The voice of the Lord is powerful; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; Yea, the Lord breaketh in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild-ox.
The voice of the Lord cleaveth the flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness; The Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, And strippeth the forests bare: And in his temple everything saith, Glory!
The Lord sat as king at the Flood; Yea, the Lord sitteth as king for ever.
The Lord will give strength unto his people; The Lord will bless his people with peace.
--_Psalm 29_.
{43}{44}
[Ill.u.s.tration]
A VILLAGE IN THE LEBANON.
From an old engraving.
"The voice of the Lord is full of majesty, The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars, Yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon"
[End ill.u.s.tration]
{45}
WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT, BUT JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING.
I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast raised me up, And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
O Lord my G.o.d, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, And give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a lifetime: Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy cometh in the morning.
As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved.
Thou, Lord, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide thy face; I was troubled.
I cried to thee, O Lord; And unto the Lord I made supplication: What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? {46} Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.
O Lord my G.o.d, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
--_Psalm 30_.
{47}
MY TIMES ARE IN THY HANDS
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: Deliver me in thy righteousness.
Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily: Be thou to me a strong rock, an house of defence to save me.
For thou art my rock and my fortress; Therefore for thy name"s sake lead me and guide me.
Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for me; For thou art my strong hold.
Into thine hand I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou G.o.d of truth.
I hate them that regard lying vanities: But I trust in the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: For thou hast seen my affliction; Thou hast known my soul in adversities: And thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; Thou hast set my feet in a large place.
Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in distress: Mine eye wasteth away with grief, yea, my soul and my body.
For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing: {48} My strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are wasted away.
Because of all mine adversaries I am become a reproach, Yea, unto my neighbours exceedingly, and a fear to mine acquaintance: They that did see me without fled from me.
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
For I have heard the defaming of many, Terror on every side: While they took counsel together against me, They devised to take away my life.
But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my G.o.d.
My times are in thy hand: Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: Save me in thy lovingkindness.
Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: Let the wicked be ashamed, let them be silent in Sheol.
Let the lying lips be dumb; Which speak against the righteous insolently, With pride and contempt.
Oh how great is thy goodness, Which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, Which thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in thee, Before the sons of men! {49} In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them from the plottings of man: Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
Blessed be the Lord; For he hath showed me his marvellous lovingkindness in a strong city.
As for me, I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications When I cried unto thee.
O love the Lord, all ye his saints: The Lord preserveth the faithful, And plentifully rewardeth him that dealeth proudly.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, All ye that hope in the Lord.
--_Psalm 31_.
{50}
REJOICE
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: Praise is comely for the upright.
Give thanks unto the Lord with harp: Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings.
Sing unto him a new song; Play skilfully with a loud noise.
For the word of the Lord is right; And all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loveth righteousness and judgment: The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: He layeth up the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord: Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
The Lord bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought: He maketh the thoughts of the peoples to be of none effect.
The counsel of the Lord standeth fast for ever, The thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose G.o.d is the Lord; {51} The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
The Lord looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men; From the place of his habitation he looketh forth Upon all the inhabitants of the earth; He that fashioneth the hearts of them all, That considereth all their works.
There is no king saved by the mult.i.tude of an host: A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
An horse is a vain thing for safety: Neither shall he deliver any by his great power.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, Upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul hath waited for the Lord: He is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him, Because we have trusted in his holy name.
Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, According as we have hoped in thee.
--_Psalm 33_.
{52}
I WILL BLESS THE LORD
I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.