Wednesday, March 11, 2020

2 Lent Wednesday Psalm 72

72 Deus, judicium

1 Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King’s son;

2 That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice.

3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.

4 He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
like showers that water the earth.

7 In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall
be no more.

8 He shall rule from sea to sea, *
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

9 His foes shall bow down before him, *
and his enemies lick the dust.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

11 All kings shall bow down before him, *
and all the nations do him service.

12 For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
and the oppressed who has no helper.

13 He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

14 He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
and may there be given to him gold from Arabia; *
may prayer be made for him always,
and may they bless him all the day long.

16 May there be abundance of grain on the earth,
growing thick even on the hilltops; *
may its fruit flourish like Lebanon,
and its grain like grass upon the earth.

17 May his Name remain for ever
and be established as long as the sun endures; *
may all the nations bless themselves in him and
call him blessed.

18 Blessed be the Lord GOD, the God of Israel, *
who alone does wondrous deeds!

19 And blessed be his glorious Name for ever! *
and may all the earth be filled with his glory.
Amen. Amen.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

2 Lent Tuesday   Psalm 61, 62

61 Exaudi, Deus

1 Hear my cry, O God, *
and listen to my prayer.

2 I call upon you from the ends of the earth
with heaviness in my heart; *
set me upon the rock that is higher than I.

3 For you have been my refuge, *
a strong tower against the enemy.

4 I will dwell in your house for ever; *
I will take refuge under the cover of your wings.

5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; *
you have granted me the heritage of those
who fear your Name.

6 Add length of days to the king’s life; *
let his years extend over many generations.
7 Let him sit enthroned before God for ever; *
bid love and faithfulness watch over him.

8 So will I always sing the praise of your Name, *
and day by day I will fulfill my vows.

62 Nonne Deo?

1 For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
from him comes my salvation.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken.

3 How long will you assail me to crush me,
all of you together, *
as if you were a leaning fence, a toppling wall?

4 They seek only to bring me down from my place of honor; *
lies are their chief delight.

5 They bless with their lips, *
but in their hearts they curse.

6 For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
truly, my hope is in him.

7 He alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.

8 In God is my safety and my honor; *
God is my strong rock and my refuge.

9 Put your trust in him always, O people, *
pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.

10 Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath, *
even those of low estate cannot be trusted.

11 On the scales they are lighter than a breath, *
all of them together.

12 Put no trust in extortion;
in robbery take no empty pride; *
though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it.

13 God has spoken once, twice have I heard it, *
that power belongs to God.

14 Steadfast love is yours, O Lord, *
for you repay everyone according to his deeds.

Monday, March 9, 2020

2 Lent Monday 56, 57, 58

56 Miserere mei, Deus

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
for my enemies are hounding me; *
all day long they assault and oppress me.

2 They hound me all the day long; *
truly there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

3 Whenever I am afraid, *
I will put my trust in you.

4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can flesh do to me?

5 All day long they damage my cause; *
their only thought is to do me evil.

6 They band together; they lie in wait; *
they spy upon my footsteps;
because they seek my life.

7 Shall they escape despite their wickedness? *
O God, in your anger, cast down the peoples.

8 You have noted my lamentation;
put my tears into your bottle; *
are they not recorded in your book?

9 Whenever I call upon you, my enemies will be put to flight; *
this I know, for God is on my side.

10 In God the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can mortals do to me?

11 I am bound by the vow I made to you, O God; *
I will present to you thank-offerings;

12 For you have rescued my soul from death and my feet
from stumbling, *
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

57 Miserere mei, Deus

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful,
for I have taken refuge in you; *
in the shadow of your wings will I take refuge
until this time of trouble has gone by.

2 I will call upon the Most High God, *
the God who maintains my cause.

3 He will send from heaven and save me;
he will confound those who trample upon me; *
God will send forth his love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie in the midst of lions that devour the people; *
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongue a sharp sword.

5 They have laid a net for my feet,
and I am bowed low; *
they have dug a pit before me,
but have fallen into it themselves.

6 Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, *
and your glory over all the earth.

7 My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; *
I will sing and make melody.

8 Wake up, my spirit;
awake, lute and harp; *
I myself will waken the dawn.

9 I will confess you among the peoples, O LORD; *
I will sing praise to you among the nations.

10 For your loving-kindness is greater than the heavens, *
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

11 Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, *
and your glory over all the earth.

58 Si vere utique

1 Do you indeed decree righteousness, you rulers? *
do you judge the peoples with equity?

2 No; you devise evil in your hearts, *
and your hands deal out violence in the land.

3 The wicked are perverse from the womb; *
liars go astray from their birth.
4 They are as venomous as a serpent, *
they are like the deaf adder which stops its ears,

5 Which does not heed the voice of the charmer, *
no matter how skillful his charming.

6 O God, break their teeth in their mouths; *
pull the fangs of the young lions, O LORD.

7 Let them vanish like water that runs off; *
let them wither like trodden grass.

8 Let them be like the snail that melts away, *
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.

9 Before they bear fruit, let them be cut down like a brier; *
like thorns and thistles let them be swept away.

10 The righteous will be glad when they see the vengeance; *
they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.

11 And they will say,
“Surely, there is a reward for the righteous; *
surely, there is a God who rules in the earth.”

Friday, March 6, 2020

1 Lent Friday Psalms 40, 54

40 Expectans, expectavi

1 I waited patiently upon the LORD; *
he stooped to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the mire and clay; *
he set my feet upon a high cliff and made my footing sure.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God; *
many shall see, and stand in awe,
and put their trust in the LORD.

4 Happy are they who trust in the LORD! *
they do not resort to evil spirits or turn to false gods.

5 Great things are they that you have done, O LORD my God!
how great your wonders and your plans for us! *
there is none who can be compared with you.

6 Oh, that I could make them known and tell them! *
but they are more than I can count.

7 In sacrifice and offering you take no pleasure *
(you have given me ears to hear you);

8 Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required, *
and so I said, “Behold, I come.

9 In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: *
‘I love to do your will, O my God;
your law is deep in my heart.'”

10 I proclaimed righteousness in the great congregation; *
behold, I did not restrain my lips;
and that, O LORD, you know.

11 Your righteousness have I not hidden in my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance; *
I have not concealed your love and faithfulness from the
great congregation.
12 You are the LORD;
do not withhold your compassion from me; *
let your love and your faithfulness keep me safe for ever,

13 For innumerable troubles have crowded upon me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see; *
they are more in number than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails me.

14 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; *
O LORD, make haste to help me.

15 Let them be ashamed and altogether dismayed
who seek after my life to destroy it; *
let them draw back and be disgraced
who take pleasure in my misfortune.

16 Let those who say “Aha!” and gloat over me be confounded, *
because they are ashamed.

17 Let all who seek you rejoice in you and be glad; *
let those who love your salvation continually say,
Great is the LORD!”

18 Though I am poor and afflicted, *
the Lord will have regard for me.

19 You are my helper and my deliverer; *
do not tarry, O my God.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

54 Deus, in nomine

1 Save me, O God, by your Name; *
in your might, defend my cause.

2 Hear my prayer, O God; *
give ear to the words of my mouth.

3 For the arrogant have risen up against me,
and the ruthless have sought my life, *
those who have no regard for God.

4 Behold, God is my helper; *
it is the Lord who sustains my life.

5 Render evil to those who spy on me; *
in your faithfulness, destroy them.

6 I will offer you a freewill sacrifice *
and praise your Name, O LORD, for it is good.

7 For you have rescued me from every trouble, *
and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

1 Lent Thursday Psalm 50

1 The LORD, the God of gods, has spoken; *
he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to
its setting.

2 Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, *
God reveals himself in glory.

3 Our God will come and will not keep silence; *
before him there is a consuming flame,
and round about him a raging storm.

4 He calls the heavens and the earth from above *
to witness the judgment of his people.

5 “Gather before me my loyal followers, *
those who have made a covenant with me
and sealed it with sacrifice.”

6 Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause; *
for God himself is judge.

7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak:
“O Israel, I will bear witness against you; *
for I am God, your God.

8 I do not accuse you because of your sacrifices; *
your offerings are always before me.

9 I will take no bull-calf from your stalls, *
nor he-goats out of your pens;

10 For all the beasts of the forest are mine, *
the herds in their thousands upon the hills.

11 I know every bird in the sky, *
and the creatures of the fields are in my sight.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, *
for the whole world is mine and all that is in it.

13 Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls, *
or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and make good your vows to the Most High.

15 Call upon me in the day of trouble; *
I will deliver you, and you shall honor me.”

16 But to the wicked God says: *
Why do you recite my statutes,
and take my covenant upon your lips;

17 Since you refuse discipline, *
and toss my words behind your back?

18 When you see a thief, you make him your friend, *
and you cast in your lot with adulterers.

19 You have loosed your lips for evil, *
and harnessed your tongue to a lie.

20 You are always speaking evil of your brother *
and slandering your own mother’s son.

21 These things you have done, and I kept still, *
and you thought that I am like you.”

22 “I have made my accusation; *
I have put my case in order before your eyes.

23 Consider this well, you who forget God, *
lest I rend you and there be none to deliver you.

24 Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving
honors me; *
but to those who keep in my way will I show
the salvation of God.”