Nineteenth Kathisma

Psalm 134

Praise ye the name of the Lord; O ye servants of his, praise the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise ye the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing psalms to his name, for it is good, for the Lord hath elected Jacob for himself, Israel for his possession. For I have known that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all the gods. All that the Lord willed, He did in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in every abyss. Who bringeth up clouds from the ends of the earth; He hath made lightnings for the rain, He bringeth winds out of his treasury; who smote the first-born of Egypt, from man even unto cattle. He sent forth signs and marvels in thy midst, O Egypt: upon Pharaoh and upon all his servants, who smote many nations, and slew mighty kings, Seon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Basan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan. And gave their land for an inheri tance, an inheritance to Israel, his people. O Lord, thy name is forever, and thy memory is from generation to generation. For the Lord shall judge his people, and He shall be called upon concerning his servants. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of men’s hands. They have a mouth, but will not speak; eyes they have, but they will not see. They have ears, but they will not hear, neither is there any breath in their mouth. Let those that make them be like them, and all those that trust in them. O house of Israel, bless the Lord; house of Aaron, bless the Lord; house of Levi, bless the Lord. Ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord. Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem.

Psalm 135

O confess unto the Lord, for He is good, for his mercy is forever. O confess unto the God of gods, for his mercy is forever. O confess unto the Lord of lords, for his mercy is forever. To him who alone hath done great wonders, for his mercy is forever; to him who hath made the heavens with understanding, for his mercy is forever; to him who hath established the earth upon the waters, for his mercy is forever; to him who alone hath made great lights, for his mercy is forever; the sun to rule the day, for his mercy is forever; the moon and stars to rule the night; for his mercy is forever; to him who smote Egypt, with his firstborn, for his mercy is forever; and brought Israel out of the midst of them, for his mercy is forever; with a mighty hand and a high arm, for his mercy is forever; to him who divided the Red Sea into parts, for his mercy is forever; and brought Israel through the midst of it, for his mercy is forever; and overthrew Pharaoh and his hosts, for his mercy is forever; to him who brought his people through the desert, for his mercy is forever; to him who smote great kings, for his mercy is forever; and slew mighty kings, for his mercy is for ever; Seon, king of the Amorites, for his mercy is forever; and Og, king of Basan, for his mercy is forever; and gave their land for an inheritance, for his mercy is forever; for an inheritance to Israel, his servant, for his mercy is forever; for the Lord remembered us in our humility, for his mercy is forever; and delivered us from our enemies, for his mercy is forever; who giveth food to all flesh, for his mercy is forever. O confess unto the God of heaven, for his mercy is forever.

Psalm 136

By the rivers of Babylon, we sat dawn and wept, when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it, we hung our harps. For there our captors asked us for the words of a song, and our abductors for a hymn: Sing for us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten. Let my tongue cleave to my throat, if I remember thee not, if I prefer not Jerusalem as the beginning of my joy. Remem ber, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who said, Raze it, raze it, even to its foundations. O daughter of Babylon, the miserable, blessed is he that shall reward thee with the reward with which thou hast rewarded us. Blessed is he that shall seize and dash thy babes against the rock.

Psalm 137

I will confess thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, and before angels will I sing psalms to thee, for thou hast heard all the sayings of my mouth. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and I will confess thy name, because of thy mercy and truth, for thou hast magnified over all things thy holy name. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me speedily; thou shalt greatly increase thy power in my soul. Let all the kings of the earth confess thee, O Lord, for they have heard all the say ings of thy mouth. And let them sing in the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. For the Lord is high, and He looketh down upon the humble, and the high things He knoweth from afar. If I walk in the midst of tribulation, thou wilt give me life; against the wrath of mine enemies hast thou stretched forth thy hands, and thy right hand hath saved me. O Lord, thou shalt reward on my behalf; Lord, thy mercy is forever; despise not the works of thy hands.

Psalm 138

O Lord, thou hast proved me and known me. Thou hast known my sitting down and my rising up. Thou hast understood my thoughts from afar. My path and my course hast thou searched out, and thou hast foreseen all my ways. For there is no unrighteous word on my tongue; behold, Lord, thou hast known all things, the last and those of old. Thou hast fashioned me and thou hast laid thy hand upon me. Thy knowledge hath become too wondrous for me; it hath become strengthened, and I cannot attain to it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? And whither shall I flee from thy face? If I ascend to heaven, thou art there; if I go down to hell, thou art present there. If I take my wings in the morning and abide at the ends of the sea, even there thy hand shall guide me, and thy right hand shall restrain me. And I said, surely darkness shall cover me, and the night shall be a light in my pleasure. For darkness shall not darken itself from thee, and the night will lighten itself like the day; the darkness thereof and the light thereof are alike to thee. For thou hast taken possession of my reins; thou hast succored me from my mother’s womb. I will confess thee, for thou art fearful wondrous; wondrous are thy works and my soul knoweth this well. No bone of mine is hidden from thee, which thou hast made in secret, and my substance in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes saw mine imperfection; and all men shall be written in thy book; by day shall they be formed, and no one in them. Thy friends have been greatly honored by me, O God; their reigns have been greatly strengthened. I shall count them, and more than the sand shall they be multiplied. I rose up and am still with thee. Surely thou wilt slay the sinners, O God; ye men of blood, turn away from me. For thou wilt say of their plots, They will take hold of thy cities in vain. Have I not hated, O Lord, them that hate thee? and pined away because of thine enemies? With a perfect hatred have I hated them, and they have become enemies unto me. Prove me, O God, and know my heart; examine me, and know my paths. And see if there be in me the way of transgression, and guide me in the eternal way.

Psalm 139

Redeem me, O Lord, from the evil man; from the unrighteous man, deliver me: who have pondered unrighteous ness in their hearts; all the day they have arrayed themselves for war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent’s; the venom of asps is under their lips. Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of a sinner; from unrighteous men redeem me, from them that have plotted to make my steps slip. The proud have hid a snare for me, and have stretched out ropes as a snare for my feet. Across my path have they laid a stumbling-block for me. I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God; give heed to the voice of my prayer. Lord, O Lord, the power of my salvation, thou hast overshadowed my head in the day of war. Give me not up to a sinner, O Lord, according to my desire. They have plotted against me; forsake me not, lest they exalt themselves. That which encompasseth their head, mischief of their lips shall cover them. Coals of fire shall fall on them upon the earth; thou shalt cast them down into misery; they shall not withstand. A loose-tongued man shall not prosper upon the earth; evil shall seek after an unrighteous man unto destruc tion. I know that the Lord shall work the judgment of the poor, and the right of the needy. Yet shall the righteous confess thy name; the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

Psalm 140

I have cried unto thee, hear me. Hear me, O Lord. Lord, I have cried unto thee, hear me; attend to the voice of my prayer, when I cry unto thee. Hear me, O Lord. Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee, the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. Hear me, O Lord. Set a watch, O Lord, upon my mouth, and a gate of enclosure about my lips. Incline not my heart to words of evil, to contrive excuses for sins with men that work iniquity; and I shall not join with their elect. The righteous man shall correct me in mercy and reproach me, but the oil of the sinner shall not anoint my head. For my prayer is still against their pleasure; their judges are swallowed up among the stones. They shall hear my words that have prevailed; as clods of earth are broken upon the earth, so our bones are scattered on the brink of hell. To thee, O Lord, Lord, I turn mine eyes; in thee I hope, take not away my soul. Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, and from the pitfalls of the workers of iniquity. Let sinners fall into their own net, whilst I alone shall pass.

Psalm 141

With my voice have I cried to the Lord, with my voice have I prayed to the Lord. I pour forth my prayer before him, and before him I declare my sorrow. When my spirit departed from me, thou knewest all my paths. In this way where I was walking, they have hid a snare for me. I looked to the right and I saw, and there is none that knew me. A way of escape faileth me, and there is none that seeketh my soul. I have cried unto thee, O Lord, and said, Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living. Attend to my prayer, for I am exceeding humbled. Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are become stronger than I. Lead forth my soul from prison, that I may confess thy name. The righteous await me, till thou shalt reward me.

Psalm 142

O Lord, hearken unto my prayer; give heed to my supplication in thy truth; hearken unto me in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant, for before thee shall no man living be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath humbled my life down to the earth. He hath made me sit in darkness like them that have been long dead. My spirit is dejected within me; within me my heart is disquieted. I have remembered ancient days; I meditated on all thy works; on the works of thy hands did I meditate. I stretched forth my hands unto thee, and my soul like a waterless land unto thee. Hearken unto me speedily, O Lord; my spirit hath vanished. Turn not away thy face from me, lest I become like them that go down into the pit. Make me to hear thy mercy in the morning, for in thee have I hoped. Make known to me the way, O Lord, wherein I should walk, for to thee have I lifted up my soul. Redeem me from mine enemies, O Lord; unto thee have I fled. Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God. Thy good spirit shall guide me to the land of uprightness. For thy name’s sake, O Lord, quicken me. In thy righteousness thou shalt lead my soul out of tribulation. And in thy mercy thou shalt blot out mine enemies, and shalt destroy all them that afflict my soul, for I am thy servant.