| Psalm 41 | |||
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1
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Blessed are those who consider
the poor and needy; • the Lord will deliver them in the time of trouble. |
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2
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The Lord preserves them and restores their life, | ||
| that they may be happy in the
land; • he will not hand them over to the will of their enemies. |
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3
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The Lord sustains them on their
sickbed; • their sickness, Lord, you will remove. |
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4
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And so I said, 'Lord, be
merciful to me; • heal me, for I have sinned against you.' |
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5
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My enemies speak evil about
me, • asking when I shall die and my name perish. |
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6
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If they come to see me, they
utter empty words; • their heart gathers mischief; |
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| when they go out, they tell it abroad. | |||
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7
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All my enemies whisper together
against me, • against me they devise evil, |
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8
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Saying that a deadly thing has
laid hold on me, • and that I will not rise again from where I lie. |
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9
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Even my bosom friend, whom I trusted, | ||
| who ate of my bread, • has lifted up his heel against me. |
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10
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But you, O Lord, be merciful to
me • and raise me up, that I may reward them. |
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11
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By this I know that you favour
me, • that my enemy does not triumph over me. |
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12
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Because of my integrity you
uphold me • and will set me before your face for ever. |
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13
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Blessed be the Lord God of
Israel, • from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. |
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| Psalm 42 | |||
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1
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As the deer longs for the water
brooks, • so longs my soul for you, O God. |
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2
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My soul is athirst for God, even
for the living God; • when shall I come before the presence of God? |
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3
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My tears have been my bread day
and night, • while all day long they say to me, 'Where is now your God?' |
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4
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Now when I think on these
things, I pour out my soul: • how I went with the multitude |
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| and led the procession to the house of God, | |||
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5
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With the voice of praise and
thanksgiving, • among those who kept holy day. |
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6
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Why are you so full of
heaviness, O my soul, • and why are you so disquieted within me? |
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7
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O put your trust in
God; • for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God. |
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8
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My soul is heavy within
me; • therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan, |
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| and from Hermon and the hill of Mizar. | |||
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9
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Deep calls to deep in the
thunder of your waterfalls; • all your breakers and waves have gone over me. |
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10
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The Lord will grant his
loving-kindness in the daytime; • through the night his song will be with me, |
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| a prayer to the God of my life. | |||
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11
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I say to God my rock, | ||
| 'Why have you forgotten
me, • and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?' |
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12
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As they crush my bones, my
enemies mock me; • while all day long they say to me, 'Where is now your God?' |
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13
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Why are you so full of
heaviness, O my soul, • and why are you so disquieted within me? |
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14
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O put your trust in
God; • for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God. |
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| Psalm 43 | |||
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1
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Give judgement for me, O God, | ||
| and defend my cause against an
ungodly people; • deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked. |
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2
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For you are the God of my refuge; | ||
| why have you cast me from
you, • and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me? |
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3
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O send out your light and your
truth, that they may lead me, • and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling, |
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4
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That I may go to the altar of God, | ||
| to the God of my joy and
gladness; • and on the lyre I will give thanks to you, O God my God. |
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5
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Why are you so full of
heaviness, O my soul, • and why are you so disquieted within me? |
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6
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O put your trust in
God; • for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God. |
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| Psalm 44 | |||
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1
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We have heard with our ears, O
God, our forebears have told us, • all that you did in their days, in time of old; |
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2
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How with your hand you drove out
nations and planted us in, • and broke the power of peoples and set us free. |
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3
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For not by their own sword did
our ancestors take the land • nor did their own arm save them, |
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4
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But your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your countenance, • because you were gracious to them. |
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5
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You are my King and my
God, • who commanded salvation for Jacob. |
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6
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Through you we drove back our
adversaries; • through your name we trod down our foes. |
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7
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For I did not trust in my
bow; • it was not my own sword that saved me; |
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8
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It was you that saved us from
our enemies • and put our adversaries to shame. |
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9
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We gloried in God all the day
long, • and were ever praising your name. |
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10
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But now you have rejected us and
brought us to shame, • and go not out with our armies. |
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11
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You have made us turn our backs
on our enemies, • and our enemies have despoiled us. |
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12
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You have made us like sheep to
be slaughtered, • and have scattered us among the nations. |
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13
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You have sold your people for a
pittance • and made no profit on their sale. |
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14
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You have made us the taunt of
our neighbours, • the scorn and derision of those that are round about us. |
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15
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You have made us a byword among
the nations; • among the peoples they wag their heads. |
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16
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My confusion is daily before
me, • and shame has covered my face, |
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17
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At the taunts of the slanderer
and reviler, • at the sight of the enemy and avenger. |
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18
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All this has come upon us, | ||
| though we have not forgotten
you • and have not played false to your covenant. |
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19
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Our hearts have not turned
back, • nor our steps gone out of your way, |
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20
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Yet you have crushed us in the
haunt of jackals, • and covered us with the shadow of death. |
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21
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If we have forgotten the name of
our God, • or stretched out our hands to any strange god, |
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22
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Will not God search it
out? • For he knows the secrets of the heart. |
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23
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But for your sake are we killed
all the day long, • and are counted as sheep for the slaughter. |
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24
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Rise up! Why sleep, O
Lord? • Awake, and do not reject us for ever. |
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25
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Why do you hide your
face • and forget our grief and oppression? |
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26
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Our soul is bowed down to the
dust; • our belly cleaves to the earth. |
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27
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Rise up, O Lord, to help
us • and redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love. |
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| Psalm 45 | |||
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1
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My heart is astir with gracious
words; • as I make my song for the king, |
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| my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. | |||
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2
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You are the fairest of
men; • full of grace are your lips, |
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| for God has blest you for ever. | |||
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3
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Gird your sword upon your thigh,
O mighty one; • gird on your majesty and glory. |
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4
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Ride on and prosper in the cause
of truth • and for the sake of humility and righteousness. |
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5
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Your right hand will teach you
terrible things; • your arrows will be sharp in the heart of the king's enemies, |
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| so that peoples fall beneath you. | |||
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6
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Your throne is God's throne, for
ever; • the sceptre of your kingdom is the sceptre of righteousness. |
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7
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You love righteousness and hate
iniquity; • therefore God, your God, has anointed you |
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| with the oil of gladness above your fellows. | |||
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8
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All your garments are fragrant
with myrrh, aloes and cassia; • from ivory palaces the music of strings makes you glad. |
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9
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Kings' daughters are among your
honourable women; • at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. |
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10
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Hear, O daughter; consider and
incline your ear; • forget your own people and your father's house. |
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11
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So shall the king have pleasure
in your beauty; • he is your lord, so do him honour. |
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12
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The people of Tyre shall bring
you gifts; • the richest of the people shall seek your favour. |
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13
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The king's daughter is all
glorious within; • her clothing is embroidered cloth of gold. |
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14
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She shall be brought to the king
in raiment of needlework; • after her the virgins that are her companions. |
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15
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With joy and gladness shall they
be brought • and enter into the palace of the king. |
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16
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'Instead of your fathers you
shall have sons, • whom you shall make princes over all the land. |
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17
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'I will make your name to be
remembered through all generations; • therefore shall the peoples praise you for ever and ever.' |
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