Psalm 107(106) Confitemini Domino
1 "O give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his love endures for ever."
2 Let them say this, the Lord's redeemed,
whom he redeemed from the hand of the foe
3 and gathered from far-off lands,
from east and west, north and south.
* * *
4 Some wandered in the desert, in the wilderness,
finding no way to a city they could dwell in.
5 Hungry they were and thirsty;
their soul was fainting within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress
7 and he led them along the right way,
to reach a city they could dwell in.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for men:
9 for he satisfies the thirsty soul;
he fills the hungry with good things.
* * *
10 Some lay in darkness and in gloom,
prisoners in misery and chains,
11 having defied the words of God
and spurned the counsels of the Most High.
12 He crushed their spirit with toil;
they stumbled; there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
14 He led them forth from darkness and gloom
and broke their chains to pieces.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his goodness,
for the wonders he does for men:
16 for he bursts the gates of bronze
and shatters the iron bars.
* * *
17 Some were sick on account of their sins
and afflicted on account of their guilt.
18 They had a loathing for every food;
they came close to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
20 He sent forth his word to heal them
and saved their life from the grave.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for men.
22 Let them offer a sacrifice of thanks
and tell of his deeds with rejoicing.
* * *
23 Some sailed to the sea in ships
to trade on the mighty waters.
24 These men have seen the Lord's deeds,
the wonders he does in the deep.
25 For he spoke; he summoned the gale,
tossing the waves of the sea
26 up to heaven and back into the deep;
their souls melted away in their distress.
27 They staggered, reeled like drunken men,
for all their skill was gone.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper:
all the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They rejoiced because of the calm
and he led them to the haven they desired.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for men.
32 Let them exalt him in the gathering of the people
and praise him in the meeting of the elders.
* * *
33 He changes streams into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 fruitful land into a salty waste,
for the wickedness of those who live there.
35 But he changes desert into streams,
thirsty ground into springs of water.
36 There he settles the hungry
and they build a city to dwell in.
37 They sow fields and plant their vines;
these yield crops for the harvest.
38 He blesses them; they grow in numbers.
He does not let their herds decrease.
* * *
40 He pours contempt upon princes,
makes them wander in trackless wastes.
39 They diminish, are reduced to nothing
by oppression, evil and sorrow.
41 But he raises the needy from distress;
makes families numerous as a flock.
42 The upright see it and rejoice
but all who do wrong are silenced.
43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things.
And consider the love of the Lord.
Return to Athanasius' Letter
Psalm 108(107) Paratum cor meum
.2 My heart is ready, O God;
I will sing, sing your praise.
Awake, my soul;
.3 awake, lyre and harp,
I will awake the dawn.
.4 I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples,
among the nations I will praise you,
.5 for your love reaches to the heavens
and your truth to the skies.
.6 O God, arise above the heavens;
may your glory shine on earth!
.7 O come and deliver your friends;
help with your right hand and reply.
.8 From his holy place God has made this promise;
"I will triumph and divide the land of Shechem,
I will measure out the valley of Succoth.
.9 Gilead is mine and Manasseh,
Ephraim I take for my helmet,
Judah for my commander's staff.
.10 Moab I will use for my washbowl,
on Edom I will plant my shoe.
Over the Philistines I will shout in triumph."
.11 But who will lead me to conquer the fortress?
Who will bring me face to face with Edom?
.12 Will you utterly reject us, O God,
and no longer march with our armies?
.13 Give us help against the foe,
for the help of man is vain.
.14 With God we shall do bravely
and he will trample down our foes.
Return to Athanasius' Letter
Psalm 109(108) Deus, laudem
1 O God whom I praise, do not be silent,
2 for the mouths of deceit and wickedness
are opened against me.
3 They speak to me with lying tongues;
they beset me with words of hate
and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me
while I pray for them.
5 They repay me evil for good,
hatred for love.
* * *
6 Appoint a wicked man as his judge;
let an accuser stand at his right.
7 When he is judged let him come out condemned;
let his prayer be considered as sin.
8 Let the days of his life be few;
let another man take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless orphans
and his wife become a widow.
10 Let his children be wanderers and beggars
driven from the ruins of their home.
11 Let the creditor seize all his goods;
let strangers take the fruit of his work.
12 Let no one show him any mercy
nor pity his fatherless children.
13 Let all his sons be destroyed
and with them their names be blotted out.
14 Let his father's guilt be remembered,
his mother's be retained.
15 Let it always stand before the Lord,
that their memory be cut off from the earth.
16 For he did not think of showing mercy
but pursed the poor and the needy,
17 hounding the wretched to death.
He loved cursing; let curses fall upon him.
He scorned blessing; let blessing pass him by.
18 He put on cursing like his coat;
let it sink into his body like water;
let it sink like oil into his bones;
19 let it be like the clothes that cover him,
like a girdle he cannot take off!
* * *
20 Let the Lord thus repay my accusers,
all those who speak evil against me.
21 For your name's sake act in my defense;
in the goodness of your love be my rescuer.
22 For I am poor and needy
and my heart is pierced within me.
23 I fade like an evening shadow;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting;
my body is thin and gaunt.
25 I have become an object of scorn,
all who see me toss their heads.
26 Help me, Lord my God;
save me because of your love.
27 Let them know that is your work,
That this is your doing, O Lord.
28 They may curse but you will bless.
Let my attackers be put to shame,
but let your servant rejoice.
29 Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
covered with shame as with a cloak.