A Prayer for Deliverance

701 To the Overseer, by David.—'To cause to remember.' O God, to deliver me, O Jehovah, for my help, haste. 2 Let them be ashamed and confounded Who are seeking my soul, Let them be turned backward and blush Who are desiring my evil. 3 Let them turn back because of their shame, Who are saying, 'Aha, aha.' 4 Let all those seeking Thee joy and be glad in Thee, And let those loving Thy salvation Say continually, 'God is magnified.' 5 And I 'am' poor and needy, O God, haste to me, My help and my deliverer 'art' Thou, O Jehovah, tarry Thou not!

The Prayer of an Old Man

711 In Thee, O Jehovah, I have trusted, Let me not be ashamed to the age. 2 In Thy righteousness Thou dost deliver me, And dost cause me to escape, Incline unto me Thine ear, and save me. 3 Be to me for a rock—a habitation, To go in continually, Thou hast given command to save me, For my rock and my bulwark 'art' Thou. 4 O my God, cause me to escape From the hand of the wicked, From the hand of the perverse and violent. 5 For Thou 'art' my hope, O Lord Jehovah, My trust from my youth. 6 By Thee I have been supported from the womb, From my mother's bowels Thou dost cut me out, In Thee 'is' my praise continually. 7 As a wonder I have been to many, And Thou 'art' my strong refuge. 8 Filled is my mouth 'with' Thy praise, All the day 'with' Thy beauty. 9 Cast me not off at the time of old age, According to the consumption of my power forsake me not. 10 For mine enemies have spoken against me, And those watching my soul have taken counsel together, 11 Saying, 'God hath forsaken him, Pursue and catch him, for there is no deliverer.' 12 O God, be not far from me, O my God, for my help make haste. 13 They are ashamed, they are consumed, Who are opposing my soul, They are covered 'with' reproach and blushing, Who are seeking my evil,

14 And I continually do wait with hope, And have added unto all Thy praise. 15 My mouth recounteth Thy righteousness, All the day Thy salvation, For I have not known the numbers. 16 I come in the might of the Lord Jehovah, I mention Thy righteousness—Thine only. 17 God, Thou hast taught me from my youth, And hitherto I declare Thy wonders. 18 And also unto old age and grey hairs, O God, forsake me not, Till I declare Thy strength to a generation, To every one that cometh Thy might. 19 And Thy righteousness, O God, 'is' unto the heights, Because Thou hast done great things, O God, who 'is' like Thee? 20 Because Thou hast showed me many and sad distresses, Thou turnest back—Thou revivest me, And from the depths of the earth, Thou turnest back—Thou bringest me up. 21 Thou dost increase my greatness, And Thou surroundest—Thou comfortest me, 22 I also thank Thee with a vessel of psaltery, Thy truth, O my God, I sing to Thee with a harp, O Holy One of Israel, 23 My lips cry aloud when I sing praise to Thee, And my soul that Thou hast redeemed, 24 My tongue also all the day uttereth Thy righteousness, Because ashamed—because confounded, Have been those seeking my evil!

The Reign of the Righteous King

721 By Solomon. O God, Thy judgments to the king give, And Thy righteousness to the king's son.

2 He judgeth Thy people with righteousness, And Thy poor with judgment. 3 The mountains bear peace to the people, And the heights by righteousness. 4 He judgeth the poor of the people, Giveth deliverance to the sons of the needy, And bruiseth the oppressor. 5 They fear Thee with the sun, and before the moon, Generation—generations. 6 He cometh down as rain on mown grass, As showers—sprinkling the earth. 7 Flourish in his days doth the righteous, And abundance of peace till the moon is not. 8 And he ruleth from sea unto sea, And from the river unto the ends of earth. 9 Before him bow do the inhabitants of the dry places, And his enemies lick the dust. 10 Kings of Tarshish and of the isles send back a present. Kings of Sheba and Seba a reward bring near. 11 And all kings do bow themselves to him, All nations do serve him, 12 For he delivereth the needy who crieth, And the poor when he hath no helper, 13 He hath pity on the poor and needy, And the souls of the needy he saveth, 14 From fraud and from violence he redeemeth their soul, And precious is their blood in his eyes. 15 And he liveth, and giveth to him of the gold of Sheba, And prayeth for him continually, All the day he doth bless him. 16 There is a handful of corn in the earth, On the top of mountains, Shake like Lebanon doth its fruit, And they flourish out of the city as the herb of the earth. 17 His name is to the age, Before the sun is his name continued, And they bless themselves in him, All nations do pronounce him happy.

18 Blessed is Jehovah God, God of Israel, He alone is doing wonders, 19 And blessed 'is' the Name of His honour to the age, And the whole earth is filled 'with' His honour. Amen, and amen! 20 The prayers of David son of Jesse have been ended.

The Fate of the Wicked

731 Only—good to Israel 'is' God, to the clean of heart. And I—as a little thing, My feet have been turned aside, 2 As nothing, have my steps slipped, For I have been envious of the boastful, 3 The peace of the wicked I see, That there are no bands at their death, 4 And their might 'is' firm. 5 In the misery of mortals they are not, And with common men they are not plagued. 6 Therefore hath pride encircled them, Violence covereth them as a dress. 7 Their eye hath come out from fat. The imaginations of the heart transgressed; 8 They do corruptly, And they speak in the wickedness of oppression, From on high they speak. 9 They have set in the heavens their mouth, And their tongue walketh in the earth. 10 Therefore do His people return hither, And waters of fulness are wrung out to them. 11 And they have said, 'How hath God known? And is there knowledge in the Most High?' 12 Lo, these 'are' the wicked and easy ones of the age, They have increased strength. 13 Only—a vain thing! I have purified my heart, And I wash in innocency my hands, 14 And I am plagued all the day, And my reproof 'is' every morning.

15 If I have said, 'I recount thus,' Lo, a generation of Thy sons I have deceived. 16 And I think to know this, Perverseness it 'is' in mine eyes, 17 Till I come in to the sanctuaries of God, I attend to their latter end. 18 Only, in slippery places Thou dost set them, Thou hast caused them to fall to desolations. 19 How have they become a desolation as in a moment, They have been ended—consumed from terrors. 20 As a dream from awakening, O Lord, In awaking, their image Thou despisest.

21 For my heart doth show itself violent, And my reins prick themselves, 22 And I am brutish, and do not know. A beast I have been with Thee. 23 And I 'am' continually with Thee, Thou hast laid hold on my right hand. 24 With Thy counsel Thou dost lead me, And after honour dost receive me. 25 Whom have I in the heavens? And with Thee none I have desired in earth. 26 Consumed hath been my flesh and my heart, The rock of my heart and my portion 'is' God to the age. 27 For, lo, those far from Thee do perish, Thou hast cut off every one, Who is going a whoring from Thee. 28 And I—nearness of God to me 'is' good, I have placed in the Lord Jehovah my refuge, To recount all Thy works!