PSALM 37
A Psalm of David. In Remembrance. Concerning the Sabbath.

O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine anger, nor chasten me in Thy wrath. For Thine arrows are fastened in me, and Thou hast laid Thy hand heavily upon me. There is no healing in my flesh in the face of Thy wrath; and there is no peace in my bones in the face of my sins. For mine iniquities are risen higher than my head; as a heavy burden have they pressed heavily upon me. My bruises are become noisome and corrupt in the face of my folly. I have been wretched and utterly bowed down until the end; all the day long I went with downcast face. For my loins are filled with mockings, and there is no healing in my flesh. I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly, I have roared from the groaning of my heart. O Lord, before Thee is all my desire, and my groaning is not hid from Thee. My heart is troubled, my strength hath failed me; and the light of mine eyes, even this is not with me. My friends and my neighbours drew nigh over against me and stood, and my nearest of kin stood afar off. And they that sought after my soul used violence; and they that sought evils for me spake vain things, and craftiness all the day long did they meditate. But as for me, like a deaf man I heard them not, and was as a speechless man that openeth not his mouth. And I became as a man that heareth not, and that hath in his mouth no reproofs. For in Thee have I hoped, O Lord; Thou wilt hearken unto me, O Lord my God. For I said: Let never mine enemies rejoice over me; yea, when my feet were shaken, those men spake boastful words against me. For I am ready for scourges, and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare mine iniquity, and I will take heed concerning my sin. But mine enemies live and are made stronger than I, and they that hated me unjustly are multiplied. They that render me evil for good slandered me, because I pursued goodness. Forsake me not, O Lord my God, depart not from me. Be attentive unto my help, O Lord of my salvation.

PSALM 38
For the End: An Ode of David for Idithum.

I said: I will take heed to my ways lest I sin with my tongue. I set a guard for my mouth, when the sinner stood up against me. I was dumb and was humbled, and held my peace, even from good, and my sorrow was stirred anew. My heart grew hot within me, and in my meditation a fire was kindled. I spake with my tongue: O Lord, make me to know mine end, and the number of my days, what it is, that I may know what I lack. Behold, Thou hast made my days as the spans of a hand, and my being is as nothing before Thee. Nay, all things are vanity, every man living. Surely man walketh about like a phantom, nay, in vain doth he disquiet himself. He layeth up treasure, and knoweth not for whom he shall gather it. And now, what is my patient endurance? Is it not the Lord? Yea, my hope is from Thee. From all mine iniquities deliver me; Thou hast made me a reproach to the foolish. I was dumb and opened not my mouth, for Thou hast made me. Take away from me Thy scourges; for from the strength of Thy hand I have fainted. With reprovings for iniquity hast Thou chastened man, and hast made his life to melt away like a spider's web; nay, in vain doth every man disquiet himself. Hearken unto my prayer, O Lord, and unto my supplication; give ear unto my tears. Be not silent, for I am a sojourner with Thee, and a stranger, as were all my fathers. Spare me, that I may be refreshed before I go hence, and be no more.

PSALM 39
For the End: A Psalm of David.

With patience I waited patiently for the Lord, and He was attentive unto me, and He hearkened unto my supplication. And He brought me up out of the pit of misery, and from the mire of clay. And He set my feet upon a rock, and He ordered my steps aright. And He hath put into my mouth a new song, a hymn unto our God. Many shall see, and shall fear, and shall hope in the Lord. Blessed is the man, whose hope is in the name of the Lord, and who hath not looked upon vanities and false frenzies. Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonders which Thou hast wrought, and Thy thoughts there is none that shall be likened unto Thee. I declared and spake: They are multiplied beyond number. Sacrifice and offering hast Thou not desired, but a body hast Thou perfected for me. Whole-burnt offerings and oblations for sin hast Thou not demanded. Then I said: Behold, I am come (in the heading of the book it is written concerning me) to do Thy will, O my God, and Thy law is in the midst of my bowels. I have proclaimed the good tidings of Thy righteousness in the great congregation; lo, my lips I shall not restrain; Lord, Thou knowest it. Thy righteousness have I not hid in my heart; Thy truth and Thy salvation have I declared. I have not concealed Thy mercy, nor Thy truth, from the great assemblage. But Thou, O Lord, remove not Thy compassions far from me; let Thy mercy and Thy truth continually help me. For evils without number have encompassed me; mine iniquities took hold of me, and I became unable to see. They are multiplied more than the hairs of my head, and my heart hath failed me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, be attentive unto helping me. Let them be shamed and confounded together which seek after my soul, to destroy it. Let them be turned back and confounded that desire evils for me. Let them quickly receive shame for their reward, who say to me: Well done, well done. Let them rejoice and be glad in Thee all they that seek after Thee, O Lord; and let them that love Thy salvation continually say: The Lord be magnified. But as for me, a poor man am I and a pauper; the Lord will care for me. My helper and my defender art Thou, O my God; make no tarrying.

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 40
For the End: A Psalm of David.

Blessed is the man that hath understanding for the poor man and the pauper; in an evil day the Lord will deliver him. May the Lord keep him, and make him to live, and make him blessed upon the earth, and never surrender him into the hands of his enemies. May the Lord help him on his bed of pain, the whole of his confinement in his sickness hast Thou turned to the better. I said: O Lord, have mercy on me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee. Mine enemies have spoken evil things against me: When shall he die, and when shall his name perish? And though he came in to see me, his heart spake vanity; he gathered iniquity unto himself; he went forth, and spake in a like manner. All mine enemies whispered against me, against me they devised evils for me. An unjust word they set against me: Can it be that he that sleepeth shall rise up again? Yea, even the man of my peace in whom I hoped, who ate of my bread, hath magnified the lifting of heels against me. But Thou, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, and I will requite them. By this I know that Thou hast delighted in me, because mine enemy shall not rejoice over me. And because of mine innocence Thou hast helped me, and hast established me before Thee for ever. Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. So be it. So be it.

PSALM 41
For the End: For the Instruction to the Sons of Kore, a Psalm of David, Without Superscription among the Hebrews.

As the hart panteth after the fountains of water, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsted for God, the mighty, the living; when shall I come, and appear before the face of God? My tears have been my bread by day and by night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is thy God? These things have I remembered, and I poured out my soul within me, for I shall go to the place of the wondrous tabernacle, even to the house of God, with a voice of rejoicing and thanksgiving, yea, of the sound of them that keep festival. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, for I will give thanks unto Him; He is the salvation of my countenance, and my God. Within me my soul hath been troubled; therefore will I remember Thee from the land of Jordan and Hermoniem, from the little mountain. Deep calleth unto deep, at the voice of Thy cataracts; all Thy billows and Thy waves have passed over me. By day the Lord will command His mercy, and by night His ode shall be with me, my prayer unto the God of my life. I will say unto God: Thou art my helper. Why hast Thou forgotten me? And wherefore go I with downcast face whilst mine enemy afflicteth me? Whilst my bones were broken, mine enemies reproached me; whilst they said to me daily: Where is thy God? Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, for I will give thanks unto Him; He is the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

PSALM 42
For the End: A Psalm of David. Without Superscription among the Hebrews.

Judge me, O God, and give judgement in my cause, against a nation that is not holy; from a man unjust and crafty deliver me. For Thou, O God, art my strength. Wherefore hast Thou cast me off? And wherefore go I with downcast face whilst mine enemy afflicteth me? O send out Thy light and Thy truth; they have guided me along the way, and have brought me unto Thy holy mountain, and unto Thy tabernacles. And I shall go in unto the altar of God, unto God Who giveth gladness to my youth; I will give praise unto Thee, O God, my God, with the harp. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, for I will give thanks unto Him; He is the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

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 43
For the End: For Instruction to the Sons of Kore.

O God, with our ears have we heard, for our fathers have told us the work which Thou hadst wrought in their days, in the days of old. Thy hand utterly destroyed the heathen, and in their stead Thou didst plant them; Thou didst bring evils upon those peoples, and didst cast them out. For not by their own sword did they inherit the land, nor did their own arm save them, But Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou wast well-pleased in them. Thou Thyself art my King, and my God, Thou that commandest the salvation of Jacob. Through Thee shall the horn of our strength push down our enemies, and through Thy name shall we bring to nought them that rise up against us. For not in my bow will I hope, and my sword shall not save me. For Thou hast saved us from them that afflict us, and them that hate us hast Thou put to shame. In God we will boast all the day long, and in Thy name will we give praise in the age to come. But now Thou hast cast us off and put us to shame, and wilt not go forth, O God, with our hosts. Thou hast made us to turn back before our enemies, and they that hate us took spoils for themselves. Thou hast given us up as sheep to be eaten, and among the nations hast Thou scattered us. Thou hast sold Thy people without a price, and there was no gain in the selling of us. Thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. Thou hast made us a byword among the nations, a shaking of head among the peoples. All the day long my disgrace is before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me, Because of the voice of him that reproacheth and revileth, because of the face of the enemy and pursuer. All this hath come upon us, and we have not forgotten Thee, nor have we dealt unrighteously in Thy covenant. Though our heart hath not turned back, yet Thou hast turned aside our paths from Thy ways. For Thou hast humbled us in a place of affliction, and the shadow of death hath covered us. If we have forgotten the name of our God, and if we have stretched out our hands to a strange god, Shall not God search out these things? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart. For Thy sake we are slain all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Rise up, why sleepest Thou, O Lord? Arise, and cast us not off at the end. Wherefore turnest Thou Thy face away? Dost Thou forget our poverty and our affliction? For our soul hath been humbled down to the dust, our belly hath cleaved to the earth. Arise, O Lord, help us, and redeem us for Thy name's sake.

PSALM 44
For the End: Concerning Those Verses That Are to be Alternated, for Instruction to the Sons of Kore. An Ode Concerning the Beloved One.

My heart hath poured forth a good word; I speak of my works to the king; my tongue is the pen of a swiftly writing scribe. Comely art Thou in beauty more than the sons of men; grace hath been poured forth on Thy lips, wherefore God hath blessed Thee for ever. Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O Mighty One, in Thy comeliness and Thy beauty. And bend Thy bow, and proceed prosperously, and be king, because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and Thy right hand shall guide Thee wondrously. Thine arrows are sharp, O Mighty One, (under Thee shall peoples fall) sharp in the heart of the enemies of the king. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Wherefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness more than Thy fellows. Myrrh and stacte and cassia exhale from Thy garments, from the ivory palaces, whereby they have made Thee glad, they the daughters of kings in Thine honour. At Thy right hand stood the queen, arrayed in a vesture of inwoven gold, adorned in varied colours. Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear; and forget thine own people and thy father's house. And the King shall greatly desire thy beauty, for He Himself is thy Lord, and thou shalt worship Him. And Him shall the daughters of Tyre worship with gifts; the rich among the people shall entreat thy countenance. All the glory of the daughter of the King is within, with gold-fringed garments is she arrayed, adorned in varied colours. The virgins that follow after her shall be brought unto the King, those near her shall be brought unto Thee. They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing, they shall be brought into the temple of the King. In the stead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee; thou shalt make them princes over all the earth. I shall commemorate thy name in every generation and generation. Therefore shall peoples give praise unto thee for ever, and unto the ages of ages.

PSALM 45
For the End: A Psalm of David. Concerning Hidden Things, for the Sons of Kore.

Our God is refuge and strength, a helper in afflictions which mightily befall us. Therefore shall we not fear when the earth be shaken, nor when the mountains be removed into the heart of the seas. Their waters roared and were troubled, the mountains were troubled by His might. The rushings of the river make glad the city of God; the Most High hath hallowed His tabernacle. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be shaken; God shall help her right early in the morning. The nations were troubled, kingdoms tottered, the Most High gave forth His voice, the earth was shaken. The Lord of hosts is with us, our helper is the God of Jacob. Come and behold the works of God, what marvels He hath wrought on the earth, making wars to cease unto the ends of the earth. He will crush the bow and will shatter the weapon, and shields will He utterly burn with fire. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us, our helper is the God of Jacob.

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