PSALM 77
Concerning Instruction. For Asaph.

Give heed, O my people, to my law; incline your ear unto the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter dark sayings which have been from the beginning, Even those things that we have heard and have known and which our fathers have told us. They were not hid from their children in another generation. They declared the praises of the Lord and His mighty acts and His wonders which He wrought. And He raised up a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, Even those things He had commanded our fathers, to make the same known unto their children, that another generation might know, Even the sons about to be born, that they in turn might arise and declare them unto their sons, That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but seek after His commandments, That they might not be as their fathers, a generation perverse and provoking, A generation that set not their heart aright, and which kept not their spirit steadfast with God. The sons of Ephraim that bend and shoot with bows turned back in the day of battle. They kept not the covenant of God, and in His law they were not fain to walk. They forgot His benefits and His wonders that He had showed to them, even the wonders that He had showed to them, even the wonders He had done in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, and in the plains of Tanis. He divided the sea, and brought them through; He made the waters to stand as in a wineskin. He guided them with a cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire. He divided the rock in the wilderness, and gave them to drink as in a great deep. He led forth water out of the rock, and brought down waters like rivers. And they added yet more sin against Him, they embittered the Most High in the waterless place. And they made trial of God in their hearts, by asking food for their souls. And they spake against God, and they said: Cannot God prepare a table in the wilderness? Because He smote a rock, and waters streamed forth, and the torrents overflowed, Cannot He give bread also, or prepare a table for His people? Wherefore, the Lord heard and was stirred up, and a fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath rose up against Israel, Because they believed not in God, nor hoped in His salvation. And He commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, And rained manna on them to eat, and bread of heaven did He give unto them. Man ate the bread of angels; provision He sent them to the full. He removed the south wind from heaven, and brought in by His might the southwest wind. And He rained on them flesh as it were dust, and feathered birds like the sands of the sea, Which fell in the midst of their camp, round about their tents. And they ate and were filled exceedingly, and their desire did He give unto them; nor were they deprived of their desire. But while their food was yet in their mouth, the wrath of God rose up against them. And He slew their stout ones, and shackled the choice men of Israel. In all these things they sinned the more, and believed not in His wonders. And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years with haste. When He slew them, then they sought after Him, and they turned back and enquired early after God. And they remembered that God is their helper, and that God the Most High is their redeemer. And they loved Him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied to Him, For their heart was not right with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant. But He is compassionate and will be gracious unto their sins, and He will not destroy. And many a time will He turn His anger away, and will not kindle all His wrath. And He remembered that they are but flesh, breath which passeth away and cometh not back again. How often did they embitter Him in the wilderness, and move Him to wrath in the waterless land! They turned back and made trial of God and provoked the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not His hand, nor the day wherein He redeemed them from the hand of the oppressor, How He had wrought in Egypt His signs, and His marvels in the plain of Tanis. Yea, He had turned into blood their rivers and their rainfalls, that they might not drink. He had sent against them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it destroyed them. And He had given to the cankerworm their fruits, and their labours to the locust. And He destroyed with hail their vine, and their mulberry trees with frost. And He had given over to the hail their cattle, and their substance to the fire. And He sent forth against them the wrath of His anger, anger and wrath and affliction, a mission performed by evil angels. He had made a path for His wrath, and He spared not from death their souls, and their cattle He shut up in death. And He had smitten every firstborn in the land of Egypt, the firstlings of all their labour, in the tabernacles of Ham. And He took away His people as sheep, and He led them forth as a flock in the wilderness. And He guided them in hope and they feared not, and the sea covered up their enemies. And He brought them unto the mountain of His sanctuary, this mountain which His right hand had gained as a possession. He cast out the heathen from before their face, and apportioned them an inheritance by lot. And He settled in their tents the tribes of Israel. But they tempted and embittered God the Most High, and His testimonies they did not keep. And they turned back and brake covenant, even as their fathers did; they became like unto a crooked bow. And they provoked Him to wrath among their hills, and with their graven images they moved Him to jealousy. God heard and regarded them no more, and set Israel utterly at nought. And He rejected His dwelling at Silom, His dwelling where He had dwelt among men. And He gave over to captivity their strength, and their beauty into the hands of enemies. And with a sword He enclosed His people, and His inheritance did He regard no more. Fire consumed their young men, and their virgins lamented not. Their priests fell by the sword, and none shall weep for their widows. And the Lord awoke as one that sleepeth, like a mighty man grown cloyed with wine. And He smote His enemies upon their backs, reproach everlasting He gave to them. And He rejected the dwelling of Joseph, and He chose not the tribe of Ephraim. And He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Sion which He loved. And He built His sanctuary like that of a unicorn, on the earth He established it for ever. And He chose out David His servant, and took him up from the flocks of sheep, from following the ewes great with young He took him, To shepherd Jacob His servant, and Israel His inheritance. And he did shepherd them in the innocence of his heart, and by the skillfulness of his hands he guided them.

Stasis

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to Thee, O God. (Three times). Lord, have mercy. (Three times). Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

PSALM 78
A Psalm for Asaph.

O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance, they have defiled Thy holy temple; they have made Jerusalem as it were the hut of an orchard-keeper. They have made the dead bodies of Thy servants to be food for the birds of heaven, the flesh of Thy saints for the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them. We are become a reproach among our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. How long, O Lord, wilt Thou be wroth unto the end? Shall Thy jealousy be kindled like fire? Pour out Thy wrath upon the nations that know Thee not, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon Thy name; For they have devoured Jacob, and his place have they made desolate. O remember not our iniquities of old; let Thy compassions quickly go before us, O Lord, for we are become exceedingly poor. Help us, O God our Saviour, for the sake of the glory of Thy name; O Lord, deliver us and be gracious unto our sins for Thy name's sake, Lest haply the nations say: Where is their God? Yea, make known among the nations before our eyes the vengeance for Thy servant's blood which hath been shed. Let there come before Thee the groaning of them that be in fetters. According to the greatness of Thine arm, show Thy care for the sons of the slain. And render to our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached Thee, O Lord; For we are Thy people and the sheep of Thy pasture. We will confess Thee, O God, for ever; unto generation and generation we will declare Thy praise.

PSALM 79
For the End: Concerning Those Verses That Are to be Alternated. A Testimony for Asaph; a Psalm Concerning the Assyrian.

O Shepherd of Israel, attend, Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. Thou that sittest on the cherubim, manifest Thyself before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasses. Stir up Thy might and come to save us. O God, make us to return and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt Thou be wroth against the prayer of Thy servants? Wilt Thou feed us with the bread of tears, and wilt Thou give us for drink tears in measure? Thou hast made us a gainsaying among our neighbours, and our enemies have scoffed at us. O Lord of hosts, make us to return and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. A vine hast Thou brought out of Egypt, Thou hast cast out the heathen and planted it. Thou hast prepared the way before it, and Thou hast planted the roots thereof, and it filled the earth. The shadows thereof covered the mountains, and the boughs thereof the cedars of God. It stretched forth its shoots unto the sea, and its branches unto the rivers. Why hast Thou broken down the hedge thereof, and all that pass along the way do pluck the fruit? The boar of the forest hath laid it to waste, and the wild beast hath devoured it. O God of hosts, return again; and look down from heaven and behold, and visit this vine, And perfect that which Thy right hand hath planted, and look upon the son of man whom Thou madest strong for Thyself. It is burned with fire and is dug up; at the rebuke of Thy face they shall perish. Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, and upon the son of man whom Thou madest strong for Thyself. And we will not depart from Thee; Thou shalt quicken us, and we will call upon Thy name. O Lord God of hosts, make us to return and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. PSALM 80 For the End: A Canticle Psalm for Asaph Concerning the Winepresses. Rejoice in God our helper, shout with joy to the God of Jacob. Take up a psalm, and bring the timbrel, the pleasant psaltery with the harp. Sound the trumpet at the new moon, in the notable day of our feast. For this is an ordinance for Israel and a judgement of the God of Jacob. He ordained it for a testimony in Joseph when he went out from the land of Egypt; a tongue which he knew not did he hear. He removed his back from burdens; his hands had slaved at the basket. Thou didst call upon Me in affliction, and I delivered thee; I heard thee in the secret place of the tempest, I made trial of thee at the water of gainsaying. Hear, O My people, and I will speak unto thee, O Israel, and I will testify unto thee; if thou hearest Me, there shall be in thee no new god, nor shalt thou worship an alien god, For I am the Lord thy God Who led thee out of the land of Egypt. Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But My people heard not My voice, and Israel gave no heed unto Me. And I let them go according to the ways of their hearts; they shall walk in their own ways. If My people had heard of Me, if Israel had walked in My ways, Quickly would I have humbled their enemies, and upon their oppressors would I have laid My hand. The enemies of the Lord have lied unto Him, but in that age their time shall come. And He fed them with the fat of the wheat, and with honey out of the rock He satisfied them.

Stasis

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to Thee, O God. (Three times). Lord, have mercy. (Three times). Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

PSALM 81
A Psalm for Asaph.

God stood in the congregation of the gods, and in the midst He shall stand out among gods. How long will ye judge unrighteously and accept the person of sinners? Judge for the orphan and the poor man, do justice to the humble and the pauper. Rescue the poor man and the needy, from the hand of the sinner deliver him. They have not known, nor understood; they walk in darkness. Let all the foundations of the earth be shaken. I said: Ye are gods, and all of you the sons of the Most High. But like men ye die, and like one of the rulers do ye fall. Arise, O God, judge the earth, for Thou shalt have an inheritance among all the nations.

PSALM 82
A Psalmic Ode for Asaph.

O God, who shall be likened unto Thee? Be Thou not silent, neither be still, O God. For behold, Thine enemies have made a noise, and they that hate Thee have lifted up their heads. Against Thy people have they taken wicked counsel, and have conspired against Thy saints. They said: Come, let us utterly destroy them that they may be no more a nation, and let the name of Israel be remembered no more. For they have conspired with oneness of mind together, against Thee have they made a covenant; even the tents of the Idumeans and the Ismaelites, Moab and the Hagarenes, Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, and foreigners with them that dwell at Tyre. Yea, for even Assur is come with them; they are become a help for the sons of Lot. Do unto them as Thou didst unto Madiam and Sisara, as unto Jabin at the brook of Kisson. They were utterly destroyed in Endor, they became as dung for the earth. Make their princes like Oreb and Zeb and Zebee and Salmana. Yea, all their princes who said: Let us take to ourselves for an inheritance the sanctuary of God. O my God, make them like a wheel, as stubble before the face of the wind, As fire which shall burn the forest, as a flame which shall consume the mountains. So shalt Thou pursue them with Thy tempest, and in Thy wrath shalt Thou trouble them. Fill their faces with dishonour, and they shall seek Thy name, O Lord. Let them be shamed and troubled unto ages of ages, and let them be confounded and destroyed. And let them know that Thy name is Lord; Thou alone art Most High over all the earth.

PSALM 83
For the End: Concerning the Winepresses; For the Sons of Kore.

How beloved are Thy dwellings, O Lord of hosts; my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God. For the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtledove a nest for herself where she may lay her young, Even Thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house; unto ages of ages shall they praise Thee. Blessed is the man whose help is from Thee; he hath made ascents in his heart, in the vale of weeping, in the place which he hath appointed. Yea, for the lawgiver will give blessings; they shall go from strength to strength, the God of gods shall be seen in Sion. O Lord of hosts, hearken unto my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob. O God, our defender, behold, and look upon the face of Thine anointed one. For better is one day in Thy courts than thousands elsewhere. I have chosen rather to be an outcast in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of sinners. For the Lord loveth mercy and truth, God will give grace and glory; the Lord will not withhold good things from them that walk in innocence. O Lord God of hosts, blessed is the man that hopeth in Thee.

PSALM 84
For the End: A Psalm for the Sons of Kore.

Thou hast been gracious, O Lord, unto Thy land; Thou hast turned back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquities of Thy people, Thou hast covered all their sins. Thou hast made all Thy wrath to cease, Thou hast turned back from the wrath of Thine anger. Turn us back, O God of our salvation, and turn away Thine anger from us. Wilt Thou be wroth with us unto the ages? Or wilt Thou draw out Thy wrath from generation to generation? O God, Thou wilt turn and quicken us, and Thy people shall be glad in Thee. Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy, and Thy salvation do Thou give unto us. I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me; for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints and to them that turn their heart unto Him. Surely nigh unto them that fear Him is His salvation, that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth is sprung up out of the earth, and righteousness hath looked down from heaven. Yea, for the Lord will give goodness, and our land shall yield her fruit. Righteousness shall go before Him and shall set His footsteps in the way.

Final Stasis

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to Thee, O God. (Two times). Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to Thee, O God our Hope, O Lord, glory be to Thee. Lord, have mercy. (Three times). Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Psalter copyright 1974 Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Boston, MA