Kathisma 4

Kathisma 5

Kathisma 6

The Fourth Kathisma

Antiphon One

To you, O Lord, do I lift my soul! 2) My God, in you I trust! Do not disappoint me, lest my enemies jeer at me. 3) Do not disappoint any of those who look to you, but disappoint the treacherous in their schemes. 4) Make me know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5) Guide me along the path of your truth, and teach me well, for you are the God of my salvation; it is you I look to at all times. 6) In your goodness, Lord, remember your mercy and your love, for they are as old as time itself. 7) Do not remember the mistakes of my youth; but me, in your love remember me! In your kindness remember me, in keeping with your goodness, O Lord.

8) The Lord is upright and good; he points out his path to those who stray. 9) He directs the humble along the path of justice; he teaches his way to the oppressed. 10) All the Lord's ways are love and truth for those who keep their word and abide by his precepts. 11) For your name's sake, Lord, wash away my guilt, great as it is. 12) If a man reveres the Lord, he will show him the path to choose. 13) His soul will enjoy prosperity, and his children will inherit the land. 14) The Lord's friendship is for those who revere him; to them he reveals his covenant. 15) My eyes are forever fixed on the Lord, for it is he who frees my feet from the snare.

16) Turn to me and pity me, lonely wretch that I am! 17) Relieve the anguish of my heart; do away with my distress. 18) Look upon my misery and pain; forgive me all my sins. 19) See how many are my foes, how intense their hatred of me. 20) Protect me and save me; do not disappoint me, for you are my refuge. 21) May innocence and righteousness protect me, for I trust in you, O Lord. 22) Rescue Israel, O God, from all its troubles.

Be my judge, O Lord! On my word, I go my way in innocence. I trust in the Lord; I do not waver. 2) Examine me, Lord, and try me; test me, heart and mind.

3) For your steadfast love is ever before my eyes; I have set my course by it. 4) I never deal with scoundrels, nor do I mix with hypocrites, 5) I hate the company of evildoers; I want nothing to do with the wicked. 6) To prove my innocence, I wash my hands, that I may walk about your altar, O Lord, 7) letting my thanks resound, recounting all your wonders. 8) I love the beauty of your house, O Lord, the tenting-place of your glory.

9) Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor snuff out my life with bloodthirsty men. 10) Their hands are covered with guilt, their right hands forever clutching bribes. 11) As for me, I live my life in innocence; redeem me, Lord, and show me your favor. 12) With my feet firmly planted on the right path, I will bless the Lord in the great gathering of his people.

The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, before whom should I tremble? 2) When evildoers draw near to eat up my flesh, it is they, my enemies and foes, who stumble and fall. 3) Though an army marches against me, my heart will not fear; though war breaks out against me, even then will I be hopeful.

4) One thing I ask of the Lord, for this I long: To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to feast my eyes on the beauty of the Lord, to linger in his temple. 5) For he gives me refuge there the day trouble comes, he conceals me in the shelter of his tent, he sets me safe upon a rock. 6) Even now, I hold my head high above my enemies who surround me, and I will offer a sacrifice of praise within his tent. I will sing and make music to the Lord!

7) Lord, hear my voice when I call; have mercy and answer me. 8) My heart keeps pressing me: Seek out the Lord. It is your face, Lord, that I seek; 9) do not hide from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger; be my help. Do not desert me; do not abandon me, O God, my saving help. 10) Though my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will receive me.

11) Teach me your way, Lord; lead me along the path of righteousness, because of my enemies. 12) Let me not fall into the hands of my foes, for they rise up against me, lying about me and breathing forth violence. 13) I am sure I will see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living. 14) Wait for the Lord; take heart, be strong, and hope in the Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Both now and forever, and unto ages of ages, amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.

Antiphon Two

To you I cry out, O Lord! O my rock, be not deaf to me! In the face of your silence, I would be like those who go into the pit. 2) Hear the sound of my pleading as I call for help, as I lift my hands in prayer toward your holy of holies. 3) Do not count me among the wicked, with evildoers who talk of peace to their neighbors, while their hearts are full of treachery. 4) Repay them as their actions deserve, for the malice of their deeds. For the work of their hands repay them; give them what they deserve. 5) For they ignore what the Lord does, and they pay no head to the work of his hands. May he bring them down in destruction, never to rise again!

6) Blessed be the Lord for hearing my prayer. 7) The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts. He has restored me to vigor, and my flesh has come back to life; with all my heart I give thanks to him.

8) The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of saving help for his anointed. 9) Save your people and bless your inheritance; lead them and carry them forever.

Give the Lord, O you spirit powers, give the Lord glory and praise! 2) Give the Lord the glory of his name! Adore the Lord in the splendor of his holiness!

3) The Lord's voice resounds upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, on the immense vastness of the waters! 4) The Lord's voice, full of power, the Lord's voice, full of splendor! 5) The Lord's voice shatters the cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon! 6) He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion, like a young wild ox. 7) The Lord's voice--like flashing flames of fire! 8) The Lord's voice shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9) The Lord's voice rends the oak trees; it strips the forest bare. In his temple, they all cry: Glory!

10) The Lord sits enthroned above the floodwaters; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever! 11) May the Lord give his people strength; may the Lord bless his people with peace.

I extol you, O Lord, for lifting me up, for not letting my foe gloat over me.

2) O Lord, my God, I cried out to you, and you healed me. 3) O Lord, you brought me out of hell; you restored me to life as I was sinking into the pit. 4) Sing to the Lord, you who are devoted to him; praise his holy name! 5) For death comes with his anger, life eternal, with his favor. In the evening one falls off to sleep weeping, but dawn brings shouts of joy.

6) I said to myself in good fortune: Nothing can ever disturb me. 7) For in your pleasure, O Lord, you made me as firm as a mountain. But when you turned away your face, I was filled with dismay.

8) To you, O Lord, I cried out; with my God I pleaded for mercy: 9) What gain will there be in my death, in my descent to the pit? Can the mud sing your praises, acknowledge your faithfulness? 10) Hear me, O Lord, and have mercy! O Lord, come quick to help me!

11) Turn my lament into dancing! Undo my sackcloth and wrap me in gladness! 12) That all my being may sing hymns to you and weep no more. O Lord, my God, I will praise you forever!

Glory: Both now:
Alleluia:

Antiphon Three

I place my trust in you, O Lord; let me not be put to shame, O eternal one; in your justice set me free. 2) Turn your ear to me and deliver me at once! Be a rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronghold to shelter me. 3) For you are indeed my rock, my stronghold! Lead me and guide me for the honor of your name. 4) Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. 5) Into your hands I commend my spirit; redeem me, Lord God of truth. 6) I detest those who worship false gods; I place all my trust in you. 7) I rejoice and exult in your loving kindness, for you see my affliction, and you note the distress of my soul. 8) Before the enemy can close in on me, set me free to roam where I please.

9) Have mercy on me, O Lord; misery overwhelms me and tears have wasted away my eyes. 10) For my life is nothing but sorrow, my years, groaning and sighing. Strong as I am, I stumble and falter under affliction; my bones waste away within me. 11) I have such enemies that all men scorn me; my neighbors find me a burden, and my friends, even my friends, dread the sight of me. 12) Those who pass me in the streets turn the other way; I am like a dead man: forgotten, like something thrown away. 13) I hear how they whisper against me, how they threaten me, as they plot against me, as they work out their plans to take my life.

14) Still, I count on you, Lord! I insist: You are my God! 15) My fate is in your hands; deliver me from those who hate me. 16) Make your face shine forth on your servant; in your steadfast love, save me. 17) Let not my pleading be in vain when I call on you, O Lord! Shame the wicked; drive them into the grave! 18) Strike dumb their lying lips, those lips brimming with arrogance, with scorn and contempt for the just one.

19) But your goodness, Lord -- how great the goodness you reserve for those who revere you, with which you favor those who trust you, in plain sight, for the sons of men to see. 20) You protect them in the shelter of your presence, safe from scheming men; you conceal them in your tent, far beyond the range of treacherous tongues. 21) Praise to the Lord for showing me the wonders of his love when I was hard pressed! 22) For a moment I was alarmed, and I said: He has shut me out! But I cried out to you and you heard my voice! 23) So love the Lord, all you his loyal servants! The Lord cares for those who remain faithful to him, but the arrogant he will punish in full! 24) Be strong, take heart, all you who hope in the Lord!

Happy is he whose offense is forgiven, whose sin is blotted out. 2) Happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, and in whose spirit there is no guile!

3) As long as I kept it a secret, my bones wasted away, while I groaned in anguish all day long. 4) For day and night, O most high, your hand was heavy on me; I was worn out, O mighty one, as in the summer heat. 5) Then I said: I will confess, O most high, my offense, O Lord! I acknowledged my sin to you; I did not cover up my guilt, so you forgave my sinful heart. 6) And so, on discovering his sin, let the devout man pray to you lest mighty rushing waters overtake him. 7) For you are my shelter; you preserve me from distress; you surround me with the joys of salvation.

8) Let me instruct you and teach you the way you should go. Let me offer you counsel, and watch over you. 9) Be not senseless like horse or mule, whose course must be checked by bit and bridle before they obey you.

10) How many the torments of the wicked! But love enfolds him who trusts in the Lord. 11) Rejoice in the Lord; exult, you just! Shout for joy, you upright hearts!

Glory: Both now:
Alleluia:

The Fifth Kathisma

Antiphon One

Exult, you just, in the Lord! Praise, you upright, his glory! 2) Give thanks to the Lord on the harp; on the ten-stringed lyre play to him. 3) Sing him a song that is new; play your best for him with shouts of joy. 4) For straight is the word of the Lord, and his every work stands true. 5) He cherishes justice and right; with the Lord's loving kindness the earth overflows.

6) By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and by the breath of his mouth their starry host. 7) He gathers the waters of the sea as if in a jar; he stores up the deep in vaults.

8) Let all the earth stand in awe of the Lord; let all who inhabit the world revere him. 9) For he spoke, and it came into being; he commanded, and it stood fast. 10) The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations; he thwarts the peoples' designs. 11) But the plans of the Lord endure forever, the designs of the mind, for ages on end. 12) How happy the nation of the Lord, its God, has blessed, the people he has chosen as his own.

13) From heaven the Lord looks down; he sees all the children of men. 14) From the place where he sits he gazes intently upon all the dwellers of the earth, 15) he who fashioned the hearts of men, who observes all they do.

16) No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by the might of his great strength. 17) A horse is vain hope for deliverance; for all its great strength, it provides no escape. 18) But see how the eyes of the Lord are on those who revere him, on those who await his loving kindness, 19) to save them from death, to sustain them in famine.

20) We set our hope on the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21) In him our hearts find joy; in his holy name we trust. 22) May your loving kindness rest on us, O Lord, for we place our trust in you.

I will bless the Lord at all times; ever shall his praise be on my lips! 2) In the Lord shall my soul glory; let the lowly hear and be glad. 3) Come extol the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

4) I sought the Lord, and he answered me; from all my fears he delivered me. 5) Whoever looks to him will beam with joy; no longer will he hang his head in shame. 6) Here was a poor wretch who cried out to the Lord: The Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress. 7) The angel of the Lord is ever encamped with those who revere him, to rescue them. 8) Taste and see that the Lord is good; happy is he who takes refuge in him. 9) Revere the Lord, all you, his holy ones; those who revere him want for nothing. 10) The rich suffer want and go hungry, but those who revere the Lord never lack anything.

11) Come, children, hear me; awe and respect for the Lord is my lesson for you. 12) Who is there among you who delights in life, who looks for a long life to enjoy prosperity? 13) Guard your tongue against malice, then, and your lips against words of guile. 14) Avoid evil and do good; seek out peace and follow after it. 15) The eyes of the Lord are on the just; his ears hear their cries of anguish. 16) But the Lord turns his face away from the wicked; all trace of them vanishes from the face of the earth. 17) When the just cry out, the Lord hears, and he frees them from all their troubles. 18) The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19) It is woe upon woe for the just man, but the Lord will deliver him from them all. 20) For he keeps watchful care over every bone of his body: not one of them will be broken. 21) But evil will reward the wicked with death, and he who despises the just will pay for it. 22) The Lord rescues the souls of his servants; those who take refuge in him shall never perish!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Both now and forever, and unto ages of ages, amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.

Antiphon Two

Judge those who judge me, O Lord; fight those who fight me. 2) Take hold of shield and buckler; rise up to my aid. 3) Ready the spear and the javelin to confront my pursuers. Say to my soul: I am your saving help. 4) Let them be shamed and disgraced, those who seek my life. Let them be turned back in dismay, those who plot my ruin. 5) Let them be like chaff in the wind, the angel of the Lord driving them on. 6) Let their fate be darkness and destruction, the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

7) For without cause they laid a net for me; without cause they dug a pit for me. 8) Let disaster overtake them by surprise, and the net they laid entangle them; let them fall headlong into their own pit. 9) Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord, exult in his saving help. 10) All my bones shall say: Lord, who is like you, saving the poor from one stronger than he, the poor and the needy from those who rob them? 11) Lying witnesses testify against me; perfect strangers rise to question me. 12) They award me evil for good, ravaging my soul.

13) Yet, when they were ill, my dress was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting, prayer in my heart, 14) as though it were my bosom friend, my brother. I was bowed in grief, like one mourning for his mother. 15) Now that I stumble and limp, they are filled with glee and gather against me. People I do not know descend on me to strike at me; endlessly they jeer at me. 16) Circling me with vicious, mocking grimace, they gnash their teeth at me.

17) How long, O Lord, will you stand by idly? Rescue my life from their attacks, my precious life from these lions. 18) I will acclaim you in the great assembly; where the people throng will I praise you. 19) Do not let my treacherous foes gloat over me; do not let those who hate me cast knowing glances at each other. 20) For they do not speak of peace, but of attacking those who mind their own affairs, devising treacherous schemes against them. 21) They gape at me, saying: Yes, we saw you do it! 22) Look for yourself, Lord! Be not silent! Lord, be not far from me. 23) Wake up! Rouse yourself to my cause, for my claim, O my God and my Lord. 24) Take up my defense, O Lord, as befits your justice! My God, let them not grin in triumph! 25) Lest they boast in their hearts: Just what we wanted! Lest they boast: That's the end of him! 26) Let them all be shamed and disgraced, who gloat over my misfortune. Let them be covered with shame and frustration, who malign me. 27) May they sing forth joyously, those who love my cause; may they say without end: Great is the Lord, who delights in the well-being of his servants! 28) Then my tongue will proclaim your justice, all the day long, your praise!

Perversity whispers to the wicked man in his heart; the dread of God is far from him. 2) For he flatters himself into thinking that his sin will not be found out and despised. 3) The words of his mouth are perverse and untrue; too crass is he for prudence or good sense. 4) Even in bed he plots mischief; he is set on a path of no good, and he never thinks twice about it.

5) From the heavens, O Lord, is your loving kindness; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 6) Your generosity is like the towering mountains and your providence like the vast abyss; man and beast you make thrive. 7) O Lord! How precious your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8) They eat their fill of the richness of your table; from the streams of your delights you let them drink. 9) For you are the source of life, and in your light we see light.

10) Pour forth your mercy on those who acknowledge you, your generosity, on the upright of heart. 11) Let not the foot of the arrogant overtake me; let not the arm of the wicked fling me down. 12) Thus shall the wicked fall: and once cast down, they shall never rise again!

Glory: Both now:
Alleluia:

Antiphon Three

Do not fret because of the wicked; do not envy those who do wrong. 2) For they soon wither like grass; they fade like the green of the fields. 3) Trust in the Lord and do what is right; live in the land and enjoy its riches. 4) Find your pleasure in the Lord; he will give you your heart's desires. 5) Leave everything to the Lord; trust in him. He will take care of you. 6) He will make your goodness shine like light, the justice of your cause, like the noonday sun. 7) Wait calmly for the Lord and be patient; do not be upset when the prosperous succeed in all their schemes. 8) Give up your anger and keep yourself at peace; be not disturbed; it can only do harm.

9) For evildoers will be brought down, while those who look to the Lord shall inherit the land. 10) A little while and there will be no wicked; you will look where they were and they shall not be there. 11) But the meek will inherit the land and delight in abundant prosperity. 12) The wicked scheme against the just; they gnash their teeth at the sight of him.

13) But the Lord laughs at them, for he knows that their day will come. 14) The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows, to bring down the lowly and needy, to murder the upright. 15) But their swords shall run through their own hearts; their bows shall be splintered to pieces. 16) What little the good have is far better than the wealth of the wicked. 17) For the resources of the wicked shall be reduced to nothing, but the Lord will support the just.

18) The Lord looks to the needs of the innocent; their portion shall last forever. 19) They shall not come to grief in bad times; in times of famine they shall eat their fill. 20) But the wicked shall shrivel up and wither away; the enemies of the Lord shall be consumed like meadow-grass in smoke; more quickly than smoke shall they vanish. 21) The wicked man borrows and never repays, but the just man is generous and continues to lend. 22) Those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land; those he has cursed shall be cut down.

23) The steps of a man are made firm by the Lord, who makes sure his stride. 24) Should he stumble he will not fall, for the Lord holds him by the hand. 25) I was once young and now I am old, but never did I see a just man forsaken, or his children begging for bread. 26) He is always generous, ready to lend, and his children are sure to be blessed.

27) Turn, then, from evil and do good, that you may live forever. 28) For the Lord loves the just; he never forsakes those who are devoted to him. They shall be cared for forever, but the offspring of the wicked will perish. 29) The just shall inherit the land and dwell in it forever. 30) The mouth of the just man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is right. 31) The teaching of his God is deep in his heart, and his feet never stumble.

32) The evildoer is always on the watch for the good man, looking for a chance to kill him. 33) But the Lord will not let him fall into his hands, nor have him found guilty when he is tried. 34) Look to the Lord and keep to his ways, and he will raise you up to inherit the land; the wicked will be cut down, and you will live to see it. 35) Many are the times I have see a wicked man thriving, towering like a strong native tree. 36) Then, suddenly, he vanished completely; I looked for him but he was nowhere to be found.

37) Mark the blameless; note well the upright: there is a future for the man of integrity. 38) But the perverse shall be destroyed completely; the future of the wicked does not even exist! 39) Deliverance for the upright comes from the Lord, their stronghold in times of trouble. 40) The Lord saves them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked and delivers them, for they seek refuge in him.

Glory: Both now:
Alleluia:

The Sixth Kathisma

Antiphon One

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; do not punish me in your fury. 2) Your arrows have dug deep into me; your hand has fallen heavily on me. 3) My loins burn with fever; my flesh is wasted by disease. 4) My body is inflamed by your wrath; my bones are sick from my sin. 5) My sins tower higher than my head, like a weight too heavy to bear. 6) My wounds are foul and festering, the result of my folly. 7) Brought to my knees, completely prostrate in spirit, I mourn the whole day long. 8) Broken, completely crushed, I groan aloud from the anguish of my heart.

9) O Lord, you know my every desire; my sighs are no secret to you. 10) My heart throbs and my strength is spent; the very light has left my eyes. 11) My friends and companions avoid me like the plague, and my closest friends shrink from me. 12) And they who seek my life set traps for me; they who seek my downfall speak maliciously of me; all day long they conspire against me.

13) So I brood, terrified that they may overcome me, that they may pounce on me when my foot slips. 14) For I am on the verge of falling, and grief is my constant companion. 15) But those who abuse me at their whim are numberless; many are they who despise me for no reason, 16) who repay my good with evil, who hate me for seeking what is right.

17) But I am like the deaf man who hears nothing, like the dumb man who cannot open his mouth; 18) like the man who cannot hear, and whose tongue has no defense. 19) I count on you, Lord; it is you who will answer, O Lord, my God! 20) I admit that I am guilty; my wrongdoing fills me with dismay. 21) Do not desert me, Lord, my God! Be not far from me! 22) Hurry to my defense, Lord of my salvation!

I resolved to watch my step lest my tongue lead me into sin; I would muzzle my mouth. While the wicked stood smirking in my presence, 2) I remained dumb, silent. I held my peace, though the sight of him increased my pain. 3) I was silent; not a word would I speak, for this was your doing. 4) My heart smouldered within me; but while I brooded it burst into flames and at last I spoke out:

5) O Lord, show me my destiny and the number of my days; show me how frail I am. 6) You have given me an inch or two of life; its span is nothing in your sight; indeed, a man is but a breath. 7) He walks about like a phantom; for nothing are his restless pursuits; a mere breath, the riches he hoards, not knowing who will get them next.

8) What, then, can I count on, Lord? My hope lies in you. 9) Deliver me from all my transgressions, for they make me the laughingstock of fools!

10) Take your plague away from me, for I perish from your blows. 11) In punishment for his sin you chastise a man, consuming like a moth the life he treasures; indeed, a man is but a breath. 12) Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry, O God; be not deaf to my tears. I am a guest in your house, and only for a time, a wanderer like all my ancestors. 13) Look away from me, that I may recover, before I pass on and cease to be.

I waited and waited for the Lord; then he stooped down to me and heard my cry. 2) He drew me up from the pit of destruction, from the muddy marsh. He set my feet upon a rock and made my footsteps firm. 3) He put a new song into my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and be filled with awe; they will put their trust in the Lord.

4) Happy the man who makes the Lord his hope, who shuns the attraction of empty idols and lying visions. 5) Great deeds have you achieved, O Lord; my God, you have worked wonders, and in your plans for us you have no equal. Were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to recount.

6) You gave me to understand that sacrifice and offerings are not what you desire. In burnt offerings and sin offerings you take no pleasure. 7) Then I said: Here I am! As it is written in the scroll, 8) to do what pleases you is my desire, for your law is written in my heart. 9) So I announce the glad news of your deliverance in the great gathering of the people! See! I do not fail to speak out! O Lord, you know it! 10) I do not keep your generosity to myself; I declare your faithful deliverance. In the great gathering I do not make a secret of your steadfast love.

11) You do not withhold your compassion from me, O Lord; your unfailing love protects me always. 12) For misfortunes without number assail me; my sins have caught up with me and I cannot escape. They are more numerous than the hairs on my head; I am at my wits' end!

13) Quick, O God! Rescue me! O Lord, help me! 14) Let shame and disgrace fall on those who hunt down my soul! Make them back off! Make them recoil in confusion, who gloat at my ruin! 15) Make them draw back, covered with shame, who jeer at me! 16) But for all who seek you, joy and gladness! For those who love your help, let them always say: God is great! 17) As for me--poor wretch that I am--O God, hasten to help me! O you, my helper, my saviour; O Lord, do not delay!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Both now and forever, and unto ages of ages, amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.

Antiphon Two

Happy the man who thinks of the poor and the helpless; the day trouble comes, the Lord delivers him. 2) The Lord cares for him; he gives him life and happiness on this earth; never does he let him fall into the hands of his bloodthirsty foes. 3) The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; he renews him completely on his bed of suffering.

4) As for me, I said: Have mercy on me, O Lord! Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you. 5) My enemies speak maliciously of me, saying: When will he die, so that his name can perish? 6) If one comes to visit, he pretends sympathy; his mind stores up evil, and once outside he gossips freely. 7) My enemies whisper together about me; they try to guess why this evil has befallen me. 8) Some malignant disease is consuming him, and now that he lies ill in bed, he will never rise from it. 9) So even my dearest friend whom I trusted, who ate my bread, even he spreads tales about me. 10) But you, Lord, have mercy on me; raise me up, and I will repay them. 11) By this will I know that you love me, if the enemy does not triumph over me. 12) In my innocence, set me in your presence forever!

13) Praised be the Lord, the God of Israel, from eternity to eternity! Amen, amen!

As a doe longs for running streams, so does my soul long for you, O my God. 2) My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When can I begin to enjoy the presence of God? 3) My tears are my food day and night, while day after day they say to me: Where is your God? 4) My soul melts within me when I think of it: How I used to walk with the crowd, move with them, with the festive throng, to the house of God, amid joyous shouts of praise.

5) Why so downcast, O my soul? Why do you sigh deep within me? Have hope in God, for I shall praise him still, my saviour, my presence, and my God. 6) My soul is downcast within me, indeed, as I remember you in my exile in the region of the Jordan, near Mount Herman and Mount Mizar, 7) where the gorges echo with the roar of the deep, where all your waves and breakers sweep over me! 8) By day, the Lord sends his loving kindness, and his song is with me at night: a prayer to the God of my life. 9) I say to God, my rock: Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk in gloom, harassed by the foe, whose cries pierce me to the heart. 10) My enemies revile me, while day after day they say to me: Where is your God? 11) Why so downcast, O my soul? Why do you sigh deep within me? Have hope in God, for I shall praise him still, my saviour, my presence, and my God.

Do me justice, O God, and champion my cause against a fickle people! From the treacherous, scheming man deliver me! 2) For you are my God, my stronghold: Why do you reject me? Why must I walk in gloom, harassed by the foe? 3) Send forth your light and your truth; behold, let them lead me. Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell, 4) that I may go into the altar of God, to God who gives joy to my youth, that I may praise you with the lyre, O God, my God! 5) Why so downcast, O my soul? Why do you sigh deep within me? Have hope in God, for I shall praise him still, my saviour, my presence, and my God.

Glory: Both now:
Alleluia:

Antiphon Three

O God, we have heard it with our own ears; our fathers have told us the story of the deeds you worked for them, you yourself, in days gone by! 2) To make room for our fathers, with you own hand you drove out nations; to let them take root, you destroyed other peoples. 3) It was not their sword that won the land; it was not their arm that secured the victory; but it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. 4) Yes, O my king and my God! It was you who decided victories for Jacob! 5) Through you we beat down our foes; in your name we trampled on our assailants. 6) For I surely put no trust in my bow, nor did my sword win me victory. 7) Through you we overcame our foes; it was you who covered our enemies with shame. 8) Day after day our boast was in God; we feasted your name without ceasing.

9) Yet, now, you have pushed us aside and confused us; you no longer go forth with our armies. 10) You make us recoil before those who assail us, and our enemies plunder us as they please. 11) You abandon us like sheep for the slaughter, and among nations you scatter us. 12) You sell your people for a trifle, making nothing from the sale. 13) You make us a laughing-stock to our neighbors, the mockery and derision of everyone around us. 14) You make us a byword among the nations; they shake their heads at us in scorn. 15) My disgrace is ever before me, and I blush for shame 16) at the insults and abuse, at the sight of such hostility and vengeance.

17) All this has come upon us though we never forgot you, though we never betrayed your covenant, 18) though our hearts never turned from you, though our steps never strayed from your path. 19) You crushed us in a place of sorrow, covering us with the darkness of death. 20) Had we forgotten the name of our God, had we raised our hands to praise an alien god, 21) would not God have seen this, since he knows the secrets of hearts? 22) Yet, because of you they butcher us daily; they count us as sheep for the slaughter.

23) Arise! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Wake up! Do not reject us forever! 24) Why do you hide your face? Why do you persist in ignoring our trouble, our misery? 25) Our neck is prostrate in the dust; our belly lies flat on the ground. 26) Stand up and come to our aid! Redeem us because of your love!

My heart overflows with a noble theme; let me recite my verses for you, O king! My tongue is as nimble as the pen of a skillful writer.

2) You are the most handsome of men, and graciousness flows from your lips; the blessings God has given you can never fail. 3) With your sword at your side, mighty warrior, gird yourself in splendor and majesty; may glory make your conquest complete! 4) Ride on triumphantly in the cause of truth and meekness and right. 5) Let the deeds of your right hand win you renown, for your arrows are sharp, and nations shall fall at your feet in terror. 6) The eternal and everlasting God has enthroned you; your scepter is one that rules true; virtue you love as much as you hate wickedness. 7) Rightly has God, your God, chosen to anoint you with the oil of gladness, setting you above all your companions. 8) All your robes are fragrant with myrrh, sandalwood, and cinnamon; from ivory palaces the music of strings entertains you. 9) Royal princesses take their place among your honored women; at your right stands the queen, dressed in a robe of many colors, embroidered in gold.

10) Listen, daughter, and see! Give ear to my words: Forget your people and your father's house. 11) The king is enthralled with your beauty; honor him, then, as your lord. 12) O daughter of Tyre, the wealthiest people will court your favor with gifts. 13) All her robes are royal apparel fringed with thread of spun gold. 14) Arrayed in richly colored brocades, the maiden-bride is led to the king. 15) Those in her train, her companions, are presented with her; with joy and gladness they are brought in; they enter the palace of the king.

16) As for you, O king, your sons shall be worthy of your fathers; among them you shall divide the world, giving each his domain. 17) And may this song make your name remembered from one generation to the next, that nations may praise you for ever and ever.

For us, God is shelter and strength, an ever present help in time of trouble. 2) Therefore, we are not afraid of the earth's giving way to the world beneath, of the mountains' toppling into the heart of the sea. 3) Though the waters rage and foam, though mountains quake in all this surge and swell, the Lord of power and might is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

4) He is like a river whose waters gladden his city, the holy dwelling of the most high. 5) With God in her midst, she will not be toppled; at daybreak, God comes to her aid. 6) Nations rage; kingdoms collapse. Though the thunder rolls and the earth is in turmoil, 7) the Lord of power and might is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

8) Come, now, and consider the works of the Lord, the astounding things he does on earth: 9) He make wars cease from one end of the earth to the other; bows he breaks and spears he splinters; chariots he destroys with fire. 10) Be still and know that I am God: supreme among the nations, supreme throughout the earth! 11) The Lord of power and might is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

Glory: Both now:
Alleluia:

The Psalter
Copyright © 1984 by the Monks of New Skete