5 what I lack of it. Behold thou hast made my days old: and mine existence is as nothing before thee. The universe-every 16 man living is vanity. Man indeed walketh about as an image;

still he troubleth himself in vain. He heapeth up treasures 27 and knoweth not for whom he is to gather them. Now then

what is my expectation? Is it not the Lord? In thee is my 18 hope. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Thou hast made 19 me the reproach of a fool: I was dumb and opened not my 10 mouth because thou art he who didst make me. O! Remove

thy scourges from me: by the blow of thy hand I fainted. 11 With rebukes thou hast corrected man for iniquity; and

caused his life to waste like a spider. Still every man troub12 leth himself in vain. Hearken, O Lord, to my prayer: give

ear to my supplication: hold not thy peace at my tears: since I am a sojourner in the land; and a stranger as all my fathers 13 were; O spare me that I may recover strength; before I go. hence and be no more.

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XL.

For the conclusion. A Psalm by David.

I WAITED patiently for the Lord and he attended to me 2 and heard my prayer: and brought me up from a horrible pit and from miry clay; and set my feet on a rock and directed 3 my steps, and put in my mouth a new song--a hymn to our God. Many will see and be struck with awe, and trust in the 4 Lord. Happy the man, whose hope is the name of the Lord, 5 and who hath not looked to vanities and lying fooleries. Many are thy wonders which thou, O Lord my God, hast wrought; and for thy thoughts there is none to be compared to thee. I have declared and spoken. They are multiplied beyond com6 putation. Sacrifice and offerings thou didst not desire, but preparedst for me a body; whole burnt offerings and offerings 7 for sin thou didst not require. Then I said, Behold I come; 8 (in the volume of a book it is written respecting me) to perform, O my God, thy will, I was determined, even that law of 9 thine, within my heart. I have published the good news of thy righteousness, in a great congregation. Behold I will not re10 frain my lips; thou, O Lord, knowest my righteousness. I have

not hid thy truth in my heart, but have mentioned thy salvation-I have not concealed thy mercy and thy truth from a 11 great congregation. Withhold not thou then, O Lord, thy tender mercies from me. Thy mercy and thy truth have continu12 ally upheld me. Because evils without number encompassed me-mine iniquities had overtaken me, therefore I was notable to look up; they were multiplied above the hairs of my head, therefore my heart failed me.

13

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me. O Lord, draw near to 14 my assistance. Let them who seek my life to destroy it, be

shamed and confounded together. Let them be turned back 15 and shamed who wish me evil; let those quickly bear their 16 shame who say to me, Ha! ha! Let all who seek thee, O Lord, rejoice and be glad for thee; let them who love thy salva17 tion say continually, The Lord be magnified! As for me, I am distressed and needy, the Lord will care for me. Thou art my helper and my protector, O my God, make no delay.

XLI.

For the conclusion. A Psalm by David.

1 HAPPY he who is considerate with regard to the distressed 2 and needy; in time of trouble the Lord will deliver him. May the Lord preserve him and keep him alive, and make him happy in the land, and may he never deliver him into the hands of 3 his enemy! May the Lord support him on his bed of languish4 ing! thou hast made all his bed in this sickness of his. I said,

"Lord be merciful to me: heal my soul, for I have sinned 5 against thee." Mine enemies said wickedly of me, “When will 6 he die and his name perish?" And if one came to see me, his

heart spoke vainly. He collected iniquity for himself; he went 7 abroad and spoke for that purpose. All mine enemies spread whispers against me; against me, they devised things hurtful 8 to me. They came to a wicked determination against me.

"Now he is confined to his bed, let him never rise again." 9 Nay, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted—who ate of 10 my bread, lifted up his heel against me. But thou, O Lord,

have compassion on me, and raise me up, that I may requite 11 them. By this, I know that thou hast delighted in me, because 12 mine enemy hath not triumphed over me. And for mine inno

cence thou hast upheld me; and established me before thee for13 ever. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen. Amen.

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XLII.

For the conclusion. On understanding. For the sons of Kore.

AS the hart panteth for fountains of water, so panteth my 2 soul for thee, O God. My soul hath thirsted for the living God; 3 When shall I come and appear before God? My tears were

4

my food day and night, when they said to me continually, Where is thy God? On recollecting these things, I have poured out my soul by myself.

Since I am to pass on, at the place of an awful tabernacle, to the house of God, with a voice of joy and praise—with the 5 acclamations of them who celebrate a festival: why art thou, O my soul, cast down; and why disquietest thou me? Trust in God, for I shall praise him: he is the health of my countenance. 6 O my God, my soul within me was troubled; therefore I will remember thee, from the land of Jordan and Ermoneim, bor7 dering on the little mountain. Deep calleth on deep to form thy roaring cataracts; all thy meteors and thy billows passed 8 over me. By day the Lord will command his kindness, and in

the night he will make it manifest. Let there be with me a 9 prayer to the God of my life. Let me say to God, Thou art

my helper. Why hast thou forgotten me-why go I pensive 10 because of mine enemy's oppression? When my bones were

bruised, mine enemies reproached me, by their saying to me 11 every day, Where is thy God. Why art thou, O my soul, cast

down-and why disquietest thou me? Trust in God, for I shall praise him; he is the health of my countenance and my God.

XLIII.

A Psalm by David.

1 ... JUDGE me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungod2 ly nation deliver me from an unjust and deceitful man. Since thou, O God, art my strength, why hast thou cast me off? and why go I mourning, because of mine enemy's oppression? 3 O send forth thy light and thy truth; these have conducted me, 4 and led me to thy holy mountain, and to thy tabernacles. Let

me go to the altar of God-to God, the joy of my youth. 5 With a kithara, I will praise thee, O God, my God. Why art thou, O my soul, cast down-and why disquietest thou me? Trust in God, for I shall praise him. My God is the health of my countenance.

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XLIV.

For the conclusion. For the sons of Kore. A Psalm for

Understanding.

O GOD, we have heard with our ears-our fathers have 2 told us the work which thou didst in the days of old. When

thy hand had extirpated nations, thou didst plant them: thou 3 didst afflict nations and drive them out. For they took not possession of the land with their own sword: nor was it their own arm that saved them: but thy right hand and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou tookest pleasure in 4 them. Thou, who didst command the deliverances of Jacob; 5 even thou art my king and my God. By thee we can push

down our enemies, and through thy name, scorn them who rise 6 up against us. For in mine own bow I will not put trust, nor 7 is it mine own sword that can save me. For thou hast saved us

from our enemies, and hast put to shame them who hated us. 8 In God let us boast, all the day long: and to thy name give thanks forever.

9 And hast thou now cast us off and put us to shame, and 10 wilt not go forth with our armies! Thou hast turned us back before our enemies; and they who hate us have spoiled for

11 themselves. Thou hast delivered us up as sheep, to be devour12 ed, and hast scattered us among the nations. Thou hast sold

thy people for nought; the shouts of victory gave no abun13 dance. Thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbours-a 14 scoff and derision to those around us. Thou hast made us a

by-word among the nations-a shaking of the head among 15 the tribes. All the day long, my confusion is before me, and 16 the shame of my face hath covered me, because of a reproach

er's and a defamer's voice; and by reason of an enemy and 17 an avenger. All these things have come upon us, though we

have not forgotten thee-nor dealt falsely in thy covenant. 18 Though our heart hath not turned back, yet thou hast turned 19 our steps from thy way. Because thou hast humbled us in the

place of affliction, and covered us with the shadow of death; 20 Have we forgotten the name of our God-or have we stretched 21 out our hands to a strange god? Will not God search out these 22 things, for he knoweth the secrets of the heart? Since for thy

sake we are killed all the day long, and accounted as sheep for 23 slaughter: awake: why sleepest thou, O Lord? Arise and cast 24 us not off forever. Why turnest thou away thy face forgetting 25 our distress and our affliction? Because our soul is humbled 26 to the dust, and our belly cleaveth to the ground; arise O Lord; come to our assistance and deliver us for the sake of thy name.

XLV.

For the conclusion. Respecting them who are to be changed. For the sons of Kore. An Ode for understanding. Concerning the Beloved.

1

My heart hath indited a good word, I recite my performances to the king. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. 2 Thou art fairer than the sons of men: grace is poured out by 3 thy lips; for this cause God hath blessed thee forever. Gird 4 thy sword on thy thigh, O thou Mighty! To thy comeliness and thy beauty give energy, and prosper and reign, for truth, meekness and justice's sake; and let thine own right hand mar5 vellously conduct thee. Thine arrows are sharpened, O Mighty one, nations shall fall under thee; they are in the heart of the