Four-Week Psalter

Psalm 37

Reprove me not, O Lord, in thy indignation; nor chastise me in thy wrath.

For thy arrows are fastened in me: and thy hand hath been strong upon me.

There is no health in my flesh, because of thy wrath: there is no peace for my bones, because of my sins.

For my iniquities are gone over my head: and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me.

My sores are putrified and corrupted, because of my foolishness.

I am become miserable, and am bowed down even to the end: I walked sorrowful all the day long.

For my loins are filled with illusions; and there is no health in my flesh.

I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly: I roared for the groaning of my heart.

Lord, all my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not hidden from thee.

My heart is troubled, my strength hath left me, and the light of my eyes itself is not with me.

My friends and my neighbours have drawn near, and stood against me: and they that were near me stood afar off.

And they that sought my soul used violence; and they that sought evils to me spoke vain things, and studied deceits all the day long.

But I, as a deaf man, heard not: and as a dumb man not opening his mouth.

And I became as a man that heareth not: and that hath no reproofs in his mouth.

For in thee, O Lord, have I hoped: thou wilt hear me, O Lord my God.

For I said: Lest at any time my enemies rejoice over me; and whilst my feet are moved, they speak great things against me.

For I am ready for scourges: and my sorrow is continually before me.

For I will declare my iniquity: and I will think for my sin.

But my enemies live, and are stronger than I: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.

They that render evil for good, have detracted me, because I followed goodness.

Forsake me not, O Lord my God: do not thou depart from me.

Attend unto my help, O Lord, the God of my salvation.

Psalm 39

I waited patiently for the Lord: and he was attentive to me.

And he heard my prayers, and brought me out of the pit of misery and the mire of dregs. And he set my feet upon a rock, and directed my steps.

And he put a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God. Many shall see, and fear: and they shall hope in the Lord.

Blessed is the man whose trust is in the name of the Lord; and who hath not had regard to vanities, and lying follies.

Thou hast multiplied thy wonderful works, O Lord my God; and in thy thoughts there is no one like to thee. I have declared and spoken of them: they are multiplied above number.

Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldst not: but ears thou hast perfected to me. Holocaust and sin offering thou didst not require.

Then said I, Behold I come. In the head of the book it is written of me.

That I should do thy will: O my God, I have desired it, and thy law in the midst of my heart.

I have declared thy justice in a great church; lo, I will not restrain my lips: O Lord, thou knowest it.

I have not hid thy justice within my heart: I have declared thy truth and thy salvation. I have not concealed thy mercy and thy truth from a great council.

Withhold not thou, O Lord, thy tender mercies from me: thy mercy and thy truth have always upheld me.

For evils without number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I was not able to see. They are multiplied above the hairs of my head; and my heart hath forsaken me.

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: look down, O Lord, to help me.

Let them be confounded and ashamed together, that seek after my soul to take it away. Let them be turned backward and blush, that desire evils to me.

Let them be presently turned away blushing, that say to me: ’Tis well, ’tis well.

Let all that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee; and let such as love thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified.

But I am a beggar and poor; the Lord is careful for me. Thou art my helper and my protector: O my God, delay not.

Psalm 40

Blessed is he that understandeth concerning the needy and the poor: the Lord will deliver him in the evil day.

The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth: and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.

The Lord help him on his bed of sorrow: thou hast turned all his couch in his sickness.

I said: O Lord, be thou merciful unto me: heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee.

My enemies have spoken evils against me: When shall he die and his name perish?

And if he came in to see me, he spoke vain things: his heart gathered together iniquity to itself. He went out and spoke to the same purpose.

All my enemies whispered together against me: they devised evils to me.

They determined against me an unjust word: Shall he that sleepeth rise again no more?

For even the man of my peace, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, hath greatly supplanted me.

But thou, O Lord, have mercy on me, and raise me up again: and I will requite them.

By this I know that thou hast had a good will for me: because my enemy shall not rejoice over me.

But thou hast upheld me by reason of my innocence: and hast established me in thy sight for ever.

Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel from eternity to eternity. So be it. So be it.

Psalm 41

As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God.

My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?

My tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is thy God?

These things I remembered, and poured out my soul in me: for I shall go over into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, even to the house of God.

With the voice of joy and praise; the noise of one feasting.

Why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou trouble me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him; the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

My soul is troubled within myself: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and Hermoniim, from the little hill.

Deep calleth on deep, at the noise of thy flood-gates; all thy heights and thy billows have passed over me.

In the daytime the Lord hath commanded his mercy; and a canticle to him in the night.

With me is prayer to the God of my life.

I will say to God: Thou art my support. Why hast thou forgotten me? and why go I mourning, whilst my enemy afflicteth me?

Whilst my bones are broken, my enemies who trouble me have reproached me; whilst they say to me all the day long: Where is thy God?

Why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou trouble me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him; the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 90

He that dwelleth in the aid of the most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of heaven.

He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my protector, and my refuge: my God, in him will I trust.

For he hath delivered me from the snare of the hunters: and from the sharp word.

He will overshadow thee with his shoulders: and under his wings thou shalt trust.

His truth shall compass thee with a shield: thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night.

Of the arrow that flieth in the day, of the business that walketh about in the dark: of invasion, or of the noonday devil.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand: but it shall not come nigh thee.

But thou shalt consider with thy eyes: and shalt see the reward of the wicked.

Because thou, O Lord, art my hope: thou hast made the most High thy refuge.

There shall no evil come to thee: nor shall the scourge come near thy dwelling.

For he hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways.

In their hands they shall bear thee up: lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk: and thou shalt trample under foot the lion and the dragon.

Because he hoped in me I will deliver him: I will protect him because he hath known my name.

He shall cry to me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him.

I will fill him with length of days; and I will shew him my salvation.

Psalm 91

It is good to give praise to the Lord: and to sing to thy name, O most High.

To shew forth thy mercy in the morning, and thy truth in the night:

Upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the psaltery: with a canticle upon the harp.

For thou hast given me, O Lord, a delight in thy doings: and in the works of thy hands I shall rejoice.

O Lord, how great are thy works! thy thoughts are exceeding deep.

The senseless man shall not know: nor will the fool understand these things.

When the wicked shall spring up as grass: and all the workers of iniquity shall appear:

That they may perish for ever and ever.

But thou, O Lord, art most high for evermore.

For behold thy enemies, O Lord, for behold thy enemies shall perish: and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

But my horn shall be exalted like that of the unicorn: and my old age in plentiful mercy.

My eye also hath looked down upon my enemies: and my ear shall hear of the downfall of the malignant that rise up against me.

The just shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus.

They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of the house of our God.

They shall still increase in a fruitful old age: and shall be well treated,

That they may shew that the Lord our God is righteous, and there is no iniquity in him.

Psalm 89

Lord, thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation.

Before the mountains were made, or the earth and the world was formed: from eternity and to eternity thou art God.

Turn not man away to be brought low: and thou hast said: Be converted, O ye sons of men.

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday, which is past and gone.

And as a watch in the night,

As things that are counted nothing, so shall their years be.

In the morning man shall grow up like grass: in the morning he shall flourish and pass away; in the evening he shall fall, grow dry, and wither.

For in thy wrath we are quickly consumed: and are troubled in thy indignation.

Thou hast set our iniquities before thy eyes: our life in the light of thy countenance.

For all our days are spent: and in thy wrath we have fainted away.

Our years shall be considered as a spider: the days of our years in them are threescore and ten years.

But if in the strong they be fourscore years: and what is more of them is labour and sorrow.

For mildness is come upon us: and we shall be corrected.

Who knoweth the power of thy anger: and for thy fear can number thy wrath?

So teach us to number our days: that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Return, O Lord, how long? and be entreated in favour of thy servants.

We are filled in the morning with thy mercy: and we have rejoiced, and are delighted all our days.

We have rejoiced for the days in which thou hast humbled us: for the years in which we have seen evils.

Look upon thy servants and upon their works: and direct their children.

And let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us: and direct thou the works of our hands over us; yea, the work of our hands do thou direct.