2

As for me, I said in my prosperity,

I shall never be moved,

Thou, LORD, of thy favour hadst made my mountain to stand strong:

Thou didst hide thy face; I was troubled,

I cried to thee, O LORD;

And unto the LORD I made supplication:

3

'What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?

'Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? 'Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me:

'LORD, be thou my helper.'

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness:

To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

xxxi

A Twice-told Deliverance

In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed:

Deliver me in thy righteousness.

Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily:
Be thou to me a strong rock, an house of defence to

save me.

For thou art my rock and my fortress;

Therefore for thy name's sake lead me and guide me.
Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for

me;

For thou art my strong hold.

Into thine hand I commend my spirit:

Thou hast redeemed me, O LORD, thou God of truth.
I hate them that regard lying vanities:

But I trust in the LORD.

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy, for thou hast seen my affliction ;

Thou hast known my soul in adversities :

And thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the

enemy;

Thou hast set my feet in a large place.

Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in distress:
Mine eye wasteth away with grief,

Yea, my soul and my body.

For my life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing:

My strength faileth because of mine iniquity,

And my bones are wasted away.

Because of all mine adversaries I am become a reproach,

Yea, unto my neighbours exceedingly,

And a fear to mine acquaintance:

They that did see me without fled from me;
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:

I am like a broken vessel.

For I have heard the defaming of many, terror on every side:

While they took counsel together against me,
They devised to take away my life.

But I trusted in thee, O LORD:

I said, Thou art my God,

My times are in thy hand.

Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies and from them

that persecute me;

Make thy face to shine upon thy servant,

Save me in thy lovingkindness.

Let me not be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon

thee:

Let the wicked be ashamed;

Let them be silent in Sheol.

Let the lying lips be dumb:

Which speak against the righteous insolently,
With pride and contempt.

Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee,

Which thou hast wrought for them that put their trust in thee, before the sons of men!

In the covert of thy presence shalt thou hide them from the plottings of man:

Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

Blessed be the LORD:

For he hath shewed me his marvellous lovingkindness in a strong city.

As for me, I said in my haste, I am cut off from before

thine eyes:

Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

O love the LORD, all ye his saints:

The LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

All ye that hope in the LORD.

62

xxxii

Blessedness of the Forgiven Soul

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no guile.

When I kept silence, my bones waxed old
Through my roaring all the day long.

For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me:
My moisture was changed as with the drought of

summer.

I acknowledged my sin unto thee,
And mine iniquity have I not hid:

I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD;
And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found :·

Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him.