Thursday

Thirteenth Kathisma

A Canticle Psalm, for the Day of the Sabbath, 91.

It is good to give praise unto the Lord, and chant unto Thy name, O Most High, To proclaim in the morning Thy mercy, and Thy truth by night, on a psaltery of ten strings, with an ode upon the harp. For Thou hast gladdened me, O Lord, by Thy deeds, and in the works of Thy hands will I rejoice. How great are Thy works, O Lord, exceeding deep are Thy thoughts. A mindless man shall not know it, nor shall a stupid man understand it. When the sinners spring up like grass, and all that work iniquity look loftily down, It is that they may be utterly destroyed unto ages of ages; but Thou art Most High for ever, O Lord. For lo, Thine enemies, O Lord, for lo, Thine enemies shall perish; and scattered shall be all they that work iniquity. And lifted high as that of a unicorn shall be my horn, and mine old age shall be strengthened with rich oil. And mine eye hath looked down upon mine enemies, and mine ear shall hear concerning the wicked that rise up against me. The righteous man shall flourish like a palm tree, and like a cedar in Lebanon shall he be multiplied. They that are planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of our God they shall blossom forth. They shall still increase in a ripe old age, and happy shall they be to proclaim that upright is the Lord our God, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

A Canticle Praise of David: For the Day Before the Sabbath. When the Land Was First Inhabited, 92.

The Lord is King, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength and He hath girt Himself. For He established the world which shall not be shaken. Thy throne is prepared of old; Thou art from everlasting. The rivers have lifted up, O Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voices. The rivers will lift up their waves, at the voices of many waters. Wonderful are the surgings of the sea, wonderful on high is the Lord. Thy testimonies are made very sure. Holiness becometh Thy house, O Lord, unto length of days.

A Psalm of David, for the Fourth Day of the Week, 93.

The Lord is the God of vengeances; the God of vengeances hath spoken openly. Be Thou exalted, O Thou that judgest the earth; render the proud their due. How long shall sinners, O Lord, how long shall sinners boast? How long shall they utter and speak unrighteousness, how long shall they speak, all they that work iniquity? Thy people, O Lord, have they brought low, and to Thine inheritance have they done hurt. Widow and orphan have they slain, and the proselyte have they murdered. And they said: The Lord shall not see it, nor will the God of Jacob perceive it. Understand then, ye mindless ones among the people; and ye fools, at length be wise. He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? Or He that formed the eye, doth He not perceive? He that chasteneth the heathen, shall He not rebuke? He that teacheth man knowledge? The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men, that they are vain. Blessed is the man whom Thou shalt chasten, O Lord; and out of Thy law shalt Thou instruct him, That Thou mayest give him rest from evil days, until a pit be dug for the sinner. For the Lord will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance, Until righteousness return unto judgement, and all that are upright of heart be nigh thereto. Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up with me against the workers of iniquity? Unless the Lord had brought me help, my soul had well nigh sojourned in hades. Whenever I said: My foot hath slipped; Thy mercy, O Lord, brought help unto me. According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, Thy consolations brought gladness unto my soul. Let not the throne of iniquity have fellowship with Thee, which maketh mischief in the name of the law. They shall hunt down the soul of the righteous man, and the innocent blood shall they condemn. Yea, the Lord is become my refuge, and my God the helper of my hope. And the Lord shall give back to them their own iniquity, and according to their wickedness the Lord God shall make them to be seen no more.

Glory.

A Canticle Praise of David. Without Superscription among the Hebrews, 94.

Come let us rejoice in the Lord, let us shout with jubilation unto God our Saviour. Let us come before His countenance with thanksgiving, and with psalms let us shout in jubilation unto Him. For the Lord is a great God and a great king over all the earth. For in His hand are the ends of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are His. For the sea is His, and He made it; and the dry land His hands have fashioned. O come, let us worship and fall down before Him, and let us weep before the Lord Who made us. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness. For your fathers tempted Me, they proved Me and saw My works. Forty years long was I grieved with that generation, and I said: They do always err in their hearts. And they have not known My ways; so I sware in Mine anger: They shall not enter into My rest.

A Canticle Praise. David's When the House Was Built After the Captivity. Without Superscription among the Hebrews, 95.

O sing unto the Lord a new song, sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; proclaim from day to day the good tidings of His salvation. Declare among the nations His glory, and among all peoples His wonders. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are demons, but the Lord made the heavens. Praise and beauty are before Him, holiness and majesty are in His sanctuary. Bring to the Lord, ye kindreds of the nations, bring to the Lord glory and honour; bring to the Lord the glory due unto His name. Bring sacrifices, and go into His courts; worship the Lord in His holy court. Let the earth be shaken at His presence; Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath become King on the Tree. For he hath corrected the world, which shall not be moved: he will judge the people with justice. Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice; let the sea be shaken, and the fullness thereof. The plains shall be joyful, and all the things therein. Then shall all the trees of the forest rejoice at the presence of the Lord, for He cometh, for He cometh to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth.

David's. When the Land Was Restored to Him. Without Superscription among the Hebrews, 96.

The Lord is king, let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad. Clouds and darkness are round about Him; righteousness and judgement are the establishment of His throne. Fire shall go before Him, and shall burn up His enemies round about. His lightnings have shone forth throughout the world; the earth saw it and was shaken. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of all the earth. The heavens declared His righteousness, and all the peoples saw His glory. Let all be put to shame that worship graven things, that boast themselves of their idols. Worship Him, all ye His angels; Sion heard and was glad, And the daughters of Judea rejoiced because of Thy judgements, O Lord. For Thou art Lord Most High over all the earth, Thou art exalted far above all the gods. Ye that love the Lord, see to it that ye hate evil. The Lord preserveth the souls of His saints; from the hand of the sinner shall He deliver them. A light hath dawned forth for the righteous man, and gladness for the upright of heart. Be glad in the Lord, O ye righteous, and give thanks for the remembrance of His holiness.

Glory.

A Psalm of David, 97.

O sing unto the Lord a new song, for the Lord hath wrought wondrous things. His right hand and His holy arm have wrought salvation for Him. The Lord hath made known His salvation, in the sight of the nations hath He revealed His righteousness. He hath remembered His mercy to Jacob, and His truth to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout with jubilation unto the Lord, all the earth; sing and rejoice and chant psalms. Chant ye unto the Lord with a harp, with the harp and with the voice of a psalm, with trumpets of metal, and with a voice of a trumpet of horn. Shout with jubilation before the Lord our King; let the sea be shaken and the fullness thereof, the world and all they that dwell therein. The rivers shall clap their hands together; the mountains shall rejoice at the presence of the Lord, for He cometh; yea, He is come to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with uprightness.

A Psalm of David, 98.

The Lord is king, let the peoples rage; He sitteth on the cherubim, let the earth be shaken. The Lord is great in Sion, and He is high above all peoples. Let them confess Thy great name, for it is terrible and holy; and the king's honour loveth judgement. Thou hast prepared uprightness; judgement and righteousness in Jacob hast Thou wrought. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship the footstool of His feet; for He is holy. Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His name, They called upon the Lord, and He hearkened unto them; in a pillar of cloud He spake unto them. For they kept His testimonies and His ordinances which He gave them. O Lord our God, Thou didst hearken unto them; O God, Thou wast fain to be entreated for them, and yet tookest vengeance on all their devices. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at His holy mountain; for holy is the Lord our God.

A Psalm of David; for a Thank-offering, 99

Shout with jubilation unto God, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with rejoicing. Know ye that the Lord Himself is our God; it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, into His courts with hymns; give thanks unto Him. Praise His name, for the Lord is good; His mercy endureth for ever, and His truth unto generation and generation.

A Psalm of David, 100.

Of mercy and judgement will I sing unto Thee, O Lord; I will chant and have understanding in a blameless path. When wilt Thou come unto me? I have walked in the innocence of my heart in the midst of my house. I have no unlawful thing before mine eyes; the workers of transgressions I have hated. A crooked heart hath not cleaved unto me; as for the wicked man who turned from me, I knew him not. Him that privily talked against his neighbour did I drive away from me. With him whose eye was proud and his heart insatiate, I did not eat. Mine eyes were upon the faithful of the land, that they might sit with me; the man that walked in the blameless path, he ministered unto me. The proud doer dwelt not in the midst of my house; the speaker of unjust things prospered not before mine eyes. In the morning I slew all the sinners of the land, utterly to destroy out of the city of the Lord all them that work iniquity.

Glory.

Fourteenth Kathisma

A Prayer of the Poor Man. When He Was Despondent, and Poured out His Supplication before the Lord, 101.

O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come unto Thee. Turn not Thy face away from me; in the day when I am afflicted, incline Thine ear unto me. In the day when I call upon Thee, quickly hearken unto me. For my days are vanished like smoke, and my bones consumed like wood for the burning. I am smitten like grass, and withered is my heart, for I forgot to eat my bread. By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bone hath cleaved unto my flesh. I am become like a pelican of the wilderness, I am like an owl in a ruined house. I have watched, and am like a sparrow that sitteth alone upon the house-top. The whole day long mine enemies reproached me, and they that praised me made an oath against me. For before the face of Thy wrath and Thine anger I ate ashes like bread, and my drink I mingled with weeping; for after uplifting me, Thou hast dashed me down. My days like a shadow have declined, and I like grass am withered. But Thou, O Lord, for ever abidest, and Thy remembrance is unto generation and generation. Thou shalt rise up and have pity upon Sion, for it is time to have compassion on her, yea, the time is come. For Thy servants have taken pleasure in her stones, and they shall feel pity for her dust. And the nations shall fear Thy name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory. For the Lord shall build up Sion, and He shall be seen in His glory. He hath regarded the prayer of the humble, and hath not despised their supplication. Let this be written for another generation, and the people that is being created shall praise the Lord. For He hath looked out from His holy height, the Lord from heaven hath looked upon the earth, To hear the groaning of them that be in fetters, to loose the sons of the slain, To declare in Sion the name of the Lord, and His praise in Jerusalem, When the peoples are gathered together, and the kings to serve the Lord. He answered Him in the way of his strength: The fewness of my days declare unto me. Take me not away at the half of my days; in generations and generations are Thy years. In the beginning, O Lord, Thou didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou abidest; and all like a garment shall grow old, And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail. The sons of Thy servants shall have their dwelling, and their seed for ever shall be guided aright.

David's, 102.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that He hath done for thee, Who is gracious unto all thine iniquities, Who healeth all thine infirmities, Who redeemeth thy life from corruption, Who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion, Who fulfilleth thy desire with good things; thy youth shall be renewed as the eagle's. The Lord performeth deeds of mercy, and executeth judgement for all them that are wronged. He hath made His ways known unto Moses, unto the sons of Israel the things that He hath willed. Compassionate and merciful is the Lord, long-suffering and plenteous in mercy; not unto the end will He be angered, neither unto eternity will He be wroth. Not according to our iniquities hath He dealt with us, neither according to our sins hath He rewarded us. For according to the height of heaven from the earth, the Lord hath made His mercy to prevail over them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our iniquities from us. Like as a father hath compassion upon his sons, so hath the Lord had compassion upon them that fear Him; for He knoweth whereof we are made, He hath remembered that we are dust. As for man, his days are as the grass; as a flower of the field, so shall he blossom forth. For when the wind is passed over it, then it shall be gone, and no longer will it know the place thereof. But the mercy of the Lord is from eternity, even unto eternity, upon them that fear Him. And His righteousness is upon sons of sons, upon them that keep His testament and remember His commandments to do them. The Lord in heaven hath prepared His throne, and His kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, all ye His angels, mighty in strength, that perform His word, to hear the voice of His words. Bless the Lord, all ye His hosts, His ministers that do His will. Bless the Lord, all ye His works, in every place of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Glory.

David's. Concerning the Formation of the World, 103.

Bless the Lord, O my soul; O Lord my God, Thou hast been magnified exceedingly. Confession and majesty hast Thou put on, Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment, Who stretchest out the heaven as it were a curtain; Who supporteth His chambers in the waters, Who appointeth the clouds for His ascent, Who walketh upon the wings of the winds, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire, Who establisheth the earth in the sureness thereof; it shall not be turned back for ever and ever. The abyss like a garment is His mantle; upon the mountains shall the waters stand. At Thy rebuke they will flee, at the voice of Thy thunder shall they be afraid. The mountains rise up and the plains sink down, unto the place where Thou hast established them. Thou appointedst a bound that they shall not pass, neither return to cover the earth. He sendeth forth springs in the valleys; between the mountains will the waters run. They shall give drink to all the beasts of the field; the wild asses will wait to quench their thirst. Beside them will the birds of the heaven lodge, from the midst of the rocks will they give voice. He watereth the mountains from His chambers; the earth shall be satisfied with the fruit of Thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and green herb for the service of men, To bring forth bread out of the earth; and wine maketh glad the heart of man. To make his face cheerful with oil; and bread strengtheneth man's heart. The trees of the plain shall be satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon, which Thou hast planted. There will the sparrows make their nests; the house of the heron is chief among them. The high mountains are a refuge for the harts, and so is the rock for the hares. He hath made the moon for seasons; the sun knoweth his going down. Thou appointedst the darkness, and there was the night, wherein all the beasts of the forest will go abroad. Young lions roaring after their prey, and seeking their food from God. The sun ariseth, and they are gathered together, and they lay them down in their dens. But man shall go forth unto his work, and to his labour until the evening. How magnified are Thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast Thou made them all; the earth is filled with Thy creation. So is this great and spacious sea, therein are things creeping innumerable, small living creatures with the great. There go the ships; there this dragon, whom Thou hast made to play therein. All things wait on Thee, to give them their food in due season; when Thou givest it them, they will gather it. When Thou openest Thy hand, all things shall be filled with goodness; when Thou turnest away Thy face, they shall be troubled. Thou wilt take their spirit, and they shall cease; and unto their dust shall they return. Thou wilt send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created; and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Let the glory of the Lord be unto the ages; the Lord will rejoice in His works. Who looketh on the earth and maketh it tremble, Who toucheth the mountains and they smoke. I will sing unto the Lord throughout my life, I will chant to my God for as long as I have my being. May my words be sweet unto Him, and I will rejoice in the Lord. O that sinners would cease from the earth, and they that work iniquity, that they should be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Glory.

Alleluia, 104.

O give thanks unto the Lord and call upon His name; declare among the nations His works. Sing unto Him and chant unto Him; tell forth all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of them be glad that seek the Lord. Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened; seek ye His face at all times. Remember His wonders which He wrought, His marvels, and the judgements of His mouth, Ye that are the seed of Abraham, His servants, ye sons of Jacob, His chosen. He is the Lord our God, in all the earth are His judgements. He hath remembered His covenant unto eternity, the word which He commanded unto a thousand generations, Which He made to Abraham, and His oath to Isaac. And He established it to Jacob for an ordinance, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, Saying: Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the portion of your inheritance. When they were few in number, very few and sojourners therein, And they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people, He allowed no man to wrong them; and He reproved kings for their sake, Saying: Touch not Mine anointed ones, and to My prophets do no evil. And He called a famine upon the land, He brake all the staff of bread. He sent a man before them, Joseph was sold for a slave. They humbled his feet with fetters, his life was spent in irons, until his word came to pass. The oracle of the Lord proved him; the king sent and loosed him, even the ruler of the people, and released him. He made him lord of his house, and ruler over all his substance, To instruct his princes as himself, and to teach his elders wisdom. And Israel went into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And He increased His people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies. He turned their heart to hate His people, to deal craftily with His servants. He sent forth Moses His servant, Aaron whom He had chosen for Himself. He set in them the words of His signs and of His marvels in the land of Ham. He sent forth darkness and made it dark, for they were embittered against His words. He turned their waters into blood, and He slew their fish. Their land teemed with frogs, even unto the secret chambers of their kings. He spake, and the dog-fly came, and gnats in all their borders. He gave them hail for rain, flaming fire in their land. And He smote their vines and their fig trees, and brake every tree of their border. He spake, and the locust came, and the caterpillar, and that without number. And devoured all the grass in their land, and devoured all the fruit of their land. And He smote every firstborn of their land, the firstlings of all their labour. And He led them out with silver and gold, and there was not among their tribes one man that was feeble. Egypt was glad when they departed, for fear of them had fallen upon them. He spread out a cloud for a shelter to them, and a fire to give them light by night. They made request and the quail came, and with the bread of heaven He filled them. He clave the rock and the waters flowed, in waterless places rivers ran. For He remembered His holy word which He spake unto Abraham His servant. And He led forth His people with rejoicing, and His chosen ones with gladness. And He gave unto them the lands of the heathen, and the labours of peoples they inherited, That they might keep His statutes and might seek after his law.

Glory.

Fifteenth Kathisma

Alleluia, 105.

O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever. Who shall tell of the mighty acts of the Lord? Who shall make all his praises to be heard? Blessed are they that keep judgement and do righteousness at all times. Remember us, O Lord, in Thy favour for Thy people; visit us with Thy salvation, That we may see it in the goodness of Thy chosen, that we may be glad in the gladness of Thy nation, that we may glory with Thine inheritance. We have sinned with our fathers, we have done iniquity, we have done unrighteousness. Our fathers in Egypt understood not Thy wonders, and they remembered not the multitude of Thy mercy. And they embittered Thee as they went up by the Red Sea. And He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make known His mighty power. And He rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up; and He led them into the deep as in a wilderness. And He saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of enemies. The waters covered their oppressors; not one of them was left. And they believed His word, and they sang His praise. They made haste, they forgot His works, they awaited not His counsel. And they desired a desire in the wilderness, and made trial of God in the waterless place. And He gave them their request, and sent forth fullness into their souls. And they provoked Moses in the camp, and Aaron the holy one of the Lord. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered over the congregation of Abiron. And a fire was kindled in their congregation, a flame burned up the sinners. And they made a calf in Horeb, and they worshipped the graven thing. And they changed His glory into the likeness of a calf that eateth grass. And they forgot God Who had saved them, Who had done great things in Egypt, wonders in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea. And He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath, lest He should destroy them. And they set at nought the desirable land; they believed not His word. And they murmured in their tents; they hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord. And He lifted up His hand against them, to cast them down in the wilderness, To cast down their seed among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands. And they were made initiates of Baal-phegor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. And they provoked Him with their inventions, and destruction was multiplied among them. And Phineas stood up and made appeasement; and the plague was abated. And it was counted unto him for righteousness, unto generation and generation for evermore. And they provoked Him at the water of gainsaying, and Moses suffered hurt for their sakes; for they embittered his spirit, and he gave judgement with his lips. They did not destroy the heathen, concerning which the Lord had spoken to them. They mingled among the nations and learned their works; and they served their graven things, and it became for them a stumbling-block. And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto demons. And they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the graven things of Canaan. And the land was befouled with the blood of murder, and it was defiled with their works; and they went a whoring with their own inventions. And with anger was the Lord wroth against His people, and He abhorred His inheritance. And He gave them into the hands of enemies, and they that hated them were lords over them. And their enemies afflicted them; and they were humbled under their hands. Many times He delivered them; but they embittered Him with their counsel, and they were humbled in their iniquities. And the Lord saw when they were in affliction, when He hearkened unto their supplication. And He remembered His covenant and repented according to the multitude of His mercy. And He caused them to be pitied in the sight of all that had taken them captive. Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, That we may confess Thy holy name, that we may glory in Thy praise. Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting; and all the peoples shall say: So be it. So be it.

Glory.

Alleluia, 106.

O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever. So let them say that have been redeemed by the Lord, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy. From the lands hath He gathered them, from the east, from the west, from the north, and from the sea. They wandered in the wilderness, in a waterless land; they found not the path to a city of habitation. Hungering and thirsting, their soul within them fainted. And they cried unto the Lord in their affliction, and out of their distresses He delivered them. And He guided them into the right way that they might go to a city for habitation. Let them give thanks unto the Lord for His mercies, and for His wondrous works for the sons of men. For He satisfied the empty soul, and the hungry soul hath He filled with good things. As for them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, fettered with beggary and iron, Because they were embittered against the sayings of God and provoked the counsel of the Most High, Yea, with labours was their heart brought low; they waxed feeble, and there was none to help. And they cried unto the Lord in their affliction, and out of their distresses He saved them. And He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and their bonds He brake asunder. Let them give thanks unto the Lord for His mercies, and for His wondrous works for the sons of men. For He shattered the gates of brass, and brake the bars of iron. He helped them out of the way of their lawlessness; for on account of their iniquities had they been brought low. All food did their soul abhor, and they drew nigh even unto the gates of death. And they cried unto the Lord in their affliction, and out of their distresses He saved them. He sent forth His Word and He healed them, and He delivered them from their corruption. Let them give thanks unto the Lord for His mercies, and for His wondrous works for the sons of men. And let them sacrifice to Him a sacrifice of praise, and let them proclaim His works with rejoicing. They that go down to the sea in ships, doing their work in many waters, These have seen the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. He spake, and a wind of tempest arose, and the waves thereof were lifted up. They mount as high as the heavens, and they go down into the abysses; their soul was melted with evils. They were troubled, and they reeled like one drunken, and all their wisdom was swallowed up. And they cried unto the Lord in their affliction, and out of their distresses He brought them. And He commanded the tempest, and it was calmed into a breeze, and the waves thereof fell silent. And they were glad, because they were quiet, and He guided them to the haven of His will. Let them give thanks unto the Lord for His mercies, and for His wondrous works for the sons of men. Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people, and in the seat of the elders let them praise Him. He turned rivers into a wilderness, and the coursings of waters into a thirsting land, A fruitful land into saltiness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. He turned a wilderness into pools of waters, and a parched land into streams of water. And He made the hungry to dwell therein, and they established cities for habitation. And they sowed field and planted vineyards, and they made fruits of increase. And He blessed them and they were multiplied greatly, and He diminished not the number of their cattle. And again they became few and were brought low by affliction, evils, and sorrows. Contempt was poured out upon their princes, and He caused them to wander in a land untrodden, where there is no way. And He helped the poor man out of his poverty, and made his kindred like a flock. The upright shall see it and shall be glad, and all iniquity shall stop its mouth. Who is wise and will keep these things, and will understand the mercies of the Lord?

Glory.

A Psalmic Ode of David, 107.

Ready is my heart, O God, ready is my heart; I will sing and chant in my glory. Awake, O my glory; awake, O psaltery and harp; I myself will awake at dawn. I will confess Thee among the peoples, O Lord, I will chant unto Thee among the nations. For great above the heavens is Thy mercy, and even unto the clouds is Thy truth. Be Thou exalted above the heavens, O God, and Thy glory above all the earth. That Thy beloved ones may be delivered, save Thou with Thy right hand and hearken unto me. God hath spoken in His sanctuary: I will be exalted, and I will divide Sikima, and the vale of tabernacles will I measure out. Mine is Galaad, and Mine is Manasses, and Ephraim is the protection of My head. Judah is My king, Moab is the cauldron of My hope. Upon Idumea will I stretch out My shoe; the foreign tribes have been subjected unto Me. Who will bring me into a fortified city? Or who will lead me into Idumea? Wilt Thou not, O God, Who hast spurned us? And wilt Thou not, O God, go forth with our forces? Give us help from affliction, for vain is the salvation of man. In God we shall work mighty deeds, and He will bring to nought our enemies.

For the End: A Psalm of David, 108.

O God, my praise do not pass over in silence; for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the deceitful man are opened against me. They have spoken against me with a deceitful tongue, and with words of hatred have they encompassed me, and they have warred against me without a cause. In return for my love, they have falsely accused me; but as for me, I gave myself to prayer. And they repaid me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Set Thou a sinner over him, and let the devil stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him go forth condemned, and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few, and his bishopric let another take. let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children be vagabonds without a dwelling-place, and let them beg; let them be cast out from their ruined dwellings. Let his creditor search out all his substance, and let strangers plunder all his labours. Let there be for him no helper, nor anyone to pity his fatherless children. Let his children be given over to utter destruction; in a single generation let his name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before the Lord continually, and let the memory of them perish from off the earth, Because he remembered not to show mercy; and persecuted a man that was poor and a beggar, and one broken in heart, that he might slay him. And he loved cursing, and it shall come upon him; and he delighted not in blessing, and it shall be far from him. And he put on cursing like a garment, and it went in like water into his bowels, and like oil into his bones. Let it be for him like a garment wherewith he is clothed, and like a girdle wherewith continually he is girded. This is the dealing of the Lord with them that slander me, and with them that speak evil things against my soul. But Thou, O Lord, O Lord, deal Thou with me for Thy name's sake; for Thy mercy is good. Deliver me, for a poor man am I and a pauper, and my heart is troubled within me. Like a shadow when it declineth am I taken away, I am shaken off as the locusts. My knees are grown weak through fasting, and my flesh is changed for want of oil. And I am become a reproach unto them; they saw me and wagged their heads. Help me, O Lord my God, and save me according to Thy mercy. And let them know that this is Thy hand and that Thou, O Lord, hast wrought it. They will curse, and Thou wilt bless; let them that rise up against me be put to shame, but Thy servant shall be glad. Let them that slander me be clothed with confusion, and let them be covered with shame as with a mantle. I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth, and in the midst of many will I praise Him. For He hath stood at the right hand of the poor, to save my soul from them that persecute me.

Glory.