th'effusions of his love shall share, And sudden life and verdure wear. 3. The dews and rains in all their store, Watering the pastures o'er and o'er, Are not so copious as that grace With which God sanctifies our race. 4. As in soft silence, vernal showers Descend and cheer the fainting flowers, So in the fullness of God's love Falls his blessed influence from above. ----- Psalm 73 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. To thee we owe our wealth and friends, And health and safe abode: Thanks to thy name for meaner things, But they are not my God. 2. How vain a toy is glittering wealth, If once compared to thee. Or what's my safety and my health, Or all my friends to me? 3. Were I possessor of the earth And called the stars my own, Without thy graces, and thyself, I were a wretch undone. 4. Let others stretch their arms like seas, And grasp in all the shore, Grant me the visits of thy face, And I desire no more. ----- Psalm 74 (Bay Psalm Book) C.M. O God, why hast thou cast us off, why doth thy rage endure? forever smoking out against the sheep of thy pasture? ----- Psalm 75 (James Merrick) L.M. My soul, with sacred transport filled, To Jacob's God its praise will yield; Through life's continued round, my tongue Shall wake to him the joyous song. ----- Psalm 76 (Tate and Brady) 8s. If Jacob's God begins to frown, Both horse and charioteers, o'erthrown, Together sleep in endless night: When he whom heaven and earth revere, Does once with threatful looks appear, What mortal power can stand the sight? ----- Psalm 77 (James Montgomery) 7.6.7.6. 1. In time of tribulation, Hear, Lord, our earnest cries; With humble supplication To thee the spirit flies. 2. Remembered songs of gladness, Through night's lone silence brought, Strike notes of deepest sadness, And stir desponding thought. 3. Hath God his loving-kindness Shut up in bitter wrath? No! it is human blindness, That cannot see his path. 4. Thy way is in great waters, Thy footsteps are not known; But let earth's sons and daughters Confide in thee alone. ----- Psalm 78 (Phillip Doddridge) C.M. 1. O God of universal good, We own thy bounteous hand, Which did so rich a table spread, E'en in a desert land. 2. Struck by thy power, the flinty rocks In gushing torrents flow; The feathered wanderers of the air Thy guiding instinct know. 3. From pregnant clouds, at thy command, Descends celestial bread; And by light drops of pearly dew All Israel is fed. ----- Psalm 79 (Christopher Smart) 8.7.8.7. 1. From afar, O God, the nations Thy possessions storm and sweep, Churches now are desolations, And Jerusalem an heap. 2. These unformed barbarian forces Birds with our dead bodies feast, And thy saints dismembered courses Give they to each savage beast. 3. Human blood, like wasted water, Round about the wall is shed, And such universal slaughter Leaves no burial for the dead. 4. O let vengeance now be sated, Let the blood that's shed atone, And from those who thus have hated Take away the hearts of stone. 5. From the dungeon deep resounding Hear the prisoners as they sigh; O let grace to power abounding, Save the poor, condemned to die! ----- Psalm 80 (John Milton) C.M. 1. A vine from Egypt thou hast brought, Thy free love made it thine, And drovest out nations proud and haut To plant this lovely vine. 2. Thou didst prepare for it a place And root it deep and fast, That it began to grow apace And filled the land at last. 3. With her green shade that covered all, The hills were overspread, Her bows as high as cedars tall Advanced their lofty head. 4. The tusked boar out of the wood Upturns it by the roots, Wild beasts there browse, and make their food Her grapes and tender shoots. 5. Return now, God of hosts, look down From heaven, thy seat divine, Behold us, but without a frown, And visit this thy vine. ----- Psalm 81 (George Wither) L.M.D. 1. In God our strength, let us rejoice; To Jacob's God, let us now sing, And in our psalms, to help the voice, The timbrel, harp, and psaltery bring. The moon renewing, trumpets blow, And when the solemn feastings be: For Jacob's God, long time ago, In Israel did this law decree. 2. This testimony he prepared, When Joseph came from Egypt land And lived where he a language heard Whose words he did not understand. "From burdens, and the potters task, "Thy hands and shoulders I did free, "I helped, when thou for help did ask, "And heard thee from the storm," said he. 3. "Even at the waters of debate "I said (that I might prove thee there) "O Israel mark, what I relate, "And to mine words incline thine ear. "Thou shalt no other gods at all, "But me the Lord thy God, receive; "For thee I brought from Egypt's thrall, "And will thy largest askings give." ----- Psalm 82 (John Milton) C.M. 1. God in the great assembly stands Of kings and lordly states; Among the rulers of the lands He judges and debates. 2. "How long will ye pervert the right With judgment false and wrong Favoring the wicked by your might, Who thence grow bold and strong? 3. "Regard the weak and fatherless; Dispatch 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. Rise God! judge thou the earth in might; The oppressed land redress; For thou art he who shalt by right The Nations all possess. ----- Psalm 83 (Isaac Watts, altered by Jeremy Belknap) S.M. 1. And will the God of grace Perpetual silence keep? When bloody men, more fierce than wolves Devour his harmless sheep? 2. Awake, Almighty God, And disappoint their aim, Make them like chaff before the wind, Or stubble to the flame! ----- Psalm 84 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. How pleasant, how divinely fair, O Lord of hosts, thy dwellings are! With long desire my spirit faints To meet th'assemblies of thy saints. 2. The sparrow chooses where to rest, And for her young provides her nest: But will my God to sparrows grant That pleasure which his children want? 3. Blest are the souls that find a place Within the temple of thy grace; There they behold thy gentler rays, And seek thy face, and learn thy praise. ----- Psalm 85 (John Milton) C.M. 1. Surely to such as do God fear Salvation is at hand And glory shall ere long appear To dwell within our Land. 2. Mercy and Truth that long were missed Now joyfully are met Sweet Peace and Righteousness have kissed And hand in hand are set. 3. Truth from the earth like to a flower Shall bud and blossom then, And Justice from her heavenly bower Look down on mortal men. ----- Psalm 86 (Isaac Watts) C.M. Among the princes, earthly gods, There's none hath power divine; Nor is their nature, mighty Lord, Nor are their works like thine. ----- Psalm 87 (Elizabeth Carter) C.M. 1. Beneath the deep oppressive gloom My languid spirits fade: And all the drooping powers of life Decline to death's cold shade. 2. O thou, the wretched's sure retreat, These torturing cares control, And with the cheerful smile of peace Revive my fainting soul! 2. Oppressed with grief and shame, dissolved In penitential tears, Thy goodness calms our restless doubts, And dissipates our fears. 3. New life from thy refreshing grace Our sinking hearts receive; Thy gentle, best loved attribute --- To pity and forgive. ----- Psalm 88 (Phillip Doddridge) L.M. 1. Our Father's watchful care we bless, Which guards our synagogues in peace, that no tumultuous foes invade, To fill our worshippers with dread. 2. These walls, we to thy honor raise, Long may they echo with thy praise; And thou descending fill the place, With choicest tokens of thy grace. 3. Here let the great Jehovah reign, With all the graces of his train; Whilst power divine his word attends, To conquer foes, and cheer his friends. ----- Psalm 89 (Abner Kneeland) L.M. 1. Goodness and mercy have no bound; But like the sun's most gentle beams, Which lighten all this spacious ground, Flow down to us in copious streams. 2. Thy truth, O Lord, to us impart, May we the same with firmness own; Abhorring each delusive art, And loving thee, the Lord, alone. 3. Give us the light we ever need, Our minds with knowledge ever fill, From noxious error guard our creed, From prejudice defend our will. 4. May all the sons of Adam's race, Their every faculty improve, Till discord through the world shall cease, And every creature meet in love. ----- Psalm 90 (Francis Bacon) 10s. 1. The life of man is threescore years and ten, Or, that if he be strong, perhaps fourscore; Yet all things are but labor to him then, New sorrows still come on, pleasures, no more. Why should there be such turmoil and such strife, To spin in length this feeble line of life? 2. Teach us, O Lord, to number well our days, Thereby our hearts to wisdom to apply; For that which guides man best in all his ways, Is meditation of mortality. This bubble light, this vapor of our breath, Teach us to consecrate the hour of death. ----- Psalm 91 (Anne Steele) C.M. 1. When I survey life's varied scene, Amidst the darkest hours, Bright rays of comfort shine between, And thorns are mixed with flowers. 2. This thought can all my fears control, And bid my sorrows fly; No harm can ever reach my soul, Beneath my Father's eye. 3. If pain and sickness rend this frame, And life almost depart; Is not thy mercy still the same, To cheer my drooping heart? 4. Is blooming health my happy share? --- O, may I bless my God! Thy goodness let my song declare, And spread thy praise abroad. ----- Psalm 92 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. Lord, 'tis a pleasant thing to stand In gardens planted by thine hand; Let me within thy courts be seen Like a young cedar fresh and green. 2. There grow thy saints in faith and love, Blest with thine influence from above; Not Lebanon with all its trees Yields such a comely sight as these. 3. The plants of grace shall ever live; (Nature decays but grace must thrive) Time, that doth all things else impair, Still makes them flourish strong and fair. 4. Laden with fruits of age, they show The Lord is holy, just, and true; None that attend his gates shall find A God unfaithful or unkind. ----- Psalm 93 (Isaac Watts) 6.6.8.6.6.8. 1. The Lord Jehovah reigns And royal state maintains, His head with awful glories crowned; Arrayed in robes of light, Begirt with sovereign might, And rays of majesty around. 2. Upheld by thy commands The world securely stands; And skies and stars obey thy word: Thy throne was fixed on high Before the starry sky; Eternal is thy kingdom, Lord. 3. Let floods and nations rage, And all their powers engage, Let swelling tides assault the sky; The terrors of thy frown Shall beat their madness down; Thy throne for ever stands on high. ----- Psalm 94 (Tate and Brady) C.M. 1. At length, ye thoughtless men, your wants Endeavor to discern; In folly will you still proceed, And wisdom never learn! 2. Will he, who is a God most just, Their sinful throne sustain, Who make the law a fair pretence, Their wicked ends to gain? 3. He fathoms all the thoughts of men; To him their hearts lie bare; His eye surveys them all, and sees How vain their counsels are. ----- Psalm 95 (Bay Psalm Book: 1st ed. v. 1; rev. ed. vv. 2-4) C.M. 1. O come, let us unto the Lord Shout loud with singing voice: to the rock of our saving health let us make joyful noise. 2. Let us with giving thanks draw nigh His holy presence to: Let us with Psalms triumphantly Unto him sing also. 3. For God the Lord most mighty is Great king o'er all gods he. Earth's deeps are in his hand, and his The strength of mountains be. 4. The sea to him belonging is, Because he made the same; And also the dry land is his, For it his hands did frame. ----- Psalm 96 (John S. B. Monsell) 12.10.12.10. 1. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, Bow down before him, his glory proclaim; Gold of obedience and incense of lowliness Bring, and adore him; the Lord is his name! 2. Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness, High on his heart he will bear it for thee, Comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness, Guiding thy steps as may best for thee be. 3. Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness Of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine; Truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness, These are the offerings to lay on his shrine. ----- Psalm 97 (Tate and Brady) L.M. Jehovah reigns; let all the earth In his just government rejoice; Let all the lands, with sacred mirth, In his applause unite their voice. ----- Psalm 98 (Bay Psalm Book, 1st ed.) C.M. 1. A new song sing unto the Lord, For wonders he hath done: His right hand and his holy arm Him victory hath won. 2. Unto Jehovah all the earth, Make ye a joyful noise: Make ye also a cheerful sound, Sing praise, likewise rejoice. ----- Psalm 99 (Isaac Watts) S.M. 1. The God Jehovah reigns, Let all the nations fear; Let sinners tremble at this throne, And saints be humble there. 2. The God Jehovah reigns, Let earth adore its Lord; Bright cherubs his attendants stand, Swift to fulfill his word. 3. How holy is his name! How awful is his praise! Justice and truth and judgment join In all his works of grace. ----- Psalm 100 (George Sandys) H.M. 1. All from the sun's uprise, Unto his setting rays, Resound in jubilees The great Jehovah's praise. Him serve alone; In triumph bring Your gifts and sing Before his throne. 2. Man drew from man his birth, But God his noble frame Built of the ruddy earth, Filled with celestial flame. His sons we are; Sheep by him led, Preserved, and fed With tender care. 3. O to his portals press In your divine resorts; With thanks his power profess, And praise him in his courts. How good! how pure! His mercies last; His promise past Forever sure! ----- Psalm 101 (James Merrick) 7.7.7.7. 1. Mercy, judgment, now my tongue Makes the subject of its song: Lord! to whom then shall I sing, But to thee, eternal King? 2. Wisdom shall my footsteps guide, Nor permit my feet to slide, Or from thy all-perfect way, Lost in paths of sin, to stray. 3. When, O when, celestial guest, Shall my house with thee be blest? Lo! my heart with studious care For thy presence I prepare. ----- Psalm 102 (Phillip Doddridge) L.M. 1. Our days a transient period run, And change with every circling sun; And in the firmest state we boast, A moth can crush us into dust. 2. But let the creatures fall around; Let death consign us to the ground; Let the last general flame arise, And melt the arches of the skies: 3. Calm as the summer's ocean, we Can all the wreck of nature see, While grace secures us an abode, Unshaken as the throne of God. ----- Psalm 103 (Phillip Doddridge) C.M. 1. Lord, we thy wondrous power proclaim, And make that power our trust, Which raised at first this curious frame From mean and lifeless dust. 2. By dust supported, still it stands, Prepared in various forms; And wrought by thy creating hands To nourish mortal worms. 3. Awhile these frail machines endure; (The fabric of a day!) Then lose their animating power, And moulder back to clay. ----- Psalm 104 (Vincent) 5s 1. Bless God, O my soul, Rejoice in his name; And let my glad voice Thy greatness proclaim: Surpassing in honor, Dominion and might Thy throne is the heaven, Thy robe is the light. 2. The sky we behold, A curtain displayed, The chambers of heaven On waters are laid. The clouds a chariot, Thy glory to bear, On winds thou art wafted, Thou ridest on air. 3. As rapid as fire, Thy angels on high Convey thy commands, Thy ministers fly. The earth on its basis Eternal sustained, Is fixed in the place Thy wisdom ordained. 4. The world, when at first Of chaos composed, Was void, without form, In waters enclosed; Thy voice, majestic, In thunder was heard; The waters subsided, The mountains appeared. ----- Psalm 104 (Isaac Watts) L.M. (w/refrain) 1. My soul, thy great Creator praise; When cloth'd in his celestial rays He in full Majesty appears, And, like a robe, his glory wears. Refrain: Great is the Lord; what tongue can frame Equal honor to his name? 2. He bids the crystal fountains flow, And cheer the valleys as they go; Tame heifers there their thirst allay, And for the stream wild asses bray. 3. He makes the grassy food arise, And gives the cattle large supplies; Fierce lions lead their young abroad, And roaring ask their meat from God. 4. Behold the stately cedar stands, Raised in the forest by his hands: Birds to the boughs for shelter fly And build their nests secure on high. 5. Vast are thy works, almighty Lord, All nature rests upon thy word, And the whole race of creatures stands, Waiting their portion from thy hands. 6 While each receives his different food, Their cheerful looks pronounce it good; Eagles and bears, and whales and worms, Rejoice and praise in different forms. ----- Psalm 105 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. When Pharaoh dared to vex the saints, And thus provoked their God, Moses was sent at their complaints, Armed with his dreadful rod. 2. He called for darkness; darkness came Like an o'erwhelming flood; He turned each lake and every stream To lakes and streams of blood. 3. He gave the sign, and noisome flies Through the whole country spread; And frogs, in croaking armies, rise About the monarch's bed. 4. Through fields, and towns, and palaces, The tenfold vengeance flew; Locusts in swarms devoured their trees, And hail their cattle slew. 5. Then by an angel's midnight stroke, The flower of Egypt died; The strength of every house was broke, Their glory and their pride. 6. Thus were the tribes from bondage brought, And left the hated ground; Each some Egyptian spoils had got, And not one feeble found. 7. The Lord himself chose out their way, And marked their journeys right, Gave them a leading cloud by day, A fiery guide by night. ----- Psalm 106 (Bay Psalm Book, rev. ed.) C.M. 1. Our fathers made a calf of gold While they at Horeb were; And stupidly they worshipped The molten image there. 2. Thus they most foolishly exchanged Him that their glory was, For the base likeness of an ox That feeding lives on grass. 3. They quite forgot the glorious God, Who had their savior been; By whom such mighty things performed, They had in Egypt seen. 4. God said then, he would them destroy, If Moses in that day Had not stood in the dreadful breech, And turned God's wrath away. ----- Psalm 107 (James Merrick) C.M. 1. Beneath God's terrors doomed to groan, Behold th'intemperate band The fruits of folly reap, and own, The justice of his hand. 2. From food estranged, their languid soul The needful meal forgoes; Life feels its current faintly roll, And hasten to its close. 3. Distressed, to God they make their prayer, And nature, joyous, sees His word her ruined strength repair, Her fiercest tortures ease. ----- Psalm 108 (Tate and Brady) C.M. 1. Awake, my heart, and thou, my voice, Thy willing tribute pay; And let a hymn of sacred joy, Salute the dawning day. 2. To all the listening world, O God, Thy goodness I'll proclaim; While every joyful tongue shall join To spread the glorious theme. ----- Psalm 109 (Bay Psalm Book, rev. ed.) C.M. 1. Hold not thy peace, O God my praise; For opened wide at me Are wicked and deceitful mouths, With tongues of falsity. 2. With words of spiteful hatred they Encompass me around; And fight against me, though no cause In me they ever found. 3. They for my love became my foes; Yet I for them do pray; Though they reward me ill for good, And hate for love repay. ----- Psalm 110 (Tate and Brady) 8s. A psalm of David. Thus spake Jehovah to our Lord (Let heaven and earth attend his word): "At my right hand assume thy seat; "Rule thou supreme amidst thy foes; "The powers who dare thy reign oppose "Shall fall confounded at thy feet." ----- Psalm 111 (Tate and Brady) L.M. God's works are all of matchless fame, And universal glory claim; His truth confirmed through ages past, Shall to eternal ages last. ----- Psalm 112 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. Thrice happy man who fears the Lord, Loves his commands, and trusts his word; Honor and peace his days attend, And blessings to his seed descend. 2. Compassion dwells upon his mind, To works of mercy still inclined: He lends the poor some present aid, Or gives them, not to be repaid. 3. When times grow dark, and tidings spread That fill his neighbors round with dread, His heart is armed against the fear, For God with all his power is there. 4. His soul, well fixed upon the Lord, Draws heavenly courage from his word; Amidst the darkness light shall rise, To cheer his heart, and bless his eyes. 5. He hath dispersed his alms abroad, His works are still before his God; His name on earth shall long remain, While envious sinners fret in vain. ----- Psalm 113 (Thomas Carew) 8s. 1. Ye children of the Lord, that wait Upon his will, sing hymns divine From henceforth, to time's endless date To his name praised, from the first shine Of the early sun, till it decline. 2. The hosts of heaven or earth have none May to his height of glory rise: For who like him hath fixed his throne So high, yet bends down to the skies And lower earth his humble eyes? 3 The poor from loathed dust he draws, And makes them regal state invest 'Mongst kind, that gives his people laws: He makes the barren mother rest Under her roof with children blessed. ----- Psalm 114 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. When Israel, freed from Pharaoh's hand, Left the proud tyrant and his land, The tribes with cheerful homage own Their King, and Judah was his throne. 2. Across the deep their journey lay; The deep divides to make them way: Jordan beheld their march, and fled With backward current to his head. 3. The mountains shook like frighted sheep, Like lambs the little hillocks leap; Not Sinai on her base could stand, Conscious of sovereign power at hand. 4. Let every mountain, every flood, Retire and know th'approaching God, The king of Israel: see him here; Tremble, thou earth, adore and fear. ----- Psalm 115 (Bay Psalm Book, rev. ed.) C.M. 1. Why should the taunting heathen cry, "Where is the God they own?" Our God in heaven sits high enthroned, And what he pleased hath done. 2. Their idols silver are, and gold; Men's handiwork are they. Mouths have they, but they cannot speak; And eyes, but cannot see. 3. Ears have they, but they cannot hear; Noses, but savor not; Have hands and feet, but cannot move; Nor murmur in their throat. 4. Such senseless stocks are they themselves Who did these idols frame; And such are all who to them pray, And put their trust in them. ----- Psalm 116 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. My flesh declined, my spirits fell, And I drew near the dead, While inward pangs and fears of hell Perplexed my wakeful head. 2. "My God," I cried, "thy servant save, "Thou ever good and just; "Thy power can rescue from the grave, "Thy power is all my trust." 3. The Lord beheld me sore distressed, He bid my pains remove: Return, my soul, to God thy rest, For thou hast known his love. ----- Psalm 117 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. O all ye nations, praise the Lord, Each with a different tongue; In every language learn his word, And let his name be sung. 2. His mercy reigns through every land; Proclaim his grace abroad; For ever firm his truth shall stand, Praise ye the faithful God. ----- Psalm 117 (Tate and Brady) C.M. 1. With cheerful notes let all the earth To heaven their voices raise; Let all inspired with godly mirth Sing solemn hymns of praise. 2. God's tender mercy knows no bound, His truth shall ne'er decay; Then let the willing nations round Their grateful tribute pay. ----- Psalm 118 (Tate and Brady) C.M. Far better 'tis to trust in God, And have the Lord our friend, Than on the greatest human power For safety to depend. ----- Psalm 119 (Phillip Doddridge) C.M. Perfection, ‘tis an empty name, Nor can repay our cares, And he, that seeks it here below, Must end the search with tears. ----- Psalm 120 (King James Version) In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. ----- Psalm 121 (Charles Wesley) 7.6.7.6.7.7.7.6. To the hills I lift mine eyes, The everlasting hills; Streaming thence in fresh supplies, My soul the Spirit feels: Will he not his help afford? Help, while yet I ask, is given; God comes down; the mighty Lord, Who made both earth and heaven. ----- Psalm 122 (Isaac Watts) 6.6.8.6.6.8. 1. How pleased and blessed was I To hear the people cry, "Come let us seek our God today"; And with a cheerful zeal We haste to Zion's hill, And there our vows and honors pay. 2. Zion, thou happy place, Adorned with wondrous grace, And walls of strength embrace thee round; In thee our tribes appear To pray, and praise, and hear The sacred gospel's joyous sound. 3. May peace attend thy gate, And joy within thee wait To bless the soul of every guest! The man who seeks thy peace, And wishes thine increase, A thousand blessings on him rest! ----- Psalm 123 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. O thou whose grace and justice reign Enthroned above the skies, To thee our hearts would tell their pain, To thee we lift our eyes. 2. As servants watch their master's hand, And fear the angry stroke; Or maids before their mistress stand, And wait a peaceful look; 3. So for our sins we justly feel Thy discipline, O God; Yet wait the gracious moment still, Till thou remove thy rod. ----- Psalm 124 (King James Version) Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. ----- Psalm 125 (Thomas Kelly) 8.7.8.7.11. 1. Zion stands by hills surrounded, Zion, kept by power divine; All her foes shall be confounded, Though the world in arms combine; Happy Zion, what a favored lot is thine! 2. Every human tie may perish; Friend to friend unfaithful prove; Mothers cease their own to cherish; Heaven and earth at last remove; But no changes can attend Jehovah's love. 3 In the furnace God may prove thee, Thence to bring thee forth more bright, But can never cease to love thee; Thou art precious in his sight; God is with thee -- God, thine everlasting Light. ----- Psalm 126 (Bay Psalm Book, rev. ed.) C.M. 1. When from captivity the Lord His Zion did redeem: Then we in ecstasy of soul Were like to them who dream. 2. Then were our mouths with laughter filled, Our tongues with shouts did sound: "The Lord hath done great things for them," The heathen freely owned. 3. Lord, our remaining captives bring Home from th'oppressing foe. Like cooling streams which in the south To thirsty regions flow. ----- Psalm 127 (Christopher Smart) 7.7.7.7. 1. Vainly for the bread of care Late and long th'hours you keep, For it is by fervent prayer That God lays the blessed asleep. 2. Lo! thy children are not thine, Nor the fruits of human love, But a heritage divine, And a blessing from above. ----- Psalm 128 (Tate and Brady) C.M. 1. The man is blessed who loves the Lord, Nor only worship pays; But keeps his steps confined with care To God's appointed ways. 2. He shall upon the sweet returns Of his own labor feed; Without dependence live, and see His wishes all succeed. ----- Psalm 129 (Belknap's Sacred Poetry) L.M. 1. How often have our restless foes Their arts employed to vex our land! But God did kindly interpose; His power hath made our feet to stand. 2. By subtle wiles as dark as night, Their malice lay awhile concealed, But soon the mischief sprang to light, And all their projects stood revealed. 3. But secret arts and open force Have never moved our steadfast; God's justice still maintains its course, And he will all their plots defeat. ----- Psalm 130 (James Montgomery) S.M. 1. Out of the depths of woe, To thee, O Lord, I cry; Darkness surrounds thee, but I know That thou are ever nigh. 2. Like them I watch and pray, Who for the morning long; Catch the first gleam of welcome day, Then burst into a song. 3. Glory to God above! The waters soon will cease; For lo, the swift returning dove Brings home the sign of peace. 4. Though storms thy face obscure, And dangers threaten loud, Thy holy covenant is sure; Thy bow is in the cloud. ----- Psalm 131 (Benjamin Williams's Book of Psalms) C.M. 1. Thou great and sacred Lord of all, Of life the only spring, Creator of unnumber'd worlds, Immensely glorious King. 2. Drive from the confines of my heart Inpentinence and pride: Nor let me in erroneous paths With thoughtless sinners glide. 3. Let not despair nor fell revenge Be to my bosom known; O give me tears for other's woe, And patience for my own. 4. Feed me with necessary food, I ask not wealth nor fame: But give me eyes to view thy works And sense to praise thy name. ----- Psalm 132 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. No sleep nor slumber to his eyes Good David would afford, Till he had found below the skies A dwelling for the Lord. 2. The Lord in Zion placed his name, His ark was settled there; To Zion the whole nation came, To worship thrice a year. 3. But we have no such lengths to go, Nor wander far abroad; Where'er thy saints assemble now, There is a house for God. ----- Psalm 133 (Hosea Ballou) C.M. 1. How charming is the graceful sight, Where friendly hearts in love unite, Where brethren all in union move, And each fulfills the law of love. 2. God here commands his blessing sure, Long shall the heavenly grace endure; When discord long forgot shall be, Brethren shall dwell in unity. ----- Psalm 134 (Isaac Watts) C.M. 1. Lift up your hands by morning-light, And send your souls on high; Raise your admiring thoughts by night Above the starry sky. 2. The God of Zion cheers our hearts With rays of quickening grace; The God that spread the heavens abroad, And rules the swelling seas. ----- Psalm 135 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. Praise ye the Lord, exalt his name, While in his holy courts ye wait, Ye saints, that to his house belong, Or stand attending at his gate. 2. Praise ye the Lord; the Lord is good; To praise his name is sweet employ; Israel he chose of old, and still His church is his peculiar joy. 3. Bless ye the Lord, who taste his love, People and priests exalt his name: Amongst his saints he ever dwells; His church is his Jerusalem. ----- Psalm 136 (James Merrick) 7.7.7.7. 1. Lift your voice, and thankful sing Praises to your heavenly King; For his blessings far extend, And his mercy knows no end. 2. Be the Lord your only theme, Who of gods is God supreme; He to whom all lords beside Bow the knee, their faces hide. --- 3. God asserts his just command By the wonders of his hand; He whose wisdom, throned on high, Built the mansions of the sky. --- 4. He who bade the watery deep In appointed bounds to keep, And the stars that gild the pole Through unmeasured ether roll. 5. Thee, O sun, whose powerful ray Rules the empire of the day; You, O moon and stars, whose light Cheers the darkness of the night. 6. He with food sustains, O earth, All which claim from thee their birth; For his blessings wide extend, And his mercy knows no end. ----- Psalm 137 (Philip Hayes) By the waters, the waters of Babylon We sat down and wept, and wept, and wept, When we remembered thee, remembered thee, O Zion. As for our harps we hanged them up upon the trees that are therein. ----- Psalm 138 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. With all my powers of heart and tongue I'll praise my Maker in my song: Angels shall hear the notes I raise, Approve the song, and join the praise. 2. I'll sing thy truth and mercy, Lord, I'll sing the wonders of thy word; Not all thy works and names below So much thy power and glory show. ----- Psalm 138 (Anne Steele) C.M. To thee, our God, our heart shall bring The lively grateful song; Attending crowds shall hear us sing With rapture on our tongues. ----- Psalm 139 (Elizabeth Carter) L.M. 1. Thou God by whose command I live, The tribute of my praise receive; To thee, O Lord, my life I owe, And all my joys from thee do flow. 2. Not many suns have formed the year, And rolled their courses round the sphere, Since thou my shapeless dust surveyed, In undistinguished matter laid. 3. Thy plastic hand my clay refined, Its particles in order joined, And, to complete the wondrous whole, Did stamp thine image on my soul. --- 4. A soul susceptible of joy, Which length of time cannot destroy; Though nature claims my vital breath, It bids defiance still to death. 5. To realms of bliss my soul will soar When earth and skies shall be no more; And there, in more exalted lays, Shall sing my great Creator's praise. ----- Psalm 140 (James Merrick) L.M. My heart has known thee, Lord, prepared The helpless and the poor to guard, To save them from oppression's jaws, And vindicate their injured cause. ----- Psalm 141 (Isaac Watts) L.M. My God, accept my early vows, Like morning incense in thine house, And let my nightly worship rise Sweet as the evening sacrifice. ----- Psalm 142 (John Denham) 8.6.8.6.8.6. 1. To God with tears and sighs I prayed, Cried to him for relief, And humble supplication made, To help me with my grief. My soul was overwhelmed with woe, But Thou my paths didst know. 2. Along the way through which I passed A private snare was laid: Among my friends my eyes I cast, Yet still I wanted aid. My friends at me like strangers stare, Nor of my soul take care. 3. To Thee I cried, O Lord, Thou know, My refuge is from Thee, My enemies have brought me low, And are too strong for me. Thy bounty shall the just adore If me Thou will restore. ----- Psalm 143 (Bay Psalm Book, rev. ed.) C.M.D. I called to mind the days of old, On all thy works I thought; I meditated on the deeds Thy mighty hands have wrought. And now I earnestly to Thee Reach with my out-stretched hands; My soul for Thee with ardor longs, Like dry and thirsty lands. ----- Psalm 144 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. Happy the city, where their sons Like pillars round a palace set, And daughters bright as polished stones Give strength and beauty to the state. 2. Happy the country, where the sheep, Cattle, and corn, have large increase; Where men securely work or sleep, Nor sons of plunder break the peace. 3. Happy the nation thus endow'd, But more divinely blest are those On whom the all-sufficient God Himself with all his grace bestows. ----- Psalm 145 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. My God, my King, thy various praise Shall fill the remnant of my days; Thy grace employ my humble tongue Till death and glory raise the song. 2. The wings of every hour shall bear Some thankful tribute to thine ear; And every setting sun shall see That I shall sing new songs to thee. ----- Psalm 146 (Isaac Watts) L.M. 1. Why should I make a man my trust? Princes must die and turn to dust; Their breath departs, their pomp and power And thoughts, all vanish in an hour. 2. Happy the man whose hopes rely On Israel's God: he made the sky, And earth and seas with all their train, And none shall find his promise vain. 3. His truth for ever stands secure; He saves th'oppresed, he feeds the poor; He sends the laboring conscience peace, And grants the prisoner sweet release. ----- Psalm 146 (Anne Finch) 10.10.10.12. 1. God, who the heavens, and air, and earth, the deep With all therein, created by his word, His word to all eternity shall keep; His will is sacred truth, and power is with the Lord. 2. Mercy and justice still with him remain: That feeds the hungry, and th'oppressed relieves; Mercy dissolved th'afflicted prisoner's chain; To long benighted eyes, mercy the light retrieves. 3. To righteousness the Lord offers his care, To him, for refuge, the poor widows come; The fatherless is God's adopted heir; The stranger, too, in God is sure to find a home. ----- Psalm 147 (Anne Steele) L.M. 1. God speaks! and swiftly from the skies To earth, the sovereign mandate flies; Observant nature hears the word, And bows obedient to her Lord. 2. Now thick descending flakes of snow O'er earth a fleecy mantle throw; Now glittering frost o'er all the plains Extends its universal chains. 3. God speaks! the snow and ice obey, And nature's fetters melt away; Now vernal winds soft rising blow, And liquid waters gently flow. ----- Psalm 148 (Isaac Watts) H. M. 1. Ye tribes of Adam, join With heaven, and earth, and seas, And offer notes divine To your Creator's praise: Ye holy throng Of angels bright, In worlds of light, Begin the song. 2. Thou sun with dazzling rays, And moon that rules the night, Shine to your Maker's praise, With stars of twinkling light: His power declare, Ye floods on high, And clouds that fly In empty air. 3. Ye mountains near the skies, With lofty cedars there, And trees of humbler size, That fruit in plenty bear; Beasts wild and tame, Birds, flies, and worms, In various forms Exalt his name. ----- Psalm 148 (Foundling Hospital Collection, 1801) 8.7.8.7. 1. Praise the Lord! ye heavens adore him! Praise him, angels in the height; Sun and moon, rejoice before him; Praise him, all ye stars of light! Praise the Lord! for he hath spoken; Worlds his mighty voice obeyed; Laws, which never shall be broken, For their guidance he hath made. 2. Praise the Lord! for he is glorious; Never shall his promise fail; God hath made his saints victorious, Sin and death shall not prevail: Praise the God of our salvation, Hosts on high, his power proclaim; Heaven and earth, and all creation, Praise and magnify his name! ----- Psalm 149 (Tate and Brady) 10.10.11.11. 1. O praise ye the Lord, prepare your glad voice, His praise in the great assembly to sing; In God the creator let Israel rejoice, And children of Zion be glad in their King. 2. Let them his great name extol with their might; Join both heart and voice his praise to express; Who always takes pleasure his saints to delight, And with his salvation the humble to bless. ----- Psalm 150 (George Sandys) 7s. 1. Praise the Lord, enthroned on high, Praise him in his sanctity. Praise him for his mighty deeds, Praise him who in power exceeds. 2. Praise with trumpets, pierce the skies, Praise with harps and psalteries. Praise with timbrels, organs, flutes, Praise with violins and lutes. 3. Praise with silver cymbals sing, Praise on those which loudly ring. Angels, all of human birth, Praise the Lord of heaven and earth. Hallelujah!