# PSALMS to REVIVE

Mandras Mario

PSALMS

to

revive

aesthetics, ethics, faith

by Mario Mandras


Mastru

To all those people who want

to live intensely emotions,

projects, the knowledge of God

May 2008

Reseverd copyrights

Printed in Italy

© Copyright 2008 by Mario Mandras

Site: www.libreriamastru.com

Strada Vicinale Taniga san Giacomo Medas 4

07100 SASSARI  (Italy)

tel.  3384290960

translated by Donatella Sanna

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmit-ted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mecha-nical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of the publisher.

ISBN 88-901541-5-2

Note:

- The numbers on the right side of the page point out the various psalms;                                            - the numbers, as apexes, at the beginning of the line point out the verses of the psalms;                     - the titles in capital letters with the numbers in roman characters point out the divisions of the themes ( 5 altogether);                                              - the titles in capital letters point out the groups of themes ( 41 altogether);                                            - the titles in small letters make reference to the content of the psalms.


I  -  REQUEST TO GOD

La preghiera è la relazione fondamentale dell’anima che riconosce, ascolta e dialoga con Dio.

Preghiera è superamento dell’angoscia della propria solitudine; è liberarsi dal terrore dell’oppressione e della morte; è capacità di affrontare difficoltà, di stabilire relazioni di collaborazione costruttiva con gli altri.

Pregare è sentire la grandezza, la giustizia, la bontà di Dio, che è interessato ad ogni persona e vuole stabilire un’alleanza, un patto con noi, che siamo fragili, incostanti, non di rado traditori, ma estremamente bisognosi della sua amicizia, del suo perdono, del suo costante intervento di liberazione.

La preghiera a Dio sgorga dal nostro profondo, è richiesta di salvezza, è desiderio di stare sempre al sicuro vicino a Dio, è scelta definitiva di seguire con gioia e realizzare i suoi progetti di vita.

La preghiera impegnata non conosce sosta e mira alla nostra salvezza e a quella delle persone che incontriamo.

La prima condizione per guarire, per ritrovare la serenità è quella di iniziare a pregare.

1.  PRAYER, INVOCATION

1. Request of salvation

psalm 3

7 Rise. Yahweh!

Save me, my God!

4

1 God, guardian of my rights,

you answer when I call,

5

1 Yahweh, let my words come to your ears,

spare a thought for my sighs.

6

4 Come back, Yahweh, rescue my soul,

save me, if you love me;

10

32 Rise, Yahweh, God raise your hand,

do not forget the poor!

17

6 I invoke you, God, and you answer me;

turn your ear to me, hear what I say,

13 Rise, Yahweh, subdue him face to face,

rescue my soul from the wicked with your sword,

14 with your hand, Yahweh, rescue me from men,

from the sort of men whose tot is here and now.

2. Living in the house of the Lord

18

3 He is to be praised; on Yahweh I call

and am saved from my enemies.

6 In my distress I called to Yahweh

and to my God I cried;

19

14 May the words of my mouth always' find favour,

and the whispering of my heart, in your presence,

Yahweh, my Rock, my Redeemer!

27

4 One thing I ask of Yahweh, one thing I seek :

to live in the house of Yahweh

all the days of my life,

7 Yahweh, hear my voice as I cry!

Pity me! Answer me!

28

2 Hear my voice, raised in petition,

as I cry to you for help, as I raise my hands, Yahweh,

toward your Holy of Holies.


3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,

away with the evil men

30

8 Yahweh, I call to you,

I beg my God to pity me,

10 ' Hear, Yahweh, take pity on m ;

Yahweh, help me!'

32

6 That is why each of your servants prays to you

in time of trouble;

3. Overcoming hostility

35

19 Do not let my lying enemies gloat over me,

do not let those who hate me for no reason

exchange sly glances.

36

11 Do not let arrogant feet crush me

or wicked hands expel me.

38

21 Yahweh, do not desert me,

do not stand aside, my God!

22 Come quickly to my help,

Lord, my saviour!

39

10 Lay your scourge aside,

I am worn out with the blows you deal me .

12 Yahweh, hear my prayer,

listen to my cry for help,

do not stay deaf to my crying .

I am your guest, and only for a time,

a nomad like all my ancestors .

42

6 When my soul is downcast within me,

I think of you,

9 Let me say to God my Rock,

Why do you forget me?

50

15 then you can invoke me in your troubles

and I will rescue you, and you shall honour me.

54

1 God, save me by your name,

by your power see justice done to me;

2 God, hear my prayer,

listen to what I am saying!


4. Finding a shelter

55

1 God, hear my prayer,

do not hide from my petition,

2 give me a hearing, answer me,

6 And I say, 'Oh for the wings of a dove

to fly away and find rest' .

7 How far I would take my flight,

and make a new home in the desert!

8 here I should soon find shelter

from the raging wind,

16 I, for myself, appeal to God

and Yahweh saves me;

57

2 I call on God the Most High,

on God who has done everything for me:

59

4 Wake up, stand by me and look,

60

5 To bring rescue to those you love,

save with your right hand and answer us!

11 Help us in this hour of crisis,

the help that man can give is worthless.

61

1 God, hear my cry for help,

listen to my prayer!

2 From the end of the earth I call to you,

with sinking heart.

To the rock too high for me, lead me!

62

8 In God, I find shelter; rely on him

people, at all times;

unburden your hearts to him, God is a shelter for us.

63

6 On my bed I think of you,

I meditate on you all night long,

7 for you have always helped me.

69

13 For my part, I pray to you, Yahweh,

at the time you wish;

in your great love, answer me, Gad,

faithful in saving power.

14 Pull me out of this swamp; let me sink no further,

let me escape those who hate me,

70

1 Oh come and rescue me, God,

Yahweh come quickly and help me!

74

3 Pick your steps over these endless ruins:

the enemy have sacked everything in the sanctuary.

5. Insistent prayer

77

1 Loudly I cry to God,

loudly to God who hears me.

2 When in trouble I sought the Lord,

all night long I stretched out my hands,

80

1 Shepherd of Israel, listen,

83

1 God, do riot remain silent;

do not be unmoved, O God, or unresponsive!

84

8 Yahweh Sabaoth, hear my prayer,

listen, God of Jacob;

86

1 Listen to me, Yahweh, and answer me,

poor and needy as I am;

6 Yahweh, hear my prayer,

listen to me as I plead.

88

9 Yahweh, I invoke you all day,

I stretch out my hands to you:

13 But I am here, calling for your help,

praying to you every morning:

94

18 I need only say, `I am slipping',

and your love, Yahweh, immediately supports me;

99

6 Moses, Aaron one of his priests, and Samuel

his votary, all invoked Yahweh:

and he answered them.

102

1 Yahweh, hear my prayer,

let my cry for help reach you;

2 when I call, be quick to answer me!

106

47 Yahweh our God and saviour,

gather us from among the pagans,

109

21 Yahweh, defend me for the sake of your name,

rescue me, since your love is generous!

116

4 I invoked the name of Yahweh

`Yahweh, rescue me!'

6. Praying and devouting

to the others

119

5 Oh, may my behaviour be constant

in keeping your statutes.

108 Yahweh, accept the homage that I offer,

teach me your rulings.

169 Yahweh, may my cry approach your presence ;

let your word endow me with perception!

7. Praying from the depth

130

1 From the depths I call to you, Yahweh,

2 Lord, listen to my cry for help!

Listen compassionately

to my pleading!

140

6 I have told Yahweh, `You are my God' .

Yahweh, listen to my cry for help.

142

1 To Yahweh, my cry! I plead.

To Yahweh, my cry! I entreat.

2 I pour out my supplications.

I unfold all my troubles;

5 I invoke you, Yahweh,

I affirm that you are my refuge,

my heritage in the land of the living.

6 Listen to my cries for help,

I can hardly be crushed lower.

8. To tense hands

143

1 Yahweh, hear my prayer,

listen to my pleading,

answer me faithfully, righteously ;

6 I stretch out my hands,

like thirsty ground I yearn for you.

7 Quick, Yahweh, answer me

before my spirit fails;

if you hide your face much longer,

I shall go down to the Pit like the rest .

145

17 Righteous in all that he does

Yahweh acts only out of love,

18 standing close to all who invoke him,

close to all who invoke Yahweh faithfully.


2.  INTERCESSION

17

1 Yahweh, hear the plea of virtue,

listen to my appeal,

lend an ear to my prayer,

my lips free from dishonesty.

1. For tried people

20

1 May Yahweh answer you in time of

may the name of the God of Jacob

2 May he send you help from the sanctuary,

give you support from Zion,

2. For believers

69

6 but let those who hope in you not blush for me,

Yahweh Sabaoth!

74

2 Remember the people

you long since made your own,


3. For those who have

to change life

83

16 cover their faces with shame,

until they seek your name, Yahweh .

85

8 I am listening. What is Yahweh saying?

What God is saying means peace

for his people, for his friends,

if only they renounce their folly;

89

49 Lord, where are those earlier signs of your love?

You swore your oath to David on your faithfulness!

4. To be blessed

128

5a May Yahweh bless you from Zion

5c all the days of your life!

5b May you see Jerusalem prosperous

6 and live to see your children's children!

Peace to Israel !

134

3 May Yahweh bless you from Zion,

he who made heaven and earth!

II – NEGATIVE STATES

OF MIND

Attraverso la preghiera è possibile comprendere, trovare rimedio e superare ostacoli esterni, problemi interni a noi, che ci affliggono, ci rendono tristi, ci tolgono le energie di vita e la gioia di vivere.

Pregare con i versetti di dolore, solitudine, angoscia, tradimento, senso di abbandono, persecuzione, sconfitta dei salmi, dà forza, energia per superare le prove del corpo e dell’anima, perché scopriamo che non siamo abbandonati nei momenti di sofferenza e soprattutto ci rendiamo conto che Dio ci è vicino, accoglie il nostro pianto, sostiene la nostra speranza.

La preghiera ci illumina soprattutto nei momenti drammatici della nostra esistenza; la solitudine, l’abbandono, l’angoscia che stritolano la nostra anima  sono anche connessi con il mondo esterno a noi, ma hanno origine nel nostro intimo bisognoso di luce, di calore e di energia di vita che risiedono in Dio.

La persecuzione e il tradimento che spesso dilaga nel mondo esterno, nella preghiera sembra non esistere perché Dio è sempre fedele, è la bontà

3.   SUFFERING

1. Our pain in his hands

5

2 Listen to my cry for help,

my King and my God!

I say this prayer to you, Yahweh,

6

6 I am worn out with groaning,

every night I drench my pillow

and soak my bed with tears;

10

34 You yourself have seen the distress

and the grief,

you watch and then take them into your hands;

2. Suffering in the body

22

14 I am like water draining away,

my bones are all disjointed,

my heart is like wax,

melting inside me;

15a my palate is drier than a potsherd

15b and my tongue is stuck to my jaw.

22

16c they tie me hand and foot

17a I can count every one of my bones,

25

18 See my misery and pain,

3. Feeling innocent

26

2 Test me, Yahweh, and probe me,

put me to the trial, loins and heart;

27

7 Yahweh, hear my voice as I cry!

Pity me! Answer me!

28

1a I cry to you, Yahweh,

my Rock! Do not be deaf to me,

2 Hear my voice, raised in petition,

as I cry to you for help, as I raise my hands, Yahweh,

4. After the weeping the joy

30

5 in the evening, a spell of tears,

in the morning, shouts of joy.

8 Yahweh, I call to you,

I beg my God to pity me,

5. A life of suffering

31

10 For my life is worn out with sorrow,

my years with sighs;

my strength yields under misery,

my bones are wasting away.

32

3 All the time I kept silent,

my bones were wasting away

with groans, day in, day nut;

38

6 bowed down, bent double, overcome,

7 My loins are burnt up with fever,

there is no soundness in my flesh :

8 numbed and crushed and overcome,

my heart groans, I moan aloud.

10 my heart is throbbing,

my strength deserting me,

the light of my eyes itself has left me.

39

12 Yahweh, hear my prayer,

listen to my cry for help,

do not stay deaf to my crying.

I am your guest, and only for a time,

6. So much pain, but there you are

40

11 For your part, Yahweh, do not withhold

your kindness from me!

May your love and faithfulness

constantly preserve me.

12a More misfortunes beset me than I can count.

42

3 I have no food but tears, day and night;

55

5a fear and trembling descend on me,

17 evening, morning, noon, I complain, I groan;

he will hear me calling.

56

8 You have noted my agitation,

now collect my tears in your wineskin!

7. The moment of pain

60

3 You have allowed your people to suffer,

61

1 God, hear my cry for help,

64

1 God, hear me as I make my plea,

66

10 You tested us, God,

you refined us like silver,

17 when I uttered my cry to him

69

3 Worn out with calling, my throat is hoarse,

my eyes are strained, looking for my God.

29 For myself, wounded wretch that I am,

73

14 if you plague me all day long

and discipline me every morning?

80

5 Having fed us on the bread of tears,

having made us drink them in such measure,

86

3 You are my God, -take pity on use, Lord,

I invoke you all day long;

88

1 Yahweh my God, I call for help all day,

I weep to you all night;

2 may my prayer reach you

hear my cries for help;

9 my eyes are worn out with suffering.

Yahweh, I invoke you all day,

I stretch out my hands to you :

8. Life, brief,  but full of pain

90

10 our life lasts for seventy years,

eighty with good health,

but they all add up toe anxiety and trouble

over in a trice, and then we are gone .

102

1 Yahweh, hear my prayer,

let my cry for help reach you;

3 For my days arc vanishing like smoke,

my bones smouldering like logs,

5 whenever I heave a sigh,

my bones stick through my skin .

7 I stay awake, lamenting

like a lone bird on the roof;

119

28 I am sleepless with grief:

raise me as your word has guaranteed.

9. The hope in your word

119

107 Yahweh, though my suffering is acute,

revive me as your word has guaranteed.

126

5 Those who went sowing in tears

now sing as they reap.

141

1 Yahweh, I am calling, hurry to me,

listen to me, I am invoking you.

142

1 To Yahweh, my cry! I plead.

To Yahweh, my cry! I entreat.

2 I pour out my supplications.

I unfold all my troubles;


4.  LONELINESS

1. Also God seems to be far!

10

21 Yahweh, why do you stand aside,

why hide from us now the times are hard?

13

2 How much longer must I endure grief

in my soul,

and sorrow in my heart by day and by night?

31

22 In my alarm I exclaimed,

`I have been snatched out of your sight!'

38

6 bowed down, bent double, overcome,

I go mourning all the day.

2. Everybody shrinks

from my wounds

38

11 My friends and my companions

shrink from my wounds,

even the dearest of them keep their distance;

39

12 Yahweh, hear my prayer,

listen to my cry for help,

do not stay deaf to my crying.

I am your guest, and only for a time,

a nomad like all my ancestors.

3. Even friends go away from me

41

9 Even my closest and most trusted friend,

who shared my table,

rebels against me.

42

5 Why so downcast, my soul,

why do you sigh within me?

69

11 if I dress myself in sackcloth,

I become their laughing-stock,

20b I had hoped for sympathy, but in vain,

20c I found no one to console me .

4. At least you stand by me

71

18 Now that I am old and grey,

God, do not desert me;

77

8  Is his love over for good

and the promise void for all time?

10 'This' I said then `is what distresses me:

that the power of the Most High

is no longer what it was

84

2 How my soul yearns and pines

for Yahweh's courts!

5. A life of loneliness

88

8 You have turned my friends against me

and made me repulsive to them;

in prison and unable to escape,

15 Wretched, slowly dying since my youth,

I bore your terrors-now I am exhausted ;

6. I am also anorexic

102

4 my heart shrivelling like scorched grass

and my appetite has gone;

7 I stay awake, lamenting

like a lone bird on the roof;


115

4 whereas their idols, in silver and gold,

products of human skill,

5 have mouths, but never speak,

eyes, but never see,

6 ears, but never hear,

noses, but never smell,

7. I feel as a foreigner

120

5 This is worse than a life in Meshech,

or camping in Kedar!

6 Too tong have I lived

among people who hate peace,

8. I am looking forward

to serenity

126

6 They went away, went away weeping,

carrying the seed ;

they come back, come back singing,

carrying their sheaves.

132

1 Yahweh, remember David

and all the hardships he suffered,

5.  BETRAYAL

1. Betrayed by the friend

55

12 Were it an enemy who insulted me,

i could put up with that ;

had a rival got the better of me,

I could hide from him.

13 But you, a man of my own rank,

a colleague and a friend,

14 to whom sweet conversation bound me

in the house of God!

2. They have given me vinegar

69

21 They gave me poison to eat instead,

when I was thirsty they gave me vinegar to drink.

78

8 and not becoming, like their ancestors,

a stubborn and unruly generation,

a generation with no sincerity of heart,

in spirit unfaithful to God

3. They make me bad for well

109

4 In return for my friendship, they denounce me,

though all I had done was pray for them ;

5 hey pay me back evil for kindness

and hatred for friendship .

4. The faith that overcomes

the betrayal

116

10 I have faith, even when say,

'I am completely crushed' .

11 In my alarm, I declared,

`No man can be relied on'.

118

13 I was pressed, pressed, about to fall,

but Yahweh came to my help;

119

150 My cruel persecutors are closing in,

how remote they are from your Law!

142

3 On the path I follow

they have concealed a trap.

6.   FEELING OF SURRENDER

1. They have given me for done

3

2 more and more saying about me,

`There is no help for him in his God'.

12

1 Save us, Yahweh! There are no devout men left,

fidelity has vanished from mankind.

13

1 How much longer will you forget me, Yahweh?

For ever?

How much longer will you hide your face

from me?

2. My God, why do you

desert me ?

22

1 My God, my God, why have you deserted me?

How far from saving me, the words I groan!

11 Do not stand aside:

trouble is near,

I have no one to help me!

3. Abandoned by my parents

27

10 If my father and mother desert me,

Yahweh will care for me still.

4. Make me feel your voice

28

1 I cry to you, Yahweh,

my Rock! Do not be deaf to me,

for if you are silent, I shall go

down to the Pit like the rest.

31

11 To every one of my oppressors I am contemptible,

loathsome, to my neighbours,

to my friends a thing of fear.

These who see me in the street hurry past me ;

12 I am forgotten, as good as dead in their hearts,

something discarded .

41

9 Even my closest and most trusted friend,

who shared my table,

rebels against me.

42

9 Let me say to God my Rock,

`Why do you forget me? Why must I walk

so mournfully, oppressed by the enemy?'

10 as all day long they ask me, `Where is your God?'

43

2 It is you, God, who are my shelter:

why do you abandon me?

Why must I walk

so mournfully, oppressed by the enemy?

44

9 Yet now you abandon and scorn us,

you no longer march with our armies,

12 you sell your people for next to nothing,

and make no profit from the bargain.

55

12 Were it an enemy who insulted me,

i could put up with that ;

had a rival got the better of me,

I could hide from him.

13 But you, a man of my own rank,

a colleague and a friend,

14 to whom sweet conversation bound me

in the house of God!

57

6 They laid a net where I was walking

when I was bowed with care;

5. Don’t leave me alone

in my life

60

9 Who is there now to take me into the fortified city, to lead me into Edom?

69

8 that make me a stranger to my brothers,

an alien to my mother's other sons;

71

11 'Hound him down now

that God has deserted him,

seize him, there is no one to rescue him!'

74

1 God, have you finally rejected us,

raging at the flock you used to pasture?

10 How much longer, God,

is the oppressor to blaspheme,

is the enemy to insult your name for ever?

77

7 `If the Lord has rejected you, is this final?

If he withholds his favour, is this for ever?

8 Is his love over for good

and the promise void for all time?

6. Existential loneliness

88

4 I am numbered among those who go down

to the Pit,

a man bereft of strength:

14 why do you reject me?

Why do you hide your face from me?

18 You have turned my friends and neighbours

against me,

now darkness is my one companion left .

102

6 I live in a desert like the pelican,

in a ruin like the screech owl,

108

11 God, can you really have rejected us?

You no longer march with our armies .

109

1 God whom I praise, break your silence,

115

5 have mouths, but never speak,

eyes, but never see,


7. Just like a lost sheep

119

176 I am wandering like a lost sheep :

come and look for your servant.

No, I have never forgotten your commandments .

129

8 and no one passing them will ever say,

`Yahweh's blessing on you!'

We bless you in the name of Yahweh .

137

2 leaving our harps

hanging on the poplars there.


7.  PERSECUTION

1. I find myself in hard fight:

3

1 Yahweh, more and more are turning against me,

more and more rebelling against me,

2 more and more saying about me,

`There is no help for him in his God'.

a. around me lie

4

2 You men, why shut your hearty so long.

loving delusions, chasing after lies.

b. pain

6

7 my eye is wasted with grief,

I have grown old with enemies all round me.

c. persecuted

7

1  Yahweh my God, I take shelter in you;

from all who hound me, save me, rescue me,

2 or, like a lion, he will carry me off

and tear me to pieces where no one can save me.

d. in the traps

10

22 The poor man is devoured by the pride of the wicked

he is caught in the wiles that the other has devised.

11

3 When foundations fall to ruin,

what can the virtuous do?'

e. liars

12

2 All they do is lie to one another,

flattering lips, talk from a double heart.

13

2 How much longer must my enemy

have the upper hand of me?

f. only you can guard me

17

8 guard me like the pupil of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings

9 from the onslaughts of the wicked.

My enemies cluster round me, breathing hostility;

11 arrogant claims; snow they are closing in,

they have eyes for nothing

but to see me overthrown.

12 They look like a lion eager to tear to pieces,

like a young lion crouching in its hide.

h. you love me

18

18 They assailed me on my day of disaster,

but Yahweh was my support;

19 he freed me, set me at large,

he rescued me, since he loves me.

i. they are a pack of dogs

22

12 A herd of bulls surrounds me,

strong bulls of Bashan close in on me;

13 their jaws are agape for me,

like lions tearing and roaring .

14 I am like water draining away,

my bones are all disjointed,

l. I am hated by many

25

19 See how my enemies multiply.

and how violent their hatred has grown.

m. my enemies are losers

27

2 When evil men advance against me

to devour my flesh,

they, my opponents, my enemies,

are the ones who stumble and fall.

n. you are my shelter

27

5 he hides me deep in his tent,

sets me high on a rock.

o. free me!

27

12 do not abandon me to the will of my foes

false witnesses have risen against me,

and breathe out violence.

31

4 Pull me out of the net they have spread for me,

for you are my refuge;

13 I hear their endless slanders,

threats from every quarter,

as they combine against me, plotting to take my life.

2. The persecution of the just

34

19 Hardships in plenty beset the virtuous man,

but Yahweh rescues him from them all;

35

15 strangers I never even knew

with loud cries tear me to pieces,

16 riddling me with gibe after gibe,

grinding their teeth at me.

38

12 men intent on killing me lay snares,

others, hoping to hurt me, threaten my ruin,

hatching treacherous plots all day.

19 There are more and more to hurt me

for no reason,

There are more to hate me unprovoked,

20 repaying my kindness with evil,

arraigning me for trying to do right.

3. They want my death

41

5 My enemies say of me with malice,

'How long before he dies and his name perishes?'

6 They visit me, their hearts full of spite,

they offer hollow comfort,

and go out to spread the news .

42

10 Nearly breaking my bones

my oppressors insult me,

as all day long they ask me, `Where is your God?'

43

2 Why must I walk

so mournfully, oppressed by the enemy?

4. The fidelity to God has a price

44

17 All this happened to us

though we had not forgotten you,

though we had not been disloyal to your covenant;

22 No, it is for your sake we are being massacred daily,

and counted as sheep for the slaughter .

49

5 Why should t be afraid in evil times,

when malice dogs my steps and hems me in,

5. All against me

55

3 they bring misery crashing down on me,

and vent their fury on me.

56

1 Take pity on me, God, as they harry me,

pressing their attacks home all day.

2 All day my opponents harry me,

hordes coming in to the attack.

5 All day long they twist what I say,

all they think of is how to harm me,

6 they conspire, lurk,

spy on my movements, determined to take my life.

57

4 I lie surrounded by lions

greedy for human prey,

their teeth are spears and arrows,

their tongue a sharp sword.

62

3 How many times will you come rushing

at a man,

all of you, to bring him down

like a wall already leaning over,

like a rampart undermined?

64

1 God, hear me as I make my plea,

protect me from this frightening enemy,

2 hide me from the wicked and their schemes,

from this mob of evil men,

66

12 you let people drive over our heads;

but now the ordeal by fire and water is over,

and you allow us once more to draw breath.

6. Hated by my brothers

without reason

69

4 More people hate me for no reason

than I have hairs on my head,

more are groundlessly hostile

than I have hair to show.

(They ask me to give back what I never took.)

7 It is for you I am putting up with insults

that cover me with shame,

8 that make me a stranger to my brothers,

an alien to my mother's other sons;

10 If I mortify myself with fasting,

they make this a pretext for insulting me

11 if I dress myself in sackcloth,

I become their laughing-stock,

12 the gossip of people sitting at the city gate,

and the theme of drunken songs.

19a You know all the insults I endure,

19c every one of my oppressors is known to you;

20a the insults have broken my heart,

19b my shame and disgrace are past cure;

71

4 My God, rescue me from the hands

of the wicked,

from the clutches of rogue and tyrant!

10 for my enemies are uttering threats,

spies hatching their conspiracy :

11 'Hound him down now

that God has deserted him,

seize him, there is no one to rescue him!'

86

14 Now arrogant men, God, are attacking me,

a brutal gang hounding me to death:

people to whom you mean nothing.

7. Trusting in God protects

us in the test

91

5 You need not fear the terrors of night,

the arrow that flies in the daytime,

6 the plague that stalks in the dark,

the scourge that wreaks havoc in broad daylight.

102

8 my enemies insult me all day long,

those who used to praise me' now use me as a curse.

9 Ashes are the bread I eat,

what I drink I lace with tears,

109

1 God whom I praise, break your silence,

2 now that the wicked and the false

are both accusing me.

They are defaming me,

3 saying malicious things about me,

attacking me for no reason.

8. Strong in the name of the Lord

118

10 The pagans were swarming round me,

in the name of Yahweh I cut them down;

11 they swarmed round me closer and closer,

in the name of Yahweh I cut them down;

12 they swarmed round me like bees,

they blazed like a thorn-fire,

in the name of Yahweh I cut them down.

119

39 Avert the insults that fear,

in the kindness of your rulings.

69 Though the arrogant tell foul lies about me,

86 when liars hound me, you must help rue .

95 The wicked may hope to destroy me,

147 I am up before dawn to call for help,

I put my hope in your word .

9. Faithful to God

in the persecution

119

157 Many hound me and oppress me,

but I do not swerve from your decrees .

161 Unjustifiably though princes hound me,

your word is what fills me with dread.

123

3 pity us, Yahweh, take pity on us,

we have had more than our share of scorn,

129

1 Hard as they have harried me since I was young

142

1 To Yahweh, my cry! I plead.

144

10 and safety to your servant David.

11 From peril of sword save me,

rescue me from the power of aliens

who tell nothing but lies,

who are prepared to swear to falsehood!

8.   TROUBLE

1. Stunned

6

2 Pity me, Yahweh, I have no strength left,

heal me, my bones are in torment,

3 my soul is in utter torment.

Yahweh, how long will you be?

2. On the threshold of the death

9

13 Take pity on me, Yahweh,

look on my suffering,

you who lift me back from the gates of death,

18

4 The waves , of death encircled me,

the torrents of Belial burst on me;

5 the cords of Sheol girdled me,

the snares of death were before me.

3. Tormented night and day

22

2 I call all day, my God, but you never answer,

all night long I call and cannot rest.

7 all who see me jeer at me,

they toss their heads and sneer .

8 `He relied on Yahweh, let Yahweh save him!

If Yahweh is his friend, let Him rescue him!'

4. Nobody helps me

22

11 Do not stand aside:

trouble is near,

I have no one to help me!

15c and leave me lying in the dust of death .

25

17 Relieve the distress of my heart,

free me from my sufferings,

5. Maintaining the trust

in ourselves

27

3 Though an army pitched camp against

my heart would not fear;

though war were waged against me,

my trust would still be firm.

28

1 I shall go down to the Pit like the rest.

6. In the worry and in the pain

31

9 Take pity on me, Yahweh, I am in trouble now.

Grief wastes away my eye,

my throat, my inmost parts .

10 For my life is worn out with sorrow,

my years with sighs;

my strength yields under misery,

my bones are wasting away.

7. Your hand weighs on me

32

4 day and night your hand lay heavy on me;

my heart grew parched as stubble in summer drought.

6 That is why each of your servants prays to you

in time of trouble;

8. Those sore which don’t heal

38

5 my wounds stink and are festering,

the result of my folly ;

6 bowed down, bent double, overcome,

I go mourning all the day.

9. Oppressed by guilt

40

12 More misfortunes beset me than I can count.

my sins close in on me

until I can hardly see,

they outnumber the hairs on my head ;

my courage is running out.

42

6 When my soul is downcast within me,

51

3 For I am well aware of my faults,

I have my sin constantly in mind,

53

5 They will be struck with fear,

fear without reason,

10. Listen to me, God

55

1 God, hear my prayer,

do not hide from my petition,

2 give me a hearing, answer me,

I cannot rest for complaining

3 I shudder at the enemy's shouts,

at the howling of the wicked;

11. Death’s terrors

55

4 My heart aches in my breast,

Death's terrors assail me,

5 fear and trembling descend on me,

horror overwhelms me.

61

2 From the end of the earth I call to you,

with sinking heart.

To the rock too high for me, lead me!

12. I have fallen in deep waters

69

1 Save me, God!

The water is already up to my neck!

2 I am sinking in the deepest swamp,

there is no foothold;

I have stepped into deep water

and the waves are washing over me.

3 Worn out with calling, my throat is hoarse,

my eyes are strained, looking for my God.

14 Pull me out of this swamp; let me sink no further,

let me escape those who hate me,

save me from deep water!

15 Do not let the waves wash over me,

do not let the deep swallow me

or the Pit close its mouth on me.

13. Make me go up again

from the abyss

71

20 You have sent me misery and hardship,

but you will give me life again.

you will pull me up again

from the depths of the earth,

77

2 When in trouble I sought the Lord,

all night long I stretched out my hands,

my soul refusing to be consoled.

3 I thought of God and sighed,

I pondered and my spirit failed me.

4 You stopped me closing my eyes,

I was too distraught to speak;

86

7 Lord, in trouble I invoke you,

and you answer my prayer,

14. I am near the grave

88

3 for my soul is all troubled,

my life is on the brink of Sheol;

4 I am numbered among those

who go down to the Pit,

a man bereft of strength :

5 a man alone, down among the dead,

among the slaughtered in their graves,

15. A life of persecution

88

15 Wretched, slowly dying since my youth,

I bore your terrors-now I am exhausted;

16 your anger overwhelmed me,

you destroyed me with your terrors

17 which, like a flood, were round me, all day long,

all together closing in on me.

18 You have turned my friends and neighbours

against rue,

now darkness is my one companion left.


16. Don’t hide your face to me

102

1 Yahweh, hear my prayer,

let my cry for help reach you;

2 do not hide your face from me

when I am in trouble;

bend down to listen to me,

107

6 Then they called to Yahweh in their trouble

and he rescued them from their sufferings,

116

3 Death's cords were tightening round me,

the nooses of Sheol;

distress and anguish gripped me,

118

5 Hard-pressed, I invoked Yahweh,

he heard me and came to my relief.

119

143 Though distress and anguish grip me,

your commandments are my delight.

120

1Nella mia angoscia ho gridato al Signore

ed egli mi ha risposto.

130

1 When I am in trouble, I call to

142

2 I pour out my supplications.

I unfold all my troubles;

143

4 my spirit fails me

and my heart is full of fear.


9.   DEFEAT

1. Feeling as a worm

22

6 Yet here am I, now more worm than man,

scorn of mankind, jest of the people,

2. In the hands of the enemies

22

17 and there they glare at me, gloating;

18 they divide my garments among them

and cast lots for my clothes

3. He restores to health my wounds

34

18 Yahweh is near to the broken-hearted,

he helps those whose spirit is crushed.

39

3 My heart had been smouldering inside me,

but it flared up at the thought of this


4. My people’s defeat

44

11 You let us go to the slaughterhouse like sheep,

you scatter us among the nations;

13 Thanks to you, our neighbours insult us,

all those around us make us

their butt and laughing-stock;

14 you make us a byword to pagans,

a thing to make them toss their heathen heads .

15 All day long I brood on this disgrace,

my face covered in shame,

16 under a shower of insult and blasphemy,

a display of hatred and revenge.

5. Defeated in the friendship

55

12 Were it an enemy who insulted me,

i could put up with that ;

had a rival got the better of me,

I could hide from him.

13 But you, a man of my own rank,

a colleague and a friend,

14 to whom sweet conversation bound me

in the house of God!

66

11 you let us fall into the net,

you laid heavy burdens on our backs,

69

2 I am sinking in the deepest swamp,

there is no foothold ;

17 do not hide your face from your servant,

quick, I am in trouble, answer me;

70

5 To me, poor wretch,

come quickly, God!

6. I have always sought honesty

73

13 After all, why should I keep my own heart pure,

and wash my hands in innocence,

14 if you plague me all day long

and discipline me every morning?

26 My flesh and my heart are pining with love,

my heart's Rock, my own, God for ever!

74

9 Deprived of signs, with no prophets left,

who can say how long this will last?

77

5 I thought of the olden days,

6 years long past came back to me,

I spent all night meditating in my heart,

I pondered and my spirit asked this question:

79

4 we are now insulted by our neighbours,

butt and laughing-stock of all those around us.

80

6 you now let our neighbours quarrel over us

and our enemies deride us.

86

1 Listen to me, Yahweh, and answer me,

poor and needy as I am;

7. I have always sought honesty

88

6 You have plunged me to the bottom of the Pit,

to its darkest, deepest place,

102

3 For my days arc vanishing like smoke,

my bones smouldering like logs,

4 my heart shrivelling like scorched grass

and my appetite has gone;

5 whenever I heave a sigh,

my bones stick through my skin.

6 I live in a desert like the pelican,

in a ruin like the screech owl,

7 I stay awake, lamenting

like a lone bird on the roof

;

8 my enemies insult me all day long,

those who used to praise me' now use me as a curse.

24a My strength has already run out;

24b Do not take me prematurely,

107

4 Some had lost their way in the wilds and the desert,

not knowing how to reach an inhabited town;

39 Their numbers had fallen, they had grown weak

under pressure of disaster and hardship.

109

24 My knees are weak for lack of food,

my body is thin for lack of oil;

25 I have become an object of derision,

people shake their heads at me in scorn.

119

25 Down in the dust I lie prostrate:

revive me as your word has guaranteed.

71 It was good for me to have to suffer,

the better to learn your statutes.

75 I know that your rulings are righteous, Yahweh,

that you make me suffer out of faithfulness .

173 May your hand be there to help me,

since I have chosen your precepts.

124

4 The waters would have closed over us,

the torrent have swept us away,

129

6 be blasted by winds from the east like grass

sprouting on the roof!

7 Roof-grass never yet filled

reaper's arm or binder's lap-

8.  My exile

137

1 Beside the streams of Babylon

we sat and wept

at the memory of Zion,

2 leaving our harps

hanging on the poplars there.

9. You give me life

138

7 Though I live surrounded by trouble,

you keep me alive to my enemies fury!

142

3 my spirit fails me,

but you, you know my path.

4 All help is denied me,

no one cares about me.

143

3 An enemy who hounds me

to crush me into the dust,

forces me to dwell in darkness

like the dead of long ago;


III -  POSITIVE  STATES

OF  MIND

Sentirsi contenti, pieni di energia, desiderosi di lavorare, interessati a dare una mano a chi ne ha bisogno, contribuire a realizzare un mondo migliore…, sono indicatori di una vita piena, di equilibrio e di maturità emotiva ed esistenziale.

I sentimenti e gli stati d’animo positivi e costruttivi indicano una storia evolutiva riuscita e adeguata alle possibilità dell’essere umano.

Coraggio, capacità si saper attendere si basano su una profonda fiducia nella vita che fluisce in noi. Richiede presa d’atto realistica e insieme superamento del limite che ogni giorno incontriamo attorno a noi e dentro di noi.

Sapersi pentire per gli errori commessi, genera energie, ci svela il vero volto degli altri, ci dona la gioia del perdono, il calore dello stare insieme, la pace nel profondo.

L’aver posto in Dio il nostro rifugio fa sorgere innoi il profondo bisogno di ringraziamento, che esprimiamo con la nostra continua lode a Dio e con uno stile di vite che si esprime con la gioia

10.     FORTUNE

1. The one who is far from you

seems fortunate

10

25 At every moment his course is assured,

your rulings are too lofty for his notice

his rivals? He sneers at them all.

2. Preferring God to earthly goods

17

14 Cram their bellies from your stores,

give them all the sons that they could wish for,

let them have a surplus to leave their children!

15 For me the reward of virtue is to see your face,

and, on waking, to gaze my fill on your likeness.

3. When the fortune of the other

is envied

39

2 I stayed dumb, silent, speechless,

though the sight of him thriving made

torment increase.

4. The prosperity that blinds

49

11 though they owned estates that bore their names .

12 Man when he prospers forfeits intelligence :

he is one with the cattle doomed to slaughter .

13 So on they go with their self-assurance,

with men to run after them when they raise their voice.

5. Don’t envy the wealth

49

16 Do not be afraid when a man grows rich,

when the glory of his House increases;

17 when he dies he can take nothing with him,

his glory cannot follow him down.

18 The soul he made so happy while he lived

-'look after yourself and men will praise you' -

19 will join the company of his ancestors

who will never see the light of day again.

6. Don’t envy

the arrogant persons

73

2 My feet were on the point of stumbling,

a little further and I should have slipped,

3 envying the arrogant as I did,

and watching the wicked get rich.

4 For them, no such thing as pain,

their bodies are healthy and strong,

5 they do not suffer as other men do,

no human afflictions for them!

9 they think their mouth is heaven

and their tongue can dictate on earth.

10 This is why my people turn to them

and lap up all they say,

11 asking, `Flow will God find out?

Does the Most High know everything?

12 Look at them: these are the wicked,

well-off and still getting richer,

7. Winning the discouragement

73

13 After all, why should I keep my own heart pure,

and wash my hands in innocence,

14 if you plague me all day long

and discipline me every morning?

11.     COURAGE, STRENGTH

1. Holding your head high

3

3 But, Yahweh, my encircling shield,

my glory, you help me hold up my head.

5 Now I can lie down and go to sleep

and then awake, for Yahweh has hold of me:

6 no fear now of those tens of thousands

posted against me wherever I turn.

9

37 Yahweh, you listen to the wants of the humble,

you bring strength to their hearts,

you grant them a hearing,

38 judging in favour of the orphaned and exploited,

so that earthborn man may strike fear no longer.

16

9 So my heart exults,

my very soul rejoices,

my body, too, wilt rest securely,


2. Winning the fear

18

29 with you I storm the barbican,

with my God I leap the rampart.

31 Who else is God but Yahweh,

who else a rock save our God?

32 This God who girds me with strength

and makes my way without blame,

33 who makes my feet like the hinds'

and holds me from falling on the heights,

34 who trains my hands for battle,

my arms to bend a bow of bronze.

43 You deliver me from a people in revolt,

you place me at the head of the nations,

a people I did not know are now my servants,

44 foreigners come wooing my favour,

no sooner do they hear than they obey me,

45 foreigners grow faint of heart,

they come trembling out of their fastnesses.

20

4 may he grant you your heart's desire,

and crown all your plans with success;

7 Some boast of chariots, some of horses,

but we boast about the name of Yahweh our God;

8 theirs to crumple and fall,

but we shall stand, and stand firm!

23

4 Though I pass through a gloomy valley,

I fear no harm;

27

1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation,

whom need I fear?

Yahweh is the fortress of my life,

of whom should I be afraid?

2 When evil men advance against me

to devour my flesh,

they, my opponents, my enemies,

are the ones who stumble and fall

3 Though an army pitched camp against me,

my heart would not fear;

though war were waged against me,

my trust would still be firm.

6 And now my head is held high

over the enemies who surround me,

28

7 Yahweh is my strength, my shield,

my heart puts its trust in him;

29

11 Yahweh gives strength to his people,

31

24 Be strong, let your heart be bold,

all you hope in Yahweh!

37

1 Do not worry about the wicked,

do not envy those who do wrong.

45

3 your lips are moist with grace,

for God has blessed you for eve .

Hero, strap your sword at your side,

4 Stretch the bowstring tight,

lending terror to your right hand.

5 Your arrows are sharp; nations lie at your mercy,

the king's enemies are losing heart.

46

2 so we shall not be afraid when the earth gives way,

when mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,

3 and its waters roar and seethe,

the mountains tottering as it heaves.

51

12 Be my saviour again, renew my joy,

keep my spirit steady and willing;

54

7 He has rescued me from all my troubles,

and let me see my enemies defeated.

57

7 My heart is ready, God, my heart is ready;

I mean to sing and play for you,

3. Supported by the grace of God

59

10 the God who loves me is conning,

God will show me my enemies defeated.

60

12 With God among us we shall fight like heroes,

he will trample on our enemies.

68

35 He, the God of Israel,

gives power and strength to his people.

78

72 who did this with unselfish care

and led them with a sensitive hand.

84

7 Thence they make their way from height to height,

soon to be seen before God on Zion,

89

17 You are their glory and their strength,

you, by your kindness, raise our fortunes,

92

10 You raise my horn as if 1 were a wild ox,

you pours fresh oil on my head;

4. The strength

of the good conscience

101

4 perverted hearts must keep their distance,

the wicked I disregard.

5 The man who secretly slanders his neighbour

I reduce to silence;

haughty looks, proud heart,

I cannot tolerate these.

7 There is no room in my house

for any hypocrite;

no liar keeps his post where I can see him.

110

7 Drinking from the stream as he goes,

he can hold his head high in victory.

118

6 With Yahweh on my side, I fear nothing;

what can man do to me?

7 With Yahweh on my side, best help of all,

I can triumph over my enemies.

119

32 I run the way of your commandments,

since you have set me free.

133 Direct my steps as you have promised,

let evil win no power over me.

120

4 With war arrows hardened

over red-hot charcoal!

125

1 Those who trust in Yahweh are like Mount Zion,

unshakeable, standing for ever.

127

4 like the arrows in a hero's hand

are the sons you father when young.

128

2 You will eat what your hands have worked for,

132

11 Yahweh swore to David

and will remain true to his word,

'I promise that your own son

shall succeed you on the throne.

18 whose enemies I shall clothe in shame,

while his crown bursts into flower.'

138

3 The day I called for help, you heard me

and you increased my strength,

144

1 Blessed be Yahweh, my rock,

who trains my hands for war

and my fingers for battle,

147

13 for strengthening the bars of your gates,

149

6 with panegyrics on their lips,

and a two-edged sword in their hands

7 to exact vengeance on the pagans,

to inflict punishment on the heathen,

8 to shackle their kings with chains

and their nobles with fetters,

9 to execute the preordained sentence.


12.    LIMIT

1. Brevity of life

8

4 ah, what is man that you should spare a thought for him.

the son of man that you should care for him?

9

20 Strike terror into them, Yahweh,

let the nations know they are only men!

39

4 `Tell me, Yahweh, when my end will be,

how many days are allowed me,

show me how frail I am.

11 man is indeed only a puff of wind!

49

7 But man could never redeem himself

or pay his ransom to God:

8 it costs so much to redeem his life,

9 it is beyond him;

how then could he live on for ever

and never see the Pit.

17 when he dies he can take nothing with him,

his glory cannot follow him down.

2. Oppressed by our guilt

51

5 You know I was born guilty,

a sinner from the moment of conception.

62

9 Ordinary men are only a puff of wind,

important men' delusion;

put both in the scales and up they go,

lighter than a puff of wind.

78

39 remembering they were creatures of flesh,

a puts of wind that passes and does not return.

89

47 Remember me, the short time I have left

and the void to which you destine mankind .

48 What man can cling to life and not see death?

Who can evade the clutches of Sheol?

3. Marked by our pain

90

9 Our days dwindle under your wrath,

our lives are over in a breath

10 our life lasts for seventy years,

eighty with good health,

but they all add up toe anxiety and trouble

over in a trice, and then we are gone.

12 Teach us to count how few days we have

and so gain wisdom of heart.

94

11 knows exactly how men think,

how their thoughts are a puff of wind

102

11 my days dwindle away like a shadow,

I am as dry as hay.

26 all will vanish, though you remain,

all wear out like a garment,

like clothes that need changing

you will change them;

4. A fragile existence

103

14 he knows what we are made of,

he remembers we arc dust.

15 Man lasts no longer than grass,

no longer than a wild Bower he lives,

16 one gust of wind, and he is gone,

never to be seen there again;

105

11 `I give you a land, he said

'Canaan, your allotted heritage.

12 `There where you were easily counted,

few in number, strangers to the country.

109

23 I am dwindling away like a shadow,

they have brushed me off like a locust.

5. God chooses the weak

115

1 Not by us, Yahweh, not by us,

by you alone is glory deserved,

118

22 it was the stone rejected by the builders

that proved to be the keystone;

119

141 Puny and despised as I am,

I do not forget your precepts.


127

2 In vain you get up earlier,

and put off going to bed,

sweating to make a living,

since he provides for his beloved as they sleep.

131

1 Yahweh, my heart has no lofty ambitions,

my eyes do not look too high.

I am not concerned with great affairs

or marvels beyond my scope.

139

6 Such knowledge is beyond my understanding,

a height to which my mind cannot attain.

7 Where could I go to escape your spirit?

Where could I flee from your presence?

144

3 Yahweh, what is man, that you should notice him?

A human being, that you should think about him?

4 Man's life, a mere puff of wind,

his days, as fugitive as shadows.


6. What counts is only

the grace of God

146

3 Do not put your trust in men in power,

or in any mortal man he cannot save,

4 he yields his breath

and goes back to the earth he came from,

and on that day all his schemes perish.

147

10 The strength of the war horse means

nothing to him,

it is not infantry that interests him.

11 Yahweh is interested only in those who fear him,

in those who rely on his love.


13.   REPENTANCE

1. Fruit of the true wisdom

2

10 So now, you kings, learn wisdom,

earthly rulers, be warned:

11 serve Yahweh, fear him,

12 tremble and kiss his feet,

4

1 now be good to me and hear my prayer

4 Tremble: give up sinning,

spend your night in quiet meditation'

6

1 Yahweh, do not punish me in your rage,

2 Pity me, Yahweh, I have no strength left,

9

13 Take pity on me, Yahweh,

17

3 You probe my heart, examine me at night,

you test me yet find nothing, no murmuring from me:

19

13 Rise, Yahweh, subdue him face to face,

rescue my soul from the wicked with your sword,

2. Repentance, point of arrival

in  life  and history

22

27 The whole earth, from end to end, will remember

and come back to Yahweh;

all the families of the nations

will bow down before him.

25

7a Do not remember the sins of my youth;

11 Lamed For the sake of your name, Yahweh,

forgive my guilt, for it is great.

18 See my misery and pain,

forgive all my sins!

32

1 Happy the man whose fault is forgiven,

whose sin is blotted out.

5 At last I admitted to you had sinned;

no longer concealing my guilt,

I said, I will go to Yahweh and confess my fault'.

And you, you have forgiven the wrong I did,

have pardoned my sin.

33

8 Let the whole world fear Yahweh,

let all who live on earth revere him!

3. Detesting sin

38

1 Yahweh, do not punish me in your rage,

or reprove me in the heat of anger.

4 My guilt is overwhelming me,

it is too heavy a burden;

5 my wounds stink and are festering,

the result of my folly;

17 And now my fall is upon me,

there is no relief from my pains

18 yes, I admit my guilt,

I am sorry for having sinned .

39

8 Free me from all my sins,

do not make me the butt of idiots.

40

11 For your part, Yahweh, do not withhold

your kindness from me!

May your love and faithfulness constantly preserve me.

12 More misfortunes beset me than I can count.

my sins close in on me

until I can hardly see,

they outnumber the hairs on my head;

my courage is running out.

4. The offence to God

41

4 I for my part said, `Yahweh, take pity on me!

Cure me, for I have sinned against you.'

46

10 `Pause a while and know that I am God,

exalted among the nations, exalted over the earth!'

50

14 No, let thanksgiving be your sacrifice to God,

fulfil the vows you make to the Most High;

21c I charge, I indict you to your face,

51

1 Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness,

in your great tenderness wipe away my faults

2 wash me clean of my guilt,

purify me from my sin.

3 For I am well aware of my faults,

I have my sin constantly in mind,

4 having sinned against none other than you,

having done what you regard as wrong.

You are just when you pass sentence on me,

blameless when you give judgement.

5 You know I was born guilty,

a sinner from the moment of conception.

6 Yet, since you love sincerity of heart,

teach me the secrets of wisdom.

7 Purify me with hyssop until I am clean;

wash me until 1 am whiter than snow.

8 Instil some joy and gladness into me,

let the bones you have crushed rejoice again.

9 Hide your face from my sins,

wipe out all my guilt.

10 God, create a clean heart in me,

put into me a new and constant spirit,

11 do not banish me from your presence,

do not deprive me of your holy spirit .

12 Be my saviour again, renew my joy,

keep my spirit steady and willing;

13 and I shall teach transgressors the way to you,

and to you the sinners will return.

14 Save the from death, God my saviour,

and my tongue will acclaim your righteousness;

15 Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will speak out your praise.

16 Sacrifice gives you no pleasure,

were I to offer holocaust, you would not have it.

17 My sacrifice is this broken spirit,

you will not scorn this crushed and broken heart.

56

1 Take pity on me, God, as they harry me,

57

1 Take pity on me. God, take pity on me,

5. Return to God

60

1 God, you have rejected us, broken us ;

you have been angry, come back to us!

64

9 Then all wilt feel afraid,

will tell others what God has done;

they will understand why he has done it.

65

3 though our faults overpower us,

you blot them out.

67

1 May God show kindness and bless us,

68

18 yes, taken rebels to your dwelling, Yahweh!

69

5 God, you know how foolish I have been,

my offences are not hidden from you,

73

21 When my heart had been growing sourer

with pains shooting through my loins,

22 I had simply failed to understand,

my stupid attitude to you was brutish.

76

10 Man's wrath only adds to your glory;

the survivors of your wrath you will draw like

a girdle around you;

78

34 Whenever he slaughtered them they sought him,

they came to their senses and sought him earnestly

35 remembering that God was their rock,

God the Most High, their redeemer.

79

8 Do not hold our ancestors crimes against us,

in tenderness quickly intervene,

we can hardly be crushed lower;

9 help us, God our saviour,

for the honour of your name;

Yahweh, blot out our sins,

rescue us for the sake of your name.

6. Towards the life,

the light, the joy

80

3 Yahweh Sabaoth, bring us back,

let your face smile on us and we shall be safe.

84

6 As they go through the Valley of the Weeper,

they make it a place of springs,

85

4 Bring us back, God our saviour,

master your resentment against us.

5 Do you mean to be angry with us for ever,

to prolong your wrath age after age?

6 Will you not give us life again,

for your people to rejoice in you?

7 Yahweh, show us your love,

grant us your saving help.

86

5 Lord, you are good and forgiving,

102

15 Then will the nations fear the name of Yahweh

and all kings on earth respect your glory;

103

3 in forgiving all your offences,

in curing all your diseases,

4 in redeeming your life from the Pit,

11 No less than the height of heaven over earth

is the greatness of his love for those who fear him;

12 he takes our sins farther away

than the east is from the west.

106

6 We have sinned quite as much as our fathers,

we have been wicked, we arc guilty;

107

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

his love is everlasting:

2 let these be the words of Yahweh's redeemed,

those he has redeemed from the oppressor's clutches,

13 Then they called to Yahweh in their trouble

and he rescued them from their sufferings;

14 releasing them from gloom and darkness,

shattering their chains.

19 Then they called to Yahweh in their trouble

and he rescued them from their sufferings;

7. Objective: serving God

116

14 I will pay what I vowed to Yahweh;

may his whole nation be present!

119

153 Take note of my suffering and rescue me,

123

2 eyes like the eyes of slaves

fixed on their master's hand;

like the eyes of a slave-girl

fixed on the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes arc fixed on Yahweh our God,

for him to take pity on us;

3 pity us, Yahweh, take pity on us,


130

3 If you never overlooked our sins, Yahweh,

Lord, could anyone survive?

8 it is he who redeems Israel from all their sins.

139

23 God, examine me and know my heart,

probe me and know my thoughts;

141

5 A virtuous man may strike me in reproof,

for my own good,

143

2 do not put your servant on trial,

no one is virtuous by your standards.


14.    EXPECTATION

1. The time as expectation of God

5

3 for at daybreak you listen for my voice

and at dawn I hold myself in readiness for you,

I watch for you.

6

3 my soul is in utter torment.

Yahweh, how long will you be?

8 Away from me, all you evil men!

For Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping;

9 Yahweh has heard my petition,

Yahweh will accept my prayer.

9

18 For the needy is not always forgotten,

the hope of the poor is never brought to nothing.

13

3 Look and answer me, Yahweh my God!

Give my eyes light,

or I shall sleep in death,

25

5 Set me in the way of your truth, and teach me,

for you are the God who saves me.

All day long I hope in you.

27

13 This I believe: I shall see the goodness of Yahweh,

in the land of the living.

2. Trust in the grace of God

31

17 I invoke you, Yahweh;

do not let me be disgraced,

33

18 But see how the eye of Yahweh is on those

who fear him,

on those who rely on his love,

20 Our soul awaits Yahweh,

he is our help and shield;

35

17 How much longer, Lord, will you look on?

37

7 Be quiet before Yahweh, and wait patiently for him,

38

15 For I put my trust in you, Yahweh,

and leave you to answer for me, Lord my God.

39

7 So tell me, Lord, what can I expect?

My hope is in you.

40

1 I waited and waited for Yahweh,

now at. last he has stooped to me

and heard my cry for help.

2 He has pulled me out of the horrible pit,

out of the slough of the marsh,

17 To me, poor wretch,

come quickly, Lord!

52

9 and put my hope in your name,

that is so full of kindness,

53

6 Who will bring Israel salvation from Zion?

55

7 How far I would take my flight,

and make a new home in the desert!

3. Overcoming the fear, the pain

56

3 Raise me up when I am most afraid,

I put my trust in you;

4 in God, whose word I praise,

in God I put my trust, fearing nothing;

what can men do to me?

9 Then my enemies will have to fall back

as soon as I call for help.

This I know: that God is on my side.

62

5 Rest in God alone, my soul!

He is the source of my hope;

8 In God, I find shelter; rely on him

people, at all times;

63

1 my soul is thirsting for you,

my flesh is longing for you,

a land parched, weary and waterless;

64

10 The virtuous will rejoice in Yahweh,

will make him their refuge;

67

1 May God show kindness and bless us,

and make his face smile on us!

69

3 Worn out with calling, my throat is hoarse,

my eyes are strained, looking for my God.


14 Pull me out of this swamp ; let me sink no further,

17 do not hide your face from your servant,

quick, I am in trouble, answer me;

4. The salvation of the poor man

and the unhappy

70

5 To me, poor wretch,

come quickly, God!

My helper, my saviour, Yahweh,

come without delay!

71

5 For you alone are my hope, Lord,

Yahweh, I have trusted you since my youth,

14 I promise that, ever hopeful,

74

21 Do not let the hard-pressed retreat in confusion,

give the poor and needy cause to praise your name.

86

4 give your servant reason to rejoice,

7 Lord, in trouble I invoke you,

and you answer my prayer,

17 give me one proof of your goodness.

102

13 Rise, take pity on Zion!-

108

10 Who is there now to take me into the fortified city,

to lead me into Edom?

11 God, can you really have rejected us?

You no longer march with our armies.

109

26 Help me, Yahweh my God,

save me since you love me,

116

10 I have faith, even when say,

'I am completely crushed'

119

28 I am sleepless with grief:

raise me as your word has guaranteed.

31 I cling to your decrees:

Yahweh, do not disappoint me.

81 Keeping my hope in your word,

I have worn myself out waiting for you to save me,

123 My eyes are worn out looking

for your saving help

for your promise of righteousness to come.

121

1 I lift my eyes to the mountains:

where is help to come from?

2 Help comes to me from Yahweh,

who made heaven and earth.

130

5 I wait for Yahweh, my soul waits for him,

I rely on his promise,

6 my soul relies on the Lord

more than a watchman on the coming of dawn.

131

3 Israel, rely on Yahweh,

now and for always!

142

7 Free me from this imprisonment,

145

15 Patiently all creatures look to you

147

11 Yahweh is interested only in those who fear him,

in those who rely on his love.


15.  SHELTER IN GOD

1. In the oppression

2

12 Happy all who take shelter in him.

7

1 Yahweh my God, I take shelter in you;

9

9 May Yahweh be a stronghold for the oppressed,

a stronghold when times are hard.

34 the luckless man commits himself to you,

you, the orphan's certain help.

11

1 In Yahweh I take shelter. How can you say to me,

'Bird, fly back to your mountain:

14

6 deride as you may the poor man's hopes,

Yahweh is his shelter.

16

1 Look after me, God, I take shelter in you .

2 To Yahweh you' say, 'My Lord,

you are my fortune, nothing else but you',

5 you, and you only, hold my lot secure;

17

7 display your marvellous kindness,

saviour of fugitives!

From those who revolt against you

18

2 Yahweh is my rock and my bastion,

30 This God, his way is blameless ;

the word of Yahweh is without dross.

He it is who is the shield

of all who take shelter in him.

22

4 in you our fathers put their trust,

they trusted and you rescued them;

25

2 O my God. I rely on you, do not let me be shamed,

20 Watch over my soul, rescue me;

let me not be shamed: I take shelter in you.

26

1 My trust in Yahweh never wavers.

2. In the abandonment

27

1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation,

whom need I fear?

5 For he shelters me under his awning

in times of trouble;

10 If my father and mother desert me,

Yahweh will care for me still.

14 Put your hope in Yahweh, be strong,

let your heart be bold, put your hope in Yahweh.

28

8 Yahweh is the strength of his people,

a saving fortress for his anointed.

30

7 Your favour, Yahweh,

stood me on a peak impregnable;

31

1 In you, Yahweh, I take shelter;

never let me be disgraced.

2 Be a sheltering rock for me,

a waited fortress to save me!

4 Pull me out of the net they have spread for me,

for you are my refuge;

6 God of truth, you hate those who serve

worthless idols;

but I put my trust in Yahweh:

14 But I put my trust in you, Yahweh,

I say, `You are my God'.

20 Safe in your presence you hide them

far from the wiles of men;

inside your tent you shelter them

far from the war of tongues.

3. In dangers

32

7 You are a hiding place for me,

you guard me when in trouble,

you surround me with songs of deliverance.

33

we trust in his holy name .

22 Yahweh, let your love rest on us

as our hope has rested in you .

34

8 How good Yahweh is only taste and see!

Happy the man who takes shelter in him.

22 while Yahweh himself ransoms

the souls of his servants,

and those who take shelter in him

have nothing to pay.

36

7 how precious, God, your love!

Hence the sons of men

take shelter in the shadow of your wings.

37

39 The salvation of the virtuous comes from Yahweh,

he is their shelter when trouble comes;

38

hatching treacherous plots all day.

13 But I am like the deaf, I do not hear,

like the dumb man who does not open his mouth;

14 I am like the man who, hearing nothing,

gives no sharp answer in return,

15 For I put my trust in you, Yahweh,

40

1 I waited and waited for Yahweh,

now at. last he has stooped to me

and heard my cry for help .

2 He has pulled me out of the horrible pit,

out of the slough of the marsh,

has settled my feet on a rock and steadied my steps.

42

5 Why so downcast, my soul,

why do you sigh within me?

Put your hope in God: I shall praise him yet,

6 my saviour, my God.

46

1 God is our shelter, our strength,

ever ready to help in time of trouble,

7 Yahweh Sabaoth is on our side,

our citadel, the God of Jacob!

52

8 I, for my part, like an olive tree

growing in the house of God,

put my trust in God's love for ever and ever.

54

4 But now God himself comes to help me,

the Lord, supporter of my life.

4. In the worry, in the fear

55

16 I , for myself, appeal to God

and Yahweh saves me;

22 Unload your burden on to Yahweh,

and he will support you;

he will never permit the virtuous to falter.

23 As for these murderous, these treacherous men,

you, God, will push them down to the deepest Pit

before half their days are out .

For my part, I put my trust in you.

56

3 Raise me up when I am most afraid,

I put my trust in you;

11 in God I put my trust, fearing nothing;

what can man do to me?

57

1 Take pity on me. God, take pity on me,

in you my soul takes shelter;

I take shelter in the shadow of your wings

until the destroying storm is over.

59

1 protect me from those attacking me,

9 My Strength, I look to you.

My citadel is God himself,

16 I, for my part, celebrate your strength,

I sing of your love morning by morning;

you have always been my citadel,

a shelter when I am in trouble.


61

3 For you are my refuge,

a strong tower against the enemy.

5. God, the only shelter

62

1 In God alone there is rest for my soul,

from him comes my safety;

7 rest in God, my safety, glory,

the rock of my strength.

8 In God, I find shelter; rely on him

people, at all times;

66

12 you let people drive over our heads;

but now the ordeal by fire and water is over,

and you allow us once more to draw breath.

71

1 In you, Yahweh, I take shelter;

never let me be disgraced.

3 Be a sheltering rock for me,

a waked fortress to save me!

For you are my rock, my fortress.

73

23 Even so, I stayed in your presence,

you held my right hand;

26 My flesh and my heart are pining with love,

my heart's Rock,

my own, God for ever!

28 whereas my joy lies in being close to God.

I have taken shelter in the Lord,

6. Trust and fidelity in God

78

6 the next generation was to learn it,

the children still to be born,

and these in their turn were to tell their own children

7 so that they too would put their confidence in God,

never forgetting God's achievements,

and always keeping his commandments,

80

17 May your hand protect the man at your right,

the son of man who has been authorised by you

84

12 happy the man who puts his trust in you!

86

2 keep my soul : I am your devoted one,

90

1 Lord, you have been

our refuge age after age.

91

2 you can say to Yahweh, `My refuge, my fortress,

my God in whom I trust!'

4a he covers you with his feathers,

4b and you find shelter underneath his wings.

9 you who can say, `Yahweh my refuge',

and make Elyon your fortress.

94

12 Yahweh, happy the man whom you instruct,

the man whom you teach through your law

13 his mind is at peace though times are bad,

22 No! Yahweh is still my citadel,

my God is a rock where I take shelter;

112

7 with constant heart, and confidence in Yahweh,

he need never fear bad news.

115

9 House of Israel, rely on Yahweh .

on him, our help and shield!

10 House of Aaron, rely on Yahweh,

on him, our help and shield!

11 You who fear Yahweh, rely on Yahweh,

on him, our help and shield!

116

13 I will offer libations to my saviour,

invoking the name of Yahweh!

118

8 I would rather take refuge in Yahweh

than rely on men;

125

1 Those who trust in Yahweh are like Mount Zion,

unshakeable, standing for ever.

7. Total abandonment to God

131

2 Enough for me to keep my soul tranquil and quiet

like a child in its mother's arms,

as content as a child that has been weaned .

140

4 Yahweh, guard me from attacks by the wicked,

defend me from those who love force,

141

8 To you, Yahweh my Lord, I turn my eyes.

I take shelter in you, do not leave me exposed!

142

5 I invoke you, Yahweh,

I affirm that you are my refuge,

my heritage in the land of the living.

143

8 Let dawn bring proof of your love,

for one who relies on you;

144

1 Blessed be Yahweh, my rock,

146

5 Happy the man

who has the God of Jacob to help him,

whose hope is fixed on Yahweh his God,

6 maker of heaven and earth,

and the sea, and all that these hold!

Yahweh, forever faithful,


16.    THANKSGIVING

1. He has lighted up my darkness

3

4 The One whose throne is in heaven sits laughing,

5

7 But I, so great is your love,

may come to your house, and bow down

before your holy Temple in reverence to you.

6

10 Let all my enemies, discredited, in utter torment

fall back in sudden confusion.

16

7 I bless Yahweh, who is my counsellor,

and in the night my inmost self instructs me:

18

6 In my distress I called to Yahweh

and to my God I cried;

from his Temple he heard my voice,

my cry came to his ears.

28 Yahweh, you yourself are my lamp,

my God lights up my darkness;

46 Life to Yahweh! Blessed be my rock?

Exalted be the God of my salvation,

2. He has realized my desires

21

2 You have granted him his heart's desire,

not denied him what his lips entreated.

5 Great his glory through your saving help,

you have loaded him with splendour and majesty;

26

12 my foot is set on the right path,

27

6 in his tent I will offer exultant sacrifice,

I will sing, I will play for Yahweh!

28

6 Blessed be Yahweh, for he hears

the sound of my petition!

3. I Have been recovered

30

2 Yahweh, my God, I cried to you for help,

and you have healed me.

12 will play you music;

31

19 Yahweh, how great your goodness,

21 Blessed be Yahweh, who performs

marvels of love for me

(in a fortress-city)!

34

4 I seek Yahweh, and he answers me

and frees me from all my fears.

35

10 All my bones will exclaim, 'Yahweh,

who can compare with you

40

1 I waited and waited for Yahweh,

now at. last he has stooped to me

and heard my cry for help.

42

4 I remember, and my soul melts within me:

l am on my way to the wonderful Tent,

to the house of God,

among cries of joy and praise

and an exultant throng.

46

8 Come, think of Yahweh's marvels,

the astounding things he has done in the world;

52

9 I mean to thank you constantly

for doing what you did,

54

6 How gladly will I offer sacrifice to you

56

12 I must fulfil the vows I made you, God;

I shall pay you my thank-offerings,

59

16 I, for my part, celebrate your strength,

I sing of your love morning by morning

you have always been my citadel,

a shelter when I am in trouble.

65

1 Praise is rightfully yours, God, in Zion.

Vows to you must be fulfilled,

4. I offer you gifts

66

4 all the earth bows down to you,

13 I bring holocausts to your house,

I bring them to fulfil those vows

68

19 Blessed be the Lord day after day,

68

26 Bless God in your choirs,

bless the Lord, you who spring from Israel!

29 Kings will come to you, bringing presents.

30 until, humbled, they bring gold and silver.

69

30 I will extol him with my thanksgiving,

71

17 God, you taught me when I was young,

and I am still proclaiming your marvels.

75

1 We give thanks to you, God,

we give thanks as we invoke your name,

76

11 fulfil the promises you make to Yahweh your God,

80

18 We shall never turn from you again;

our life renewed, we shall invoke your name.

85

1 Yahweh, you favour your own country,

86

17 give me one proof of your goodness.

Yahweh, make my opponents ashamed,

show them that you are my help and consolation.

92

11 I was able to see those who were spying on me,

to overhear what the wicked were whispering,

94

18 I need only say, `I am slipping',

and your love, Yahweh, immediately supports me;

5. Thanksgiving prayer

95

1 Come, let us praise Yahweh joyfully,

acclaiming the Rock of our safety;

96

9  worship Yahweh in his sacred court,

97

11 Light dawns for the virtuous,

and joy, for upright hearts.

99

5 Let us extol Yahweh our God,

and worship at his footstool,

'Holy is he!'

100

4 Walk through his porticos giving thanks,

103

2 Bless Yahweh, my soul,

and remember all his kindnesses .

106

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

his love is everlasting!

107

8 Let these thank Yahweh for his love,

for his marvels on behalf of men;

111

1 I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart

where the virtuous meet and the people assemble.

116

2 he bends down to listen to me

when I call.

16 Yahweh, I am your servant,

your servant, son of a pious mother,

118

19 Open the gates of virtue to me,

I will come in and give thanks to Yahweh.

28 You are my God, I give you thanks,

I extol you, my God;

119

52 Remembering your rulings in the past,

Yahweh, I take comfort.

56 Surely it will count to my credit:

that I respect your precepts.

124

6 Blessed be Yahweh who did not let us fall

a victim to those teeth,

130

4 But you do forgive us:

and for that we revere you.

132

7 Let us go where he is waiting

and worship at his footstool.

134

2 Stretch out your hands towards the sanctuary,

bless Yahweh night after night!

138

1 I thank you, Yahweh, with all my heart,

because you have heard what I said.

2 and bow down towards your holy Temple

I give thanks to your name

for your love and faithfulness;

142

7 Free me from this imprisonment,

and I will thank your name once more

147

7 Sing to Yahweh in gratitude,

play the lyre for our God:


17.  PRAISE

1. The greatness of God

7

17 I give thanks to Yahweh for his righteousness,

I sing praise to the name of the Most High.

8

1 Yahweh, our Lord,

how great your name throughout the earth!

Above the heavens is your majesty chanted

9

1 I thank you, Yahweh, with all my heart;

I recite your marvels one by one,

11 To Yahweh with his home in Zion, sing praise,

tell the nations of his mighty actions;

13

5 But I for my part rely on your love, Yahweh;

let my heart rejoice in your saving help.

Let me sing to Yahweh

for the goodness he has shown me.

18

49 For this I will praise you, Yahweh,

among the heathen

and sing praise to your name.

19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God,

the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork;

2 day discourses of it to day,

night to night hands on the knowledge.

3 No utterance at all, no speech,

no sound that anyone can hear;

4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth,

and their message to the ends of the world.

21

13 Rise, Yahweh, in your power!

We will sing and play in honour of your strength.

22

22 Then I shall proclaim your name to my brothers,

praise you in full assembly:

23 you who fear Yahweh, praise him!

Entire race of Jacob, glorify him!

Entire race of Israel, revere him!

25 You are the theme of my praise

in the Great Assembly,

I perform my vows in the presence of those who fear him.

26

12 my foot is set on the right path,

I bless you, Yahweh, at the Assemblies.

28

6 Blessed be Yahweh, for he hears

the sound of my petition!

29

1 Pay tribute to Yahweh, you sons of God,

tribute to Yahweh of glory and power,

2 tribute to Yahweh of the glory of his name,

worship Yahweh in his sacred court

2. The goodness of God

30

4 Play music in Yahweh's honour, you devout,

remember his holiness, and praise him.

5 His anger lasts a moment, his favour a lifetime;

in the evening, a spell of tears,

in the morning, shouts of joy.

12 Yahweh, my God, I will praise you for ever.

33

2 give thanks to Yahweh on the lyre,

play to him on the ten-string harp;

3 sing a new song in his honour,

play with all your skill as you acclaim him!

34

1 I will bless Yahweh at all times,

his praise shall be on my lips continually;

3 Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh,

together let us extol his name.

35

10 'Yahweh, who can compare with you

in rescuing the poor man from the stronger,

the needy from the man who exploits him?

28 Then my tongue will shout your goodness,

and sing your praises all day long.

40

3 He has put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God;

16 But joy and gladness for all who seek you!

To all who love your saving power

give constant cause to say, 'God is great!'

41

13 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,

from all eternity and for ever! Amen. Amen!

42

4 l am on my way to the wonderful Tent,

to the house of God,

among cries of joy and praise

and an exultant throng.

43

4 I shall rejoice, I shall praise you on the harp,

Yahweh, my Go .

44

8 our boast was always of God,

we praised your name without ceasing.

45

1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme :

I address my poem to the kin;

my tongue as ready as the pen of a busy scribe.

47

1 Clap your hands, all you peoples,

acclaim God with shouts of joy;

6 let the music sound for our God, let it sound,

let the music sound for our King, let it sound!

7 God is king of the whole world :

play your best in his honour!

48

1 Yahweh is great and supremely to be praised

in the city of our God,

10 God, your praise, like your name,

reaches to the ends of the world.

Your right hand holds the victory ;

51

15 Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will speak out your praise .

16 Sacrifice gives you no pleasure,

were I to offer holocaust, you would not have it.

54

6 How gladly will I offer sacrifice to you

and praise your name, that is so full of kindness

3. Praising the word of God

56

10 In God whose word I praise,

in Yahweh, whose word I praise,

57

8 awake, my muse, awake, lyre and harp,

9 Lord, I mean to thank you among the peoples,

to play music to you among the nations;

59

16 I, for my part, celebrate your strength,

I sing of your love morning by morning

you have always been my citadel,

a shelter when I am in trouble.

17 My Strength, I play for you,

61

6 So I shall always sing of your name,

fulfilling the vows I have taken, day after day.

63

3 Your love is better than life itself,

my lips will recite your praise;

65

1 Praise is rightfully yours, God, in Zion.

66

1 Acclaim God, all the earth,

2 play music to the glory of his name,

glorify him with your praises,

3 say to God, `What dread you inspire!'

4 all the earth bows down to you,

playing music for you,

playing in honour of your name.

8 You nations, bless our God

and make his praise resound,

17 when I uttered my cry to him

and high praise was on my tongue,

67

3 Let the nations praise you, O God,

let all the nations praise you!

4. Singing

68

4 Sing to Yahweh, play music to his name,

24 God, your procession can be seen,

my God's, my king's procession to the sanctuary,

25 with cantors marching in front, musicians behind,

and between them maidens playing tambourines.

32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,

35 He, the God of Israel,

gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God.

69

30 I will praise the name of God with a song,

70

4 But joy and gladness

for all who seek you!

To all who love your saving power

give constant cause to say, `God is great!

71

5 For you alone are my hope, Lord,

Yahweh, I have trusted you since my youth,

6 I have relied on you since I was born,

you have been my portion from my mother's womb,

and the constant theme of my praise .

7 To many I have seemed an enigma,

but you are my firm refuge .

8 My mouth ìs full of your praises,

filled with your splendour all day long.

14 I promise that, ever hopeful,

I will praise you more and more,

22 I promise I will thank you on the lyre,

my ever-faithful God,

I will play the harp in your honour,

Holy One of Israel.

75

9 But I will never stop proclaiming the God of Jacob

5. Educating to the praise

78

4 must not be withheld from their descendants,

but be handed on by us to the next generation

that is : the titles of Yahweh, his power

and the miracles he has done.

79

13 And we your people, the flock that you pasture,

giving you everlasting thanks,

will recite your praises for ever and ever.

81

2 Start the music, sound the drum,

the melodious lyre and the harp ;

3 sound the New Moon trumpet,

at the full moon, on our feastday!

84

4 Happy those who live in your house

and can praise you all day long;

86

9 All the pagans will come and adore you, Lord,

all will glorify your name,

10 since you alone are great, you perform marvels,

you God, you alone.

13 I thank you with all my heart, Lord my God,

I glorify your name for ever,

12 your love for me has been so great,

you have rescued me from the depths of Sheol.

87

3 He has glorious predictions to make of you,

city of God!

7 And there will be princes dancing there.

All find their home in you.

89

1 I will celebrate your love for ever, Yahweh,

age after age my words shall proclaim

your faithfulness;

15 Happy the people who learn to acclaim you!

Yahweh, they will live in the light of your favour;

51 Blessed be Yahweh for ever.

Amen. Amen!

92

1 It is good to give thanks to Yahweh,

to play in honour of your name, Most High,

2 to proclaim your love at daybreak

and your faithfulness all through the night

3 to the music of the zither and lyre,

to the rippling of the harp.

95

1 Come, let us praise Yahweh joyfully,

acclaiming the Rock of our safety ;

6 Come in, let us bow, prostrate ourselves,

and kneel in front of Yahweh our maker,


6. The new song

96

1 Sing Yahweh a new song!

Sing to Yahweh, all the earth!

2 Sing to Yahweh, bless his name.

Proclaim his salvation day after day,

3 tell of his glory among the nations,

tell his marvels to every people.

98

1 Sing Yahweh a new song

for he has performed marvels,

his own right hand, his holy arm,

gives him the power to save.

4 Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth,

burst into shouts of joy!

5 Sing to Yahweh, sing to the music of harps,

and to the sound of many instruments ;

6 to the sound of trumpet and horn

acclaim Yahweh the King!

99

5 Let us extol Yahweh our God,

and worship at his footstool,

'Holy is he!'

7. The universal praise

100

1 Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth,

4 give thanks to him, bless his name!

5 Yes, Yahweh is good

his love is everlasting,

his faithfulness endures from age to age.

101

1 My song is about kindness and justice;

Yahweh, I sing it to you.

102

18 Put this on record for the next generation,

so that a race still to be born can praise God

21 to proclaim the name of Yahweh in Zion,

his praise in Jerusalem;

103

1 Bless Yahweh, my soul,

bless his holy name, all that is in me!

20 Bless Yahweh, all his angels,

heroes mighty to enforce his word,

attentive to his word of command.

21 Bless Yahweh, all his armies,

servants to enforce his will.

22 Bless Yahweh, all his creatures

in every part of his empire!

Bless Yahweh, my soul.

104

31 Glory for ever to Yahweh!

May Yahweh find joy in what he creates,

32 at whose glance the earth trembles,

at whose touch the mountains smoke!

33 I mean to sing to Yahweh all my life,

I mean to play for my God as long as I live.

34 May these reflections of mine give him pleasure,

as much as Yahweh gives me!

105

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, call his name aloud,

proclaim his deeds to the peoples!

2 Sing to him, play to him,

tell over all his marvels!

106

2 Who can count all Yahweh's triumphs?

Who can praise him enough?

12 Then, having faith in his promises,

they immediately sang his praises.

47 Yahweh our God and saviour,

gather us from among the pagans,

to give thanks to your holy name

and to find our happiness in praising you.

107

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

32 Let them extol him at the Great Assembly

and praise him in the Council of Elders .

108

1 I mean to sing and play.

2 Awake, my muse,

awake, lyre and harp,

I mean to wake the Dawn!

109

30 I will give thanks aloud to Yahweh

and praise him in the Assembly,

111

10 His praises will be sung for ever.

113

1 You servants of Yahweh, praise,

praise the name of Yahweh!

2 Blessed be the name of Yahweh,

henceforth and for ever!

3 From east to west,

praised be the name of Yahweh!

117

1 Praise Yahweh, all nations,

extol him, all you peoples!

118

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

27 With branches in your hands

draw up in procession

as far as the horns of the altar,

8. Praising him in the heart of the night

119

7 I thank you from an upright heart,

schooled in your rules of righteousness

12 How blessed are you, Yahweh!

Teach me your statutes!

62 I get up at midnight to thank you

for the righteousness of your rulings,

164 Seven times daily I praise

for your righteous rulings.

171 May my lips proclaim your praise,

since you teach me your statutes.

172 May my tongue recite your promise,

since all your commandments are righteous

122

4 Here the tribes come up,

the tribes of Yahweh,

they come to praise Yahweh's name,

as he ordered Israel,

134

1 Come, bless Yahweh,

all you who serve Yahweh,

serving in the house of Yahweh

in the courts of the house of our God!

2 Stretch out your hands towards the sanctuary,

bless Yahweh night after night!

135

1 Praise the name of Yahweh,

praise Yahweh, you who serve him,

2 serving in the house of Yahweh,

in the courts of the house of our God!

3 Praise Yahweh, for Yahweh is good.

Play for his name, for he inspires love ;

19 House of Israel, bless Yahweh,

House of Aaron, bless Yahweh,

20 House of Levi, bless Yahweh,

you who fear Yahweh, bless Yahweh!

9. Praising his mercy

136

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is god,

his love is everlasting!

2 Give thanks to the God of gods,

his love is everlasting!

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

his love is everlasting!

26 Give thanks to the God of Heaven,

his love is everlasting!

138

1 In the presence of the angels I play for you,

2 and bow down towards your holy Temple .

5 they celebrate Yahweh's actions,

'Great is the glory of Yahweh!'

6 From far above, Yahweh sees the humble,

from far away he marks down the arrogant.

139

14 for all these mysteries I thank you:

for the wonder of myself,

for the wonder of your works.

You know me through and through,

140

13 The virtuous shall have good cause

to thank your name,

144

9 God, I have made a new song for you

to be played on the ten-string lyre,

145

1 I sing your praises, God my King,

I bless your name for ever and ever,

2 blessing you day after day,

and praising your name for ever and ever.

4 Celebrating your acts of power,

one age shall praise your doings to another

5 Oh, the splendour of your glory, your renown!

I tell myself the story of your marvellous deeds

10 Yahweh, all your creatures thank you,

and your faithful bless you.

21 Yahweh's praise be ever in my mouth,

and let every creature bless his holy name

for ever and ever!


146

1 Alleluia! Praise Yahweh, my soul!

2 I mean to praise Yahweh all my life,

I mean to sing to my God as long as I live.

147

1 Praise Yahweh-it is good to sing

in honour of our God-sweet is his praise.

12 Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem,

Zion, praise your God:

10. Praise of the creation

148

1 Alleluia!

Let heaven praise Yahweh:

praise him, heavenly heights,

2 praise him, all his angels,

praise him, all his armies!

3 Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, shining stars,

4 praise him, highest heavens,

and waters above the heavens!

5 Let them all praise the name of Yahweh,

at whose command they were created;

6 he has fixed them in their place for ever,

by an unalterable statute.

7 Let earth praise Yahweh:

sea-monsters and all the deeps,

8 fire and hail, snow and mist,

gales that obey his decree,

9 mountains and hills,

orchards and forests,

10 wild animals and farm animals,

snakes and birds,

11 all kings on earth and nations,

princes, all rulers in the world,

12 young men and girls,

old people, and children too!

13 Let them all praise the name of Yahweh,

for his name and no other is sublime,

transcending earth and heaven in majesty,

149

1 Alleluia! Sing Yahweh a new song,

let the, congregation of the faithful sing his praise!

3 let them dance in praise of his name,

playing to him on strings and drums!

6 with panegyrics on their lips,

150

1 Alleluia!

Praise God in his Temple on earth,

praise him in his temple in heaven,

2 praise him for his mighty achievements,

praise him for his transcendent greatness!

3 Praise him with blasts of the trumpet,

praise him with lyre and harp,

4 praise him with drums and dancing,

praise him with strings and reeds,

5 praise him with clashing cymbals,

praise him with clanging cymbals!

6 Let everything that breathes praise Yahweh!

Alleluia!


18.    JOY

1. The joy that overcomes

the possession

4

7 Yahweh, -you have given more joy to my heart

than others ever knew, for all their corn and wine.

5

11 But joy for all who take shelter in you,

endless shouts of joy!

Since you protect them, they exult in you,

those who love your name.

8

9 Yahweh, our Lord,

how great your name throughout the earth!

9

2 I rejoice and exult in you,

I sing praise to your name, Most High.

13 Take pity on me, Yahweh, look on my suffering,

you who lift me back from the gates of death,

14 that I may recite your praises one by one,

rejoicing that you have saved me.

in the gates of the daughter of Zion

2. The path of the life

found again

13

5 But I for my part rely on your love, Yahweh;

let my heart rejoice in your saving help.

Let me sing to Yahweh

for the goodness he has shown me.

14

7 When Yahweh brings his people home,

what joy for Jacob, what happiness for Israel!

16

6 the measuring line marks out delightful places for me,

for me the heritage is superb indeed.

9 So my heart exults, my very soul rejoices,

my body, too, wilt rest securely,

11 you will reveal the path of life to me,

give me unbounded joy in your presence,

and at your right hand everlasting pleasures

20

5 may we shout with joy for your victory,

and plant our banners in the name of our God!

May Yahweh grant all your petitions!

21

1 Yahweh, the king rejoices in your power;

what great joy your saving help gives him!

5 Great his glory through your saving help,

you have loaded him with splendour and majesty;

6 yes, you confer on him everlasting blessings,

you gladden him with the joy of your presence.

7 Yes, the king puts his trust in Yahweh,

by grace of the Most High he reigns unshaken.

23

6 Ah, how goodness and kindness pursue me,

every day of my life;

24

7 Gates, raise your arches,

rise, you ancient doors,

let the king of glory in!

27

6 I will sing, I will play for Yahweh!

28

7 Yahweh is my strength, my shield,

my heart puts its trust in him;

I have been helped, my flesh has bloomed again,

I thank him with all my heart.

30

5 in the evening, a spell of tears,

in the morning, shouts of joy.


11 You have turned my mourning into dancing,

you have stripped off my sackcloth

and wrapped me in gladness;

12 and now my heart, silent no longer,

will play you music;

Yahweh, my God, I will praise you for ever.

3. The grace of God

31

7 I will exult, and rejoice in your love!

32

7 You are a hiding place for me,

you guard me when in trouble,

you surround me with songs of deliverance.

11 Rejoice in Yahweh, exult, you virtuous,

shout for joy, all upright hearts.

33

1 Shout for joy to Yahweh, all virtuous men,

praise comes well from upright hearts;

21 our hearts rejoice in him,

we trust in his holy name.

35

27 But shouts of joy and gladness for all

who take pleasure in my virtue;

37

4 make Yahweh your only joy

and he will give you what your heart desires.

40

16 But joy and gladness for all who seek you!

42

4 among cries of joy and praise

and an exultant throng.

43

4 Then I shall go to the altar of God,

to the God of my joy,

45

12 The daughter of Tyre will solicit your favour

with gifts,

13 the wealthiest nations, 'with jewels set in gold.

14 Dressed 'in brocades, the king's daughter

is led in to the king, with bridesmaids in her train.

Her ladies-in-waiting follow

15 and enter the king's palace to general rejoicing.

48

2 the holy mountain, beautiful where it rises,

joy of the whole world;

11 Mount Zion rejoices,

the daughters of Judah exult

to have your rulings,

4. The joy of the return

51

8 Instil some joy and gladness into me,

let the bones you have crushed rejoice again.

12 Be my saviour again, renew my joy,

keep my spirit steady and willing;

53

6 When God brings his people home,

what joy for Jacob, what happiness for Israel!

57

11 Rise high above the heavens, God,

let your glory be over the earth!

63

7 I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings;

11 Then will the king rejoice in God,

and all who swear by him be able to boast

64

10 The virtuous will rejoice in Yahweh,

will make him their refuge;

and upright hearts will be able to boast.


5. The joy of the creation

65

9 You visit the earth and water it,

you load it with riches;

God's rivers brim with water

to provide their grain.

10 This is how you provide it:

by drenching its furrows, by levelling its ridges,

by softening it with showers,

by blessing the first-fruits.

11 You crown the year with your bounty,

abundance flows wherever you pass;

12 the desert pastures overflow,

the hillsides are wrapped in joy,

13 the meadows are dressed in Rocks,

the valleys are clothed in wheat,

what shouts of joy, what singing!


6. The joy of salvation

66

6 he turned the sea into dry land,

they crossed the river on foot!

So let us rejoice ìn him,

67

4 Let the nations shout and sing for joy,

since you dispense true justice to the world;

you dispense strict justice, to the peoples,

on earth you rule the nations.

68

3 But at God's approach, the virtuous rejoice,

exulting and singing for joy.

4 Sing to Yahweh, play music to his name,

build a road for the Rider of the Clouds,

rejoice in Yahweh,

exult at his coming!

71

23 My lips shall sing for joy as I play to you,

and this soul of mine which you have redeemed.

75

9 But I will never stop proclaiming the God of Jacob

or playing in his honour;

81

1 Shout for joy to honour God our strength,

shout to acclaim the God of Jacob!

84

2 My heart and my flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

85

6 Will you not give us life again,

for your people to rejoice in you?

90

14 Let us wake in the morning filled with your love

and sing and be happy all our days;

15 make our future as happy as our past was sad,

those years when you were punishing us.

16 Let your servants see what you can do for them,

let their children see your glory.

92

4 I am happy, Yahweh, at what you have done;

at your achievements i joyfully exclaim.

96

11 Let the heavens be glad, let earth rejoice,

let the sea thunder and all that it holds,

12 let the fields exult and all that is in them,

let all the woodland trees cry out for joy,

13 at the presence of Yahweh, for he comes,

he comes to judge the earth,

to judge the world with justice

and the nations with his truth.

97

1 Yahweh is king! Let earth rejoice,

the many isles be glad!

8 Zion hears and rejoices,

the daughters of Judah exult

at the rulings you utter, Yahweh.

12 Rejoice in Yahweh, you virtuous,

remember his holiness, and praise him!

98

4 Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth,

burst into shouts of joy!

100

1 Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth,

serve Yahweh gladly,

cone into his presence with songs of joy!

104

34 May these reflections of mine give him pleasure,

as much as Yahweh gives me!

105

3 Glory in his holy name,

let the hearts that seek Yahweh rejoice!

43 he led his happy people forward,

to joyful shouts from his chosen,

106

4 Yahweh, remember me,

for the love you bear your people,

come to me as a saviour,

5 let me share the happiness of your chosen,

the joys of your nation

and take pride in being one of your heirs.

47 Yahweh our God and saviour,

gather us from among the pagans,

to give thanks to your holy name

and to find our happiness in praising you.

107

42 at the sight of which, upright hearts rejoice

109

28 make your servant glad!

118

14 Yahweh is my strength and my song,

he has been my saviour.

15 Shouts of joy and safety

in the tents of the virtuous:

Yahweh's right hand is wreaking havoc,

24 This is the day made memorable by Yahweh,

what immense joy for us!

7. In your will my joy

119

16 I find my delight in your statutes,

l do not forget your word.

47 Your commandments fill me with delight,

I love them deeply.

70 but my delight is in your Law.

174 I long for you, Yahweh, my saviour,

your Law is my delight.

122

1 How I rejoiced when they said to me,

`Let us go to the house of Yahweh!

126

1 When Yahweh brought Zion's captives home,

at first it seemed like a dream;

2 then our mouths filed with laughter

and our lips with song.

3 What marvels indeed he did for us,

and how overjoyed we were!

5 Those who went sowing in tears

now sing as they reap.

6 They went away, went away weeping,

carrying the seed ;

they come back, come back singing,

carrying their sheaves.

8. The joy to have children

127

4 like the arrows in a hero's hand

are the sons you father when young

5 Happy the man who has filled his quiver

with arrows of this sort;

in dispute with his enemies at the gate,

he will not be worsted.

128

1 Happy, all those who fear Yahweh

and follow in his paths.

2 You will eat what your hands have worked for,

happiness and prosperity will be yours

3 Your wife: a fruitful vine

on the inner walls of your house .

Your sons: round your table

like shoots round an olive tree .

9. The joy to belong to Jerusalem

132

9 Your priests are vesting in virtue

and your devout are shouting for joy.

133

2 fine as oil on the head,

running down the beard,

running down Aaron's beard

to the collar of his robes;

137

5 Jerusalem, if I forget you,

may my right hand wither!

May I never speak again,

6 if I forget you!

if I do not count Jerusalem

the greatest of my joys!

149

2 Let Israel rejoice in his maker,

and Zion's children exult in their King;

5 the faithful exult in triumph,

prostrate before God they acclaim him


19.    PEACE

1. Serenity in life

4

8 In peace I lie down, and fall asleep at once,

since you alone, Yahweh, make me rest secure.

23

1 Yahweh is my shepherd

I lack nothing .

2 In meadows of green grass he lets me lie .

To the waters of repose he leads me;

3 there he revives my soul.

He guides me by paths of virtue

for the sake of his name.

2. The bless of the Lord

29

11 Yahweh gives strength to his people,

Yahweh blesses his people with peace.

35

27 But shouts of joy and gladness for all

who take pleasure in my virtue;

give them constant cause to say, 'Great is Yahweh,

who likes to see his servant at peace!'

37

11 but the humble shall have the land for their own

to enjoy untroubled peace.

42

8 In the daytime may Yahweh

command his love to come,

and by night may his song be on my lips,

a prayer to the God of my life!

64

10 The virtuous will rejoice in Yahweh,

will make him their refuge;

and upright hearts will be able to boast.

3. Peace, the becoming

of the humanity

68

31 Ambassadors will come from Egypt,

Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God

72

3 Let the mountains and hills

bring a message of peace for the people.

85

9 for those who fear him, his saving help is near,

and the glory will then live in our country.

10 Love and Loyalty now meet,

Righteousness and Peace now embrace;

11 Loyalty reaches up from earth

and Righteousness leans down from heaven.

4. Liberation

116

7 Return to your resting place, my soul,

Yahweh has treated you kindly.

8 He has rescued (me from death)

my eyes from tears

and my feet from stumbling .

9 (I will walk in Yahweh's presence

in the land of the living.)

5. Fruit of ethics

119

155 You will never save the wicked,

if they do not study your statutes,

165 Universal peace for those who love your Law,

no stumbling-blocks for them!

6. Living for peace

120

7 who, when I propose peace,

are all for war.

122

6 Pray for peace in Jerusalem,

`Prosperity to your houses!

7 Peace inside your city walls!

Prosperity to your palaces!

8 Since all are my brothers and friends,

I say `Peace be with you!

9 Since Yahweh our God lives here,

I pray for your happiness.

125

5 Peace to Israel !

128

6 and live to see your children's children!

Peace to Israel !

131

2 Enough for me to keep my soul tranquil and quiet

like a child in its mother's arms,

as content as a child that has been weaned.

133

1 How good, how delightful it is

for all to live together like brothers:


IV – ETHICAL RULES

La manifestazione e la qualità dei sentimenti è conseguenza di un determinato orientamento del nostro comportamento sia nelle scelte interiori che nelle realizzazioni esteriori.  La vita sentimentale ha come base le scelte etiche.

Le norme etiche vengono considerate guide di vita, di crescita interiore e sociale, di conseguimento della libertà interiore

L’etica è desiderio di bene e di Dio, si manifesta  nell’impegno a compiere azioni buone, indicate dai comandamenti.

L’etica è mettere Dio tra noi e gli altri.

La forza dell’etica è l’amicizia con Dio, considerato sommo bene e nostro premio.

Attraverso l’etica desideriamo presentarci a Dio insieme ai giusti, vogliamo scoprire e amare la nostra povertà, abbiamo la forza di sentirci oppressi pur di rimanere uniti a Dio.

L’etica è lotta senza quartiere al male e al peccato, è opposizione netta al malvagio, al prepotente. L’etica è certezza di un premio.

20. GOD’S DESIRE

1. Looking for the light of God

4

6 Show us the light of your face, turned towards us!

9

10 Those who acknowledge your name can rely on you,

you never desert those who seek you, Yahweh

16

5 Yahweh, my heritage, my cup,

you, and you only, hold my lot secure;

8 I keep Yahweh before me always,

for with him at my right hand nothing

can shake me.

18

1 I love you, Yahweh, my strength

(my saviour, you rescue me from violence.)

2 Yahweh is my rock and my bastion,

19

9 The fear of Yahweh is pure, lasting for ever;

13 And from pride preserve your servant,

never let it dominate me.

So shall l be above reproach,

free from grave sin.

2. Living for him

22

30 And my soul will live for him,

my children will serve him;

24

6 Such are the people who seek him,

who seek your presence. God of Jacob!

25

1 To you, Yahweh, I lift up my soul,

12 Everyone who fears Yahweh

will be taught the course a man should choose;

13 his soul will live in prosperity,

his children have the land for their own.

15 My eyes are always on Yahweh,

for he releases my feet from the net.

26

6 I wash my hands in innocence

and join the procession round your altar,

27

8 My heart has said of you, `Seek his face' .

Yahweh, I do seek your face;


3. Trusting in him

31

14 But I put my trust in you, Yahweh,

I say, `You are my God'.

15 My days are in your hand, rescue me

from the hands of my enemies and persecutors;

23 Love Yahweh, all you devout.

33

12 Happy the nation whose God is Yahweh,

the people he has chosen for his heritage.

34

5 Every face turned to him grows brighter

and is never ashamed.

9 Fear Yahweh, you his holy ones:

those who fear him want for nothing.

11 Come, my sons. listen to me,

I will teach you the fear of Yahweh

37

3 Trust in Yahweh and do what is good,

make your home in the lands and live in peace;

4 make Yahweh your only joy

and he will give you what your heart desires.

4. Seeking his will

40

4 Happy the man who puts his trust in Yahweh,

and does not side with rebels

who stray after false gods.

6 You, who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,

opened my ear,

you asked no holocaust or sacrifice for sin;

7 then I said, 'Here I am! I am coming!

in the scroll of the book am I not commanded

8 to obey your will?

My God, I have always loved your Law

from the depths of my being.

42

1 As a doe, longs for running streams,

so longs my soul for you, my God.

44

24 Why do you hide your face,

and forget we are wretched and exploited?

49

3 My lips have wisdom to utter,

my heart whispers sound sense;

50

14 No, let thanksgiving be your sacrifice to God,

fulfil the vows you make to the Most High;

51

6 Yet, since you love sincerity of heart,

teach me the secrets of wisdom.

10 God, create a clean heart in me,

put into me a new and constant spirit,

5. Thirsting for God

63

1 God, you are my God, I am seeking you,

my soul is thirsting for you,

my flesh is longing for you,

a land parched, weary and waterless;

69

32 Then, seeing this, the humble can rejoice:

long life to your hearts, all you who seek for God!

73

1 God is indeed god to Israel,

the Lord is good to pure hearts.

25 I look to no one else in heaven,

I delight in nothing else on earth.

81

8 Listen, you are my people, let me warn you.

Israel, if you would only listen to me!

13 'If only my people would listen,

if Israel would follow my ways,

6. Deciding the holy journey

84

5 and happy the pilgrims inspired by you

with courage to make the Ascents!

86

4 give your servant reason to rejoice,

for to you, Lord, I lift my soul.

11 Yahweh, teach me your way,

how to walk beside you faithfully,

make use single-hearted in fearing your name.

87

1 Yahweh loves his city

founded on the holy mountain;

89

46 Yahweh, how much longer will you hide?

For ever?

How much longer must your anger

smoulder like a fire?

95

7 If only you would listen to him today,

8 'Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,

7. Walking with pure heart

101

2 In my household, I will advance

in purity of heart;

105

4 Seek Yahweh and his strength,

seek his face untiringly;

106

12 Then, having faith in his promises,

they immediately sang his praises.

111

10 This fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom,

112

1 Alleluia!

Happy the man who fears Yahweh

by joyfully keeping his commandments!

116

1 I love! For Yahweh listens

to my entreaty;

he bends down to listen

8. Observing his law

119

2 How happy those who respect his decrees,

and seek him with their whole heart,

13 With my lips I have repeated them,

all these rulings from your own mouth.

30 I have chosen the way of fidelity,

I have set my heart/ on your rulings.

31 I cling to your decrees:

Yahweh, do not disappoint me.

55 All night, Yahweh, I remember your name

and observe your Law.

127 Yes, I love your commandments

more than gold, than purest gold.

123

1 I lift my eyes to you,

to you who have your home in heaven,

128

1 Happy, all those who fear Yahweh

and follow in his paths.

132

12 'If your sons observe my covenant,

the decrees that I have taught them,

their sons too shall succeed you

on the throne for evermore.'

137

4 How could we sing one of Yahweh's hymns

in a pagan country?

139

19 Men of blood, away from me!

141

5 A virtuous man may strike me in reproof,

for my own good,

but a wicked one shall never anoint my head with oil!

Daily I counter their malice with prayer.

8 To you, Yahweh my Lord, I turn my eyes.

143

6 I stretch out my hands,

like thirsty ground I yearn for you.

8 let it show the right road,

to one who lifts up his soul to you.

144

5 Yahweh, lower your heavens, come down to us!

15 Happy the nation of whom this is true,

happy the nation whose God is Yahweh!

147

11 Yahweh is interested only in those who fear him,

in those who rely on his love.

21.  COMMANDMENT

1. Murmuring day and night his law

1

2 but finds his pleasure in the Law of Yahweh,

and murmurs his law day and night.

12

6 The words of Yahweh are without alloy,

nature's silver" coming from the earth

seven times refined.

17

4 my mouth has never sinned as most men's do.

No, I have treasured the words from your lips;

5 in the path prescribed walking deliberately

in your footsteps, so that my feet do not slip

18

22 His judgements are all before me,

his statutes I have not put from me;

23 I am blameless in his presence,

I keep sin at arm's length.

24 And Yahweh repays me as I act justly,

as my purity is in his sight.

30 This God, his way is blameless;

the word of Yahweh is without dross.

2. Perfection, light and joy of the law

19

7 The Law of Yahweh is perfect,

new life for the soul;

the decree of Yahweh is trustworthy,

wisdom for the simple.

8 The precepts of Yahweh are upright,

joy for the heart;

the commandment of Yahweh is clear,

light for the eyes.

25

4 Yahweh, make your ways known to me,

teach me your paths.

8 Yahweh is so good, so upright,

he teaches the way to sinners;

10 All Yahweh's paths are love and truth

for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

3. Living in the innocence

for always having a house

26

5 I hate the society of evil men,

27

11 Yahweh, teach me your way,

lead me in the path of integrity

because of my enemies;

32

8 I will instruct you, and teach you the way to go;

I will watch over you and be your adviser.

37

27 Never yield to evil, practise good

and you will have an everlasting home,

4. Involvement in the depth

and testimony

37

31 with the Law of his God in his heart

his steps can never falter.

39

1 I said, will watch how behave,

and not let my tongue lead me into sin;

I will keep a muzzle on my mouth

as long as the wicked man is near me.

40

6 You, who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,

opened my ear,

you asked no holocaust or sacrifice for sin;

7 then I said, 'Here I am! I am coming!

in the scroll of the book am I not commanded

8 to obey your will?

My God, I have always loved your Law

from the depths of my being.

49

3 My lips have wisdom to utter,

my heart whispers sound sense;

50

23 Whoever makes thanksgiving his sacrifice

honours me;

to the upright man I will show how God can save.'

51

10 God, create a clean heart in me,

put into me a new and constant spirit,

58

1 Gods you may be, but do you give

the sentences you should,

and dispense impartial justice to mankind?

61

6 Let the king live on and on,

prolong his years, generation on generation.

7 May he sit enthroned in God's presence for ever!

Assign your Love and Faithfulness to guard him!

62

10 Put no reliance on extortion,

no empty hopes in robbery;

though riches may increase,

keep your heart detached.

67

1 May God show kindness and bless us,

and make his face smile on us!

2 For then the earth will acknowledge your ways

and all the nations will know of your power to save.

5. Intimacy with God

73

16 Instead, I tried to analyse the problem,

hard though I found it

17 until the day I pierced the mystery

and saw the end in store for them:

81

9 'Tolerate no foreign god,

worship no alien god;

86

11 Yahweh, teach me your way,

how to walk beside you faithfully,

make use single-hearted in fearing your name.

93

5 Your decrees will never alter;

holiness will distinguish your house,

Yahweh, for ever and ever.

97

10 Yahweh loves those who repudiate evil,

6. Searching  after justice

99

4 You are a king who loves justice,

insisting on honesty, justice, virtue,

as you have done for Jacob.

He talked with them in the pillar of cloud;

they obeyed his decrees,

the Law he gave them.

101

3 I will not let my eyes rest

on any misconduct.

6 only the man who makes progress,

as the blameless do, can be my servant.

102

21 to proclaim the name of Yahweh in Zion,

his praise in Jerusalem;

22 nations and kingdoms will be united

and offer worship to Yahweh together.

103

17 like his goodness to their children's children,

18 as long as they keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

111

7 All that he does is done in faithfulness and justice,

in all ways his precepts are dependable,

8 ordained to last for ever and ever,

framed in faithfulness and integrity.

7. The holy fear of God

112

1 Happy the man who fears Yahweh

by joyfully keeping his commandments!

119

1 Ah, how happy those of blameless life

who walk in the Law of Yahweh!

4 You yourself have made your precepts known,

to be faithfully kept.

8 I mean to observe your statutes;

never abandon me.

9 How can a youth remain pure?

By behaving as your word prescribes.

15 I mean to meditate on your precepts

and to concentrate on your paths.

18 Open my eyes : I shall concentrate

on the marvels of your Law.

19 Exile though I am on earth,

do not hide your commandments from me.

20 My soul is overcome

with an incessant longing for your rulings.

27 Explain to me how to keep your precepts,

that I may meditate on your marvels.

29 Turn me from the path of delusion,

grant me the grace of your Law.

40 Look how I yearn for your precepts:

give me life by your righteousness.

8. God’s law,

melody of the soul

119

54 Where I live in exile,

your statutes are psalms for me.

57 Have I not said, Yahweh, that my task.

is to observe your words?

58 Wholeheartedly I now entreat you,

take pity on me as you have promised?

59 After reflecting on my behaviour,

I turn my feet to your decrees.

60 Wasting no time, I hurry

to observe your commandments.

61 Though the nooses of the wicked tighten round me,

I do not forget your Law.

67 In earlier days I had to suffer, I used to stray,

but now I remember your promise.

72 I put the Law you have given

before all the gold and silver in the world.

78 Shame seize the arrogant who defame me,

when I meditate on your precepts!

80 Blameless in your statutes be my heart .

no such shame therefore for me!

81 Keeping my hope in your word,

I have worn myself out waiting for you to save me,

9. The truth of the commandments

119

86 Your commandments epitomise faithfulness;

89 Lasting to eternity, your word,

Yahweh, unchanging in the heavens :

90 your faithfulness lasts age after age ;

you founded the earth to endure.

91 Creation is maintained by your rulings,

since all things are your servants.

92 Had your Law not been my delight

I should have perished in my suffering .

93 I shall never forget your precepts;

by these you have kept me alive.

96 I have noticed limitations to all perfection,

but your commandment has no limits at all.

10. Wisdom, fruit of the observance

119

97 Meditating al day on your Law,

how I have come to love it!

98 By your commandment, ever mine,

how much wiser you

have made me than my enemies!.

99 How much subtler than my teachers,

through my meditating on your decrees!

100 How much more perceptive than the elders,

as a result of my respecting your precepts!

101 I refrain my feet from every evil path,

the better to observe your word .

102 1 do not turn aside from your rulings,

since you yourself teach me these.

103 Your promise, how sweet to my palate!

Sweeter than honey to my mouth.

104 Your precepts endow me with perception;

I hate all deceptive paths.

11. Light on the path

119

105 Now your word is a lamp to my feet,

a light on my path,

106 I have sworn to observe, I shall maintain,

your righteous rulings.

109 I would lay down my life at any moment,

I have never yet forgotten your Law.

112 I devote myself to obeying your statutes

compensation enough for ever!

113 Odious, those whose allegiance is divided;

I love your Law!

114 You, my refuge and shield,

I put my hope in your word.

115 Away from me, you wicked people!

I will respect the commandments of my God.

116 Support me as you have promised, and I shall live,

do not disappoint me of my hope.

117 Uphold me, and I shall be safe

with your statutes constantly before my eyes.

124 teach me your statutes.

12. The commandments,

refusal of the lie

119

128 Yes, I rule myself` by all your precepts;

i hate all deceptive paths.

129 Your decrees are so wonderful

my soul cannot but respect them.

130 As your word unfolds, it gives light,

and the simple understand.

131 I open my mouth, panting

eagerly for your commandments.

140 But your promise is well tested,

and your servant holds it dear.

144 Eternally righteous, your decrees

explain them to me, and I shall live.

147 I put my hope in your word.

148 I lie awake throughout the night,

to meditate on your promise.

163 I hate, I detest, delusion;

your Law is what I love,

167 My soul observes your decrees;

these I wholly love.

176 I am wandering like a lost sheep:

come and look for your servant.

No, I have never forgotten your commandments

22.    GOOD DEEDS

1. Justice, loyalty

1

1 Happy the man

who never follows the advice of the wicked,

or loiters on the way that sinners take,

or sits about with scoffers,

4

5 Offer sacrifice in a right spirit,

and trust Yahweh

15

1 Yahweh, who has the right to enter your tent,

or to live on your holy mountain?

2 The man whose way of life is blameless,

who always does what is right,

who speaks the truth from his heart,

3 whose tongue is not used for slander,

who does no wrong to his fellow,

casts no discredit on his neighbour,

4 looks with contempt on the reprobate,

but honours those who fear Yahweh;

who stands by his pledge at any cost,

5 does not ask interest on loans,

and cannot be bribed to victimise the innocent.

16

4 shall I pour their blood-libations?-not I!

Take their names on my lips?-never!

17

3 you test me yet find nothing, no murmuring from me:

4 my mouth has never sinned -as most men's do.

18

20 Yahweh requites me as I act justly,

as my hands are pure so he repays me,

21 since I have kept the ways of Yahweh,

nor fallen away from my God.

24

3 Who has the right to climb the mountain of Yahweh,

who the right to stand in his holy place?

4 He whose hands are clean, whose heart is pure,

whose soul does not pay homage

to worthless things

25

12 Everyone who fears Yahweh

will be taught the course a man should choose;

21 Let innocence and integrity be my protection,

since my hope is in you, Yahweh.

26

1 Yahweh, be my judge!

I go my way in my innocence,

3 for your love is before my eyes,

and I live my life in loyalty to you

11 But I live my life in innocence,

31

19 Yahweh, how great your goodness,

reserved for those who fear you,

32

2 happy the man whom Yahweh accuses of no guilt,

whose spirit is incapable of deceit!

34

13 Malice must be banished from your tongue,

deceitful conversation from your lips;

2. Doing the good,

living with faith

37

3 Trust in Yahweh and do what is good,

make your home in the lands and live in peace;

7 Be quiet before Yahweh, and wait patiently for him,

not worrying about men who make their fortunes,

about men who scheme

26 he is always compassionate, always lending:

his children will be blessed.

34 Put your hope in Yahweh, keep his way,

40b and he will save you from the wicked,

40

4 Happy the man who puts his trust in Yahweh,

and does not side with rebels

who stray after false gods

7 in the scroll of the book am I not commanded

8 to obey your will?

3. Taking care of the weak

41

1 Happy the man who cares for the poor and the weak:

if disaster strikes, Yahweh will come to his help .

12 and I, whom you uphold, go unscathed,

set by you in your presence for ever.

45

7 virtue you love as much as you hate wickedness.

This is why God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness, above all your rivals;

50

23 Whoever makes thanksgiving his sacrifice

honours me;

to the upright man I will show how God can save.'

51

6 Yet, since you love sincerity of heart,

13 and I shall teach transgressors the way to you,

56

13 for you have rescued me from Death

to walk in the presence of God

in the light of the living.

66

18 had I been guilty in my heart,

the Lord would never have heard me.

72

12 He wilt free the poor man who calls to him,

and those who need help,

13 he will have pity on the poor and feeble,

and save the lives of those in reed;

14 he will redeem their lives

from exploitation and outrage,

their Lives will be precious in his sight.

4. Living with rectitude

84

11 Yahweh withholds nothing good

from those who walk without blame.

86

11 Yahweh, teach me your way,

how to walk beside you faithfully,

89

15 Happy the people who learn to acclaim you!

Yahweh, they will live in the light of your favour;

96

7 Pay tribute to Yahweh, families of the peoples,

tribute to Yahweh of glory and power,

8 tribute to Yahweh of his name's due glory.

5. Serving the Lord in the joy

100

2 serve Yahweh gladly,

101

2 I mean to make good progress, as the blameless do:

4 perverted hearts must keep their distance,

the wicked I disregard.

103

20 Bless Yahweh, all his angels,

heroes mighty to enforce his word,

106

3 Happy are we if we exercise justice

and constantly practise virtue!

107

22 Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices

and proclaim with shouts of joy what he has done.

111

10 they have sound sense who practise it.

6. Giving largely to the poor

112

4 For the upright he shines like a lamp in the dark,

he is merciful, tenderhearted, virtuous.

9 Quick to be generous, he gives to the poor,

his righteousness can never change,

men such as this will always be honoured,

116

9 (I will walk in Yahweh's presence

in the land of the living.)

119

1 Ah, how happy those of blameless life

3 and, doing no evil,

walk in his ways!

11 I have treasured your promises in my heart,

since I have no wish to sin against you.

7. Following with joy

the commandments

119

14 In the way of your decrees lies my joy,

a joy beyond all wealth.

22 Avert their insults and contempt from me,

since I respect your decrees.

51 Endlessly the arrogant have jeered at me,

but I have not swerved from your Law.

121 Persevering in justice and virtue,

must I now be abandoned to my oppressors?

159 but, Yahweh, see how I love your precepts,

168 I observe your precepts, your decrees;

you know how I keep to your paths.

126

6 They went away, went away weeping,

carrying the seed;

they come back, come back singing,

carrying their sheaves.

8. Walking in the paths

of the Lord

128

1 Happy, all those who fear Yahweh

and follow in his paths.

132

3 not to enter tent or house,

not to climb into bed,

4 not to allow himself to sleep,

not even to close his eyes,

5 until he had found a place for Yahweh,

139

21Yahweh, do I not hate those who hate you,

and loathe those who defy you?

141

2 My prayers rise like incense,

my hands like the evening offering.

143

10 teach me to obey you,

145

19 Those who fear him need only to ask to be answered;

he hears their cries for help and saves them.

23.    PRIZE

1. Feeling the life

that flows in us

1

3 He is like a tree that is planted by water streams,

yielding its fruit in season,

its leaves never fading;

success attends all he does.

5

12 It is you who bless the virtuous man, Yahweh;

your favour is like a shield covering him.

15

5 If a man does all this,

nothing can ever shake him.

18

25 Faithful you are with the faithful,

blameless with the blameless,

21

3 For you have met him with choicest blessings,

put a crown of pure gold on his head;


2. Feeling blessed by God

24

5 The blessing of Yahweh is his,

and vindication from God his saviour.

31

23 Yahweh, protector of the faithful,

32

10 but grace enfolds the man who trusts in Yahweh.

34

12 Which of you wants to live to the full,

who loves long life and enjoyment of prosperity?

13 Malice must be banished from your tongue,

deceitful conversation from your lips;

3. Feeling makers

of the environment

37

9 while those who hope in Yahweh

shall have the land for their own

18 Yahweh takes care of god men's lives,

and their heritage will last for ever;

19 they will not be at a loss when bad times conic,

in time of famine they will have more than they need.

22 those he blesses will have the land for their own,

29 the virtuous will have the land for their own,

and make it their home for ever

34a Put your hope in Yahweh, keep his way,

40b and he will save you from the wicked,

37 for the man of peace there are descendants,

4. Perceiving the presence of God

41

12 and I, whom you uphold, go unscathed,

set by you in your presence for ever.

45

16 Your ancestors will be replaced by sons

whom you will make lords of the whole world.

17 I shall immortalise your name,

nations will sing your praises for ever and ever.

58

11 'So' people will say

`the virtuous do have their harvest;

so there is a God who dispenses justice on earth!'

61

5 you grant me the heritage

of those who fear your name.

68

9 God, you rained a downpour of blessings,

when your heritage was faint you gave it strength;

5. Feeling productive

72

15 (Long may he live,

may gold from Sheba be given him!)

Prayer will be offered for him constantly,

blessings invoked on him all day long.

16 Grain everywhere in the country,

even on the mountain tops,

abundant as Lebanon its harvest,

luxuriant as common grass.

17 Blessed be his name for ever,

enduring as long as the sun.

May every race in the world be blessed in him,

and all the nations call him blessed!

75

10 and raise the horns of the virtuous.

81

16 while I would feed you on pure wheat

and satisfy you with the wild rock honey.

84

11 conferring grace and glory;

Yahweh withholds nothing good

from those who walk without blame.

92

12 so the virtuous flourish like palm trees

and grow as tall as the cedars of Lebanon.

13 Planted in the house of Yahweh,

they will flourish in the courts of our God,

14 still bearing fruit in old age,

still remaining fresh and green,

6. Leaving a good memory

102

28 Your servants' sons will have a permanent home,

and their descendants be in your presence always,

109

28 Counter their curses with your blessing,

shame my aggressors, make your servant glad!

112

3 There will be riches and wealth for his family,

and his righteousness can never change.

6 Kept safe by virtue, he is ever steadfast,

and leaves an imperishable memory behind him;


115

13 he will bless those who fear Yahweh,

without distinction of rank.

125

4 Yahweh, be good to the good,

to those of upright heart.

126

6 they come back, come back singing,

carrying their sheaves.


24.     SIN, EVIL

1. Conspiring against

the chosen by God

2

1 Why this uproar among the nations?

Why this impotent muttering of pagans

2 kings on earth rising in revolt,

princes plotting

against Yahweh and his Anointed,

3 `Now let us break their fetters!

Now let us throw off their yoke!'

2. Falsehood, adulation

5

9 Not a word from their lips. can be trusted

deep within them lies ruin,

their throats are yawning graves;

they make their tongues so smooth!

7

3 Yahweh my God, if I ever

soiled my hands with fraud,

4 repaid a friend evil for good,

spared a man who wronged me,

3. Preparing tools of death

7

12 The enemy may sharpen his sword,

he may bend his bow and take aim,

13 but the weapons he prepares will kill himself

and his arrows turn into firebrands.

14 Look at him, pregnant with wickedness,

conceiving Spite, he gives birth to Mishap.

9

25 your rulings are too lofty for his notice;

his rivals? He sneers at them all.

26 'Nothing can shake me he assures himself.

27 Himself untouched by disaster, he curses others.

Fraud and oppression fill his mouth,

spite and iniquity are under his tongue;

28 there in the reeds he lies in ambush

to kill the innocent where no one can see,

Peering and prying for the out-of-luck,

29 lurking unseen like a lion in his hide,

lurking to capture the poor man,

the poor man seized, he drags him away in his net.

30 Questing of eye, he stoops, he crouches,

and the luckless wretch falls into his power

4. Ignoring the presence of God

9

31 as he thinks to himself, `God forgets,

he hides his face, he does not see at all.

12

3 May Yahweh slice off every flattering lip.

each tongue so glib with boasts,

4 those who say, `In our tongue lies our strength,

our lips have the advantage;

who can master us?

14

1 The fool says in his heart, `There is no God!'

Their deeds are corrupt and vile,

there is not one good man left.

3 All have turned aside, all alike are tainted;

there is not one good man left, not a single one.

4 Are they so ignorant, all these evil men

who swallow my people,

as though they were eating bread,

and never invoke Yahweh?

5 They will be struck with fear,

fear without reason,

since God takes the side of the virtuous:

6 deride as you may the poor man's hopes,

16

4 Their idols teem, after these they run:

17

10 entrenched in their fat, their mouths utter

11 arrogant claims; snow they are closing in,

21

11 Plot though they do to harm you

and weave their plan as they may, they cannot win;

26

4 No sitting with wastrel' for me,

no associating with hypocrites;

5 I hate the society of evil men,

I refuse to sit down with the wicked .

10 men with guilt on their hands,

whose right hands are heavy with bribes.

5. Peace in the lips,

malice in the heart

28

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,

away with the evil men

who talk of peace to their neighbours

while malice is in their hearts.

5 How blind they are to the works of Yahweh,

to his own handiwork!

30

6 In my prosperity, I used to say,

'Nothing can ever shake me!

6. Serving idols

31

6 you hate those who serve worthless idols;

32

9 Do not be like senseless horse or mule

that need bit and bridle to curb their spirit

33

10 Yahweh thwarts the plans of nations,

frustrates the intentions of peoples;

34

21 Tau Evil will bring death to the wicked,

those who hate the virtuous will have to pay;

35

7 Unprovoked they spread their net for me,

they dug a pity for me;

12 they repay my kindness with evil,

there is desolation in my soul

7. Enjoying of the fal of the others

35

15 Now I have fallen, they crowd round delighted,

flocking to jeer at me;

20 Peace is not what they discuss

with the peaceloving people of the land;

they think out false accusations,

21 their mouths wide to accuse me,

'Aha! Aha' they say 'With our own eyes we saw it!

8. Absence of the fear of God

36

1 in the depths of his heart

there is no fear of God before his eyes.

50

17 since you detest my discipline

and thrust my words behind you?

18 `You make friends with a thief

as soon as you see one,

you feel at home with adulterers,

19 your mouth is given freely to evil

and your tongue to inventing lies.

20 `You sit there, slandering your own brother,

you malign your own mother's son.

51

4 having sinned against none other than you,

having done what you regard as wrong.

52

1 Why make a boast of your wickedness,

you champion in villainy,

all day -plotting destruction?

2 Your tongue is razor-sharp,

you artist in perfidy!

3 You prefer evil to good,

lying to honest speech;

4 you love the destructive word, perfidious tongue!

9. Denying the existence of God

53

1a The fol says in his heart,

`There is no God!'

1b They are false, corrupt, vile,

there is not one good man left.

3 All have turned aside, all alike are tainted

There is not one good man left,

not a single one.

4 Are they so ignorant, these evil men

who swallow my people

as though they were eating bread,

and never invoke God?

54

3 Arrogant men are attacking me,

brutes who are hounding me to death,

people to whom God means nothing.

10. Living in the violence

and in the quarrels

55

9 I can see how Violence and Discord fill the city;

10 day and night they stalk together

along the city walls.

11 Tyranny and Treachery are never absent

from its central square.

12 Were it an enemy who insulted me,

i could put up with that;

had a rival got the better of me,

I could hide from him.

19 no change of heart for them,

since they do not fear God.

20 He has attacked his friends,

he has gone back on his word;

11. War in the heart

55

21 though his mouth is smoother than butter,

he has war in his heart;

his words may soothe more than oil,

but they are naked swords.

58

2 On the contrary, in your hearts

you meditate oppression,

with your hands you dole out tyranny on earth.

59

3 Look at them lurking to ambush me,

6 Back they come at nightfall, snarling like curs,

prowling through the town.

7 See how they slaver at the mouth,

with swords between their teeth,

'There is no one listening'.

14 Back they come at nightfall, snarling like curs,

prowling through the town;

15 scavenging for food,

growling till they are full.

62

4 Deceit their sole intention,

their delight is to mislead;

with lies on their lips they bless aloud,

while cursing inwardly.

64

3 sharpening their tongues like swords,

shooting bitter words like arrows,

4 shooting them at the innocent from cover,

shooting suddenly, without warning.

5 Urging each other on to their wicked purpose,

they discuss where to hide their snares.

'Who is going to see us?' they say

6 'Who can probe our secrets?'

Who? He who probes the inmost mind

and the depths of the heart.

69

26 for hounding a man after you had struck him,

for adding more wounds to those which you inflicted.

12. Envying the powerful

73

2 My feet were on the point of stumbling,

a little further and I should have slipped,

3 envying the arrogant as I did,

and watching the wicked get rich .

4 For them, no such thing as pain,

their bodies are healthy and strong,

5 they do not suffer as other men do,

no human afflictions for them!

6 So pride is their chain of honour,

violence the garment that covers them;

7 their spite oozes like fat,

their hearts drip with slyness.

8 Cynical advocates of evil,

lofty advocates of force,

9 they think their mouth is heaven

and their tongue can dictate on earth.

10 This is why my people turn to them

and lap up all they say,

11 asking, `Flow will God find out?

Does the Most High know everything?

13. Hoarding wealths

73

12 Look at them : these are the wicked,

well-off and still getting richer,

74

4 They roared where your Assemblies

used to take place,

they stuck their enemy emblems over the entrance,

5 emblems 'we had never seen before.

6 Axes deep in the wood, hacking at the panels,

they battered them down with mallet and hatchet;

7 then, God, setting fire to your sanctuary,

they profanely razed the house

of your name to the ground.

8 Determined to destroy us once and for all,

they burned down every shrine of God in the country.

78

10 they had not kept God's covenant,

they refused to follow his Law;

17 They only sinned against him more than ever,

defying the Most High in the desert,

18 deliberately challenging God

by demanding their favourite food.

14. Murmuring against God

78

19 They blasphemed against God,

Is it likely' they said `that God

could give a banquet in the wilderness?

20 but bread now, can he give us that,

can he provide meat for his people?'

32 Despite all this they went on sinning,

and put no faith in his marvels;

36 But though they outwardly flattered him

and used their tongues to lie to him,

37 in their hearts they were not true to him,

they were unfaithful to his covenant .

40 How often they defied him in the wilderness,

how often they outraged him in the desert,

56 Even so, they went on challenging God

the Most High,

rebelliously disregarding his decrees;

57 as perverse and disloyal as their ancestors,

treacherous as a bow with a warp,

58 provoking him with their high places

and rousing his jealousy with their idols

79

3 They have shed blood like water

throughout Jerusalem, not a gravedigger left!

80

16 They threw it on the fire like dung,

but one look of reproof from you

and they will be doomed.

15.Don’t listen to the voice of God

81

11 'My people refused to listen to me,

Israel refused to obey me,

82

2 `No more mockery of justice,

no more favouring the wicked!

5 Ignorant and senseless, they carry on blindly,

undermining the very basis of earthly society.

83

3 Weaving a plot against your people,

4 conspiring against those you protect, they say,

`Come, we will finish them as a nation,

the name of Israel shall be forgotten!'

5 Unanimous in their plot,

they seal a treaty against you:

6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

Moab and the Hagrites

7 Gebal, Anunon, Arnalek,

Philistia and the Tyrians;

12 those who once said, `Let us take for ourselves

possession of the Dwellings of God!'

86

14 people to whom you mean nothing.

16. Stamping and  killing

94

5 Yahweh, they crush your people,

they oppress your hereditary people,

6 murdering and massacring

widows, orphans and guests.

7 `Yahweh sees nothing,' they say

`the God of Jacob takes no notice.

17. Hardening our heart

95

8 'Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,

as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,

9 when your ancestors challenged me, tested me,

although they had seen what I could do.

101

5 The man who secretly slanders his neighbour

I reduce to silence;

haughty looks, proud heart,

I cannot tolerate these.


8 Morning after morning I reduce to silence

all who are wicked in this country,

banishing from the city of Yahweh all evil men.

18. Manufacturing idols

106

13 They forgot his achievements as quickly,

going on before asking his advice;

14 their desires overcame them in the desert,

they challenged God in the wilds.

19 They made a calf at Horeb,

performed prostration to a smelted thing,

20 exchanging the one who was their glory

for the image of a grass-eating ox .

21 They forgot the God who had saved them

24 They refused a land of delight,

having no faith in his promise;

25 they stayed in their camp and grumbled,

they would riot listen to Yahweh's voice.

28 They accepted the yoke of Baal-peor

and ate sacrifices to the dead.

32 They enraged him at the waters of Meribah ;

34 They did not destroy the pagans

as Yahweh had told them to do,

35 but, intermarrying with then,

adopted their practices instead.

36 Serving the pagans idols,

they found themselves trapped

37 into sacrificing their own sons

and daughters to demons.

38 They shed innocent blood,

the blood of their sons and daughters,

offering them to the idols of Canaan,

they polluted the country with blood.

39 They defiled themselves by such actions,

their behaviour was that of a whore.

43 Time and again he rescued them,

but they went on defying him deliberately

107

11 for defying the orders of God,

for scorning the advice of the Most High;

17 Some, driven frantic by their sins,

made miserable by their own guilt

18 and finding all food repugnant,

were nearly at death's door.

109

1 God whom I praise, break your silence,

2 now that the wicked and the false

are both accusing me.

19. Those who do not use mercy

109

3 saying malicious things about me,

attacking me for no reason.

4 In return for my friendship, they denounce me,

though all I had done was pray for them;

5 hey pay me back evil for kindness

and hatred for friendship.


16 That wretch never thought of being kind,

but hounded the poor, the needy

and the broken-hearted to death.

17 He loved cursing, may it recoil on him,

had no taste for blessing, may it shun him!

18 He used to wrap curses round him like a cloak,

let them soak right into him like water,

119

29 Turn me from the path of delusion,

137

3 For we had been asked

to sing to our captors,

to entertain those who had carried us off:

`Sing' they said some hymns of Zion'.

20. Talking to deception

139

20 They talk blasphemously about you,

regard your thoughts as nothing.

140

1 defend me from men of violence,

2 from people plotting evil,

forever intent on stirring up strife,

3 who make their tongues as sharp as serpents'

with viper's venom on their lips,

144

8 who tell nothing but lies,

who are prepared to swear to falsehood!


25.    PUNISHMENT

1. Life lost in the wind

1

4 It is nothing like this with the wicked,

nothing like this!

No, these are like chaff blown away by the wind.

5 The wicked will not stand firm

when Judgement comes,

nor sinners when the virtuous assemble.

2

4 The One whose throne is in heaven sits laughing,

Yahweh derides them .

9 With iron sceptre you will break them,

shatter them like potter's ware '.

3

7 You hack all my enemies to the cheekbone,

you break the teeth of the wicked.

5

5 You hate all evil men,

6 liars you destroy;


2. Victims of their own plots

5

10 Pronounce them guilty, God.

make their intrigues their own downfall!

Hound them for their countless crimes,

since they have rebelled against you.

7

5 then let the enemy hound me down and catch me,

let him stamp my life into the ground,

and leave my entrails` lying in the dust!

He dug a pit, hollowed it out,

only to fall into his own trap!

His spite recoils on his own head,

his brutality falls back on his own skull.

9

5 blotted out their name for ever and ever;

6 the enemy is finished, in everlasting ruin,

you have overthrown cities,

their memory has perished.

15 The nations have sunk into a pit of their own making,

they arc caught by the feet

in the snare they set themselves.

16 has given judgement, he has trapped the wicked

in the work of their own hands.

20 Strike terror into them, Yahweh,

let the nations know they are only men!

35 Break the power of the wicked, of the evil man,

seek out his wickedness till there is none to be found!

3. An existence of terror

11

6 He rains coals of fire

and brimstone on the wicked,

he serves them a scorching wind to swallow down.

12

3 May Yahweh slice off every flattering lip.

each tongue so glib with boasts,

14

5 They will be struck with fear,

fear without reason, since God takes the side

of the virtuous:

18

14 he let his arrows fly and scattered them,

launched the lightnings and routed them.

15 The bed of the seas was revealed,

the foundations of the world were laid bare,

at your muttered threat, Yahweh,

at the blast of your nostrils' breath.

26 but crafty with the devious,

21

9 you will make them like a blazing furnace,

the day that you appear,

25

3 No, those who hope in you are never shamed,

shame awaits disappointed traitors.

27

2 they, my opponents, my enemies,

are the ones who stumble and fall

4. Destroyed by their own hands

28

4 Repay them for their actions, Yahweh,

for the evil they commit,

for their handiwork repay them,

let them have what they deserve!

31

17 let the disgrace fall on the wicked!

May they go speechless to Sheol,

23 Yahweh will repay the arrogant with interest.

32

10 Many torments await the wicked,

35

4 Shame and dishonour on those

who are out to kill me!

Back with them! Cover with confusion

those who plot my downfall!

May they be like chaff before the wind,

with the angel of Yahweh to chase them!

8 but Ruin creeps on them unawares,

the net they have spread will catch them instead.

and into their own pit will they fall.

5. Without future

36

12 The evil men have fallen, there they lie,

beaten down, never to stand again!

37

2 Quick as the grass they wither,

fading like the green in the held.

9 for the wicked will be expelled,

while those who hope in Yahweh

shall have the land for their own.

15 their swords will only pierce their own hearts

and their bows will be smashed.

20 As for the wicked they will perish,

these enemies of Yahweh;

they will vanish like the beauty of the meadows,

they will vanish in smoke.

22 those he curses will be expelled.

28 Those who do wrong will perish once and for all,

and the children of the wicked shall be expelled;

36 but when next I passed, he was not there,

I looked for him and he was nowhere to be found.

38 but sinners shall be destroyed altogether,

the descendants of the wicked shall be wiped out.

6. Punishment as correction

39

10 Lay your scourge aside,

I am worn out with the blows you deal me .

11 You punish man with the penalties of sin,

like a moth you eat away all that gives him pleasure

man is indeed only a puff of wind!

40

14 Shame and dishonour on all

who are out to kill, to destroy me!

Down with them ! Disgrace on those

who enjoy my misfortune!

15 May they be aghast with shame,

those who say to me, `Aha! Aha!'

44

19 yet you crushed us in the place

where the jackals live,

and threw the shadow of death over us.

48

6 There they shuddered and writhed

like women in labour,

7 it was the east wind, that wrecker

of ships of Tarshish!

7. Residing in the sepulchres

49

10 when all the time he sees that wise men die,

that foolish and stupid perish both alike,

and leave their fortunes to others.

11 Their tombs are their eternal home,

their lasting residence,

though they owned estates that bore their names.

12 Man when he prospers forfeits intelligence:

he is one with the cattle doomed to slaughter .

13 So on they go with their self-assurance,

with men to run after them when they raise their voice.

14 Like sheep to be penned in Sheol,

Death will nerd them to pasture

and the upright will have the better of them

19 will join the company of his ancestors

who will never see the light of day again.

52

5 That is why God will crush you,

snatch you away for good,

tear you out of your tent,

uproot you from the land of the living.

6 Dread will seize the virtuous at the sight,

they will laugh at his fate:

7 `So much for the man who refused

to make God his fortress,

but relied on his own great wealth

and drew his strength from crime!

53

5 since God scatters the bones of the apostate,

they are disgraced, for God rejects them.

8. Death in the heart

55

15 May they recoil in disorder,

may Death descend on them,

may they go down, still living, to Sheol

since Evil shares their homes.

23 you, God, will push them down to the deepest Pit

before half their days are out.

For my part, I put my trust in you.

57

6 they dug a pitfall for me

but fell into it themselves!

58

7 May they drain away like water running to waste,

may they wither like trodden grass,

59

11 Slaughter them God, before my people forget!

Harry them with your power and strike them down,

Lord, our shield!

12 Sin is in their mouths, sin on their lips,

so let them be caught in their pride!

For the curses and lies they utter,

63

9 But may those now hounding me to death

go down to the earth below,

10 consigned to the edge of the sword,

and left as food for jackals.

11 once these lying mouths are silenced.

9. Struck by God

64

7 God will shoot them with his own arrow,

wound them without warning.

8 He will destroy them for that tongue of theirs,

and all who see them fall will shake their heads.

68

21 but God will smash the heads of his enemies,

the hairy skull of the man who parades his guilt.

30 Scatter those warmongering pagans!

69

22 May their own table prove a trap for them,

and their plentiful supplies, a snare!

23 may their eyes grow dim, go blind,

strike their loins with chronic palsy!

70

2 Shame and dishonour on those

who are out to kill me!

Down with them! Disgrace on those

who enjoy my misfortune!

71

13 Shame and ruin on those who attack me;

may insult and disgrace cover those

whose aim is to hurt me!

73

18 they are on a slippery slope, you put them there,

you urge them on to ruin,

27 So then : those who abandon you are doomed,

you destroy the adulterous deserter;

75

10 I will cut off the horns of all the wicked

78

21 Yahweh was enraged when he heard them,

a fire flared at Jacob,

the wrath attacked Israel

22 for having no faith in God,

no trust in his power to save.

33 for which he blasted their days

and their years in a flash.

59 God was enraged when he heard them,

he rejected Israel out of hand,

80

12 Why have you destroyed its fences?

Now anyone can go and steal its grapes,

81

12 so I left them to their stubborn selves

to do whatever they pleased.

92

7 The wicked may sprout as thick as weeds

and every evil-doer flourish,

but only to be everlastingly destroyed,

94

2 Rise, judge of the world,

give the proud their deserts!

23 he will pay them back for all their sins,

he will silence their wickedness,

Yahweh our God will silence them.

10. Sent out from the house of God

95

10 `For forty years that generation repelled me,

until I said ; How unreliable these people

who refuse to grasp my ways!

11 And so, in anger, I swore that not one

would reach the place of rest I had for them.'

97

7 Shame on those who worship images,

who take pride in their idols;

104

35 May sinners vanish from the earth

and the wicked exist no more!

106

18 fire flamed out against their faction,

the renegades went up in flames.

29 They provoked him by their behaviour;

plague broke out among them.

32 They enraged him at the waters of Meribah;

as a result, things went wrong for Moses,

33 since they had embittered his spirit

and he spoke without stopping to think.

43 Time and again he rescued them,

but they went on defying him deliberately

and plunging deeper into wickedness;

107

10 Some were living in gloom and darkness,

fettered in misery and irons

11 for defying the orders of God,

for scorning the advice of the Most High;

12 who bent them double with hardship,

to breaking point, with no one to help them.

33 Sometimes he turned rivers into desert,

springs of water into arid ground,

34 or a fertile country into salt-flats,

because the people living there were wicked.

109

6 'Give him a venal judge,

find someone to frame the charge;

7 let him be tried and found guilty,

let his prayer be construed as a crime!

8 Let his life be cut short,

let someone else take his office;

29 Clothe my accusers in disgrace,

cover them with a cloak of shame.

11. An existence in the anger

112

10 though this fills the wicked with fury

until, grinding their teeth, they waste away,

vanishing like their vain hopes.

115

8 Their makers will end up like them,

and so will anyone who relies on them.

119

21 You reprove the arrogant, the accursed

who stray from your commandments.

125

5 may Yahweh send them to join the evil-doers!

129

5 May they all be thrown into confusion, be routed,

who have hated Zion,

135

18 Their makers will end up like them

and so will anyone who relies on them.

137

8 Destructive Daughter of Babel,

a blessing on the man who treats you

as you have treated us,

9 a blessing on him who takes and dashes

your babies against the rock!

140

8 Yahweh, do not grant their wicked wishes,

do not let their plots succeed.

9 May those besieging me not -win,

may their own cruel words overtake them,

10 may red-hot embers rain down on them,

may they be flung into the abyss for good,

11 may evil hound the man of violence to death

and the slanderers not hold his own on earth.

12. God punishes the cruel,

but he saves the poor

41

6 When their judges are flung on jagged rock,

they will learn how mild my words have been,

7 `Like a millstone smashed, on the ground,

our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol' .

10 Let the wicked fall into their own net,

while I go on my way.

145

20 tinder his protection the pious are safe,

but Yahweh is destruction to the wicked.

146

9a Yahweh protects the stranger,

9b he keeps the orphan and widow.

8c Yahweh loves the virtuous,

9c and frustrates the wicked.


26.     FRIENDSHIP IN GOD

1. God listens to his friends

4

3 Know this, Yahweh works wonders

for those he loves,

Yahweh hears me when I call to him .

9

13 Take pity on me, Yahweh,

look on my suffering,

you who lift me back from the gates of death,

14 that I may recite your praises one by one,

rejoicing that you have saved me.

2. Cultivating holy friendships

16

3 yet to those pagan deities in the land,

'My princes, all my pleasure is in you'.

3. Paying for the friend

20

1 May Yahweh answer you in time of trouble,

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you!

2 May he send you help from the sanctuary,

give you support from Zion,

3 remember all your oblations

and find your holocaust acceptable;

4 may he grant you your heart's desire,

and crown all your plans with success;

5 may we shout with joy for your victory,

and plant our banners in the name of our God!

May Yahweh grant all your petitions!

22

22 Then I shall proclaim your name to my brothers,

praise you in full assembly:

4. Teaching friends

the fear of God

34

11 Come, my sons. listen to me,

I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

35

13 Yet, when they were sick, I put sackcloth on,

I humbled my soul with fasting,

murmuring prayers to my own breast

14 as though for a friend or brother;

and, like a person mourning his mother,

went about dejected and sorrowing.

40

3 dread will seize many at the sight,

and they will put their trust in Yahweh.

5. Proclaiming friends

the fidelity  to God

40

9 I have always proclaimed the righteousness

of Yahweh in the Great Assembly;

nor do I mean to stop proclaiming, as you know well.

10 I have never kept your righteousness to myself,

but have spoken of your faithfulness and saving help;

i have made no secret of your love and faithfulness

in the Great Assembly.

6. Wishes to the friend

45

2 Of all men you are the most handsome,

your lips are moist with grace,

for God has blessed you for ever.

3 Hero, strap your sword at your side,

4 in majesty and splendour; on, ride on,

in the cause of truth, religion and virtue!

Stretch the bowstring tight,

lending terror to your right hand.

5 Your arrows are sharp; nations lie at your mercy,

the king's enemies are losing heart.

7. Experiences to tell

to our friends

48

12 Go through Zion, walk round her,

counting her towers,

13 admiring her walls,

reviewing her palaces;

then tell the next generation

49

1 Hear this, all nations,

pay attention all who live on earth,

2 important people, ordinary people,

rich and poor alike!

61

6 Let the king live on and on,

prolong his years, generation on generation.

7 May he sit enthroned in God's presence for ever!

Assign your Love and Faithfulness to guard him!

66

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,

while I tell you what he has done for me:

67

7 May God bless us, and let him be feared

to the very ends of the earth.

8. Being bridge between

the friends  and God

69

6 but let those who hope in you not blush for me,

Yahweh Sabaoth!

Let those who seek you not be ashamed of me,

God of Israel!

71

18 Now that I am old and grey,

God, do not desert me;

let me live to tell the rising generation

about your strength and power,

9. Wishes for the job of the friend

72

1 God, give your own justice to the king,

your own righteousness to the royal son,

2 so that he may rule your people rightly

and your poor with justice.

4 Uprightly he will defend the poorest,

he will save the children of those in need,

and crush their oppressors.

5 Like sun and moon he will endure,

age after age,

12 He wilt free the poor man who calls to him,

and those who need help,

13 he will have pity on the poor and feeble,

and save the lives of those in reed;

14 he will redeem their lives

from exploitation and outrage,

their Lives will be precious in his sight.

10. Telling closeness to God

73

28 whereas my joy lies in being close to God.

I have taken shelter in the Lord,

continually to proclaim

what you have done.

78

1 Listen to this Law, my people,

pay attention to what I say;

2 I am going to speak to you in parable

and expound the mysteries of our past.

11. Those friends who will come

78

5 When he issued the decrees for Jacob

and instituted a Law in Israel,

he gave our ancestors strict orders

to teach it to their children;

6 the next generation was to learn it,

the children still to be born,

and these in their turn were to tell their own children

7 so that they too would put their confidence in God,

never forgetting God's achievements,

and always keeping his commandments,

8 and not becoming, like their ancestors,

a stubborn and unruly generation,

a generation with no sincerity of heart,

in spirit unfaithful to God.

67 Rejecting the tent of Joseph,

not choosing the tribe of Ephraim,

68 instead he chose the tribe of Judah

and his well-loved mountain of Zion,

70 Choosing David as his servant,

he took him from the sheepfolds,

71 called him from tending ewes in lamb

to pasture his people Jacob

and Israel his heritage:

72 who did this with unselfish care

and led them with a sensitive hand.

12. For the friend

consecrated to God

84

9 God our shield, now look on us

and be kind to your anointed,

91

1 If you live in the shelter of Elyon

and make your home in the shadow of Shaddai,

2 you can say to Yahweh, `My refuge, my fortress,

my God in whom I trust!'

3 He rescues you from the snares

of fowlers hoping to destroy you;

4a he covers you with his feathers,

4b and you find shelter underneath his wings .

5 You need not fear the terrors of night,

the arrow that flies in the daytime,

6 the plague that stalks in the dark,

the scourge that wreaks havoc in broad daylight.

7 Though a thousand fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

you yourself will remain unscathed,

4c with his faithfulness for shield and buckler

8 You have only to look around

to see how the wicked are repaid,

9 you who can say, `Yahweh my refuge',

and make Elyon your fortress.

10 No disaster can overtake you,

no plague come near your tent:

11 he will put you in his angels' charge

to guard you wherever you go.

12 They will support you on their hands

in case you hurt your foot against a stone;

13 you will tread on lion and adder,

trample on savage lions and dragons.

13. For the elderly friend

92

14 still bearing fruit in old age,

still remaining fresh and green,

15 to proclaim that Yahweh is righteous,

my rock in whom no fault is to be found!

96

2 Sing to Yahweh, bless his name.

Proclaim his salvation day after day,

3 tell of his glory among the nations,

tell his marvels to every people.

10 Say among the nations, `Yahweh is king!'

Firm has he made the world, and unshakeable;

he will judge each nation with strict justice.

14. Cultivating good friendship

101

3 I will not let my eyes rest on any misconduct.

I hate the practices of the apostate,

they have no appeal for me;

6 I look to my religious countrymen

to compose my household;

102

21 to proclaim the name of Yahweh in Zion,

his praise in Jerusalem;

22 nations and kingdoms will be united

and offer worship to Yahweh together.

106

30 Then up stood Phinehas to intervene,

and the plague was checked;

31 hence his reputation for virtue

through successive generations for ever

107

22 Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices

and proclaim with shouts of joy what he has done.

15. Praising God among friends

108

3 Yahweh, I mean to thank you among the peoples,

to play music to you among the nations;

109

30 I will give thanks aloud to Yahweh

and praise him in the Assembly,

31 for conducting the poor man's defence

against those who would have sentenced

him to death.

111

1 I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart

where the virtuous meet and the people assemble.

112

2 Children of such a man will be powers on earth,

descendants of the upright will always be blessed.

116

18 I will pay what I vowed to Yahweh;

may his whole nation be present,

117

1 Praise Yahweh, all nations,

extol him, all you peoples!

118

17 No, I shall not die, t shall live

to recite the deeds of Yahweh;

26 Blessings on him who comes in the name of Yahweh!

119

63 I am a friend to all who fear you

and observe your precepts.

74 Seeing me, those who fear you will be glad,

since I put my hope in your word.

79 May those who fear you rally to me.

all those familiar with your decrees!

16. Conducting the friend to God

122

4 Here the tribes come up,

the tribes of Yahweh,

they come to praise Yahweh's name,

as he ordered Israel,

8 Since all are my brothers and friends,

I say `Peace be with you!

125

4 Yahweh, be good to the good,

to those of upright heart.

126

2 Even the pagans started talking

about the marvels Yahweh had done for us!

17. The family, solid friendship

in God

127

4 like the arrows in a hero's hand

are the sons you father when young.

5 Happy the man who has filled his quiver

with arrows of this sort;

in dispute with his enemies at the gate,

he will not be worsted.

128

1 Happy, all those who fear Yahweh

and follow in his paths.

2 You will eat what your hands have worked for,

happiness and prosperity will be yours.

3 Your wife: a fruitful vine

on the inner walls of your house.

Your sons: round your table

like shoots round an olive tree.

4 Such are the blessings that fall

on the man who fears Yahweh.

18. The great plans of God

for his friends

132

11 Yahweh swore to David

and will remain true to his word,

'I promise that your own son

shall succeed you on the throne.

12 'If your sons observe my covenant,

the decrees that I have taught them,

their sons too shall succeed you

on the throne for evermore.'

19. Joy among friends

133

1 How good, how delightful it is

for all to live together like brothers:

134

1 Come, bless Yahweh,

all you who serve Yahweh,

serving in the house of Yahweh

in the courts of the house of our God!

2 Stretch out your hands towards the sanctuary,

bless Yahweh night after night!

135

1 Praise the name of Yahweh,

praise Yahweh, you who serve him,

2 serving in the house of Yahweh,

in the courts of the house of our God!

20 you who fear Yahweh, bless Yahweh!

142

7 Free me from this imprisonment,

and I will thank your name once more

in the Assembly of the virtuous,

for the goodness you show me.

149

1 Alleluia! Sing Yahweh a new song,

let the, congregation of the faithful sing his praise!


27.  JUST, POOR, OPPRESSED

1. God listens to the poor

10

37 Yahweh, you listen to the wants of the humble,

you bring strength to their hearts,

you grant them a hearing,

38 judging in favour of the orphaned and exploited,

so that earthborn man may strike fear no longe.

18

27 you save a people that is humble

22

24 For he has not despised

or disdained the poor man in his poverty,

has not hidden his face from him,

but has answered him when he called.

26 The poor will receive as much as they want to eat,

Those who seek Yahweh will praise him.

Long life to their hearts!

25

8 Yahweh is so good, so upright,

he teaches the way to sinners;

9 in all that is right he guides the humble,

and instructs the poor in his way.

34

2 my soul glories in Yahweh,

let the humble hear and rejoice.

6A cry goes up from the poor than, and Yahweh hears,

and helps him in all his troubles.

2.  Those who look for the Lord

don’t miss of anything

34

9 Fear Yahweh, you his holy ones:

those who fear him want for nothing.

10 The young lion may go empty and hungry,

but those who seek Yahweh lack nothing good.

15 The face of Yahweh frowns on evil men,

to wipe their memory from the earth;

37

11 but the humble shall have the land for their own

to enjoy untroubled peace.

16 The little the virtuous possesses

outweighs all the wealth of the wicked,

17 since the arms of the wicked are doomed to break,

and Yahweh will uphold the virtuous

3. Living correctly

37

21 The wicked man borrows without meaning to repay,

but a virtuous man is generous and open-handed;

30 The mouth of the virtuous man murmurs wisdom,

and his tongue speaks what is right;

31 with the Law of his God in his heart

his steps can never falter.

37 Observe the innocent man, consider the upright:

for the man of peace there are descendants,

39 The salvation of the virtuous comes from Yahweh,

he is their shelter when trouble comes;

4. Poor and miserable,

but with God

40

17  To me, poor wretch,

come quickly, Lord!

42

3 I have no food but tears, day and night;

and all day long men say to me` Where is your God?'

44

23 Wake up, Lord! Why are you asleep?

Awake! Do not abandon us for good.

24 Why do you hide your face,

and forget we are wretched and exploited?

25 For we are bowed in the dust,

our bodies crushed to the ground .

26 Rise! Come to our help!

Redeem us for the sake of your love .

68

3 But at God's approach, the virtuous rejoice,

exulting and singing for joy.

6 God gives the lonely a permanent home,

makes prisoners happy by setting them free,

10 your family found a home, where you

in your goodness, God, provided for the needy.

69

32 Then, seeing this, the humble can rejoice:

70

4 But joy and gladness

for all who seek you!

102

17 he will answer the prayer of the abandoned,

he will not scorn their petitions.

20 to hear the sighing of the captive,

and to set free those doomed to die.

109

21 Yahweh, defend me for the sake of your name,

rescue me, since your love is generous!

22 Reduced to weakness and poverty,

my heart is sorely tormented;

119

125 I am your servant; if you will explain,

I shall embrace your decrees.

138

6 From far above, Yahweh sees the humble,

146

9a Yahweh protects the stranger,

9b he keeps the orphan and widow.

8c Yahweh loves the virtuous,

9c and frustrates the wicked.

147

6 Yahweh, who lifts up the humble,


28.    WICKED, BOSSY, CRUEL

1. They boast and  they despise God

10

23 The evil man boasts of his soul's desires,

the grasping man blasphemes,

the wicked spurns Yahweh

24 'His anger is up there, he will not make me pay!

There is no God!'

This is the way his mind works.

25 At every moment his course is assured,

your rulings are too lofty for his notice;

his rivals? He sneers at them all.

26 'Nothing can shake me he assures himself.

2. They live of frauds and of deception

10

27 Himself untouched by disaster, he curses others.

Fraud and oppression fill his mouth,

spite and iniquity are under his tongue;

28 there in the reeds he lies in ambush

to kill the innocent where no one can see,

Peering and prying for the out-of-luck,

29 lurking unseen like a lion in his hide,

lurking to capture the poor man,

the poor man seized, he drags him away in his net.

30 Questing of eye, he stoops, he crouches,

and the luckless wretch falls into his power

3. They consider God absent

10

31 as he thinks to himself, `God forgets,

he hides his face, he does not see at all.

33 Why does the wicked man spurn God,

assuring himself, 'He will not make me pay'?

11

2 `see how the wicked are bending their bows

and fitting their arrows to the string,

ready to shoot the upright from the shadows.

12

8 The wicked prowl on every side,

baseness stands high° among the sons of men.

14

4 Are they so ignorant, all these evil men

who swallow my people,

as though they were eating bread,

and never invoke Yahweh?

5 They will be struck with fear,

fear without reason, since God takes the side

of the virtuous:

4. God welcomes the humble,

but He rejects the superb

18

27 you save a people that is humble

and humiliate eyes that arc haughty.

34

10 The young lion may go empty and hungry,

but those who seek Yahweh lack nothing good.

15 The face of Yahweh frowns on evil men,

to wipe their memory from the earth;

16 the eyes of Yahweh are turned

towards the virtuous, his ears to their cry.

35

4 Shame and dishonour on those

who are out to kill me!

Back with them! Cover with confusion

those who plot my downfall!

5 May they be like chaff before the wind,

with the angel of Yahweh to chase them!

6 May their way be dark and slippery,

with the angel of Yahweh to hound them!

11 Lying witnesses take the stand,

questioning me on things I know nothing about;

12 they repay my kindness with evil,

there is desolation in my soul.

5. In the sin, without fear of God:

36

1 in the depths of his heart

there is no fear of God before his eyes.

2 He sees himself with too flattering an eye

to detect and detest his guilt;

3 all he says tends to mischief and deceit,

he has turned his back on wisdom .

4 How best to work mischief he plots,

even when he is in bed

he persists in his evil course,

he never rejects what is bad.

37

8 Enough of anger, leave rage aside,

do not worry, nothing but evil can come of it:

9 for the wicked will be expelled,

while those who hope in Yahweh

shall have the land for their own.

12 The wicked man plots against the virtuous,

and grinds his teeth at him;

- they kill

14a Though the wicked draw the sword,

14b and bend their bow, to kill the upright,

15 their swords will only pierce their own hearts

and their bows will be smashed.

16 The little the virtuous possesses

outweighs all the wealth of the wicked,

17 since the arms of the wicked are doomed to break,

and Yahweh will uphold the virtuous

- they steal

21 The wicked man borrows without meaning to repay,

32 The wicked man spies on the virtuous,

seeking to kill him ;

35 I have seen the wicked in his triumph

towering like a cedar of Lebanon,

36 but when next I passed, he was not there,

I looked for him and he was nowhere to be found.

- they are merciless

43

1 Defend me, take up my cause

against people who have no pity;

from the treacherous and cunning man

rescue me, God.

44

10 you allow the enemy to push us back,

and let those who hate us raid us when it suits them.

they confide only in their strength

49

6 of men who trust in their wealth

and boast of the profusion of their riches?

- blinded by the prosperity

20 Man in his prosperity forfeits intelligence:

he is one with the cattle doomed to slaughter.

50

15 But to the wicked man God says :

16 `What business have you reciting my statutes,

standing there mouthing my covenant,

17 since you detest my discipline

and thrust my words behind you?

- they boast of the evil

52

1 Why make a boast of your wickedness,

you champion in villainy,

7 `So much for the man who refused

to make God his fortress,

but relied on his own great wealth

and drew his strength from crime!

53

1 The fool says in his heart,

`There is no God!'

4 Are they so ignorant, these evil men

who swallow my people

as though they were eating bread,

and never invoke God?

54

3 Arrogant men are attacking me,

brutes who are hounding me to death,

55

1 God, hear my prayer, do not hide from my petition,

2 give me a hearing, answer me,

I cannot rest for complaining.

3 I shudder at the enemy's shouts,

at the howling of the wicked;

- they don’t fear God

19 no change of heart for them,

since they do not fear God.

58

3 Right from the womb these wicked men

have gone astray,

these double talkers have been in error since their birth;

4 their poison is the poison of the snake,

they are deaf as the adder that blocks its ears

5 so as not to hear the magician's music

and the clever snake-charmer's spells.

63

9 But may those now hounding me to death

go down to the earth below,

10 consigned to the edge of the sword,

and left as food for jackals.

64

3 sharpening their tongues like swords,

shooting bitter words like arrows,

4 shooting them at the innocent from cover,

shooting suddenly, without warning.

- they persist in making the evil

5 Urging each other on to their wicked purpose,

they discuss where to hide their snares .

'Who is going to see us?' they say

6 'Who can probe our secrets?'

Who? He who probes the inmost mind

and the depths of the heart.

6. God disperses the cruel

68

2 As smoke disperses, they disperse;

as wax melts when near the fire,

so the wicked perish when God approaches.

6 but rebels must live in an and land.

70

2 Shame and dishonour on those

who are out to kill me!

Down with them! Disgrace on those

who enjoy my misfortune!

3 May they be aghast with shame,

those who say to me, 'Aha! Aha!'

7. Why envying the wicked ?

73

2 My feet were on the point of stumbling,

a little further and I should have slipped,

3 envying the arrogant as I did,

and watching the wicked get rich.

4 For them, no such thing as pain,

their bodies are healthy and strong,

5 they do not suffer as other men do,

no human afflictions for them!

6 So pride is their chain of honour,

violence the garment that covers them ;

7 their spite oozes like fat,

their hearts drip with slyness.

79

1 God, the pagans have invaded your heritage,

they have desecrated your holy Temple ;

they have reduced Jerusalem to a pile of ruins,

2 they have left the corpses of your servants

to the birds of the air for food,

and the flesh of your devout

to the beasts of the earth.

3 They have shed blood like water

throughout Jerusalem, not a gravedigger left!

83

2 See how your enemies are stirring,

see how those who hate you rear their heads.

8. Having a farsighted look

92

6 Stupid men are not aware of this,

fools can never appreciate it.

7 The wicked may sprout as thick as weeds

and every evil-doer flourish,

but only to be everlastingly destroyed,

8 whereas you are supreme for ever.

94

3 Yahweh, how much longer are the wicked,

how much longer are the wicked to triumph?

4 Are these evil men to remain unsilenced,

boasting and asserting themselves?

5 Yahweh, they crush your people,

they oppress your hereditary people,

6 murdering and massacring

widows, orphans and guests.

7 `Yahweh sees nothing,' they say

`the God of Jacob takes no notice.

20 You never consent to that corrupt tribunal

that imposes disorder as law,

21 that takes the life of the virtuous

and condemns the innocent to death .

101

7 There is no room in my house

for any hypocrite;

no liar keeps his post where I can see him.

9. Preferring God to the powerful

118

8 I would rather take refuge in Yahweh

than rely on men;

9 I would rather take refuge in Yahweh

than rely on princes

119

119 You scour the wicked off the earth like rust;

that is why I love your decrees.

134 Rescue me from human oppression;

I will observe your precepts.

158 The sight of these renegades disgusts me,

they do not observe your promise;

123

4 more than our share

of jeers from the complacent,

of scorn from the proud

125

5 But the perverts,

those who follow twisting paths

may Yahweh send them to join the evil-doers!

137

7 Yahweh, remember

what the Sons of Edom did

on the day of Jerusalem,

how they said, `Down with her!

Raze her to the ground!'

138

6 From far above, Yahweh sees the humble,

from far away he marks down the arrogant.

139

19 God, If only you would kill the wicked!

Men of blood, away from me!

20 They talk blasphemously about you,

regard your thoughts as nothing.

144

11 From peril of sword save me,

rescue me from the power of aliens

who tell nothing but lies,

who are prepared to swear to falsehood!

147

6 Yahweh, who lifts up the humble,

humbles the wicked to the ground.

V  -  SPEECH ON GOD

La vita etica riempie l’esistenza di forti sentimenti e spinge ad una profonda conoscenza di Dio, fondamento della vita etica.

La conoscenza di Dio  è la motivazione più forte della mente non soggiogata dagli impulsi egoistici e che lotta per tenere sotto controllo le spinte aggressive e di dominio sessuale.

La ricerca di Dio procede di pari passo con la consapevolezza dei propri limiti, della propria fragilità, con l’irresistibile bisogno di andare oltre la morte.

La fede in Dio è un cammino lungo, impegnativo, che consente di trovare la verità oltre le cose, di conoscere le persone superando la dipendenza e sperimentando la libertà interiore.

Nella vita di fede la relazione tra l’io e gli altri

trova in Dio il vertice e la motivazione fondamentale. Dio mi porta agli altri. Gli altri sono mezzi per giungere a Dio.

Dio diventa il tutto: colore nella vita; calore nel rapporto con gli altri; sicura protezione nei pericoli; forza nell’azione; gioia nel cuore

29.     GOD’S JUSTICE

1. He takes care of the way

where  the virtous go

1

6 For Yahweh takes care of the way the virtuous go,

but the way of the wicked is doomed.

5

4 You are not a God who is pleased with wickedness,

you have no room for the wicked;

5 boasters collapse under your scrutiny.

7

8 (Yahweh is arbiter of nations.)

Give judgement for me, Yahweh: as my virtue

and my integrity deserve.

9 Bring the maliciousness of evil men to an end,

set the virtuous on his feet,

you righteous God, assessor of mind and heart.

2. God as a just judge

7

11 God the righteous judge

is slow to show his anger,

but he is a God who is always enraged

8

2 by the mouths of children, babes in arms.

You set your strongholds firm against your foes

to subdue enemies and rebels.

9

3 My enemies are in retreat,

stumbling, perishing as you confront them:

4 you have upheld the justice of my cause

from the throne where you sit as righteous judge.

7 See, Yahweh is enthroned for ever,

he sets up his throne for judgement;

8 he is going to judge the world with justice,

and pronounce a true verdict on the nations.

3.He doesn’t forget the cry

of wretched

9

12 he, the avenger of blood, remembers them,

he does not ignore the cry of the wretched.

16 Yahweh has made himself known,

has given judgement, he has trapped the wicked

in the work of their own hands.

19 Rise, Yahweh, let not man have the upper hand,

let the nations stand trial before you!

37 Yahweh, you listen to the wants of the humble,

you bring strength to their hearts,

you grant them a hearing,

38 judging in favour of the orphaned and exploited,

so that earthborn man may strike fear no longer.

4. God loves the correct things

11

7 Yahweh is righteous, he loves virtue,

upright men will contemplate his face.

14

2 Yahweh is looking down from heaven

at the sons of men, to see if a single one is wise,

if a single one is seeking God.

17

2 From your presence will my sentence come,

your eyes are fixed on what is right.

18

20 Yahweh requites me as I act justly,

as my hands are pure so he repays me,

19

9 the judgements of Yahweh are true,

righteous, every one,

22

men will proclaim the Lord

to generations still to come,

his righteousness to a people yet unborn.

All this he has done.

5. He leads the humble

25

9 in all that is right he guides the humble,

and instructs the poor in his way.

26

1 Yahweh, be my judge!

I go my way in my innocence,

33

4 The word of Yahweh is integrity itself,

all he does is done faithfully;

5 he loves virtue and justice,

Yahweh's love fills the earth.

35

1 Accuse my accusers, Yahweh,

attack my attackers;

23 up, wake up, come to my defence,

Lord my God side with me!

36

6 your righteousness is like the mountains of God,

your judgements like the mighty deep.

Yahweh, protector of man and beast,

37

13 but the Lord only laughs at the man,

knowing his end is in sight.

28 for Yahweh loves what is right,

and never deserts the devout.

6. He doesn’t abandon the virtuous

in the hands of the wicked

37

32 The wicked man spies on the virtuous,

seeking to kill him ;

33 Yahweh will never leave him in those clutches,

or let him be condemned under trial.

38

2 Your arrows have pierced deep,

your hand has pressed down on me;

41

11 and by this I shall know that I enjoy your favour,

if my enemy fails to triumph over me;

43

1 Defend me, take up my cause

against people who have no pity;

48

God, your praise, like your name,

reaches to the ends of the world.

Your right hand holds the victory;

50

4 he summons the heavens above

and the earth, to his people's trial:

5 `Assemble my faithful before me

who sealed my covenant by sacrifice!'

6 Let the heavens proclaim his righteousness

when God himself is judge!

7. God judges in the intimate

51

4 having sinned against none other than you,

having done what you regard as wrong.

You are just when you pass sentence on me,

blameless when you give judgement.

53

2 God is looking down from heaven

at the sons of men,

to see if a single one is wise,

if a single one is seeking God

54

1 God, save me by your name,

by your power see justice done to me;

58

11'So' people will say

`the virtuous do have their harvest;

so there is a God who dispenses justice on earth!'

62

12 and you yourself repay

man as his works deserve.

66

7 who rules for ever by his power

his eyes keep watch on the nations,

let no rebel raise his head!

67

4 Let the nations shout and sing for joy,

since you dispense true justice to the world;

you dispense strict justice, to the peoples,

on earth you rule the nations.

71

2 In your righteousness rescue me, deliver me,

turn your ear to me and save me!

15 my lips shall proclaim your righteousness

and power to save, all day long.

19 about your heavenly righteousness, God.

You have done great things;

who, God, is comparable to you?

24 And all day long, my tongue

shall be talking of your righteousness.

Shame and disgrace on those

whose aim is to hurt me!

8. Imitating the justice of God

72

1 God, give your own justice to the king,

your own righteousness to the royal son,

2 so that he may rule your people rightly

and your poor with justice.

3 Let the mountains and hills

bring a message of peace for the people.

74

22 Rise, God, say something on your own behalf,

do not forget the madman's day-long blaspheming,

75

2 'At the moment I decide

I will dispense strict justice;

3 the earth shall quake and all its inhabitants,

it is I who poised its columns .

4 'I said to the boastful: Enough of boasting!

and to the wicked: How dare you raise your horn,

5 how dare you raise your horn like that,

how dare you speak so boldly! '

9. God’s a supreme judge

75

6 Not from the east, nor from the west,

not from the desert, nor from the mountains,

7 but from God the judgement comes,

lowering one, raising another .

76

8 When your verdicts thunder from heaven,

earth stays silent with dread;

9 when God stands up to give judgement

and to save alt the humble of the earth.

82

1 God stands in the divine assembly,

among the gods he dispenses justice:

8 Rise, God, dispense justice throughout the world,

since no nation is excluded from your ownership.

85

13 Righteousness always preceding him

and Peace following his footsteps.

89

14 Righteousness and Justice support your throne,

Love and Faithfulness are your attendants .

94

1  Yahweh, God of revenge,

God of revenge, appear!

2 Rise, judge of the world,

give the proud their deserts!

14 For Yahweh has not abandoned

or deserted his hereditary people;

15 or verdict will return to righteousness again,

and, in its wake, all upright hearts.

96

10 Say among the nations, `Yahweh is king!'

Firm has he made the world, and unshakeable;

he will judge each nation with strict justice.

11 Let the heavens be glad, let earth rejoice,

let the sea thunder and all that it holds,

12 let the fields exult and all that is in them,

let all the woodland trees cry out for joy,

13 at the presence of Yahweh, for he comes,

he comes to judge the earth,

to judge the world with justice

and the nations with his truth.

97

2 Cloud and Darkness surround him,

Righteousness and Justice support his throne.

98

2 Yahweh has displayed his power ;

has revealed his righteousness to the nations,

7 Let the sea thunder and all that it holds,

and the world, with all who live in it;

8 let all the rivers clap their hands

and the mountains shout for joy,

9 at the presence of Yahweh, for he comes

to judge the earth,

to judge the world with righteousness

and the nations with strict justice.

99

3 may they praise your great and terrible name,

4 'Holy is be, and mighty!

You are a king who loves justice,

insisting on honesty, justice, virtue,

as you have done for Jacob.

10. Patient and merciful judge

99

8 Yahweh our God, you responded to them,

a God of forgiveness for them,

in spite of punishing their sins.

103

6 Yahweh, who does what is right,

is always on the side of the oppressed;

109

20 May Yahweh pay all my accusers,

all my detractors like this!

111

3 Every work that he does is full of glory and majesty,

and his righteousness can never change.

116

5 Yahweh is righteous and merciful,

our God is tenderhearted;

119

137 Righteous, indeed, Yahweh!

And all your rulings correct!

138 he decrees you impose, how righteous,

how absolutely faithful!

11. The eternal justice

119

142 Your righteousness is eternal righteousness,

your Law holds true for ever.

122

5 here where the tribunals of justice are,

the royal tribunals of David.

129

4 but now Yahweh the Righteous has shattered

the yoke of the wicked.

132

9 Your priests are vesting in virtue

and your devout are shouting for joy.

140

12 I know Yahweh will avenge the wretched,

and see justice done for the poor .

143

1 Yahweh, hear my prayer,

listen to my pleading,

answer me faithfully,

righteously;

2 do not put your servant on trial,

no one is virtuous by your standards.

11 Yahweh, for the sake of your name,

keep your promise to save me;

protect me from oppression,

145

7 they will celebrate your generous kindness

and joyfully acclaim your righteousness.


17 Righteous in all that he does,

Yahweh acts only out of love,

146

6 Yahweh, forever faithful,

7 gives justice to those denied it,

gives food to the hungry,

gives liberty to prisoners


30.     MERCIFUL GOD

1. He welcomes in his house

5

7 But I, so great is your love,

may come to your house, and bow down

before your holy Temple in reverence to you.

6

4 Come back, Yahweh, rescue my soul,

save me, if you love me;

13

5 But I for my part rely on your love, Yahweh;

22

24 has not hidden his face from him,

but has answered him when he called.

25

7a Do not remember the sins of my youth;

7b but rather, with your love remember me.

16 Turn to me, take pity

on alone and wretched as I am!


26

3 for your love is before my eyes,

and I live my life in loyalty to you

11 But I live my life in innocence,

redeem me, Yahweh, take pity on me;

27

9 do not hide your face from me.

Do not repulse your servant in anger;

you are my help .Never leave me,

never desert me, God, my saviour!

30

4 Play music in Yahweh's honour, you devout,

remember his holiness, and praise him.

5 His anger lasts a moment, his favour a lifetime;

10 ' Hear, Yahweh, take pity on me;

Yahweh, help me!'

31

16 let your face smile on your servant,

save me in your love.


2. The confession of guilts

32

5 I said, I will go to Yahweh and confess my fault'.

And you, you have forgiven the wrong I did,

have pardoned my sin.

36

5 Your love, Yahweh, reaches to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds;

39

13 Your love, Yahweh, reaches to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds;

40

11 For your part, Yahweh, do not withhold

your kindness from me!

May your love and faithfulness constantly preserve me.

44

26 Rise! Come to our help!

Redeem us for the sake of your love.

48

9 God, in your Temple

we reflect on your love:

51

1 Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness,

in your great tenderness wipe away my faults;

2 wash me clean of my guilt,

purify me from my sin.

57

9 Lord, I mean to thank you among the peoples,

to play music to you among the nations;

10 your love is high as heaven,

your faithfulness as the clouds.

3. God’s our mercy

59

17 the God who loves me.

66

20 Blessed be God,

who neither ignored my prayer

nor deprived to of his love.

69

33 Yahweh wilt always hear those who are in need,

will never scorn his captive people.

73

1 God is indeed god to Israel,

the Lord is good to pure hearts.

74

19 Do not betray your turtledove to the beast,

do not forget your wretched people for good.

78

38 Compassionately, however,

he forgave their guilt instead of killing them,

repeatedly repressing his anger

instead of rousing his full wrath,

39 remembering they were creatures of flesh,

a puts of wind that passes and does not return.

79

8 Do not hold our ancestors crimes against us,

in tenderness quickly intervene,

we can hardly be crushed lower;

85

2 you take your people's guilt away,

you blot out all their sins,

3 you retract all your anger,

you abjure your fiery rage.

4. God: mercy and truth

85

7 Yahweh, show us your love,

grant us your saving help.

10 Love and Loyalty now meet,

Righteousness and Peace now embrace;

86

5 Lord, you are good and forgiving,

most loving to all who invoke you;

12 I thank you with all my heart, Lord my God,

I glorify your name for ever,

13 your love for me has been so great,

you have rescued me from the depths of Sheol.

15 Lord God, you who are always merciful

and tender-hearted,

slow to anger, always loving, always loyal,

16 turn to me and pity me.

Give me your strength, your saving help,

90

13 Relent, Yahweh! How much longer do we have?

Take pity on your servants!

17 May the sweetness of the Lord be on us?

Make all we do succeed.

94

14 For Yahweh has not abandoned

or deserted his hereditary people;

100

4 give thanks to him, bless his name!

5 Yes, Yahweh is good

his love is everlasting,

his faithfulness endures from age to age.

102

13 Rise, take pity on Zion!

the time has come to have mercy on her,

the hour has come;

5. God mercy and truth

103

8 Yahweh is tender and compassionate,

slow to anger, most loving;

9 his indignation does not last for ever,

his resentment exists a short time only;

10 he never treats us, never punishes us,

as our guilt and our sins deserve.

11 No less than the height of heaven over earth

is the greatness of his love for those who fear him;

12 he takes our sins farther away

than the east is from the west.

13 As tenderly as a father treats his children,

so Yahweh treats those who fear him;

106

44 even so, he took pity on their distress

each time he heard them calling.

45 For their sake, he remembered his covenant,

he relented in his great love,

46 making their captors mitigate

the harshness of their treatment.

107

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

his love is everlasting:

41 But now, he lifts the needy out of their misery.

and gives them a flock of new families;

6.Pity and tenderness is the Lord

111

4 He allows us to commemorate his marvels.

Yahweh is merciful and tenderhearted,

116

5 our God is tenderhearted;

6 Yahweh defends the simple,

he saved me when I was brought to my knees.

118

1 Give thanks to Yahweh,

for he is good,

2 his love is everlasting!

Let the Houses of Israel say it,

'His love is everlasting!'

119

77 Treat me tenderly, and I shall live,

since your Law is my delight,

132 Turn to me please, pity me.

as you should those who love your name.

156 but many are your mercies to me, Yahweh,

by your rulings give me life.

7. Near the Lord is the forgiveness

130

4 But you do forgive us:

and for that we revere you.

7 Let Israel rely on Yahweh

as much as the watchman on the dawn!

For it is with Yahweh that mercy is to be found,

132

10 For the sake of your servant David,

do not banish your anointed.

135

3 Praise Yahweh, for Yahweh is good.

Play for his name, for he inspires love;

8. His mercy is eternal

136

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is god,

his love is everlasting!

2 Give thanks to the God of gods,

his love is everlasting!

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

his love is everlasting!

4 He alone performs great marvels,

his love is everlasting!

5 His wisdom made the heavens,

his love is everlasting!

6 He set the earth on the waters,

his love is everlasting!

7 He made the great lights,

his love is everlasting!

8 The sun to govern the day,

his love is everlasting!

9 moon and stars to govern the night,

his love is everlasting!

10 He struck down the first-born of Egypt,

his love is everlasting!

11 And brought Israel out,

his love is everlasting!

12 With mighty hand and outstretched arm,

his love is everlasting!

13 He split the Sea of Reeds,

his love is everlasting!

14 Led Israel through the middle,

his love is everlasting!

15 Drowned Pharaoh and his army,

his love is everlasting!

16 He led his people through the wilderness,

his love is everlasting!

17 He struck down mighty kings,

his love is everlasting!

18 He slaughtered famous kings,

his love is everlasting!

19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,

his love is everlasting!

20 And Og, the king of Bashan,

his love is everlasting!

21 He gave their lands as a legacy,

his love is everlasting!

22 A legacy to his servant Israel,

his love is everlasting!

23 He remembered us when we were down,

his love is everlasting!

24 And snatched us from our oppressors,

his love is everlasting!

25 He provides for all living creatures,

his love is everlasting!

26 Give thanks to the God of Heaven,

his love is everlasting!

138

2 I give thanks to your name

for your love and faithfulness;

145

8 He, Yahweh, is merciful, tenderhearted,

slow to anger, very loving,


31.    GOD ACTS FOR US

1. God acts in our silence

39

9 I am dumb, I speak no more,

since you yourself have been at work.

44

5 through you we trampled down our enemies,

through your name we subdued our aggressors.

6 My trust was not in my bow,

my sword did not gain me victory:

7 we conquered our enemies through you,

you, who defeated all who hated us

8 our boast was always of God,

we praised your name without ceasing.

71

7 To many I have seemed an enigma,

but you are my firm refuge.


2. Recognizing the hand of God

105

24 He made his people fertile

and more vigorous than their oppressors,

25 whose hearts he then disposed to hatred of his people

and double-dealing with his servants .

26 He sent his servant Moses,

and Aaron, the man of his choice;

27 there they displayed his signs,

his wonders in the land of Ham.

28 He sent darkness, darkness fell,

but still they defied his word.

29 He turned their rivers into blood,

thus killing all their fish.

30 Their country was overrun with frogs

even in the royal apartments;

31 he spoke : flies and mosquitoes

swarmed throughout the country.

32 He sent them hail instead of rain,

fire swept across their land;

33 he blasted their vines and fig trees,

he shattered the trees throughout the country.

34 He spoke: there came locusts,

grasshoppers, more than you could count,

35 eating every scrap of greenstuff,

every blade their soil produced.

36 Next, he struck down all the first-born in their land,

the entire first-fruits of their fertility;

37 then he led Israel out with gold and silver,

and not one man of their tribes was left behind.

38 Egypt was glad to see them go,

they had filled her with alarm;

39 he spread a cloud to cover them,

and a fire to glow at night.

40 They demanded food, he sent them quails,

he satisfied them with the bread of heaven;

41 he opened the rock, the waters gushed

to flow through the desert like a river.

42 Yes, faithful to the sacred promise

given to his servant Abraham,

43 he led his happy people forward,

to joyful shouts from his chosen,

44 and gave them the pagans' territories.

Where others had toiled, they took possession,

45 on condition that they kept his statutes

and remained obedient to his laws.

3. With God we will make great things

108

12 Help us in this hour of crisis,

the help that man can give is worthless.

13 With God among us, we shall fight like heroes,

he will trample on our enemies.

109

27 and let them know that you have done it,

that it was you, Yahweh, who did it.

111

10 This fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom,

118

10 The pagans were swarming round me,

in the name of Yahweh I cut them down;

11 they swarmed round me closer and closer,

in the name of Yahweh I cut them down;

12 they swarmed round me like bees,

they blazed like a thorn-fire,

in the name of Yahweh I cut them down.

13 I was pressed, pressed, about to fall,

but Yahweh came to my help;

4. Only Good builds the house

127

1 If Yahweh does not build the house,

in vain the masons toil;

if Yahweh does not guard the city,

in vain the sentries watch.

2 In vain you get up earlier, and put off going to bed,

sweating to make a living,

since he provides for his beloved as they sleep.

3 Sons are a bounty from Yahweh,

he rewards with descendants:

138

7 Though I live surrounded by trouble,

you keep me alive to my enemies fury!

You stretch your hand out and save me,


32.    GOD SAVIOR

1. God saves the upright hearts

3

7 Rise. Yahweh!

Save me, my God!

8 From Yahweh, rescue.

7

10 God is the shield that protects me,

he preserves upright hearts,

9

13 you who lift me back from the gates of death,

12

5 'For the plundered poor, for the needy who groan,

now will I act' says Yahweh.

` I will grant them the safety they sigh for '

14

7 Who will bring Israel salvation from Zion?

17

7 display your marvellous kindness,

saviour of fugitives!

From those who revolt against you

2. God saves those who invoke him

18

3 He is to be praised; on Yahweh I call

and am saved from my enemies.

16 He sends from on high and takes me,

he draws me from deep waters,

17 he delivers me from my powerful enemy,

from a foe too strong for me.

19 he freed me, set me at large,

he rescued me, since he loves me .

43 You deliver me from a people in revolt,

3. God grants us the revenge

18

47 the God who gives me vengeance

and subjects the peoples to me,

19

14 Yahweh, my Rock, my Redeemer!

20

6 Now I know that Yahweh saves his anointed,

and answers him from his holy heaven

with mighty victories from his own right hand.

9 Yahweh, save the king,

answer us when we call.

22

5 they called to you for help and they were saved,

they never trusted you in vain .

19 Do not stand aside, Yahweh.

O my strength, come quickly to my help;

25

5 Set me in the way of your truth, and teach me,

for you are the God who saves me.

Alt day long I hope in you

21 Redeem Israel, God,

from all his troubles.

26

9 Do not let my soul share the fate of sinners,

or my life the doom of men of blood,

27

1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation,

whom need I fear?

4. On the cliff of God

27

5 he hides me deep in his tent,

sets me high on a rock.

30

1 High praise, Yahweh, I give you,

for you have helped me up,

and not let my enemies gloat over me.

31

1 In you, Yahweh, I take shelter ;

never let me be disgraced.

In your righteousness deliver me, rescue me,

2 turn your car to me, make haste!

Be a sheltering rock for me,

a waited fortress to save me!

5 into your bands I commit my spirit,

you have redeemed me, Yahweh.

7 I will exult, and rejoice in your love!

You, who have seen my wretchedness,

and known the miseries of my soul,

8 have not handed me over to the enemy,

you have given my feet space and to spare.

5. God saves those who fear him

33

16 A large army will not keep a king safe,

nor does the hero escape by his great strength;

17 it is delusion to rely on the horse for safety,

for all its power, it cannot save.

18 But see how the eye of Yahweh

is on those who fear him,

on those who rely on his love,

34

6 A cry goes up from the poor than, and Yahweh hears,

and helps him in all his troubles.

7 The angel of Yahweh pitches camp

round those who fear him ; and he keeps them safe.

17 They cry for help and Yahweh hears

and rescues them from all their troubles;

20 taking care of every bone,

Yahweh will not let one be broken.

22 while Yahweh himself ransoms

the souls of his servants,

and those who take shelter in him

have nothing to pay.

6. God saves the creation

35

(Yahweh) grip shield and buckler,

up, and help me;

36

6 Yahweh, protector of man and beast,

37

40a Yahweh helps and rescues them,

he saves them because they take shelter in him.

40b and he will save you from the wicked,

38

15 For I put my trust in you, Yahweh,

and leave you to answer for me, Lord my God.

16 I have already said, `Stop them gloating over me.

do not let them take advantage of me

if my foot should slip'.

21 Yahweh, do not desert me,

do not stand aside, my God!

22 Come quickly to my help,

Lord, my saviour!

7. Saved by the swamp

of the death

40

2 He has pulled me out of the horrible pit,

out of the slough of the marsh,

has settled my feet on a rock

and steadied my steps.

13 Oh come and rescue me, Yahweh,

Yahweh come quickly and help me!

41

3 Yahweh will be his comfort

on his bed of sickness;

most carefully you make his bed' when he is sick

10 But Yahweh, take pity on me!

Raise me up, and I will pay them back;

42

5 Put your hope in God: I shall praise him yet,

6 my saviour, "my God.

44

3 it was not by their swords they won the land,

it was not by their arms they gained the victory:

it was your right hand, your arm

and the light of your face

because you loved them

26 Rise! Come to our help!

Redeem us for the sake of your love.

49

15 But God will redeem my life

from the grasp of Sheol, and will receive me!

8. Saved from bad luck

and from pain

50

15 then you can invoke me in your troubles

and I will rescue you, and you shall honour me.

23 Whoever makes thanksgiving his sacrifice

honours me ;

to the upright man I will show how God can save.'

54

7 He has rescued me from all my troubles,

and let me see my enemies defeated.

55

17 evening, morning, noon, I complain, I groan;

he will hear me calling.

18 His peace can ransom me

from the war being waged on me.

22 Unload your burden on to Yahweh,

and he will support you;

he will never permit the virtuous to falter.

56

12 I must fulfil the vows I made you, God;

I shall pay you my thank-offerings,

13 for you have rescued me from Death

to walk in the presence of God

in the light of the living.

9. Saved by the persecutors

57


3 to send from heaven and save me,

to check the people harrying me,

59

2 rescue me from these evil men,

save me from these murderers!

62

1 In God alone there is rest for my soul,

from him comes my safety;

2 with him alone for my rock, my safety,

my fortress, I can never fall.

7 rest in God, my safety, glory,

the rock of my strength.

9. Saved by the persecutors

63

6 On my bed I think of you,

I meditate on you all night long,

7 for you have always helped me.

I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings;

65

5 Your righteousness repays us with marvels,

God our saviour,

hope of all the ends of the earth

and the distant islands.

66

8 You nations, bless our God

and make his praise resound,

9 who brings our soul to life

and keeps our feet from faltering.

67

1 May God show kindness and bless us,

and make his face smile on us!

2 For then the earth will acknowledge your ways

and all the nations will know of your power

to save.

68

19 Blessed be the Lord day after day,

the God who saves us and bears our burdens!

20 This God of ours is a God who saves,

to the Lord Yahweh belong the ways

of escape from death;

11. Invoking him with the water

up to the throat

69

1 Save me, God!

The water is already up to my neck!

2 I am sinking in the deepest swamp,

there is no foothold;

I have stepped into deep water

and the waves are washing over me.

3 Worn out with calling, my throat is hoarse,

my eyes are strained, looking for my God.

13 For my part, I pray to you, Yahweh,

at the time you wish;

in your great love, answer me, Gad,

faithful in saving power.

14 Pull me out of this swamp; let me sink no further,

let me escape those who hate me,

save me from deep water!

18 come to my side, redeem me,

from so many enemies ransom me.

35 For God will save Zion,

and rebuild the towns of Judah:

they will be lived in, owned,

36 handed down to his servants descendants,

and lived in by those who love his name.

12. Invoking him in poverty

and in unhappiness

70

5 To me, poor wretch,

come quickly, God!

My helper, my saviour, Yahweh,

come without delay!

74

12 Yet, God, my king from the first,

author of saving acts throughout the earth,

76

8 When your verdicts thunder from heaven,

earth stays silent with dread;

9 when God stands up to give judgement

and to save alt the humble of the earth.

79

11 May the groans of the captive reach you;

by your mighty arm rescue those doomed to die!

13. Walking along his paths

to be saved

81

13 'If only my people would listen,

if Israel would follow my ways,

14 at one blow I would defeat their enemies

and strike at all who attack them,

15 'Then those who hate Yahweh would cringe,

their doom being sealed far ever;

16 while I would feed you on pure wheat

and satisfy you with the wild rock honey.

85

1 Yahweh, you favour your own country,

you bring back the captives of Jacob,

86

2 keep my soul: I am your devoted one,

save your servant who relies on you.

15 Lord God, you who are always merciful

and tender-hearted,

slow to anger, always loving, always loyal,

16 turn to me and pity me.

Give me your strength, your saving help,

91

3 He rescues you from the snares

of fowlers hoping to destroy you;

14. Taking shelter

under the wings of God

91

4a he covers you with his feathers,

4b and you find shelter underneath his wings.

14 I rescue all who cling to me,

I protect whoever knows my name,

94

16 No one ever stood up for me against the wicked,

not a soul took a stand to save me from evil men;

17 without Yahweh's help, I should, long ago,

have gone to the Home of Silence.

98

2 Yahweh has displayed his power;

106

8 For the sake of his name, he saved them

to demonstrate his power.

15. In trouble crying to the Lord

107

6 Then they called to Yahweh in their trouble

and he rescued them from their sufferings,

35 Or again, he turned a desert into sheets of water,

and an arid country into flowing springs,

108

6 To bring rescue to those you love

save with your right hand and answer us!

13 With God among us, we shall fight like heroes,

he will trample on our enemies.

109

21 Yahweh, defend me for the sake of your name,

rescue me, since your love is generous!

16. God breaks our chains

109

30 I will give thanks aloud to Yahweh

and praise him in the Assembly,

31 for conducting the poor man's defence

against those who would have sentenced

him to death.

116

116 Yahweh, I am your servant,

your servant, son of a pious mother,

you undo my fetters.

118

5 Hard-pressed, I invoked Yahweh,

he heard me and came to my relief.

13 I was pressed, pressed, about to fall,

but Yahweh came to my help;

21 I thank you for having heard me,

you have been my saviour.

25 Please, Yahweh, please save us.

Please, Yahweh, please give us prosperity.

29 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

his love is everlasting!

17. Looking for the will

of the Lord

119

94 I am yours, save me,

since I study your precepts.

166 Waiting for you, Yahweh, my saviour,

I fulfil your commandments.

174 I long for you, Yahweh, my saviour,

your Law is my delight.

18. Making free from the lie

120

2 Yahweh, save me from these lying lips

and these faithless tongues!

124

7 who let us escape like birds

from the fowler's net,

He tore the net

and we escaped;

129

4 but now Yahweh the Righteous has shattered

the yoke of the wicked.

19. God dawn and dew

130

6 my soul relies on the Lord

more than a watchman on the coming of dawn.


7 Let Israel rely on Yahweh

as much as the watchman on the dawn!

For it is with Yahweh that mercy is to be found,

and a generous redemption;

8 it is he who redeems Israel from all their sins.

133

3 copious as a Hermon dew

fatting on the heights of Zion,

where Yahweh confers his blessing, everlasting life

136

23 He remembered us when we were down,

139

5 close behind and close in front you fence me round,

shielding me with your hand.

140

1 Yahweh, rescue me from evil people,

defend me from men of violence,

141

10 Let the wicked fall into their own net,

while I go on my way.

20. Looking for God

with pure heart

142

6 Listen to my cries for help,

I can hardly be crushed lower.

Rescue me from persecutors

stronger than I am!

8 Free me from this imprisonment,

and I will thank your name once more

in the Assembly of the virtuous,

for the goodness you show me.

143

9 Yahweh, rescue me from my enemies,

I have fled to you for shelter;

144

7 Reach down your hand from above,

save me, rescue me from deep waters,

from the power of aliens

145

14 Only stumble, and Yahweh at once

supports you,

if others bow you down, he will raise you up.

18 standing close to all who invoke him,

close to all who invoke Yahweh faithfully.

19 Those who fear him need only to ask to be answered;

he hears their cries for help and saves them.

20 tinder his protection the pious are safe,

but Yahweh is destruction to the wicked.

146

7 gives liberty to prisoners.

8a Yahweh restores sight to the blind,

8b Yahweh straightens the bent,

9a Yahweh protects the stranger,

9b he keeps the orphan and widow.

8c Yahweh loves the virtuous,

147

3 healing their broken hearts,

and binding up their wounds.

150

2 praise him for his mighty achievements,

praise him for his transcendent greatness!


33.  GOD GIVER OF LIFE

1. God creates life

2

7 Let me proclaim Yahweh's decree;

he has told me, `You are my son,

today I have become your father.

8 Ask and I will give you the nations for your heritage,

the ends of the earth for your domain.

6

5 for in death there is no remembrance of you:

who can sing your praises in Sheol?

8

2 by the mouths of children, babes in arms .

You set your strongholds firm against your foes

to subdue enemies and rebels.

5 Yet you have made him little less than a god,

you have crowned him with glory and splendour,

6 made him lord over the work of your hands,

set all things under his feet,

7 sheep and oxen, all these,

2. God protects life

13

3 Look and answer me, Yahweh my God!

Give my eyes light,

or I shall sleep in death,

16

10 for you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

nor allow the one you love to see the Pit;

11 you will reveal the path of life to me,

give me unbounded joy in your presence,

and at your right hand everlasting pleasures

17

13 Rise, Yahweh, subdue him face to face,

rescue my soul from the wicked with your sword,

14 with your hand, Yahweh, rescue me from men,

from the sort of men whose tot is here and now.

21

4 he asked for life, and you gave it him,

length of days for ever and ever .

3. God welcomes us

from the maternal womb

22

9 Yet you drew me out of the womb,

you entrusted me to my mother's breasts;

10 placed on your lap from my birth,

from my mother's womb you have been my God.

22

28 For Yahweh reigns, the ruler of nations!

30

3 Yahweh, you have brought my soul up from Sheol,

of all those who go down to the Pit

you have revived me

33

14 from where he sits he watches

all who live on the earth,

15 he who moulds every heart

and takes note of all men do.

18 But see how the eye of Yahweh

is on those who fear him,

on those who rely on his love,

19 to rescue their souls from death

and keep them alive in famine.

36

7 how precious, God, your love!

Hence the sons of men

take shelter in the shadow of your wings.

8 They feast on the bounty of your house,

you give them drink from your river of pleasure;

4. God as source of life

36

9 yes, with you is the fountain of life,

by your light we see the light.

37

22 those he blesses will have the land for their own,

those he curses will be expelled.

23 Yahweh guides a man's steps,

they are sure, and he takes pleasure in his progress;

24 he may fall, but never fatally,

since Yahweh supports him by the hand.

5. God will make wars stop

46

9 all over the world he puts an end to wars,

he breaks the bow, he snaps the spear,

he gives shields to the flames.

47

8 God is king of the nations,

he reigns on his holy throne.

9 The leaders of the nations rally

to the people of the God of Abraham.

Every shield in the world belongs to God.

He reigns supreme.

6. God master of life

50

10 'since all the forest animals are already mine,

and the cattle on my mountains in their thousands;

11 I know all the birds of the air,

nothing moves in the field that does not belong to me.

51

14 Save the from death, God my saviour,

and my tongue will acclaim your righteousness;

65

8 The nations are in uproar, panic

those who live at the ends of the world,

as your miracles bring shouts of joy

to The portals of morning and evening.

66

5 Come and see what marvels God has done,

so much to be feared for his deeds

among mankind;

67

5 Let the nations praise you, God,

let all the nations praise you!

6 The soil has given its harvest,

God, our God, has blessed us .

7 May God bless us, and let him be feared

to the very ends of the earth.

7. He welcomes the wretched

and he frees the oppressed

68

4 rejoice in Yahweh, exult at his coming!

5 Father of orphans, defender of widows,

such is God in his holy dwelling;

6 God gives the lonely a permanent home,

makes prisoners happy by setting them free,

but rebels must live in an and land.

8. God doesn’t reject the old

68

19 Blessed be the Lord day after day,

the God who saves us and bears our burdens!

20 This God of ours is a God who saves,

to the Lord Yahweh belong the ways

of escape from death;

69

16 In your loving kindness, answer me, Yahweh,

in your great tenderness turn to me;

17 do not hide your face from your servant,

quick, I am in trouble, answer me;

71

9 Do not reject me now I am old,

nor desert me now my strength is failing,

9. The divine life in us

82

6 I once said, `You too are gods,

sons of the Most High, all of you',

84

11 For God is battlement and shield,

conferring grace and glory;

Yahweh withholds nothing good

from those who walk without blame.

85

6 Will you not give us life again,

for your people to rejoice in you?

7 Yahweh, show us your love,

grant us your saving help.

12 Yahweh himself bestows happiness

as our soil gives its harvest,

86

9 All the pagans will come and adore you, Lord,

all will glorify your name,

10 since you alone are great, you perform marvels,

you God, you alone.

88

9 Yahweh, I invoke you all day,

I stretch out my hands to you:

10 are your marvels meant for the dead,

can ghosts rise up to praise you?

90

1 Lord, you have been our refuge age after age.

2 Before the mountains were born,

before the earth or the world came to birth,

you were God from all eternity and for ever.

17 May the sweetness of the Lord be on us?

Make all we do succeed .

10. God protects life

91

9 you who can say, `Yahweh my refuge',

and make Elyon your fortress.

10 No disaster can overtake you,

no plague come near your tent:

11 he will put you in his angels' charge

to guard you wherever you go.

12 They will support you on their hands

in case you hurt your foot against a stone;

94

8 You most stupid of men, you fools,

think this over and learn some sense.

95

6 Come in, let us bow, prostrate ourselves,

and kneel in front of Yahweh our maker,

7 for this is our God,

and we are the people he pastures,

the flock that he guides

97

10 Yahweh loves those who repudiate evil,

he guards the souls of the devout,

rescuing them from the clutches of the wicked.

11 Light dawns for the virtuous,

99

2 Yahweh is great in Zion.

He is high over all nations;

11. Thankful to God

99

9 Extol Yahweh our God,

worship at his holy mountain,

'Holy is Yahweh our God!'

100

3 Know that he, Yahweh, is God,

he made us and we belong to him,

we are his people, the flock that he pastures.

102

23a My strength has already run out;

23b tell me how much longer I have left.

24b Do not take me prematurely,

when your own life lasts for ever.

27 but yourself, you never change, and yourself,

you never change, and your years are unending.

103

3 in forgiving all your offences,

in curing all your diseases,

4 in redeeming your life from the Pit,

in crowning you with love and tenderness,

12. God nourishes his creatures

103

5 in filling your years with prosperity,

in renewing your youth like an eagle's.

104

10 You set springs gushing in ravines,

running down between the mountains,

11 supplying water for wild animals,

attracting the thirsty wild donkeys;

12 near there the birds of the air make their nests

and sing among the branches.

13 From your palace you water the uplands

until the ground has had all that your

heavens have to offer;

14 you make fresh grass grow for cattle

and those plants made use of by man,

for them to get food from the soil:

15 wine to make them cheerful,

oil to make them happy

and bread to make them strong.

16 The trees of Yahweh get rain enough,

those cedars of Lebanon he planted;

17 here the little birds build their nest

and, on the highest branches, the stork has its home.

18 For the wild goats there are the mountains,

in the crags rock-badgers hide.

19 You made the moon to tell the seasons,

the sun knows when to set:

20 you bring darkness on, night falls,

all the forest animals come out:

21 savage lions roaring for their prey,

claiming their food from God.

22 The sun rises, they retire,

going back to lie down in their lairs,

13. God directs existence

104

23 and man goes out to work,

and to labour until dusk.

24 Yahweh, what variety you have created,

arranging everything so wisely!

Earth is completely full of things you have made:

25 among them vast expanse of ocean,

teeming with countless creatures,

creatures large and small,

26 with the ships going to and fro

and Leviathan whom you made to amuse you.

27 All creatures depend on you

to feed them throughout the year;

28 you provide the food they eat,

with generous hand you satisfy their hunger.

29 You turn your face away, they suffer,

you stop their breath, they die

and revert to dust.

30 You give breath, fresh life begins,

you keep renewing the world.

14. God makes man part of life

105

24 He made his people fertile

107

36 where he gave the hungry a home

in which to found a habitable town.

37 There, they sow the fields and plant their vines,

there, they show a profitable harvest.

38 He blesses them, they grow in number,

he sees that their livestock does not decrease.

108

3 Yahweh, I mean to thank you among the peoples,

to play music to you among the nations;

4 your love is high as heaven,

your faithfulness as the clouds.

110

3 Royal dignity was yours from the day

you were born, on the

holy mountains,

royal from the womb,

from the dawn of your earliest days.

15. God takes care of life

113

5 Who is like Yahweh our God?

enthroned so high,

he needs to stoop

6 to see the sky and earth!

7 He raises the poor from dust;

he lifts the needy from the dunghill

8 to give them a place with princes,

with the princes of his people.

9 He enthrones the barren woman in her house

by making her the happy mother of sons

115

14 May Yahweh add to your numbers,

yours and your children's too!

116

7 Return to your resting place, my soul,

Yahweh has treated you kindly.

8 He has rescued (me from death)

my eyes from tears

and my feet from stumbling.

9 (I will walk in Yahweh's presence

in the land of the living.)

118

17 No, I shall not die, t shall live

to recite the deeds of Yahweh;

27 Yahweh is God, he smiles on us.

16. God, source of ethical life

119

17 Be good to your servant and I shall live,

I shall observe your word.

18 Open my eyes: I shall concentrate

on the marvels of your Law.

26 I admitted my behaviour, you answered me,

now teach me your statutes.

73 Yahweh. my maker, my preserver,

explain your commandments for me to learn .

88 Lovingly intervene, give me life,

and I will observe your decrees.

144 Eternally righteous, your decrees

explain them to me, and I shall live.

159 but, Yahweh, see how I love your precepts,

and lovingly give me life.

175 Long may my soul live to praise you,

long be your rulings my help!

17. God guard of life

121

5 Yahweh guards you, shades you.

With Yahweh at your right hand

6 sun cannot strike you down by day,

nor moon at night.

7 Yahweh guards you from harm,

he guards your lives,

127

3 Sons are a bounty from Yahweh,

he rewards with descendants:

132

15 'I will bless her virtuous with riches,

provide her poor with food,

16 vest her priests in salvation

and her devout shall shout for joy.

133

3 where Yahweh confers his blessing,

everlasting life

135

13 Yahweh, your name endures for ever!

Yahweh, your memory is always fresh!

14 Since Yahweh vindicates his people,

and cares for those who serve him;

136

25 He provides for all living creatures,

his love is everlasting!


138

7 Though I live surrounded by trouble,

you keep me alive to my enemies fury!

139

13 It was you who created my inmost self,

and put me together in my mother's womb;

14 for all these mysteries I thank you:

for the wonder of myself,

for the wonder of your works.

You know me through and through,

23 God, examine me and know my heart,

probe me and know my thoughts;

24 make sure I do not follow pernicious ways,

and guide me in the way that is everlasting.

143

11 Yahweh, for the sake of your name,

keep your promise to save me;

protect me from oppression,


18. Educating to life

144

144 May our sons be like plants

growing strong from their earliest days,

our daughters like comer-statues,

carvings fit for a palace.

145

9 and universally kind; Yahweh's tenderness

embraces all his creatures.

15 Patiently all creatures look to you

to feed them throughout the year;

16 quick to satisfy every need,

you feed them all with a generous hand.

147

8 who covers the heavens with clouds,

to provide the earth with rain,

to produce fresh grass on the hillsides

and the plants that are needed by man,

9 who gives their food to the cattle

and to the young ravens when they cry.

10 The strength of the war horse

means nothing to him,

it is not infantry that interests him.

11 Yahweh is interested only

in those who fear him,

in those who rely on his love.

150

1 Praise God in his Temple on earth,

praise him in his temple in heaven,

2 praise him for his mighty achievements,

praise him for his transcendent greatness!


34.     GOD’S POWER

1. The creation as work of God

2

7 Let me proclaim Yahweh's decree;

he has told me, `You are my son,

today I have become your father.

8

8 I look up at your heavens, made by your fingers,

at the moon and stars you set in place

ah, what is man that you should spare a thought for him.

the son of man that you should care for him?

10

36 Yahweh is king for ever and ever,

the pagans are doomed to vanish from his country

18

31 Who else is God but Yahweh,

who else a rock save our God?

19

4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth,

and their message to the ends of the world.

High above, he pitched a tent for the sun.

5 who comes out of his pavilion like a bridegroom,

exulting like a hero to run his race.

6 He has his rising on the edge of heaven,

the end of his course is its furthest edge,

and nothing can escape his heat.

24

1 To Yahweh belong earth and all it holds,

the world and all who live in it;

2 he himself founded it on the ocean,

based it firmly on the nether sea.

29

3a The voice of Yahweh over the waters!

3c Yahweh over the multitudinous waters!

4 The voice of Yahweh in power!

The voice of Yahweh in splendour!

5 The voice of Yahweh shatters the cedars,

Yahweh shatters the cedars of Lebanon,

6 making Lebanon leap like a calf,

Sirion like a young wild bull.

7 The voice of Yahweh sharpens lightning shafts!

8 The voice of Yahweh sets the wilderness shaking.

Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9a The voice of Yahweh sets

the terebinths shuddering,

9b stripping the forests bare.

3b The God of glory thunders.

9c In his palace everything cries, `Glory!'

10 Yahweh sat enthroned for the Flood,

Yahweh sits enthroned as a king for ever.

31

3 For you are my rock, my fortress;

for the sake of your name, guide me, lead me!

33

6 By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made,

their whole array by the breath of his mouth;

7 he collects the ocean waters as though in a wineskin,

he stores the deeps in cellars.

8 Let the whole world fear Yahweh,

let all who live on earth revere him!

9 He spoke, and it was created;

he commanded, and there it stood.

40

5 How many wonders you have done for us,

Yahweh, my God!

How many plans you have made for us;

you have no equal!

I want to proclaim than, again and again,

but they are more than I can count.

43

3 Send out your light and your truth,

let these be my guide,

2. The history of the people:

work of God

44

1 God, we have heard with our own ears,

our ancestors have told us

of the deeds you performed

in their days,

45

6 Your throne, God. shall last for ever and ever,

your royal sceptre is a sceptre of integrity:

46

5 God is inside the city, she can never fall,

at crack of dawn God helps her;

47

2 for Yahweh, the Most High, is to be dreaded,

the Great King of the whole world.

8 God is king of the nations,

he reigns on his holy throne.

48

3 here among her palaces,

God proved to be her fortress.

50

1 Yahweh, God of gods,

speaks, he summons the earth. From cast to west,

7a Listen, my people, I am speaking;

7b Israel, I am giving evidence against you!

55

19 But God will hear me.

Sovereign from the first, he will humble them;

57

5 Rise high above the heavens, God,

let your glory be over the earth!

58

10 What joy for the virtuous, seeing this vengeance,

bathing their feet in the blood of the wicked!

59

5 Yahweh, God of Sabaoth, God of Israel,

8 Yahweh, you laugh at them,

you make fun of these pagans.

60

12 With God among us we shall fight like heroes,

he will trample on our enemies.

62

11 God has spoken once,

twice f have heard this;

it is for God to be strong,

12 for you, Lord, to be loving;

65

6 Your strength holds the mountains up,

such is the power that wraps you;

66

3 Your achievements are the measure

of your power.

Your enemies cringe in your presence;

7 who rules for ever by his power

his eyes keep watch on the nations,

let no rebel raise his head!

68

4 Sing to Yahweh, play music to his name,

build a road for the Rider of the Clouds,

rejoice in Yahweh,

exult at his coming!

14a 'Shaddai has scattered 'a huge army

28 Take command, God, as befits your power,

that power, God, you have wielded on our behalf

33 play for the Rider of the Heavens,

the ancient heavens!

Listen to him shouting, to his thundering,

3. Old age hails the power of God

69

34 Let heaven and earth acclaim him,

the oceans and all that moves in them!

71

18 Now that I am old and grey,

God, do not desert me;

let me live to tell the rising generation

about your strength and power,

4. The history of Israel: work

of God

72

18 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,

who alone performs these marvels!

74

13 by your power you split the sea in two,

and smashed the heads of monsters on the waters.

75

3 the earth shall quake and all its inhabitants,

it is I who poised its columns.

76

1 God is renowned in Judah,

his name is great in Israel;

77

13 God, your ways are holy!

What god so great as God?

14 You are the God who did marvellous things

and forced nations to acknowledge your power,

15 with your own arm redeeming your people,

the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

16 When the waters saw it was you, God,

when the waters saw it was you, they recoiled,

shuddering to their depths.

78

3 What we have heard and known for ourselves,

and what our ancestors have told us,

4 must not be withheld from their descendants,

but be handed on by us to the next generation ;

that is : the titles of Yahweh, his power

and the miracles he has done.

43 by imposing his signs on Egypt,

by displaying his wonders in the plains of Zoan,

5. God’s omnipotence

83

18 disgrace and death; and let them know this:

you alone bear the name Yahweh,

Most High over the whole world.

86

8 there is no god to compare with you,

no achievement to compare with yours.

9 All the pagans will come and adore you, Lord,

all will glorify your name,

10 since you alone are great, you perform marvels,

you God, you alone.

89

5 Yahweh, the assembly of holy ones in heaven

applaud the marvel of your faithfulness.

6 Who in the skies can compare with Yahweh?

Which of the heaven-borne can rival him?

7 God, dreaded in the assembly of holy ones,

great and terrible to all around him,

8 Yahweh, God of Sabaoth, who is like you?

mighty Yahweh, clothed in your faithfulness!

9 You control the pride of the ocean,

when its waves ride high, you calm them;

10 you split Rahab in two like a carcase

and scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

11 The heavens are yours and the earth is yours,

you founded the world and all it holds,

12 you created north and south;

Tabor and Hermon hail your name with joy.

13 Yours was the arm, and yours the prowess,

mighty and exalted your right hand;

90

3 You can turn man back into dust

by saying, 'Back to what you were,

you sons of men!

4 To you, a thousand years are a single day,

a yesterday now over, an hour of the night.

92

5 `Great are your achievements, Yahweh,

immensely deep your thoughts!'

93

1 Yahweh is king, robed in majesty,

Yahweh is robed in power,

he wears it like a belt

You have made the world firm, unshakeable;

2 your throne has stood since then,

you existed from the first, Yahweh.

95

3 For Yahweh is a great God,

a greater King than all other gods;

4 from depths of earth to mountain top

everything conies under his rule;

96

4 Yahweh is great, loud must be his praise,

he is to be feared beyond all gods.

5 Nothingness, all the gods of the nations.

Yahweh himself made the heavens,

6 in his presence are splendour and majesty,

in his sanctuary power and beauty.

10 Say among the nations, `Yahweh is king!'

Firm has he made the world, and unshakeable;

he will judge each nation with strict justice.

97

1 Yahweh is king! Let earth rejoice,

the many isles be glad!

7 bow down as he passes, all you gods!

9 For you are Yahweh

Most High over the world,

far transcending alt other gods.

99

1 Yahweh is king, the nations tremble;

he is enthroned on the cherubs, earth quakes;

102

12 Whereas, Yahweh, you remain for ever;

each generation in turn remembers you!

25 Aeons ago, you laid earth's foundations,

the heavens are the work of your hands;

6. The eternal power of God

102

26 all will vanish, though you remain,

all wear out like a garment,

like clothes that need changing

you will change them;

103

19 Yahweh has fixed his throne in the heavens,

his empire is over all.

104

1 Bless Yahweh, my soul.

Yahweh my God, how great you are!

Clothed in majesty and glory,

2 wrapped in a robe of light!

You stretch the heavens out like a tent,

you build your palace on the waters above;

3 using the clouds as your chariot,

you advance on the wings of the wind;

4 you use the winds as messengers

and fiery flames as servants.

111

2 The works of Yahweh are sublime,

those who delight in them are right

to fix their eyes on them.

3 Every work that he does is full of glory and majesty,

and his righteousness can never change.

7. God’s works: truth and justice

111

7 All that he does is done in faithfulness and justice,

113

4 High over all nations, Yahweh!

His glory transcends the heavens!

114

3 The sea Red at the sight,

the Jordan stopped flowing,

4 the mountains skipped like rams,

and like lambs, the hills.

115

3 Ours is the God whose will is sovereign

in the heavens and on earth,

118

23 this is Yahweh's doing

and it is wonderful to see.

119

64 Yahweh, your love fills the earth:

teach me your statutes.

121

2 Help comes to me from Yahweh,

who made heaven and earth.

124

8 our help is in the name of Yahweh,

who made heaven and earth.

134

3 May Yahweh bless you from Zion,

he who made heaven and earth!

135

5 I have learnt for myself that Yahweh is great,

that our Lord surpasses all other gods.

6 In the heavens, on the earth,

in the ocean, in the depths,

Yahweh's will is sovereign.

7 He raises up clouds from the boundaries of earth,

makes the lightning flash for the downpour

and brings the wind out of his storehouse.

136

4 He alone performs great marvels,

his love is everlasting!

138

5 they celebrate Yahweh's actions,

'Great is the glory of Yahweh!'

8. God, the immense

139

7 Where could I go to escape your spirit?

Where could I flee from your presence?

8 If I climb the heavens, you are there,

there too, if I lie in Sheol.

9 If I flew to the point of sunrise,

or westward across the sea,

10 your hand would still be guiding me,

your right hand holding me.

11 If I asked darkness to cover me,

and light to become night around me,

12 that darkness would not be dark to you,

night would be as light as day.

17 God, how hard it is to grasp your thoughts!

How impossible to count them!

18 I could no more count them than I could the sand,

and suppose I could, you would still be with me.

144

5 Yahweh, lower your heavens, come down to us!

Touch the mountains, make them smoke,

145

3 Can anyone measure the magnificence

of Yahweh the great, and his inexpressible

grandeur?

6 Men will proclaim your fearful power

and I shall assert your greatness;

146

5 Happy the man

who has the God of Jacob to help him,

whose hope is fixed on Yahweh his God,

6 maker of heaven and earth,

and the sea, and all that these hold!

10 Yahweh reigns for ever,

your God, Zion, from age to age.

147

4 He decides the number of the stars

and gives each of them a name;

5 our Lord is great, all-powerful,

of infinite understanding.

12 Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem,

Zion, praise your God:

13 for strengthening the bars of your gates,

for blessing your citizens,

14 for granting you peace on your frontiers,

for feeding you on the finest wheat .

15 He gives an order;

his word flashes to earth:

16 to spread snow like a blanket,

to strew hoarfrost like ashes,

148

5 Let them all praise the name of Yahweh,

at whose command they were created;

6 he has fixed them in their place for ever,

by an unalterable statute.


13 Let them all praise the name of Yahweh,

for his name and no other is sublime,

transcending earth and heaven in majesty,

150

1 Alleluia!

Praise God in his Temple on earth,

praise him in his temple in heaven,

2 praise him for his mighty achievements,

praise him for his transcendent greatness!


35. GOD AS LEADER, GUIDE

1. He leads with justice

3

3 But, Yahweh, my encircling shield,

my glory, you help me hold up my head.

5

8 Yahweh, lead me in the path

of your righteousness,

for there are men lying in wait for me;

make your way plain before me.

9

3 My enemies are in retreat,

stumbling, perishing as you confront them:

2. His goodness makes us grow

18

35 You give me your saving shield

(your right hand upholds me),

with care you train me,

21

8 Your hand will unmask all your enemies,

your right hand all who hate you;

12 since you will make them turn tail,

by shooting your arrows in their faces.

3. Guide for the correct path

23

3 there he revives my soul.

He guides me by paths of virtue

for the sake of his name.

24

8 Who is this king of glory?

Yahweh the strong, the valiant,

Yahweh valiant in battle!

10 Who is this king of glory?

He is Yahweh Sabaoth, King of glory, he!

28

8 Yahweh is the strength of his people,

a saving fortress for his anointed.

35

1 Accuse my accusers, Yahweh,

attack my attackers;

43

2 It is you, God, who are my shelter:

44

2 To put them in the land

you dispossessed the nations,

you harried the peoples to make room for them;

4 You it was, my King. my God,

who won those victories for Jacob;

46

7 Yahweh Sabaoth is on our side,

our citadel, the God of Jacob!

47

3 He brings the peoples under our dominion,

he puts the nations under our feet;

4. God, our guide

48

14 that God is here,

our God and leader,

for ever and ever.

60

5 To bring rescue to those you love,

save with your right hand and answer us!

10 God, can you really have rejected us?

You no longer march with our armies.

61

2 To the rock too high for me, lead me!

63

8 my soul clings close to you,

your right hand supports me.

68

1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered,

7 God, when you set out at the head

of your people,

8 and marched across the desert, the earth rocked,

the heavens deluged at God's coming,

at the coming of God,

the God of Israel.

11 The Lord gives his couriers the news,

'Shaddai has scattered 'a huge army

17 With thousands of myriads of divine chariots

5. God leads with his advice

73

24 now guide me with advice

and in the end receive me into glory.

74

18 Now, Yahweh, remember the enemy's blasphemy,

how frenzied people dare to insult your name.

76

3 there he has broken the lightning-swift arrow,

the shield, the sword and the line of battle.

77

11 Remembering Yahweh's achievements,

remembering your marvels in the past,

12 I reflect on all that you did,

I ponder on all your achievements.

15 with your own arm redeeming your people,

the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

6. He drivers us a flock

77

19 you marched across the ocean,

but your steps could not be seen.

20 You guided your people like a flock

by the hands of Moses and Aaron.

78

11 they had forgotten his achievements,

the marvels he had shown them:

12 he had worked wonders for their ancestors

in the plains of Zoan, down in Egypt:

13 dividing the sea, bringing them through,

making the waters stand up like dikes,

14 leading them with a cloud by day

and with a fiery glow at night,

15 splitting rocks in the wilderness,

quenching their thirst with unlimited water,

16 conjuring streams from the rock

and bringing down water in torrents

52 by driving his people out like sheep,

by leading them through the wilderness like a flock,

53 by guiding them safe and unafraid

while the sea engulfed their enemies,

54 by bringing them to his sacred frontier,

the highlands conquered by his own right hand,

55 by expelling the pagans in front of them

and by marking out a heritage for each,

in which the tribes of Israel could pitch their tents.

65 Then, like a sleeper, like a hero

fighting-mad with wine, the Lord woke up

66 to strike his enemies on the rump

and put them to everlasting shame.

7. He visits his vineyard

80

7 Yahweh Sabaoth, bring us back,

let your face smile on us and we shall be safe.

14 Please, Yahweh Sabaoth, relent!

Look down from heaven, look at this vine,

15 visit it, protect

what your own right hand has planted.

81

6 'It was I who relieved your shoulder of the burden,

your hands could drop the labourer's basket ;

7 you called in your trouble, so I rescued you.

`Hidden in the storm, I answered you,

10 I, Yahweh, am your God,

I who brought you here from Egypt;

you have only to open your mouth for me to fill it.

84

3 The sparrow has found its home at last,

the swallow a nest for its young,

your altars, Yahweh Sabaoth,

my king and my God.

95

7 for this is our God,

and we are the people he pastures,

the flock that he guides.

If only you would listen to him today,

8. Thanks for the liberation

98

1 Sing Yahweh a new song

for he has performed marvels,

his own right hand, his holy arm,

gives him the power to save.

105

12 `There where you were easily counted,

few in number, strangers to the country.

13 They went from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another people;

14 he let no man oppress them,

he punished kings on their behalf.

15 Do not touch my anointed ones,' he said

'do not harm my prophets!'

37 then he led Israel out with gold and silver,

and not one man of their tribes was left behind.

106

9 One word from him dried up the Sea of Reeds,

he led them across the sea bed like dry land,

10 he saved them from the grasp of those who hated them

and rescued them from the clutches of the enemy.

43 Time and again he rescued them,

110

1 Yahweh's oracle to you, my Lord,

`Sit at my right hand

and I will make your enemies a footstool for you'.

118

15 Shouts of joy and safety

in the tents of the virtuous :

Yahweh's right hand is wreaking havoc,

9. The decrees of the Lord    are our guide

119

33 Expound to me the way of your statutes,

Yahweh,

and I will always respect them.

121

3 No letting our footsteps slip!

This guard of yours, he does not doze!

4 The guardian of Israel

does not doze or sleep.

124

1 If Yahweh had not been on our side

-let Israel repeat it-

2 if Yahweh had not been on our side

when they attacked us,

3 they would have swallowed us alive

and burnt us to death in their rage.

8 our help is in the name of Yahweh,

who made heaven and earth.

125

2 Jerusalem! Encircled by mountains,

as Yahweh encircles his people now and for always.

126

1 When Yahweh brought Zion's captives home,

at first it seemed like a dream;

4 Yahweh, bring all our captives back again

like torrents in the Negeb!

132

18 whose enemies I shall clothe in shame,

while his crown bursts into flower.

138

8 your right hand will do everything for me.

140

7 Yahweh, my Lord, my saving strength,

shielding my head when I have to fight,

143

10 teach me to obey you,

since you are my God;

may your good spirit guide me

on to level ground.

144

2 my love, my bastion,

my citadel, my saviour,

I shelter behind him, my shield,

he makes the nations submit to me.


36.    GOD’S PRESENCE

1. In the trouble and in pain

5

3 for at daybreak you listen for my voice

10

34 You yourself have seen the distress and the grief,

you watch and then take them into your hands;

11

4 his eyes look down at the world,

his searching gaze scans all mankind.

5 The virtuous and the wicked

are under Yahweh's scrutiny,

and his soul hates anyone who loves brutality.

18

6 from his Temple he heard my voice,

my cry came to his ears.

2. God infuses safety

23

4 beside me your rod and your staff

are there, to hearten me.

27

9 do not hide your face from me.

33

13 Yahweh looks down from heaven,

he sees the whole human race;

35

22 Now break your silence,

Yahweh, you were looking too,

38

9 Lord, all that I long for is known to you,

my sighing is no secret from you;

41

2 Yahweh will guard him, give him life

48

8 God-protected for ever.

50

21 You do this, and expect me to say nothing?

51

11 do not banish me from your presence,

66

19 But God not only heard me,

he listened to my prayer.

67

6 God, our God, has blessed us.

71

12 God, do not stand aside,

my God, come quickly and help me!

3. God nourishes us

78

23 He gave orders to the skies above,

he opened the doors of heaven,

24 he rained down manna to feed them,

he gave them the wheat of heaven;

25 men ate the bread of Immortals,

he sent them more food than they could eat.

26 He stirred up an east wind in the heavens,

he conjured up a south wind by his power,

27 he rained down meat on them like dust;

birds as thick as sand on the seashore

28 he sent tumbling into their camp,

in all directions round their tents.

29 They all had enough and to spare,

he having provided what they wanted;

80

3 let your face smile on us and we shall be safe.

87

2b he prefers the gates of Zion

4. God listens to the prayer

88

2 may my prayer reach you

hear my cries for help;

99

6 his votary, all invoked Yahweh:

and he answered them.

102

2 do not hide your face from me

when I am in trouble;

bend down to listen to me,

5. The God of heaven is close to us

104

2 You stretch the heavens out like a tent,

3 using the clouds as your chariot,

you advance on the wings of the wind;

4 you use the winds as messengers

and fiery flames as servants.

5 You fixed the earth on its foundations,

unshakeable for ever and ever;

6 you wrapped it with the deep as with a robe,

the waters overtopping the mountains.

7 At your reproof the waters took to flight,

they iced at the sound of your thunder,

8 cascading over the mountains, into the valleys,

down to the reservoir you made for them;

9 you imposed the limits they must never cross again,

or they would once more flood the land.

113

5 he needs to stoop

6 to see the sky and earth!

114

7 Quake, earth, at the coming of your Master,

118

7 With Yahweh on my side, best help of all,

119

151 But, Yahweh, you are closer still

and all your commandments are true.


6. Residing with God

132

8 Yahweh, go up to your resting place,

you and your ark of power.

13 For Yahweh has chosen Zion,

desiring this to be his home,

14 `Here I will stay for ever,

this is the home I have chosen.

138

3 The day I called for help, you heard me

and you increased my strength,

141

1 Yahweh, I am calling, hurry to me,

listen to me, I am invoking you.

142

3 but you, you know my path.

143

7 Quick, Yahweh, answer me

before my spirit fails;

if you hide your face much longer,

I shall go down to the Pit like the rest.


37.  GOD’S ANGER

1. God protects his children

2

5 Then angrily he addresses them,

in a rage he strikes them with panic,

6 `This is my king, installed by me

on Zion, my holy mountain' .

10 So now, you kings, learn wisdom,

earthly rulers, be warned:

11 serve Yahweh, fear him,

12 tremble and kiss his feet,

or he will be angry and you will perish,

for his anger is very quick to blaze.

Happy all who take shelter in him.

7

6 Rise, Yahweh, in anger, awake, my God!

Confront the raging of my enemies,

you who demand that justice shall be done.

2. God punishes the cruel

9

You have checked the nations,

you have crushed the wicked,

18

7 Then the earth quivered and quaked,

the foundations of the mountains trembled

(they quivered because he was angry);

8 from his nostrils a smoke ascended,

and from his mouth a fire that consumed

(live embers were kindled at it).

9 He bent the heavens and came down,

a dark cloud under his feet;

10 he mounted a cherubs and flew,

and soared on the wings of the wind .

11 Darkness he made a veil to surround him,

his tent a watery darkness, dense cloud;

12 before him a flash enkindled

hail and fiery embers.

13 Yahweh thundered from heaven,

the Most High made his voice heard;

21

9 Yahweh will engulf them in his anger,

and fire will devour them;

10 you will wipe their children from the earth,

their descendants from among the sons of men.

30

7 but then you hid your face

and I was terrified.

3. With the sin we hurt us

38

1 Yahweh, do not punish me in your rage,

3 no soundness in my flesh now you are angry,

no health in my bones, because of my sin.

46

6 to the roaring of nations and tottering of kingdoms,

when he shouts, the world disintegrates.

48

5 they looked, they were amazed,

they panicked, they ran!

50

3 Let our God come, and be silent no more!

Preceding him, a devouring fire,

round him, a raging storm;

55

9 and from the tempest, Lord, that destroys,

and from their malicious tongues.

56

7 Are they to go unpunished' for such a crime?

God, in fury bring the nations down !

58

6 God, break their teeth in their mouths,

Yahweh, wrench out the fangs of these savage lions!

4. God’s punishment

59

5 up, now, and punish these pagans,

show no mercy to these villains and traitors!

13 destroy them in anger, destroy,

until they are finished,

60

1 God, you have rejected us, broken us ;

you have been angry, come back to us!

2 You have made the earth tremble, torn it apart;

now mend the rifts, it is tottering still!

3 You have allowed your people to suffer,

to drink a wine that makes us reel.

4 Hoist the standard to rally those who fear you,

to put them out of range of bow and arrow.

69

24 Vent your fury on them,

let your burning anger overtake them ;

75

8 Yahweh is holding a cup

of frothing wine, heavily drugged;

he pours it out, they drain it to the dregs,

all drink of it, the wicked of the earth.

76

7 You the Terrible! Who can oppose you

and your furious onslaught?

8 When your verdicts thunder from heaven,

earth stays silent with dread;

77

3 I thought of God and sighed,

I pondered and my spirit failed me.

9 Has God forgotten to show mercy.

or has his anger overcome his tenderness?

78

30 but they had hardly satisfied their craving,

the food was still in their mouths,

31 when the wrath of God attacked them,

49 by unleashing his fierce anger, rage,

indignation and hardship on them,

a mission of angels of disaster,

50 by giving his anger free rein,

by not even exempting them from death,

by condemning them to plague,

51 by striking down all the first-born in Egypt,

the first-fruits of their virility in the tents of Ham,

79

5 How much longer will you be angry,

Yahweh? For ever?

Is your jealousy to go on smouldering like a fire?

83

13 My God, bowl them along like tumbleweed,

like chaff at the mercy of the wind ;

14 as fire devours the forest,

as the flame licks up the mountains,

15 drive them on with your whirlwind,

rout them with your tornado;

5. Crushed by the divine anger

88

7 weighted down by your anger,

drowned beneath your waves.

16 your anger overwhelmed me,

you destroyed me with your terrors

89

38 And yet you have rejected, disowned

and raged at your anointed;

39 you have repudiated the covenant

with your servant

and flung his crown dishonoured to the ground .

40 You have pierced all his defences,

and laid his forts in ruins;

41 anyone may go and loot him,

his neighbours treat him with scorn.

42 You have let his opponents get the upper hand,

and made all his enemies happy,

43 you have snapped his sword on a rock

and failed to support him in battle.

44 You have stripped him of his glorious sceptre,

and toppled his throne to the ground,

90

5 You brush men away like waking dreams,

they are like grass

6 sprouting and flowering in the morning,

withered and dry before dusk.

11 Who yet has felt the full force of your fury,

or learnt to fear the violence of your rage?

102

10 under your furious anger,

since you only picked me up to throw me down;

6. Invoking God’s mercy

106

23 He talked of putting an end to them

and would have done, if Moses his chosen

had not stood in the breach, confronting him,

and defecting his destructive anger.

26 So, raising his hand, he swore

to make them fall dead in the desert

27 and their descendants to fall to the heathen,

and to disperse them throughout those countries.

40 Yahweh's anger blazed out at his people,

he came to loathe his heirs.

41 He handed them over to the pagans,

those who hated them became their masters;

42 their enemies tyrannised over them,

crushing them under their rule.

43 Time and again he rescued them,

but they went on defying him deliberately

and plunging deeper into wickedness;

110

5 The Lord is at your right hand.

When he grows angry he shatters kings,

119

120 My whole being trembles before you,

your rulings fit! me with fear.


38.    GOD’S TEMPLE

1. Sign of his presence

2

6 `This is my king, installed by me

on Zion, my holy mountain'.

3

4 Loudly I cry to Yahweh,

and he answers me from his holy mountain.

5

7 But I, so great is your love,

may come to your house, and bow down

before your holy Temple in reverence to you.

2. Place of praise and exultation

9

14 that I may recite your praises one by one,

rejoicing that you have saved me.

11

4 Yahweh is in his holy Temple,

Yahweh whose throne is in heaven;

20

2 May he send you help from the sanctuary,

give you support from Zion,

22

3 Yet, Holy One, you

who make your home in the praises of Israel,

3. The desire of living in his house

23

6 Ah, how goodness and kindness pursue me,

every day of my life;

my home, the house of Yahweh,

as long as I live!

24

3  Who has the right to climb the mountain of Yahweh,

who the right to stand in his holy place?

26

8 I love the house where you live,

the place where your glory makes its home.

27

4 One thing I ask of Yahweh,

one thing I seek:

to live in the house of Yahweh

all the days of my life,

28

2 Hear my voice, raised in petition,

as I cry to you for help,

as I raise my hands, Yahweh,

toward your Holy of Holies.

29

9c In his palace everything cries, `Glory!'

4. Nourishment of the soul

33

14 from where he sits he watches

all who live on the earth,

15 he who moulds every heart

and takes note of all men do.

36

8 They feast on the bounty of your house,

you give them drink from your river of pleasure;

43

3 Send out your light and your truth,

let these be my guide,

to lead me to your holy mountain

and to the place where you live.

5. Place of joy

43

4 Then I shall go to the altar of God,

to the God of my joy,

46

4 There is a river whose streams refresh

the city of God,

and it sanctifies the dwellings of the Most High.

5 God is inside the city, she can never fall,

at crack of dawn God helps her;

48

2 the holy mountain, beautiful where it rises,

joy of the whole world;

Mount of Zion, deep heart of the North,

city of the Great King;

8 What we had heard we saw for ourselves

in the city of our God,

the city of Yahweh Sabaoth,

God-protected for ever.

12 Go through Zion, walk round her,

counting her towers,

51

18 Show your favour graciously to Zion,

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.


6. Putting roots in the house of the Lord

52

8 I, for my part, like an olive tree

growing in the house of God,

put my trust in God's love

for ever and ever.

60

6 God promised us once from his sanctuary,

63

2 I long to gaze on you in the Sanctuary,

and to see your power and glory.

3 Your love is better than life itself,

my lips will recite your praise;

65

4 Happy the man you choose, whom you invite

to live in your courts.

7. Entering his house

with full hands

66

13 I bring holocausts to your house,

I bring them to fulfil those vows

14 that rose to my lips,

those vows I spoke when in trouble.

68

5 Father of orphans, defender of widows,

such is God in his holy dwelling;

16 Peaks of pride,

have you the right to look down on

a mountain where God has chosen to live,

where Yahweh is going to live for ever?

24 God, your procession can be seen,

my God's, my king's procession to the sanctuary,

29 from your Temple high above Jerusalem!

Kings will come to you, bringing presents.

35 God in his sanctuary is greatly to be feared.

8. The zeal for the house of God

69

9 zeal for your house devours me,

and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

73

17 until the day I pierced the mystery

and saw the end in store for them:

74

2 your hereditary tribe whom you redeemed,

and this Mount Zion where you came to live.

3 Pick your steps over these endless ruins:

the enemy have sacked everything in the sanctuary.

7 then, God, setting fire to your sanctuary,

they profanely razed the house

of your name to the ground.

76

2 his tent is pitched in Salem, his home is in Zion;

78

69 where he built his sanctuary,

a copy of high heaven,

founding it firm as the earth for ever.

9. Living with joy

in the house of God

84

1 How I love your palace,

Yahweh Sabaoth!

2 How my soul yearns and pines

for Yahweh's courts!

4 Happy those who live in your house

and can praise you all day long;

5 and happy the pilgrims inspired by you

with courage to make the Ascents!

7 Thence they make their way from height to height,

soon to be seen before God on Zion,'

9 God our shield, now look on us

and be kind to your anointed,

10 A single day in your courts

is worth more than a thousand elsewhere;

merely to stand on the steps of God's house

is better than living with the wicked.

10. Also the elderly takes fruits

in your house

92

12 so the virtuous flourish like palm trees

and grow as tall as the cedars of Lebanon .

13 Planted in the house of Yahweh,

they will flourish in the courts of our God,

14 still bearing fruit in old age,

still remaining fresh and green,

11. House of holiness

93

5 Your decrees will never alter;

holiness will distinguish your house,

Yahweh, for ever and ever.

96

8 Bring out the offering, bear it before him,

100

4 Walk through his porticos giving thanks,

enter his courts praising him,

102

14 for your servants prize her stones

and are moved to pity by her dust.

108

7 God promised us once from his sanctuary,

110

2 Yahweh will force all your enemies

under the sway of your sceptre in Zion.

12. House of justice

116

18 I will pay what I vowed to Yahweh;

may his whole nation be present,

19 in the courts of the house of Yahweh,

in your heart, Jerusalem.

118

19 Open the gates of virtue to me,

I will come in and give thanks to Yahweh.


13. House of blessing

118

26 We bless you from the house of Yahweh.

119

139 Zeal for your house a devours me,

since my oppressors forget your word.

14. The house for a long time

desired

122

1 How I rejoiced when they said to me,

`Let us go to the house of Yahweh!

132

3 not to enter tent or house,

not to climb into bed,

4 not to allow himself to sleep,

not even to close his eyes,

5 until he had found a place for Yahweh,

a home for the Mighty One of Jacob!

13 For Yahweh has chosen Zion,

desiring this to be his home,


15. House of prayer also

in the night

134

1 Come, bless Yahweh,

all you who serve Yahweh,

serving in the house of Yahweh

in the courts of the house of our God!

2 Stretch out your hands towards the sanctuary,

bless Yahweh night after night!

135

Alleluia!

1 Praise the name of Yahweh,

praise Yahweh, you who serve him,

2 serving in the house of Yahweh,

in the courts of the house of our God!

21 Blessed be Yahweh in Zion,

in Jerusalem his home!

16. Nostalgia of the house of God

137

1 Beside the streams of Babylon

we sat and wept

at the memory of Zion,

138

1 I thank you, Yahweh, with all my heart,

because you have heard what I said.

In the presence of the angels I play for you,

2 and bow down towards your holy Temple.

I give thanks to your name

for your love and faithfulness;

your promise is even greater than your fame.

17. The family, God’s house

144

12 May our sons be like plants

growing strong from their earliest days,

our daughters like comer-statues,

carvings fit for a palace.


39.   INTIMACY WITH GOD

1. Acting with justice and loyalty

11

7 Yahweh is righteous, he loves virtue,

upright men will contemplate his face.

15

1 Yahweh, who has the right to enter your tent,

or to live on your holy mountain?

2 The man whose way of life is blameless,

who always does what is right,

who speaks the truth from his heart,

3 whose tongue is not used for slander,

who does no wrong to his fellow,

casts no discredit on his neighbour,

4 looks with contempt on the reprobate,

but honours those who fear Yahweh;

who stands by his pledge at any cost,

5 does not ask interest on loans,

and cannot be bribed to victimise the innocent.

.

2. Following the path of life

and joy

16

11 you will reveal the path of life to me,

give me unbounded joy in your presence,

and at your right hand everlasting pleasures.

17

15 For me the reward of virtue is to see your face,

and, on waking, to gaze my fill on your likeness.

3. At the table of God

23

5 You prepare a table before me

under the eyes of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil, my cup brims over.

4. Living in the house of the Lord

23

6 Ah, how goodness and kindness pursue me,

every day of my life;

my home, the house of Yahweh, as long as I live!

25

14 The dose secret of Yahweh

belongs to them who fear him,

his covenant also, to bring them knowledge.

27

4 One thing I ask of Yahweh,

one thing I seek:

to live in the house of Yahweh

all the days of my life,

to enjoy the sweetness of Yahweh

and to consult him in his Temple.

36

10 Do not stop loving those who know you,

or being righteous to upright hearts.

37

5 Commit your fate to Yahweh,

trust in him and he will act:

6 making your virtue clear as the light,

your integrity as bright as noon.

40

11 For your part, Yahweh, do not withhold

your kindness from me!

May your love and faithfulness

constantly preserve me.

5. Our thirst for God

42

2 My soul thirsts for God, the God of life;

when shall I go to see the face of God?

45

7 virtue you love as much as you hate wickedness .

This is why God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness, above all your rivals;

10 Listen, daughter, pay careful attention:

forget your nation and your ancestral home,

11 then the king will fall in love with your beauty.

12 The daughter of Tyre

will solicit your favour with gifts,

13 the wealthiest nations, 'with jewels set in gold .

14 Dressed 'in brocades, the king's daughter

is led in to the king, with bridesmaids in her train.

Her ladies-in-waiting follow

15 and enter the king's palace to general rejoicing.

6. As verdant olive tree

in the house of God

52

8 I, for my part, like an olive tree

growing in the house of God,

put my trust in God's love

for ever and ever.

57

7 I mean to sing and play for you,

8 awake, my muse, awake, lyre and harp,

I mean to wake the Dawn!

61

4 Let me stay in your tent for ever,

taking refuge in the shelter of your wings.

63

2 I long to gaze on you in the Sanctuary,

and to see your power and glory.

65

4 Happy the man you choose, whom you invite

to live in your courts.

7. To be near to him

73

24 now guide me with advice

and in the end receive me into glory.

26 My flesh and my heart are pining with love,

my heart's Rock,

my own, God for ever!

28 whereas my joy lies in being close to God.

I have taken shelter in the Lord,

84

3 The sparrow has found its home at last,

the swallow a nest for its young,

your altars, Yahweh Sabaoth,

my king and my God.

10 A single day in your courts

is worth more than a thousand elsewhere;

merely to stand on the steps of God's house

is better than living with the wicked.

87

6 he, the Most High, Yahweh;

and as he registers the peoples,

7 'it was here' he writes `that so and so was born'.

And there will be princes dancing there.

All find their home in you.

91

15 I answer everyone who invokes me,

I am with them when they are in trouble;

I bring them safety and honour.

16 I give them life, long and full,

and show them how I can save '

103

17 yet Yahweh's love for those who fear him

lasts from all eternity and for ever,

8. God’s priest

110

1 Yahweh's oracle to you, my Lord,

`Sit at my right hand

4 Yahweh has sworn

an oath which he never will retract,

`You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek,

and for ever.

113

8 to give them a place with princes,

with the princes of his people.

117

2 For his love is strong, his faithfulness eternal.

118

22 it was the stone rejected by the builders

that proved to be the keystone;

9. Lighted up by his face

119

124 Treat your servant lovingly,

teach me your statutes.

135 Treat your servant kindly, teach me your statutes.

132

7 Let us go where he is waiting

and worship at his footstool.

138

8 your right hand will do everything for me.

Yahweh, your love is everlasting,

do not abandon us whom you have made.

139

1 Yahweh, you examine me and know me,

2 you know if I am standing or sitting,

you read my thoughts from far away,

3 whether I walk or lie down, you are watching,

you know every detail of my conduct.

4 The word is not even on my tongue,

Yahweh, before you know all about it;

5 close behind and close in front

you fence me round,

shielding me with your hand.

139

14 for all these mysteries I thank you:

for the wonder of myself,

for the wonder of your works.

You know me through and through,

140

13 The virtuous shall have good cause

to thank your name,

and the upright to find a home with you.

40.    GOD’S PROMISE

1. Those who belong

to his people

2

8 Ask and I will give you the nations

for your heritage,

the ends of the earth for your domain.

3

8 From Yahweh, rescue.

On your people, blessing!

12

7 And you, Yahweh, hold us in your keeping,

against that breed protect us always.

18

50 His king he saves and saves again,

displays his love for his anointed,

for David and his heirs for ever.

22

4 in you our fathers put their trust,

they trusted and you rescued them;

25

6 Remember your kindness, Yahweh,

your love, that you showed long ago.

28

9 Save your people! Bless your heritage!

Shepherd them; carry them for ever!

2. For the one who shares

the project of God

33

11 but Yahweh's plans hold good for ever,

the intentions of his heart from age to age.

40

5 How many wonders you have done for us,

Yahweh, my God!

How many plans you have made for us;

you have no equal!

I want to proclaim than, again and again,

but they are more than I can count.

44

1 God, we have heard with our own ears,

our ancestors have told us

of the deeds you performed

in their days,

47

4 for us he chooses our heritage

the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.

3. For the one who has established

the alliance with the sacrifice

50

5 `Assemble my faithful before me

who sealed my covenant by sacrifice!'

57

9 Lord, I mean to thank you among the peoples,

to play music to you among the nations;

10 your love is high as heaven,

your faithfulness as the clouds.

68

9 God, you rained a downpour of blessings,

when your heritage was faint you gave it strength;

72

4 Uprightly he will defend the poorest,

he will save the children of those in need,

and crush their oppressors .

5 Like sun and moon he will endure,

age after age,

6 welcome as rain that fails on the pasture,

and showers to thirsty soil.

7 In his days virtues will flourish,

a universal peace till the moon is no more;

8 his empire shall stretch from sea to sea,

from the river to the ends of the earth.

4. The promise for all the people

72

9 The Beast will cower before him

and his enemies grovel in the dust;

10 the kings of Tarshish and of the islands

will pay him tribute.

The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts;

11 all kings will do him homage,

all nations become his servants.

74

20 Respect the covenant!

5. The promise to Abraham

78

5 When he issued the decrees for Jacob

and instituted a Law in Israel,

he gave our ancestors strict orders

to teach it to their children;

6 the next generation was to learn it,

the children still to be born,

and these in their turn were to tell

their own children

7 so that they too would put their confidence in God,

never forgetting God's achievements,

and always keeping his commandments,

89

1 I will celebrate your love for ever, Yahweh,

age after age my words shall proclaim

your faithfulness;

2 for I claim that love is built to last for ever

and your faithfulness founded firmly in the heavens.

3 `I have made a covenant with my Chosen,

I have given my servant David my sworn word:

4 I have founded your dynasty to last for ever,

I have built you a throne to outlast all time.

19 Once you spoke in vision and said to your friends,

'I have conferred the crown on a hero,

and promoted one chosen from my people.

20 `I have selected my servant David

and anointed him with my holy oil;

21 my hand will be constantly with him,

he will be able to rely on my arm.

98

3 mindful of his love and faithfulness

to the House of Israel.

103

7 he revealed his intentions to Moses,

his prowess to the sons of Israel.

105

5 remember the marvels he has done,

his wonders, the judgements from his mouth.

6 Stock of Abraham his servant,

sons of Jacob his chosen one!

8 Remember his covenant for ever,

his word of command for a thousand generations,

9 the pact he made with Abraham,

his oath to Isaac.

10 He established it as a statute for Jacob,

an everlasting covenant for Israel.

11 `I give you a land, he said

'Canaan, your allotted heritage.

44 and gave them the pagans' territories.

Where others had toiled, they took possession,

45 on condition that they kept his statutes

and remained obedient to his laws.

106

45 For their sake, he remembered his covenant,

he relented in his great love,

111

5 he provides food for those who fear him;

he never forgets his covenant.

9 Quickly he comes to his people's rescue,

imposing his covenant once and for all;

119

46 I shall proclaim your decrees to kings

without fear of disgrace.

49 Remember the word you pledged your servant,

on which you have built my hope.

82 and have strained my eyes waiting for your promise;

when, I want to know, will you console me?

6. Keeping faithful to the alliance

119

129 Your decrees are so wonderful

my soul cannot but respect them.

162 I rejoice in your promise,

like someone on finding a vast treasure.

170 May my entreaty reach your presence;

rescue me as you have promised.

132

10 For the sake of your servant David,

do not banish your anointed.

11 Yahweh swore to David

and will remain true to his word,

'I promise that your own son

shall succeed you on the throne.

7. Jesus Christ realizes

the promise

132

17 `Here, I will make a horn sprout for David,

here, I will trim a lamp for my anointed,

135

4 since Yahweh has chosen Jacob,

Israel as his own.

138

2 I give thanks to your name

for your love and faithfulness;

your promise is even greater than your fame.


143

5 I recall the days of old,

I reflect on all that you did, I ponder your deeds;

12 love me, kill my enemies,

destroy my oppressors,

for I am your servant.

144

9 God, I have made a new song for you

to be played on the ten-string lyre,

10 you who give victory to kings

and safety to your servant David.

145

7 they will celebrate your generous kindness

and joyfully acclaim your righteousness.

146

6 Yahweh, forever faithful,

7 gives justice to those denied it,

gives food to the hungry,

gives liberty to prisoners.

147

2 Yahweh, Restorer of Jerusalem!

He brought back Israel's exiles,

3 healing their broken hearts,

and binding up their wounds.

19 He reveals his word to Jacob,

his statutes and rulings to Israel:

20 he never does this for other nations,

he never reveals his rulings to them.

148

14 raising the fortunes of his people,

to the praises of the devout,

of Israel, the people dear to him.


41.  GOD’S GLORY

1. The man whom he defends

3

3 But, Yahweh, my encircling shield,

my glory, you help me hold up my head.

8

5 Yet you have made him little less than a god,

you have crowned him with glory and splendour,

2. The cheerful quiver

of the creation

19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God,

the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork;

3. The praise of the one

who is saved

21

5 Great his glory through your saving help,

you have loaded him with splendour and majesty;

22

23 you who fear Yahweh, praise him!

Entire race of Jacob, glorify him!

4. The merry welcoming of God

24

7 Gates, raise your arches,

rise, you ancient doors,

let the king of glory in!

26

8 I love the house where you live,

the place where your glory makes its home.

29

1 Pay tribute to Yahweh, you sons of God,

tribute to Yahweh of glory and power,

3a The voice of Yahweh over the waters!

3c Yahweh over the multitudinous waters!

9c In his palace everything cries, `Glory!'

44

8 our boast was always of God,

we praised your name without ceasing.

5. Invocation to God in bad luck

50

15 then you can invoke me in your troubles

and I will rescue you, and you shall honour me.

57

5 Rise high above the heavens, God,

let your glory be over the earth!

62

7 rest in God, my safety, glory,

the rock of my strength.

63

2 I long to gaze on you in the Sanctuary,

and to see your power and glory.

64

10 The virtuous will rejoice in Yahweh,

will make him their refuge;

and upright hearts will be able to boast.

66

1 Acclaim God, all the earth,

2 play music to the glory of his name,

glorify him with your praises,

71

8 My mouth ìs full of your praises,

filled with your splendour all day long.

72

19 Blessed for ever be his glorious name,

may the whole world be filled with his glory!

Amen. Amen!

73

24 now guide me with advice

and in the end receive me into glory.

76

10 Man's wrath only adds to your glory;

the survivors of your wrath you will draw like

a girdle around you;

78

61 He consigned his power to captivity,

his splendour to the enemy's clutches;

6. The request of forgiveness

79

9 help us, God our saviour,

for the honour of your name;

Yahweh, blot out our sins,

rescue us for the sake of your name.

84

11 For God is battlement and shield,

conferring grace and glory;

Yahweh withholds nothing good

from those who walk without blame.

85

9 for those who fear him, his saving help is near,

and the glory will then live in our country.

7. The people’s return to God

86

9 All the pagans will come and adore you, Lord,

all will glorify your name,

10 since you alone are great, you perform marvels,

you God, you alone.

12 I thank you with all my heart, Lord my God,

I glorify your name for ever,

13 your love for me has been so great,

you have rescued me from the depths of Sheol.

89

15 Happy the people who learn to acclaim you!

Yahweh, they will live in the light of your favour;

16 they will rejoice in your name all day

and exult in your righteousness.

8. Our knowledge of God

90

16 Let your servants see what you can do for them,

let their children see your glory.

96

2 tell of his glory among the nations,

3 tell his marvels to every people.

7 Pay tribute to Yahweh, families of the peoples,

tribute to Yahweh of glory and power,

97

6 the heavens proclaim his righteousness,

all nations see his glory.

102

15 Then will the nations fear the name of Yahweh

and all kings on earth respect your glory;

104

31 Glory for ever to Yahweh!

May Yahweh find joy in what he creates,

105

3 Glory in his holy name,

let the hearts that seek Yahweh rejoice!

106

5 and take pride in being one of your heirs.

47 Yahweh our God and saviour,

gather us from among the pagans,

to give thanks to your holy name

and to find our happiness in praising you.

108

5 Rise high above the heavens, God,

let your glory be over the earth!

9. The finality of the creation

and of the redemption

112

9 Quick to be generous, he gives to the poor,

his righteousness can never change,

men such as this will always be honoured,

113

4 High over all nations, Yahweh!

His glory transcends the heavens!

115

1 Not by us, Yahweh, not by us,

by you alone is glory deserved,

by your love and your faithfulness!

117

1 Alleluia!

Praise Yahweh, all nations,

extol him, all you peoples!

138

5 they celebrate Yahweh's actions,

'Great is the glory of Yahweh!'

10. The cosmic praise

45

5 Oh, the splendour of your glory, your renown!

I tell myself the story of your marvellous deeds

10 Yahweh, all your creatures thank you,

and your faithful bless you.

11 Kingly and glorious they proclaim you,

they affirm your might

148

11 all kings on earth and nations,

princes, all rulers in the world,

12 young men and girls,

old people, and children too!

13 Let them all praise the name of Yahweh,

for his name and no other is sublime,

transcending earth and heaven in majesty,

149

5 the faithful exult in triumph,

prostrate before God they acclaim him

6 with panegyrics on their lips,

and a two-edged sword in their hands

7 to exact vengeance on the pagans,

to inflict punishment on the heathen,

8 to shackle their kings with chains

and their nobles with fetters,

9 to execute the preordained sentence.

Thus gloriously are the faithful rewarded!


INDEX FOR MATTERS


Note: the number points out the page

A fragile existence  76

A life of loneliness  25

A life of persecution  52

A life of suffering  18

Abandoned by my parents 30

Absence of the fear of God  203

Acting with justice and loyalty  396

After the defeat darkness and death  58

After the weeping the joy  17

All against me  40

Also God seems to be far!  23

Also the elderly takes fruits in your house  391

An existence in the anger  232

An existence of terror  221

Around me lie  35

As verdant olive tree in the house of God  399

At least you stand by me  24

At the table of God  397

Being bridge between the friends and God 239

BETRAYAL  27

Betrayed by the friend  27

Blinded by the prosperity  260

Brevity of life  74

COMMANDMENT   170

Conducting the friend to God  246

Conspiring against the chosen by God  198

COURAGE, STRENGTH 66

Crushed by the divine anger  380

Cultivating good friendship  244

Cultivating holy friendships  235

Death in the heart  226

Death’s terrors 50

Deciding the holy journey  166

DEFEAT 55

Defeated in the friendship 56

Denying the existence of God  204

Destroyed by their own hands  222

Detesting sin  82

Doing the good, living with faith  185

Don’t envy the arrogant persons 64

Don’t envy the wealth    64

Don’t hide your face to me  53

Don’t leave me alone in my life  32

Don’t listen to the voice of God  211

Educating to life 338

Educating to the praise  127

Enjoying of the fall of the others 203

Entering his house with full hands 388

Envying the powerful  208

ETHICAL RULES  160

Even friends go away from me  24

Everybody shrinks from my wounds  23

Existential loneliness  33

EXPECTATION  91

Experiences to tell to our friends  238

Faithful to God in the persecution  45

Falsehood, adulation 198

Feeling as a worm 55

Feeling blessed by God  193

Feeling innocent    17

Feeling makers of the environment 193

FEELING OF SURRENDER  29

Feeling productive 195

Feeling the life that flows in us  192

Finding a shelter  6

Following the path of life and joy 397

Following with joy the commandments  190

For the believers  13

For the elderly friend  243

For the friend consecrated to God  242

For the one who has established the alliance

with the sacrifice 406

For the one who shares the project of God  405

For those who have to change life  14

For tried people  13

FORTUNE  63

Free me!  38

FRIENDSHIP IN GOD 235

Fruit of ethics  158

Fruit of the true wisdom 80

Giving largely to the poor 189

GOD ACTS FOR US  295

God acts in our silence 295

God as a just judge  269

GOD AS LEADER, GUIDE  358

God as source of life  323

God breaks our chains 314

God chooses the weak 77

God creates life  320

God dawn and dew  316

God directs existence 331

God disperses the cruel  263

God doesn’t reject the old  325

God giver of life  320

God grants us the revenge  301

God guard of life 335

God infuses safety  369

God judges in the intimate  274

God leads with his advice  361

God listens to his friends  235

God listens to the poor  250

God listens to the prayer  372

God loves the correct things  271

God makes man part of life  332

God master of life  324

God: mercy and truth 287

God nourishes his creatures    329

God nourishes us 371

God protects his children  375

God protects life  321

God protects life  327

God punishes the cruel 375

God punishes the cruel,  but he saves the poor 234

God’s a supreme judge  277

God’s our mercy 286

God saves the creation 305

God saves the upright hearts  300

God saves those who fear him  304

God saves those who invoke him  301

God takes care of life 333

GOD SAVIOR  300

God welcomes the humble,

but He rejects the superb  257

God welcomes us from the maternal womb  321

God will make wars stop  323

God, our guide  360

God, source of ethical life  334

God, the immense  354

God, the only shelter105

GOD’S ANGER  375

GOD’S DESIRE 161

GOD’S GLORY 414

GOD’S JUSTICE 269

God’s law, melody of the soul 177

God’s omnipotence  348

GOD’S POWER 340

GOD’S PRESENCE  369

God’s priest  402

GOD’S PROMISE   404

God’s punishment  378

GOD’S TEMPLE 384

God’s works: truth and justice  352

Good and compassionate is the Lord 289

GOOD DEEDS  183

Guide for the correct path  359

Hardening our heart 213

Hated by my brothers without reason  42

Having a farsighted look  265

He doesn’t abandon the virtuous in the hands

of the wicked  273

He doesn’t forget the cry of wretched 270

He drivers us a flock  362

He has lighted up my darkness  110

He has realized my desires 111

He leads with justice  358

He leads the humble  272

He restores to health my wounds  55

He takes care of the way where the virtous go 269

He visits his vineyard  364

He welcomes in his house  283

He welcomes the wretched and he frees

the oppressed   325

His goodness makes us grow  358

His mercy is eternal 291

Hoarding wealths  209

Holding your head high 66

House of blessing  393

House of holiness  391

House of justice  392

House of prayer also in the night  394

I am also anorexic  25

I am hated by many  37

I am looking forward to serenity 26

I am near the grave  52

I feel as a foreigner  26

I find myself in hard fight:  35

I have always sought honesty  57

I Have been recovered   111

I have fallen in deep waters  50

I offer you gifts  113

Ignoring the presence of God  200

Imitating the justice of God  276

In dangers 101

In the abandonment  99

In the hands of the enemies  55

In the oppression  98

In the sin, without fear of God   258

In the traps  36

In the trouble and in pain 369

In the worry and in the pain  48

In the worry, in the fear  103

In trouble crying to the Lord  314

In your will my joy  153

Insistent prayer  8

INTERCESSION  13

Intimacy with God  174

INTIMACY WITH GOD  396

Invocation to God in bad luck  415

Invoking God’s mercy  382

Invoking him in poverty and in unhappiness 311

Invoking him with the water up to the throat  310

Involvement in the depth and testimony172

Jesus Christ realizes the promise  411

Joy among friends  248

JOY  142

Just like a lost sheep  34

JUST, POOR, OPPRESSED  250

Justice, loyalty  183

Keeping faithful to the alliance  410

Leaving a good memory  196

Liars  36

Liberation 158

Life lost in the wind  219

Life, brief,  but full of pain  21

Light on the path  180

Lighted up by his face 402

LIMIT 74

Listen to me, God 49

Living correctly  252

Living for him 162

Living for peace 158

Living in the house of the Lord  3

Living in the house of the Lord  397

Living in the innocence for always having

a house  171

Living in the violence and in the quarrels 205

Living with joy in the house of God  390

Living with rectitude  187

LONELINESS 23

Looking for God with pure heart317

Looking for the light of God  161

Looking for the will of the Lord 315

Maintaining the trust in ourselves  47

Make me feel your voice  30

Make me go up again from the abyss  51

Making free from the lie  316

Manufacturing idols 214

Marked by our pain  75

MERCIFUL GOD  283

Murmuring against God  210

Murmuring day and night his law  170

My enemies are losers  37

My exile  60

My God, why do you desert me ?  29

My people’s defeat  56

Near the Lord is the forgiveness  291

NEGATIVE STATES OF MIND  15

Nobody helps me  47

Nostalgia of the house of God  394

Nourishment of the soul  386

Objective: serving God  89

Observing his law  167

Old age hails the power of God  346

On the cliff of God  303

On the threshold of the death  46

Only Good builds the house  299

Only you can guard me  36

Oppressed by guilt  49

Oppressed by our guilt  75

Our knowledge of God  418

Our pain in his hands 16

Our thirst for God  398

Overcoming hostility 4

Overcoming the fear, the pain  93

Pain  35

Patient and merciful judge  279

Paying for the friend   235

PEACE  156

Peace in the lips, malice in the heart 201

Peace, the becoming of the humanity  157

Perceiving the presence of God 194

Perfection, light and joy of the law 171

Persecuted  35

PERSECUTION  35

Pity and tenderness is the Lord 290

Place of joy  387

Place of praise and exultation  384

Poor and miserable, but with God  252

POSITIVE STATES OF MIND  62

PRAISE 119

Praise of the creation  138

Praising God among friends 245

Praising him in the heart of the night 134

Praising his mercy 136

Praising the word of God   124

PRAYER, INVOCATION  pag.  2

Praying and devouting to the others  10

Praying from the depth 10

Preferring God to earthly goods  63

Preferring God to the powerful 266

Preparing tools of death 199

PRIZE 192

Proclaiming friends the fidelity to God  237

PUNISHMENT  219

Punishment as correction 224

Putting roots in the house of the Lord  388

Recognizing the hand of God  296

REPENTANCE  80

Repentance, point of arrival in life and history   81

Request of salvation  2

REQUEST TO GOD    1

Residing in the sepulchres  225

Residing with God  373

Return to God  85

Saved by the persecutors  308

Saved by the swamp of the death  306

Saved from bad luck and from pain  307

Searching after justice  175

Seeking his will 164

Sent out from the house of God  230

Serenity in life  156

Serving idols 202

Serving the Lord in the joy  188

SHELTER IN GOD  98

Sign of his presence  384

SIN, EVIL  198

Singing   126

So much pain, but there you are  19

SPEECH ON GOD  268

Stamping and  killing  213

Strong in the name of the Lord  44

Struck by God  228

Stunned  46

SUFFERING 16

Suffering in the body 16

Supported by the grace of God  70

Taking care of the weak 186

Taking shelter under the wings of God 313

Talking to deception 217

Teaching friends the fear of God  236

Telling closeness to God  240

Thankful to God  328

Thanksgivng prayer  115

Thanks for salvation 309

Thanks for the liberation  365

THANKSGIVING  110

The bless of the Lord 156

The cheerful quiver of the creation 414

The commandments, refusal of the lie  181

The confession of guilts  285

The cosmic praise  421

The creation as work of God 340

The decrees of the Lord are our guide   366

The desire of living in his house  385

The divine life in us  326

The eternal justice  280

The eternal power of God 351

The faith that overcomes the betrayal  28

The family, God’s house  395

The family, solid friendship in God  247

The fidelity to God has a price  40

The finality of the creation

and of the redemption  420

The God of heaven is close to us 372

The goodness of God  121

The grace of God  145

The great plans of God for his friends  248

The greatness of God  119

The history of Israel: work of God  346

The history of the people: work of God 343

The holy fear of God  176

The hope in your word 22

The house for a long time desired  393

The joy of salvation   149

The joy of the creation  148

The joy of the return  147

The joy that overcomes the possession  142

The joy to belong to Jerusalem  155

The joy to have children  154

The man whom he defends  414

The merry welcoming of God  415

The moment of pain  19

The new song 130

The offence to God  83

The one who is far from you seems fortunate  63

The path of the life found again 143

The people’s return to God  418

The persecution of the just  38

The praise of the one who is saved 414

The promise for all the people 407

The promise to Abraham  407

The prosperity that blinds  64

The request of forgiveness 417

The salvation of the poor man

and the unhappy  95

The strength of the good conscience  71

The time as expectation of God  91

The truth of the commandments 179

The universal praise  131

The zeal for the house of God  389

They are a pack of dogs  37

They are merciless  260

They boast and they despise God  255

They boast of the evil  261

They confide only in their strength  260

They consider God absent  256

They don’t fear God  262

They have given me for done 29

They have given me vinegar  27

They kill  259

They live of frauds and of deception  255

They make me bad for well 28

They persist in making the evil  262

They steal  259

They want my death 39

Thirsting for God  165

Those friends who will come 240

Those sores which don’t heal  48

Those who belong to his people  404

Those who do not use mercy 216

Those who look for the Lord don’t miss

of anything  251

To be blessed 14

To be near to him 400

To tense hands  11

Tormented night and day   46

Total abandonment to God  108

Towards the life, the light, the joy   87

TROUBLE 46

Trust and fidelity in God  106

Trust in the grace of God  92

Trusting in God protects us in the test  43

Trusting in him  163

Victims of their own plots  220

Walking along his paths to be saved 312

Walking in the paths of the Lord 191

Walking with pure heart  167

War in the heart 206

What counts is only the grace of God  79

When the fortune of the other is envied   63

Why envying the wicked ? 263

WICKED, BOSSY, CRUEL 255

Winning the discouragement 65

Winning the fear  67

Wisdom, fruit of the observance  179

Wishes for the job of the friend  239

Wishes to the friend 237

With God we will make great things  298

With the sin we hurt us377

Without future 223

You are my shelter  38

You give me life 61

You love me 37

Your hand weighs on me  48


INDEX  OF  THE THEMES

Note: the final number points out the page

I -  REQUEST TO GOD  pag.  1

1.  PRAYER, INVOCATION  pag.  2

1. Request of salvation  pag 2

2. Living in the house of the Lord  pag 3

3. Overcoming hostility  pag 4

4. Finding a shelter  6

5. Insistent prayer  8

6. Praying and devouting to the others  10

7. Praying from the depth 10

8. To tense hands  11

2.  INTERCESSION  13

1. For tried people  13

2. For the believers  13

3. For those who have to change life  14

4. To be blessed 14

II – NEGATIVE STATES OF MIND  15

3.   SUFFERING 16

1. Our pain in his hands 16

2. Suffering in the body 16

3. Feeling innocent    17

4. After the weeping the joy  17

5. A life of suffering  18

6. So much pain, but there you are  19

7. The moment of pain  19

8. Life, brief,  but full of pain  21

9. The hope in your word 22

4.  LONELINESS 23

1. Also God seems to be far!  23

2. Everybody shrinks from my wounds  23

3. Even friends go away from me  24

4. At least you stand by me  24

5. A life of loneliness 25

6. I am also anorexic  25

7. I feel as a foreigner  26

8. I am looking forward to serenity 26

5.  BETRAYAL  27

1. Betrayed by the friend  27

2. They have given me vinegar  27

3. They make me bad for well 28

4. The faith that overcomes the betrayal  28

6.   FEELING OF SURRENDER  29

1. They have given me for done 29

2. My God, why do you desert me ?  29

3. Abandoned by my parents 30

4. Make me feel your voice  30

5. Don’t leave me alone in my life  32

6. Existential loneliness  33

7. Just like a lost sheep  34

7.  PERSECUTION  35

1. I find myself in hard fight:  35

a. around me lie  35

b. pain  35

c. persecuted  35

d. in the traps  36

e. liars  36

f. only you can guard me  36

h. you love me 37

i. they are a pack of dogs  37

l. I am hated by many  37

m. my enemies are losers  37

n. you are my shelter  38

o. free me!  38

2. The persecution of the just  38

3. They want my death 39

4. The fidelity to God has a price  40

5.                         All against me  40

6. Hated by my brothers without reason  42

7. Trusting in God protects us in the test  43

8. Strong in the name of the Lord  44

9. Faithful to God in the persecution  45

8.   TROUBLE 46

1. Stunned  46

2. On the threshold of the death  46

3. Tormented night and day   46

4. Nobody helps me  47

5. Maintaining the trust in ourselves  47

6. In the worry and in the pain  48

7. Your hand weighs on me  48

8. Those sores which don’t heal  48

9. Oppressed by guilt  49

10. Listen to me, God 49

11. Death’s terrors 50

12. I have fallen in deep waters  50

13. Make me go up again from the abyss  51

14. I am near the grave  52

15. A life of persecution  52

16. Don’t hide your face to me  53

9.   DEFEAT 55

1. Feeling as a worm 55

2. In the hands of the enemies  55

3. He restores to health my wounds  55

4. My people’s defeat  56

5. Defeated in the friendship 56

6. I have always sought honesty  57

7. After the defeat darkness and death  58

8.  My exile  60

9. You give me life 61

III- POSITIVE STATES OF MIND  62

10.     FORTUNE  63

1. The one who is far from you seems fortunate  63

2. Preferring God to earthly goods  63

3. When the fortune of the other is envied   63

4. The prosperity that blinds  64

5. Don’t envy the wealth    64

6. Don’t envy the arrogant persons 64

7.                        Winning the discouragement 65

11.     COURAGE, STRENGTH 66

1. Holding your head high 66

2. Winning the fear  67

3. Supported by the grace of God  70

4. The strength of the good conscience  71

12.    LIMIT 74

1. Brevity of life  74

2. Oppressed by our guilt  75

3. Marked by our pain  75

4. A fragile existence  76

5. God chooses the weak 77

6. What counts is only the grace of God  79

13.   REPENTANCE  80

1. Fruit of the true wisdom 80

2. Repentance, point of arrival in life

and history   81

3. Detesting sin  82

4. The offence to God  83

5. Return to God  85

6. Towards the life, the light, the joy   87

7. Objective: serving God  89

14.    EXPECTATION  91

1. The time as expectation of God  91

2. Trust in the grace of God  92

3. Overcoming the fear, the pain  93

4. The salvation of the poor man and the unhappy  95

15.     SHELTER IN GOD  98

1. In the oppression  98

2. In the abandonment  99

3. In dangers 101

4. In the worry, in the fear  103

5. God, the only shelter105

6. Trust and fidelity in God  106

7. Total abandonment to God  108

16.    THANKSGIVING  110

1. He has lighted up my darkness  110

2. He has realized my desires 111

3. I Have been recovered   111

4. I offer you gifts  113

5. Thanksgiving prayer   115

17.  PRAISE 119

1. The greatness of God  119

2. The goodness of God  121

3. Praising the word of God   124

4. Singing   126

5. Educating to the praise  127

6. The new song 130

7. The universal praise  131

8. Praising him in the heart of the night 134

9. Praising his mercy 136

10. Praise of the creation  138

18.    JOY142

1. The joy that overcomes the possession  142

2. The path of the life found again 143

3. The grace of God  145

4. The joy of the return  147

5. The joy of the creation  148

6. The joy of salvation   149

7. In your will my joy  153

8. The joy to have children  154

9. The joy to belong to Jerusalem  155

19.    PEACE  156

1. Serenity in life  156

2. The bless of the Lord 156

3. Peace, the becoming of the humanity  157

4. Liberation 158

5. Fruit of ethics  158

6. Living for peace 158

IV –ETHICAL RULES  160

20.      GOD’S DESIRE 161

1. Looking for the light of God  161

2. Living for him 162

3. Trusting in him  163

4. Seeking his will 164

5. Thirsting for God  165

6. Deciding the holy journey  166

7. Walking with pure heart  167

8. Observing his law  167

21.      COMMANDMENT   170

1.  Murmuring day and night his law  170

2. Perfection, light and joy of the law 171

3. Living in the innocence

for always having a house  171

4. Involvement in the depth and testimony 172

5. Intimacy with God  174

6. Searching after justice  175

7. The holy fear of God  176

8. God’s law, melody of the soul 177

9. The truth of the commandments 179

10. Wisdom, fruit of the observance  179

11. Light on the path  180

12. The commandments, refusal of the lie  181

22.    GOOD DEEDS  183

1. Justice, loyalty  183

2. Doing the good, living with faith  185

3. Taking care of the weak 186

4. Living with rectitude  187

5. Serving the Lord in the joy  188

6. Giving largely to the poor 189

7. Following with joy the commandments  190

8. Walking in the paths of the Lord 191

23.    PRIZE 192

1. Feeling the life that flows in us  192

2. Feeling blessed by God  193

3. Feeling makers of the environment 193

4. Perceiving the presence of God 194

5. Feeling productive 195

6. Leaving a good memory  196

24.     SIN, EVIL  198

1. Conspiring against the chosen by God  198

2. Falsehood, adulation 198

3. Preparing tools of death 199

4. Ignoring the presence of God  200

5. Peace in the lips, malice in the heart 201

6. Serving idols 202

7. Enjoying of the fall of the others 203

8. Absence of the fear of God  203

9. Denying the existence of God  204

10. Living in the violence and in the quarrels 205

11. War in the heart 206

12. Envying the powerful  208

13. Hoarding wealths  209

14. Murmuring against God  210

15. Don’t listen to the voice of God  211

16. Stamping and t killing  213

17. Hardening our heart 213

18. Manufacturing idols 214

19. Those who do not use mercy 216

20. Talking to deception 217

25.    PUNISHMENT  219

1. Life lost in the wind  219

2. Victims of their own plots  220

3. An existence of terror  221

4. Destroyed by their own hands  222

5. Without future 223

6. Punishment as correction 224

7. Residing in the sepulchres  225

8. Death in the heart  226

9. Struck by God  228

10 Sent out from the house of God  230

11. An existence in the anger  232

12. God punishes the cruel,

but he saves the poor 234

26.     FRIENDSHIP IN GOD 235

1. God listens to his friends  235

2. Cultivating holy friendships  235

3. Paying for the friend   235

4. Teaching friends the fear of God  236

5. Proclaiming friends the fidelity to God  237

6. Wishes to the friend 237

7. Experiences to tell to our friends  238

8. Being bridge between the friends and God 239

9. Wishes for the job of the friend  239

10. Telling closeness to God  240

11. Those friends who will come 240

12. For the friend consecrated to God  242

13. For the elderly friend  243

14. Cultivating good friendship  244

15. Praising God among friends 245

16. Conducting the friend to God  246

17. The family, solid friendship in God  247

18. The great plans of God for his friends  248

19. Joy among friends 248

27.     JUST, POOR, OPPRESSED  250

1. God listens to the poor  250

2. Those who look for the Lord

don’t miss of anything  251

3. Living correctly  252

4. Poor and miserable, but with God  252

28.    WICKED, BOSSY, CRUEL 255

1. They boast and they despise God  255

2. They live of frauds and of deception  255

3. They consider God absent  256

4. God welcomes the humble,

but He rejects the superb  257

5. In the sin, without fear of God   258

- they kill  259

- they steal  259

-    they are merciless  260

-    they confide only in their strength  260

- blinded by the prosperity  260

- they boast of the evil  261

- they don’t fear God  262

- they persist in making the evil  262

6. God disperses the cruel  263

7. Why envying the wicked ? 263

8. Having a farsighted look  265

9. Preferring God to the powerful 266

V  -  SPEECH ON GOD  268

29.     GOD’S JUSTICE 269

1. He takes care of the way where the virtous go 269

2. God as a just judge  269

3. He doesn’t forget the cry of wretched 270

4. God loves the correct things  271

5. He leads the humble  272

6. He doesn’t abandon the virtuous

in the hands of the wicked  273

7.                         God judges in the intimate  274

8. Imitating the justice of God  276

9. God’s a supreme judge  277

10. Patient and merciful judge  279

11. The eternal justice  280

30.     MERCIFUL GOD  283

1. He welcomes in his house  283

2. The confession of guilts  285

3. God’s our mercy 286

4. God: mercy and truth 287

5. Good and compassionate is the Lord 289

6.Pity and tenderness is the Lord 290

7. Near the Lord is the forgiveness  291

8. His mercy is eternal 291

31.    GOD ACTS FOR US  295

1. God acts in our silence 295

2. Recognizing the hand of God  296

3. With God we will make great things  298

4. Only Good builds the house  299

32.    GOD SAVIOR  300

1. God saves the upright hearts  300

2. God saves those who invoke him  301

3. God grants us the revenge  301

4. On the cliff of God  303

5. God saves those who fear him  304

6. God saves the creation 305

7. Saved by the swamp of the death  306

8. Saved from bad luck and from pain  307

9. Saved by the persecutors  308

10. Thanks for salvation 309

11. Invoking him with the water up to the throat  310

12. Invoking him in poverty and in unhappiness 311

13. Walking along his paths to be saved 312

14. Taking shelter under the wings of God 313

15. In trouble crying to the Lord  314

16. God breaks our chains 314

17. Looking for the will of the Lord 315

18. Making free from the lie  316

19. God dawn and dew  316

20. Looking for God with pure heart317

33.       GOD GIVER OF LIFE  320

1. God creates life  320

2. God protects life  321

3. God welcomes us from the maternal womb  321

4. God as source of life  323

5. God will make wars stop  323

6. God master of life  324

7. He welcomes the wretched

and he frees the oppressed   325

8. God doesn’t reject the old  325

9. The divine life in us  326

10. God protects life  327

11. Thankful to God  328

12. God nourishes his creatures    329

13. God directs existence 331

14. God makes man part of life  332

15. God takes care of life 333

16. God, source of ethical life  334

17. God guard of life 335

18. Educating to life 338

34.     GOD’S POWER 340

1. The creation as work of God 340

2. The history of the people: work of God 343

3. Old age hails the power of God  346

4. The history of Israel: work of God  346

5. God’s omnipotence  348

6. The eternal power of God 351

7. God’s works: truth and justice  352

8. God, the immense  354

35.    GOD AS LEADER, GUIDE  358

1. He leads with justice  358

2. His goodness makes us grow  358

3. Guide for the correct path  359

4. God, our guide  360

5. God leads with his advice  361

6. He drives us a flock  362

7. He visits his vineyard  364

8. Thanks for the liberation  365

9. The decrees of the Lord are our guide   366

36.    GOD’S PRESENCE  369

1. In the trouble and in pain 369

2. God infuses safety  369

3. God nourishes us 371

4. God listens to the prayer  372

5. The God of heaven is close to us 372

6. Residing with God  373

37.     GOD’S ANGER  375

1. God protects his children  375

2. God punishes the cruel 375

3. With the sin we hurt us377

4. God’s punishment  378

5. Crushed by the divine anger  380

6. Invoking God’s mercy  382

38.    GOD’S TEMPLE 384

1. Sign of his presence  384

2. Place of praise and exultation  384

3. The desire of living in his house  385

4. Nourishment of the soul  386

5. Place of joy  387

6. Putting roots in the house of the Lord  388

7. Entering his house with full hands 388

8. The zeal for the house of God  389

9. Living with joy in the house of God  390

10. Also the elderly takes fruits

in your house  391

11. House of holiness  391

12. House of justice  392

13. House of blessing  393

14. The house for a long time desired  393

15. House of prayer also in the night  394

16. Nostalgia of the house of God  394

17. The family, God’s house  395

39.   INTIMACY WITH GOD  396

1. Acting with justice and loyalty  396

2. Following the path of life and joy 397

3. At the table of God 397

4. Living in the house of the Lord  397

5. Our thirst for God  39

6. As verdant olive tree in the house of God  399

7. To be near to him 400

8. God’s priest  402

9. Lighted up by his face 402

40.    GOD’S PROMISE   404

1. Those who belong to his people  404

2. For the one who shares the project of God  405

3. For the one who has established the alliance

with the sacrifice 406

4. The promise for all the people 407

5. The promise to Abraham  407

6. Keeping faithful to the alliance  410

7. Jesus Christ realizes the promise 411

41  GOD’S GLORY 414

1. The man whom he defends  414

2. The cheerful quiver of the creation 414

3. The praise of the one who is saved 414

4. The merry welcoming of God  415

5. Invocation to God in bad luck  415

6. The request of forgiveness 417

7. The people’s return to God  418

8. Our knowledge of God  418

9. The finality of the creation

and of the redemption  420

10. The cosmic praise  421

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