Pure Words

Blessed is the man
Who does not walk in the wisdom of man
Or stands in the path of sinners,
Or sits in the seat of the scoffer
Blessed is the man
Who does not walk in the wisdom of man
Or stands in the path of sinners
Or sits in the seat of the scoffer
But his delight is in the law of the Lord
And in His law he meditates day and night

He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water
Bearing its fruit in its season,
And its leaf shall not wither
He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water
Bearing its fruit in its season
And whatever he does will prosper
Blessed is the man

The ungodly are not so
They are chaff which the wind drives away
So the wicked won't stand in the judgment,
Or sinners with the saints
For the Lord knows the way of His righteous ones
But the way of the godless man will die
Blessed is the man in whom the Lord delights

He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water....

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot a vain thing
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot a vain thing
The kings of the earth have set themselves
And the rulers speak together
against the Lord and His Messiah
Saying, "Let us break their bonds in pieces,
Move this Law from before our faces."

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh,
The Lord Himself will scorn them
Then speak to them in His wrath
to frighten and to warn them
"I have set My King upon My holy hill of Zion" says the Lord
I will declare the decree, the Lord has said to me
"You are My Son, today I have begotten Thee"

Ask of Me and I will give You all of the nations, they'll be Yours
I will give you all the ends of the earth
You shall break them with a rod of iron
Into little pieces like a vessel of earth

So be wise oh kings, you judges be instructed
Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling
Kiss the Son lest He be angry
And you perish in the way when His wrath is turned to flame
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him

Ask of Me and I will give You all of the nations, they'll be Yours
I will give You all the ends of the earth
You shall break them with a rod of iron
Into little pieces like a vessel of earth

O Lord, how many are my foes
Many are rising against me, many are saying of my soul
There is no help for him in God
(There is no help for him in God)
There is no salvation for him in God
(There is no salvation for him in God)
But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head
I cried aloud to the Lord,
and He answered me from His holy hill

I lay down and slept, I woke again for the Lord sustained me
I will not be afraid of ten thousand
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around
Against me all around (I will not fear)
You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the lifter of my head
You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the lifter of my head

Arise, O Lord! Save me O my God!
For You strike all my enemies on the cheek,
You break the teeth of the wicked
Arise, O Lord! Save me O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek,
You break the teeth of the wicked
Salvation belongs to the Lord
(Your blessing be upon Your people)
Salvation belongs to the Lord
(Your blessing be upon Your people)
You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the lifter of my head
You're the lifter of my head

A: Answer me when I call, O God of my / righteous / ness //
B: You have given me relief when / I was / in dis / tress. //
C: Be gracious to me and / hear my / prayer! //

A: O men, how long shall my honour be turned / into / shame? //
B: How long will you love vain words / and seek / after / lies? //
C: But know that Yahweh has set apart the godly / for Him / self: //
D: Yahweh hears when I / call to / Him. //

A: Be angry, and / do not / sin;
B: Ponder in your own hearts on your / beds / and be / silent. //
C: Offer right sacrifices, and put you / trust in / Yahweh. //

A: There are many who say, "Who will / show^us some / good? //
B: Lift up the light of Your / face^upon / us, O / Yahweh! //
C: You have put more joy in my heart than they have, when their grain and / wine a / bound. //

C: In peace I will both lie / down and / sleep; //
D: For You alone, O Yahweh, make me / dwell in / saftey. ///

Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my groaning
Give attention to the words of my cry, my king and my God
For to You do I pray
O Lord, in the morning You hear my voice
In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for You and watch

For You are not a God who delights in wickedness
Evil shall not dwell with You
The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes
You hate all evildoers, you destroy those who speak lies
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man

But I, through the abundance of Your steadfast love
will enter Your house
I will bow down toward Your holy temple in the fear of You
Lead me, or Lord, in Your righteousness
because of my enemies
Make Your way straight before me

For there is no truth in their mouth,
Their inmost self is destruction
Their throat is an open grave, they flatter with their tongue
Make them bear their guilt O God;
Let them fall by their own council.
Because of the abundance of their transgressions
Cast them out
For they have rebelled against You
But let all who take refuge in You rejoice
Let them ever sing for joy,
And spread Your protection over them
That those who love Your name may exult in You
For You bless the rightoues, O Lord,
You cover him with favour as with a shield.

O Lord, rebuke me not in Your anger,
Nor discipline me in Your wrath
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing
Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled
My soul also is greatly troubled, but You, O Lord -
How long, how long

Turn, O Lord - deliver my life
Save me for the sake of Your steadfast love
For in death there is no remembrance of You
In Sheol who will give Your praise?

I am weary with my moaning,
Every night I flood my bed with tears
I drench my couch with my weeping;
My eye wastes away because of grief
It grows weak... because of all my foes

Turn, O Lord....

Depart from me, all you workers of evil
For the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping
The Lord has heard my plea, the Lord accepts my prayer
All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled
They shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment

Turn, O Lord....

Based on a translation by John Barach Jr; used by permission

Yahweh, my god, in you I have taken refuge;
Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
Lest he tear my soul like a lion,
Ripping to pieces and there is no one to deliver.

Yahweh, my God, if I did this:
If there is injustice in my hands,
If I did evil to someone at peace with me
Or plundered my adversary without cause,
Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake,
And let him trample to the earth my life
And cause my glory to dwell in the dust.

Selah. Selah.

Arise, Yahweh, in Your anger!
Rise up against the ragings of my adversaries!
And awake for me to the judgment you commanded!
And let the assembly of the peoples surround You
and over them to the high place return.

Yahweh will judge the peoples.
[Yahweh will judge the peoples.]
Judge me, Yahweh, according to my righteousness
And according to my integrity within me.
Let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, I pray,
But establish the righteous.

Now a tester of hearts and kidneys is the righteous God;
My shield is with God, the Saviour of the upright in heart.
God is a righteous judge,
And a God who expresses anger every day.
If a man will not turn, His sword He will sharpen;
His bow He bends and makes it ready.
And for Himself He prepares deadly weapons;
He makes His arrows flame.

Look, man is in labour with trouble;
And he conceives trouble and bears falsehoo.
A pit he dug and he scooped it out,
And he fell into the hole he made.
His trouble shall return upon his own head
And on his skull his violence will come down.
I will give thanks to Yahweh according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High.

Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your Name in all the earth
Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your Name in all the earth
Out of the mouths of babies and children
You have established Your strength
What can Your enemies do but keep silent and still

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers
The moon and the stars You ordained
What is man that You care or even remember
But him You exalt all the same

You have crowned him with glory and honour
Let him rule over all You have made
All the birds of the air and the fish of the sea
And the beasts of the field are all under his feet

Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your Name in all the earth
Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your Name in all the earth

Text by Douglas Wilson, 2000. Taken from the Cantus Christi, © 2002, Canon Press. Used by permission.

Why do You stand far off, O God, my Lord?
And why in times of trouble do You hide?
The wicked in their hate cannot afford
To spare the poor from persecuting pride.
Let them be caught as all their schemes collide.
He boasts of lust which from his heart arises;
He blesses greedy men and God despises.

The wicked gloat, and in their pride of face,
Will not seek after God or think of Him.
Their ways are always grievous to His grace,
And all His judgments seen as blurred and dim.
They puff at coming dangers fell and grim,
As in their hearts they say they can't be shaken,
And claim they cannot be in troubles taken.

Their mouths are full of cursing and deceit,
And under their vain tongues is mischief wrought.
Their words seek ways soon to defraud and cheat;
They lurk in alleys and from hiding sought
The blood of innocents; the poor are caught
They lie in wait, their nets are laid down slowly;
They set their traps; they scheme to catch the lowly.

They crouch beside their traps and are disgraced.
They wait to catch the poor by their own hand,
And say within their hearts, "God hides His face,
He has forgotten us; our schemes will stand.
For God will never see what we have planned."
Arise, our Lord and God, bring Your salvation
And save the humble from humiliation

Why do the wicked thus condemn the Lord?
Why do they think He will not judge their sin?
Our God has seen it all and lifts His sword;
God marks the mischief and the spite within
Their evil hearts - His judgments soon begin.
O God the wicked scorn all true repentance.
The fatherless rely upon Your sentence.
O God, come down and break their evil arms.
Seek out their sins and chase them all away.
The Lord is king, and freed from all alarms
We rest in Him; the heathen fade away.
O Lord, You always hear the humble pray
As You prepare their hearts for Your own blessing.
You hear their cry and judge all vain oppressing.

In the Lord I take refuge, how can you say to my soul
Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold
The wicked bend the bow
They have fitted their arrow to the string
To shoot in the dark at the upright in heart
If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven
His eyes see, His eyelids test the children of man
The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven
His eyes see, His eyelids test the children of man

The Lord tests the righteous
But His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence
The Lord tests the righteous,
but His soul hates the wicked and the violent
Let Him rain coals on the wicked,
Fire and sulphur and a scorching wind
Shall be the portion of their cup

For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteous deeds
And the upright shall behold His face
For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteous deeds
And the upright shall behold His face

Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone
For the faithful have vanished from among the sons of men
Everyone utters lies to his neighbour
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that makes great boasts
Those who say, "With our tongue we will prevail,
Our lips are with us, who is master over us?"

"Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
I will now arise," says the Lord;
"I will place him in the safety for which he longs."
The words of the Lord are pure words,
Like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.

You, O Lord, will keep them.
You will guard us from this generation forever.
On every side the wicked prowl
As vileness is exalted 'mid the children of man
On every side the wicked prowl
As vileness is exalted 'mid the children of man

Because the poor are plundered....

Like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
You, O Lord, will keep them,
You will guard us from this generation forever
On every side the wicked prowl
As vileness is exalted 'mid the children of man
On every side the wicked prowl
As vileness is exalted 'mid the children of man

How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever?
HOw long will You hide Your face, hide Your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul,
And have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God,
Light my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death
Lest my enemy say "I have prevailed over him!"
Lest my foes rejoice for I am shaken
[Repeat]

How long, O Lord, will You forget me forever....

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God,
Light my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death
Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him!"
Lest my foes rejoice for I am shaken
But I have trusted in Your steadfast love,
And my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation
I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me

The fool says in his heart "There is no God" (There is no God)
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds
There is none who does good (There is none who does good)
The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man
To see if there are any here who understand, who seek for God
They have all turned aside, they together are defiled
There is none who does good, not even one

Have they no knowledge, these doers of evil
Who eat up my people as they eat bread
And do not call upon the Lord
There they are in terror,
for God is with the righteous generation
You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is his refuge

Oh that salvation would come out of Zion for Israel!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of His people
Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
Oh that salvation would come out of Zion for Israel!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of His people
Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Oh Lord, who shall sojourn in Your tent?
Who shall dwell on Your holy hill,
Who shall dwell on Your holy hill?
Oh Lord, who shall sojourn in Your tent?
Who shall dwell on Your holy hill,
Who shall dwell on Your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
And speaks truth in his heart
He who does not slander with his tongue
And does no evil to his neighbour
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend
In whose eyes a vile person is despised
But who honours those who fear the Lord
He who swears to his own hurt and does not change
He who does not put out his money at interest
And does not take a bribe against the innorcent
He who does these things shall never be moved

Oh Lord, who shall sojourn in Your tent....

Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge
I say to the Lord,
"You are my Lord, I have no good apart from You."
Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge
I say to the Lord,
"You are my Lord, I have no good apart from You."
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones
The excellent ones, in whom is all my delight
In whom is all my delight
The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply
Their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out,
Or take their names on my lips
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup, You hold my lot
And the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places indeed
I have a beautiful inheritance

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
In the night my heart instructs me
I have set the Lord always before me
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be shaken
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
In the night my heart instructs me
I have set the Lord always before me
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be shaken

Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices,
My flesh also dwells secure.
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol
Or let Your holy one see corruption
You make known to me the path of life
In Your presence there is fullness of joy
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel....

Based on a translation by John Barach Jr; used by permission

Yahweh, my god, in you I have taken refuge;
Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
Lest he tear my soul like a lion,
Ripping to pieces and there is no one to deliver.

Yahweh, my God, if I did this:
If there is injustice in my hands,
If I did evil to someone at peace with me
Or plundered my adversary without cause,
Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake,
And let him trample to the earth my life
And cause my glory to dwell in the dust.

Selah. Selah.

Arise, Yahweh, in Your anger!
Rise up against the ragings of my adversaries!
And awake for me to the judgment you commanded!
And let the assembly of the peoples surround You
and over them to the high place return.

Yahweh will judge the peoples.
[Yahweh will judge the peoples.]
Judge me, Yahweh, according to my righteousness
And according to my integrity within me.
Let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, I pray,
But establish the righteous.

Now a tester of hearts and kidneys is the righteous God;
My shield is with God, the Saviour of the upright in heart.
God is a righteous judge,
And a God who expresses anger every day.
If a man will not turn, His sword He will sharpen;
His bow He bends and makes it ready.
And for Himself He prepares deadly weapons;
He makes His arrows flame.

Look, man is in labour with trouble;
And he conceives trouble and bears falsehoo.
A pit he dug and he scooped it out,
And he fell into the hole he made.
His trouble shall return upon his own head
And on his skull his violence will come down.
I will give thanks to Yahweh according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High.