7. Return us, and thy grace divine, 8. A vine from Egypt thou hast brought, And drov'st out nations, proud and haut, 9. Thou didst prepare for it a place, That it began to grow apace, And fill'd the land at last. 10. With her green shade that cover'd all, The hills were overspread; Her boughs as high as cedars tall Advanced their lofty head. 11. Her branches on the western side Down to the sea she sent, And upward to that river wide Her other branches went. 12. Why hast thou laid her hedges low, And broken down her fence; That all may pluck her, as they go, With rudest violence? 13. The tusked boar out of the wood Up turns it by the roots; Wild beasts there brouze, and make their food 55 Her grapes and tender shoots. 14. Return now, God of Hosts; look down From heaven, thy seat divine; Behold us, but without a frown ; And visit this thy vine. 15. Visit this vine, which thy right hand And the young branch, that for thyself 16. But now it is consumed with fire; They perish at thy dreadful ire, 17. Upon the man of thy right hand Upon the son of man, whom thou 18. So shall we not go back from thee Quicken us thou; then gladly we 19. Return us, and thy grace divine, PSALM LXXXI. 1. To God our strength sing loud and clear, To Jacob's God, that all may hear, 2. Prepare a hymn, prepare a song, The cheerful psaltery bring along, The appointed time, the day whereon 4. This was a statute given of old From whence they might not swerve. A law of Jacob's God, to hold, 5. This he a testimony ordain'd In Joseph, not to change, When as he pass'd through Egypt land; 6. From burden, and from slavish toil, His hands from pots, and miry soil, 7. When trouble did thee sore assail, I answer'd thee in thunder deep, With clouds encompass'd round: 8. Hear, O my people, hearken well; Thou ancient stock of Israel, If thou wilt list to me: 9. Throughout the land of thy abode No alien god shall be; Nor shalt thou to a foreign god In honour bend thy kneee. 10. I am the Lord thy God, which brought Thee out of Egypt land; Ask large enough, and I, besought, Will grant thy full demand. 11. And yet my people would not hear, Nor hearken to my voice; And Israel, whom I loved so dear, 12. Then did I leave them to their will, 13. O, that my people would be wise, And, O, that Israel would advise To walk my righteous ways! 14. Then would I soon bring down their foes, That now so proudly rise; And turn my hand against all those, That are their enemies. 15. Who hate the Lord should then be fain To bow to him and bend; But they, his people, should remain; Their time should have no end: 16. And he would feed them from the shock With flower of finest wheat, And satisfy them from the rock With honey for their meat. PSALM LXXXII. 1. GOD in the great assembly stands 2. How long will ye pervert the right 4. Defend the poor and desolate, Of wicked men the low estate Of him that help demands. 5. They know not, nor will understand; The earth's foundations all are moved, 6. I said that ye were gods, yea, all 7. But ye shall die like men, and fall, As other princes die. 8. Rise, God; judge thou the earth in might, This wicked earth redress; For Thou art He who shall by right The nations all possess. PSALM LXXXIII. 1. BE not thou silent now at length; 2. For, lo, thy furious foes now swell, And they that hate thee, proud and fell, 3. Against thy people they contrive 4. Come, let us cut them off, say they, That Israel's name for ever may Be lost in memory. 5. For they consult with all their might, Themselves against thee they unite, 6. The tents of Edom, and the brood Moab, with them of Hagar's blood, 7. Gebal and Ammon there conspire, The Philistines, and they of Tyre, 8. With them great Ashur also bands, All these have lent their armed hands 9. Do to them as to Midian bold, To Sisera; and, as is told, Thou didst to Jabin's host, When, at the brook of Kishon old, They were repulsed and slain, 10. At Endor quite cut off, and roll'd As dung upon the plain. 11. As Zeb and Oreb evil sped, So let their princes speed; As Zeba and Zalmunna bled, So let their princes bleed. 12. For they amidst their pride have said, By right now shall we seize God's houses, and will now invade Their stately palaces. 45 13. My God, O, make them as a wheel; No quiet let them find; Giddy and restless let them reel, Like stubble from the wind. 14. As when an aged wood takes fire, Which on a sudden strays; The greedy flame runs higher and higher, 15. So with thy whirlwind them pursue, And with thy tempest chase; 16. And, till they yield thee honour due, Lord, fill with shame their face. 17. Ashamed and troubled let them be, Troubled and shamed for ever; Ever confounded, and so die With shame, and 'scape it never. 18. Then shall they know, that Thou, whose name Jehovah is alone, Art the Most High, and Thou the same O'er all the earth art One. PSALM LXXXIV. 1. How lovely are thy dwellings fair! O Lord of Hosts, how dear The pleasant tabernacles are, Where thou dost dwell so near! 2. My soul doth long, and almost die, Thy courts, O Lord, to see; My heart and flesh aloud do cry, O living God, for thee. 3. There ev'n the sparrow, freed from wrong, Hath found a house of rest; The swallow there, to lay her young, Hath built her brooding nest: Ev'n by thy altars, Lord of Hosts, They find their safe abode; And home they fly from round the coasts, 4. Happy, who in thy house reside, 5. Happy, whose strength in thee doth bide, And in their hearts thy ways! 6. They pass through Baca's thirsty vale, That dry and barren ground; As through a fruitful, watery dale, Where springs and showers abound. 7. They journey on from strength to strength With joy and gladsome cheer, Till all before our God at length In Sion do appear. 15 20 |