Eighteenth Kathisma
Psalm 119
Unto the Lord did I cry when I was afflicted, and He hearkened unto me. O Lord, deliver my soul from unrighteous lips, and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be added unto thee, against a deceitful tongue? Sharpened arrows of the powerful one, with coals of the desert broom. Woe is me, for my sojourn hath been prolonged; I have pitched my tent among the tents of Kedar; my soul hath long sojourned. With them that hate peace I was peaceful; when I spake to them, they warred against me without a cause.
Psalm 120
I lifted up mine eyes unto the mountains, whence cometh my help. My help is from the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth. Let not my foot be given to wavering, nor He that keepeth thee slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord shall keep thee; the Lord is thy shield upon thy right hand. By day the sun shall not smite thee, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall keep thee from all evil; the Lord shall keep thy soul. The Lord shall keep thy coming in and thy going out henceforth and for evermore.
Psalm 121
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet were standing within thy courts, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city, which is shared by all together. For there did the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, a testimony of Israel, to confess the name of the Lord. For there are set thrones for judgment, thrones over the house of David. Plead then for the peace of Jerusalem, and plenteousness for them that love thee. Let there be peace then in thy power, and plenteousness within thy towers. For my brethren and neigh bors’ sakes have I spoken peace concerning thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God, I sought out thy good.
Psalm 122
Unto thee do I lift up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants are upon the hands of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden are upon the hands of her mistress, even so our eyes are upon the Lord our God, until He be compassionate unto us. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for long have we been filled with despitefulness. Yet more is our soul filled with the reproach of the wealthy and the despitefulness of the proud.
Psalm 123
If the Lord had not been with us, let Israel now say, if the Lord had not been with us, when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive; when their anger was wroth with us, then the waters would have drowned us. Our soul passed through a torrent; then our soul passed through overwhelming waters. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as prey to their teeth. Our soul is delivered as a sparrow out of the hunter’s snare; the snare is crushed, and we are delivered. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who hath created heaven and earth.
Psalm 124
They that trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion; he shall not be moved for ever that dwelleth at Jerusalem. Mountains are round about her; and the Lord is round about his people henceforth and for evermore. For the Lord will not suffer the rod of the sinners to rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous stretch forth their hands unto iniquity. Do good, O Lord, unto them that are good, and to them that are upright in their hearts. But them that turn aside unto crooked ways shall the Lord lead away with the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel.
Psalm 125
When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we became like them that are comforted. Then was our mouth filled with joy and our tongue with rejoicing; then will they say among the nations: The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; we are become glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap with rejoicing. They went forth and wept, casting their seed, but in coming again, they shall rejoice, bringing their sheaves with them.
Psalm 126
Except the Lord build the house, in vain have the builders labored; except the Lord keep the city, in vain hath the keeper watched. In vain do ye rise up early. Arise after sitting down, ye who eat the bread of sorrow, while He giveth sleep to his beloved. Lo, the inheritance of the Lord are sons, the reward of the fruit of the womb. Like arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are sons to them that were outcasts. Blessed is the man whose desire is fulfilled in them; they shall not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies at the gates.
Psalm 127
Blessed are all they that fear the Lord, that walk in his ways. Of the fruit of thy labors shalt thou eat. Blessed art thou, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be like a fruitful vine on the sides of thy house; thy sons like a newly planted olive orchard round about thy table. Behold, so shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, and thou shalt see the good things of Jeru salem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.
Psalm 128
Many a time have they warred against me from my youth, let Israel now say. Many a time have they warred against me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. Upon my back did the sinners plot; they have prolonged their iniquity. The Lord is righteous; He hath severed the necks of sinners. Let them all be ashamed and turned back that hate Zion. Let them be like grass upon the housetops, which afore it is plucked up is withered away. Wherewith the reaper filleth not his hand, nor he that gathereth sheaves his bosom. Neither did they which go by say: The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.
Psalm 129
Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let thine ears give heed to the voice of my prayer. If thou observest transgression, Lord, O Lord, who shall stand? For with thee is propitiation. For thy name’s sake, I have waited upon thee, O Lord; my soul hath waited upon thy word; my soul hath hoped in the Lord. From the morning watch till the night, let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all his transgression.
Psalm 130
O Lord, my heart is not exalted, nor are mine eyes ele vated. I have not walked in great things nor in things too wondrous for me. Had I not been humble-minded, but had I exalted my soul, like as a child that is weaned from his mother, so shalt thou reward my soul. Let Israel hope in the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
Psalm 131
Remember David, O Lord, and all his meekness. How he sware unto the Lord, and made a vow unto the God of Jacob. I shall not come within the tabernacle of my house, nor go up to the couch of my bed; I shall not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids, nor rest to my temples, until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. Lo, we have heard of it in Ephrata and found it in the fields of the wood. We will go into his tabernacle; we will worship upon the place where his feet have stood. Arise, O Lord, into thy resting place, thou and the ark of thy holiness. Thy priests shall clothe themselves with righteousness, and thy saints shall rejoice. For thy servant David’s sake, turn not away the face of thine anointed. The Lord hath sworn truth unto David, and He will not cast it aside: Of the fruit of thy bosom shall I set upon thy throne. If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimonies, those things shall I teach them. Their children also shall sit upon thy throne until the age. For the Lord hath elected Zion; He hath chosen her for his dwelling-place. This shall be my rest for ever; here shall I dwell, for I have chosen her. I will bless her victuals with a blessing, and will satisfy her poor with bread. I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall rejoice with joy. There will I make a horn for David to spring up; I have made ready a lamp for mine anointed. As for his enemies, I shall clothe them with shame, but upon him my holiness shall flourish.
Psalm 132
Behold, how good and joyful it is for brethren to dwell together. Like myrrh upon the head, that runneth down upon the beard, even upon Aaron’s beard, which runneth down to the hem of his robe. Like the dew of Hermon, which came down upon Mount Zion, for the Lord commanded the blessing and life for evermore.
Psalm 133
Behold now, bless the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. In the nights lift up your hands in the sanctuaries, and bless ye the Lord. May the Lord bless thee out of Zion, He that made heaven and earth.