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BY the Bishops, the Clergy, and the Laity of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, in Convention, this 13th day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine

This Translation of the Whole Book of Psalms into Metre, with Hymns, is set forth, and allowed to be sung in all Congregations of the said Church, before and after Morning and Evening Prayer, and also before and after Sermons, at the discretion of the Minister.

And it shall be the duty of every Minister of any Church, either by standing directions, or from time to time, to appoint the Portions of Psalms which are to be sung.

And further, it shall be the duty of every Minister, with such assistance as he can obtain from persons skilled in music, to give order concerning the Tunes to be sung, at any time, in his Church: And, especially, it shall be his duty, to suppress all light and unseemly music, and all indecency and irreverence in the performance; by which vain and ungodly persons profane the service of the Sanctuary.

THE

PSALMS OF DAVID,

IN METRE.

PSALM I.

TOW blest is he, who ne'er consents By ill advice to walk,

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Nor stands in sinners' ways, nor sits
Where men profanely talk;

2 But makes the perfect law of God
His business and delight;
Devoutly reads therein by day,

And meditates by night.

3 Like some fair tree, which, fed by streams,

With timely fruit does bend,

He still shall flourish, and success
All his designs attend.

4 Ungodly men, and their attempts,
No lasting root shall find;

Untimely blasted and dispers'd

Like chaff before the wind.

5 Their guilt shall strike the wicked dumb Before their Judge's face:

No formal hypocrite shall then

Among the saints have place.

6 For God approves the just man's ways;
To happiness they tend:

But sinners, and the paths they tread,
Shall both in ruin end.

PSALM II.

WITH restless and ungovern'd rage,

W Why do the heathen storm?

Why in such rash attempts engage,
As they can ne'er perform?

2 The great in council and in might
Their various forces bring;
Against the Lord they all unite,
And his anointed King.

3 "Must we submit to their commands?" Presumptuously they say:

"No, let us break their slavish bands,
"And cast their chains away."

4 But God, who sits enthron'd on high,
And sees how they combine,
Does their conspiring strength defy,
And mocks their vain design.

5 Thick clouds of wrath divine shall break On his rebellious foes;

And thus will he in thunder speak

To all that dare oppose:
6"Though madly you dispute my will,
"The King that I ordain,
"Whose throne is fix'd on Sion's hill,
"Shall there securely reign."
7 Attend, O earth, whilst I declare
God's uncontrol'd decree:
"Thou art my Son, this day, my heir,
"Have I begotten thee.

"Ask, and receive thy full demands;
"Thine shall the heathen be;

"The utmost limits of the lands

"Shall be possess'd by thee.

111 Worship the Lord with holy fear; Rejoice with awful mirth.

12 Appease the Son with due respect,
Your timely homage pay;
Lest he revenge the bold neglect,
Incens'd by your delay.

13 If but in part his anger rise,

Who can endure the flame? Then blest are they, whose hope relies On his most holy name.

PSALM III.

HOW many, Lord, of late are grown

The troublers of my peace!

And as their numbers hourly rise,
So does their rage increase.

2 Insulting, they my soul upbraid,
And him whom I adore ;

"The God in whom he trusts," say they, "Shall rescue him no more."

3 But thou, O Lord, art my defence;
On thee my hopes rely;

Thou art my glory, and shall yet
Lift up my head on high.

4 Since whensoe'er, in like distress,
To God I made my prayer,
He heard me from his holy hill;
Why should I now despair?
5 Guarded by him, I laid me down
My sweet repose to take;
For I through him securely sleep,
Through him in safety wake.
6 No force nor fury of my foes
My courage shall confound,
Were they as many hosts as men,

That have beset me round.

7 Arise, and save me, O my God,
Who oft hast own'd my cause,
And scatter'd oft these foes to me,
And to thy righteous laws.
8 Salvation to the Lord belongs;
He only can defend:

His blessing he extends to all
That on his power depend.

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Lord, thou art my righteous Judge,
To my complaint give ear:
Thou still redeem'st me from distress;
Have mercy, Lord, and hear.
2 How long will ye, O sons of men,
To blot my fame devise?
How long your vain designs pursue,
And spread malicious lies?

3 Consider that the righteous man
Is God's peculiar choice;
And when to him I make my prayer,
He always hears my voice.

4 Then stand in awe of his commands,
Flee every thing that's ill,

9"Thy threat'ning sceptre thou shalt shake, Commune in private with your hearts,

"And crush them every where;

"As massy bars of iron break

"The potter's brittle ware."

10 Learn then, ye princes; and give ear, Ye judges of the earth;

And bend them to his will.

5 The place of other sacrifice Let righteousness supply;

And let your hope, securely fix❜ð, On God alone rely.

6 While worldly minds impatient grow

More prosp'rous times to see; Still let the glories of thy face

Shine brightly, Lord, on me. 7 So shall my heart o'erflow with joy, More lasting and more true

Than theirs, who stores of corn and wine
Successively renew.

8 Then down in peace I'll lay my head,
And take my needful rest;
No other guard, O Lord, I crave,
Of thy defence possess'd.

PSALM V.

LORD, hear the voice of my complaint, Accept my secret prayer;

2 To thee alone, my King, my God, Will I for help repair.

3 Thou in the morn my voice shalt hear, And with the dawning day

To thee devoutly I'll look up,
To thee devoutly pray.

4 For thou the wrongs that I sustain
Can'st never, Lord, approve,
Who from thy sacred dwelling-place
All evil dost remove.

5 Not long shall stubborn fools remain
Unpunish'd in thy view;

All such as act unrighteous things

Thy vengeance shall pursue.

6. The sland'ring tongue, O God of truth, By thee shall be destroy'd,

Who hat'st alike the man in blood
And in deceit employ'd.

7 But when thy boundless grace shall me To thy lov'd courts restore,

On thee I'll fix my longing eyes,
And humbly thee adore.

8 Conduct me by thy righteous laws,
For watchful is my foe;

Therefore, O Lord, make plain the way
Wherein I ought to go.

9 Their mouth vents nothing but deceit;
Their heart is set on wrong;
Their throat is a devouring grave;
They flatter with their tongue.

10 By their own counsels let them fall,
Oppress'd with loads of sin;
For they against thy righteous laws
Have harden'd rebels been.

11 But let all those who trust in thee,
With shouts their joy proclaim;
Let them rejoice whom thou preserv'st,
And all that love thy name.

12 To righteous men, the righteous Lord His blessing will extend;

And with his favour all his saints,
As with a shield, defend.

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14 Thy wonted goodness, Lord, repeat,
And ease my troubled soul;
Lord, for thy wondrous mercy's sake,
Vouchsafe to make me whole.

5 For after death no more can I
Thy glorious acts proclaim,
No pris'ner of the silent grave
Can magnify thy name.

6 Quite tir'd with pain, with groaning faint, No hope of ease I see;

The night, that quiets common griefs,
Is spent in tears by me.

7 My beauty fades, my sight grows dim,
My eyes with weakness close;
Old age o'ertakes me, whilst I think
On my insulting foes.

8 Depart, ye wicked; in my wrongs
Ye shall no more rejoice;

For God, I find, accepts my tears,
And listens to my voice.

9, 10 He hears, and grants my humble prayer; And they that wish my fall,

Shall blush and rage to see that God
Protects me from them all.

PSALM VII.

Lord my God, since I have plac'd
My trust alone in thee,

From all my persecutors' rage

Do thou deliver me.

2 To save me from my threat'ning foe,
Lord interpose thy power;
Lest, like a savage lion, he
My helpless soul devour.
3, 4 If I am guilty, or did e'er
Against his peace combine;
Nay, if I have not spar'd his life,
Who sought unjustly mine;
5 Let then to persecuting Des
My soul become a prey;
Let them to earth tread down my life,
In dust my honour lay.

6 Arise, and let thine anger, Lord,
In my defence engage;
Exalt thyself above my foes,
And their insulting rage:
Awake, awake, in my behalf,
The judgment to dispense,
Which thou hast righteously ordain'd
For injured innocence.

7 So to thy throne, adoring crowds
Shall still for justice fly :

Oh! therefore, for their sake, resume
Thy judgment-seat on high.

8 Impartial Judge of all the world,
I trust my cause to thee;
According to my just deserts,
So let thy sentence be.

9 Let wicked arts and wicked men
Together be o'erthrown;

But guard the just, thou God, to whom
The hearts of both are known.
10, 11 God me protects, not only me,
But all of upright heart;

And daily lays up wrath for those

Who from his laws depart.

12 If they persist, he whets his sword, His bow stands ready bent;

13 Ev'n now, with swift destruction wing'd, His pointed shafts are sent.

14 The plots are fruitless which my foe Unjustly did conceive;

15 The pit he digg'd for me, has prov'd
His own untimely grave.
16 On his own head his spite returns,
Whilst I from harm am free;
On him the violence is fall'n,

Which he design'd for me.

17 Therefore will I the righteous ways
Of providence proclaim;
I'll sing the praise of God most high,
And celebrate his name.

PSALM VIII.

Thou, to whom all creatures bow
Within this earthly frame,

Through all the world how great art thou!
How glorious is thy name!

In heaven thy wondrous acts are sung,

Nor fully reckon❜d there;

2 And yet thou mak'st the infant tongue
Thy boundless praise declare.

Through thee the weak confound the strong,
And crush their haughty foes;

And so thou quell'st the wicked throng,

That thee and thine oppose.

3 When heaven, thy beauteous work on high,
Employs my wond'ring sight;

The moon, that nightly rules the sky,
With stars of feebler light;

4 What's man, say I, that, Lord, thou lov'st
To keep him in thy mind?

Or what his offspring, that thou prov'st
To them so wondrous kind?

5 Him next in power thou didst create
To thy celestial train;

6 Ordain'd, with dignity and state,

O'er all thy works to reign.

7 They jointly own his powerful sway;
The beasts that prey or graze;
The bird that wings its airy way;
The fish that cuts the seas.

9 O Thou, to whom all creatures bow
Within this earthly frame,

Through all the world how great art thou!
How glorious is thy name!

PSALM IX.

To celebrate thy praise, O Lord,
I will my heart prepare;
To all the list ning world, thy works,
Thy wondrous works declare.

2 The thought of them shall to my soul
Exalted pleasures bring;

Whilst to thy name, O thou Most High,
Triumphant praise I sing.

3 Thou mad'st my haughty foes to turn
Their backs in shameful flight:
Struck with thy presence, down they fell,
They perish'd at thy sight.
4 Against insulting foes advanc'd

Thou didst my cause maintain;
My right asserting from thy throne,
Where truth and justice reign.
5 The insolence of heathen pride

Thou hast reduc'd to shame;
Their wicked offspring quite destroy'd,
And blotted out their name.

6 Mistaken foes, your haughty threats
Are to a period come;
Our city stands, which you design'd
To make our common tomb.

7, 8 The Lord for ever lives, who has
His righteous throne prepar'd,

Impartial justice to dispense,
To punish or reward.

9 God is a constant sure defence
Against oppressing rage,

As troubles rise, his needful aids
In our behalf engage.

10 All those who have his goodness prov'd
Will in his truth confide;

Whose mercy ne'er forsook the man
That on his help rely'd.

11 Sing praises therefore to the Lord,
From Sion, his abode;

Proclaim his deeds, till all the world
Confess no other God.

PART II.

12 When he inquiry makes for blood,
He'll call the poor to mind:"
The injur'd humble man's complaint
Relief from him shall find.

13 Take pity on my troubles, Lord,
Which spiteful foes create,

Thou that hast rescu'd me so oft
From death's devouring gate.
14 In Sion then I'll sing thy praise,
To all that love thy name,
And with loud shouts of grateful joy,
Thy saving power proclaim,
15 Deep in the pit they digg'd for me,
The heathen pride is laid;
Their guilty feet to their own snare
Are heedlessly betray'd.

16 Thus, by the just returns he makes,
The mighty Lord is known;
While wicked men by their own plots
Are shamefully o'erthrown.

17 No single sinner shall escape,
By privacy obscur'd;

Nor nation, from his just revenge,
By numbers be secur'd.

18 His suff'ring saints, when most distress'd,
He ne'er forgets to aid;

Their expectations shall be crown'd,
Though for a time delay'd.

19 Arise, O Lord, assert thy power,
And let not man o'ercome;

Descend to judgment, and pronounce
The guilty heathen's doom.

20 Strike terror through the nations round,
Till, by consenting fear,

They to each other, and themselves,
But mortal men appear.

PSALM X.

THY presence why withdraw'st thou,

Why hid'st thou now thy face,
When dismal times of deep distress
Call for thy wonted grace?

2 The wicked, swell'd with lawless pride,
Have made the poor their prey;
O let them fall by those designs

Which they for others lay.

3 For straight they triumph, if success
Their thriving crimes attend;
And sordid wretches, whom God hates,
Perversely they commend.

4 To own a power above themselves,
Their haughty pride disdains;
And therefore in their stubborn mind
No thought of God remains.

5 Oppressive methods they pursue,
And all their foes they slight;

Because thy judgments unobserv'd,

Are far above their sight.

6 They fondly think their prosp❜rous state
Shall unmolested be;

They think their vain designs shall thrive,
From all misfortunes free.

7 Vain and deceitful is their speech,

With curses fill'd, and lies;

By which the mischief of their heart
They study to disguise.

8 Near public roads they lie conceal'd,
And all their art employ,

The innocent and poor at once
To rifle and destroy.

9 Not lions, couching in their dens,
Surprise their heedless prey
With greater cunning, or express

More savage rage than they.

10 Sometimes they act the harmless man,
And modest looks they wear;

That so deceiv'd, the poor may less
Their sudden onset fear.

PART II.

11 For God, they think, no notice takes
Of their unrighteous deeds;

He never minds the suff'ring poor,
Nor their oppression heeds.

12 But thou, O Lord, at length arise,
Stretch forth thy mighty arm;
And, by the greatness of thy power,
Defend the poor from harm.
13 No longer let the wicked vaunt,
And, proudly boasting, say,

"Tush, God regards not what we do;
"He never will repay."

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14 But sure thou seest, and all their deeds
Impartially dost try;

The orphan, therefore, and the poor,
On thee for aid rely.

15 Defenceless let the wicked fall,
Of all their strength bereft;
Confound, O God, their dark designs,
Till no remains are left.

16 Assert thy just dominion, Lord,
Which shall for ever stand;
Thou who the heathen didst expel
From this thy chosen land.

17 Thou hear'st the humble supplicants
That to thy throne repair;

Thou first prepar'st their hearts to pray,
And then accept'st their prayer.

18 Thou, in thy righteous judgment, weigh'st
The fatherless and poor;

That so the tyrants of the earth
May persecute no more.

PSALM XI.

INCE I have plac'd my trust in God,
refuge always nigh,

Why should I, like a tim'rous bird,
To distant mountains fly?

2 Behold, the wicked bend their bow,
And ready fix their dart,
Lurking in ambush to destroy
The men of upright heart.

3 When once the firm assurance fails,
Which public faith imparts,
"Tis time for innocence to fly

From such deceitful arts.

4 The Lord hath both a temple here,
And righteous throne above;
Where he surveys the sons of men,
And how their councils move:

15 If God the righteous, whom he loves,
For trial does correct,

What must the sons of violence,
Whom he abhors, expect?

6 Snares, fire, and brimstone, on their heads
Shall in one tempest shower;

This dreadful mixture his revenge

Into their cup shall pour.

7 The righteous Lord will righteous deeds With signal favour grace,

And to the upright man disclose

The brightness of his face.

PSALM XII.

INCE godly men decay, O Lord,

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Do thou my cause defend;

For scarce these wretched times afford
One just and faithful friend.

2 One neighbour now can scarce believe
What t'other does impart;
With flatt'ring lips they all deceive,
And with a double heart.

3 But lips that with deceit abound
Can never prosper long;

God's righteous vengeance will confound
The proud blaspheming tongue.

4 In vain those foolish boasters say,
"Our tongues are sure our own;
"With doubtful words we'll still betray,
"And be control'd by none."

5 For God, who hears the suff'ring poor,
And their oppression knows,
Will soon arise and give them rest,
In spite of all their foes.

6 The word of God shall still abide,
And void of falsehood be,

As is the silver, sev'n times try'd,
From drossy mixture free.

7 The promise of his aiding grace
Shall reach its purpos'd end;
His servants from this faithless race
He ever shall defend.

8 Then shall the wicked be perplex'd,
Nor know which way to fly;

When those whom they despis'd and vex'd,
Shall be advanc'd on high.

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How long wilt thou withdraw from me,
Oh! never to return?

2 How long shall anxious thoughts my soul,
And grief my heart oppress?

How long my enemies insult,

And I have no redress?

3 Oh! hear, and to my longing eyes
Restore thy wonted light,

And suddenly, or I shall sleep

In everlasting night.

4 Restore me, lest they proudly boast
"Twas their own strength o'ercame;
Permit not them that vex my soul
To triumph in my shame.

5 Since I have always plac'd my trust
Beneath thy mercy's wing,

Thy saving health will come; and then
My heart with joy shall spring.

6 Then shall my song, with praise inspir'd,
To thee my God ascend,

Who to thy servant in distress
Sach bounty didst extend,

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