256. GOD'S PROTECTION OF HIS SERVANT

3

I love thee, O Lord, my strength,
My rock, my fortress, my deliverer,
My stronghold in which I seek refuge,
My shield, and my tower of defense.

I proclaim that the Lord should be praised,
For I have been saved from my enemies.
The billows of death surrounded me,
Floods of destruction appalled me.

The cords of the lower world encircled me,
The snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried for help to my God;"

From his temple he heard my voice,
My cry for help he heard.

The solid earth rocked and reeled,

The foundations of the mountains trembled,
They tottered because he was wroth.

He reached from on high and grasped me,
From many waters he rescued me,

From my powerful foes he saved me,

From my haters, for they were too strong for me, Who attacked me in my day of calamity;

But the Lord became my support,

He led me into an open place,

He delivered me because he loves me.

He dealt with me according to my uprightness,
According to the cleanness of my hands.
For I have lived as the Lord would have me,
And have not wilfully been disloyal to my God.
For I have kept in mind all his decisions,
And I have not disregarded his statutes.

I was also upright before him,
And I kept myself from sinning.

So the Lord has rewarded me according to my upright

ness,

According to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

To the kind thou dost show thyself kind,
To the upright man, thou art upright,
To the pure thou dost show thyself pure,
But to the crooked equal to his craft;
For thou savest a people who are humble,
But thou humblest those who are haughty.
It is thou who lightest my lamp,

My God illumines my darkness.
With thy help I rush at a troop,
With God's aid I scale a wall.
Yes, God's way is perfect,

And the word of God is proved true;
He is a shield to all who trust him.

257. GOD'S PROTECTION OF HIS CHOSEN FROM HEATHEN ASSAULTS

Why do the nations throng together,
And the peoples devise vain plans?

The kings of the earth take their stand,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and his anointed:

'Let us tear their bonds apart,

Let us throw off from us their cords."

One throned in heaven laughs,
The Lord himself shall mock them,
Then will he say in his wrath,

In his burning anger affrighting them:
'It is I who have set my king
On Zion, my holy mountain.'

Let me state the Lord's decree:

He has said to me, "You are my son,

This day have I begotten you;

I will make the nations your heritage,

And the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with rod of iron,
Like a potter's vessel shatter them.'

Therefore, be wise, O kings,

Be advised, O rulers of earth!
Serve the Lord with fear,

And rejoice in him with trembling.
Worship him sincerely,

Lest through his anger you perish,
For his anger is quickly kindled.
Happy all who seek refuge in him!

258. GOD'S CONSTANT WATCHFULNESS

Happy the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people he chooses as his own.

The Lord looks down from heaven,

He looks upon all mankind,

From the place where he sits he observes

All the inhabitants of earth;

He alone has fashioned their minds,

He perceives their every act.

The king is not saved by the size of his army,
Nor a warrior delivered by greatness of strength,
A horse is a vain thing for safety,

For its great power does not save.
The Lord watches over his worshippers,
Who expectantly wait for his love,
To deliver their life from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.

Our life depends upon the Lord,
He is our help and our shield,
For in him our heart rejoices,

In his holy name we trust.

Let thy love, O Lord, be over us,

For our hope is fixed on thee!

259. GOD'S READINESS TO DELIVER THE UPRIGHT

I will bless the Lord at all times,

His praise is continually in my mouth,

My soul glories in the Lord,

Let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
O exalt the Lord with me,
Let us praise his name together.

I sought the Lord and he answered me,
From all my fears he delivered me.
He who looks to him, becomes radiant,
And his face is not covered with shame.
This afflicted man cried and he heard him,
And from all his distresses delivered him.
The angel of the Lord encamps

About those who revere him, and saves them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

Happy the man who seeks refuge with him.
Revere the Lord, O holy ones,

For those who revere him lack nothing.

Though young lions feel want and suffer hunger,

Those who seek the Lord shall lack no good thing.

Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you true religion:
Who of you desires to live,

Loves long life that he may enjoy happiness?

Then keep your tongue from evil,

And your lips from speaking falsehood;

Turn from evil and do good,

Seek for peace and pursue it.

The Lord is against evil-doers,

To cut off their memory from the earth.
The Lord watches over the upright,

His ear is open to their cry.

When they cry to the Lord he hears,
And saves them from all their distresses.

The Lord is near those who are broken-hearted,
He delivers those whose spirits are crushed.
The misfortunes of the upright are many,
But the Lord delivers him from them all.
The Lord guards all his bones,

Not one of them is broken.
Misfortune will slay the wicked,

Those who hate the upright shall be condemned;
But the Lord redeems his servants,

And none who takes refuge in him shall be condemned.

260. GOD'S GOODNESS AND MERCY

I will extol thee, my God, thou King,

And praise thy name forever.

All day long will I give thee praise,
And glorify thy name forever..

1

Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,
And his greatness cannot be searched out.
One generation to another lauds thy works,
And declares thy mighty deeds.

On the glorious splendor of thy majesty
And thy wondrous works I meditate.
They speak of the might of thy awful acts,
While I tell of thy great deeds.
They recall thy infinite goodness,
And sing aloud of thy righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
Patient, and full of loving-kindness.