Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Continuing with our Psalms of Lament,
today's readings are Psalms 53, 55, 58, 61, 64,
69 through 71. Psalm 53, inscription to the chief
musician, said to Mahalat, a contemplation of
David. The fool has said in his heart, there
is no God. They are corrupt and have done abominable
iniquity. There is none who does good. God looks
down from heaven upon the children of men to
see if there are any who understand, who seek
God. Every one of them has turned aside. They
have together become corrupt. There is none who
does good, no, not one. Have the workers of iniquity
no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat
bread and do not call upon God? There they are
in great fear, where no fear was, for God has
scattered the bones of him who encamps against
you. you have put them to shame because God has
despised them. Oh, that the salvation of Israel
would come out of Zion. When God brings back
the captivity of his people, let Jacob rejoice
and Israel be glad. Psalm 55, Inscription To
the chief musician, with stringed instruments,
a contemplation of David. Give ear to my prayer,
O God, and do not hide yourself from my supplication.
Attend to me and hear me. I am restless in my
complaint and moan noisily. Because of the voice
of the enemy, because of the oppression of the
wicked, for they bring down trouble upon me,
and in wrath they hate me. My heart is severely
pained within me, and the terrors of death have
fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have
come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me.
So I said, O that I had wings like a dove, I
would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would
wander far off, and remain in the wilderness.
Salah. I would hasten my escape from the windy
storm and tempest. Destroy, O Lord, and divide
their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife
in the city. Day and night they go around it
on its walls. Iniquity and trouble are also in
the midst of it. Destruction is in its midst.
Oppression and deceit do not depart from its
streets. For it is not an enemy who reproaches
me, then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates
me, who has exalted himself against me, then
I could hide from him. But it was you. A man
my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. We
took sweet counsel together and walked to the
house of God in the throng. Let death seize them.
Let them go down alive into hell. For wickedness
is in their dwellings and among them. As for
me, I will call upon God and the Lord shall save
me. Evening and morning and at noon, I will pray
and cry aloud. And he shall hear my voice. He
has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle
that was against me. For there were many against
me. God will hear and afflict them. Even he who
abides from of old, Salah. Because they do not
change, therefore they do not fear God. He has
put forth his hands against those who were at
peace with him. He has broken his covenant. The
words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
but war was in his heart. His words were softer
than oil, yet they were drawn swords. Cast your
burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain you.
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved,
but you, O God, shall bring them down to the
pit of destruction. Not thirsty and deceitful
men shall not live out half their days, but I
will trust in you. Do you indeed speak righteousness,
you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you
sons of men? No, in heart you work wickedness.
You weigh out the violence of your hands in the
earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb.
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking
lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent.
They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
which will not heed the voice of charmers, charming
ever so skillfully. Break their teeth in their
mouth, O God. Break out the fangs of the young
lions, O Lord. Let them flow away as waters which
run continually. When he bends his bow, let his
arrows be as if cut in pieces. Let them be like
a snail which melts away as it goes, like a stillborn
child of a woman that they may not see the sun.
Before your pots can feel the burning thorns,
he shall take them away as with a whirlwind,
as in his living and burning wrath. The righteous
shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He
shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
so that men will say, Surely there is a reward
for the righteous. Surely he is God who judges
in the earth. Psalm 61, Inscription To the chief
musician on a stringed instrument, a psalm of
David. Hear my cry, O God, attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to you.
When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the
rock that is higher than I. For you have been
a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in your tabernacle forever. I will
trust in the shelter of your wings. Salah. For
you, O God, have heard my vows. You have given
me the heritage of those who fear your name.
You will prolong the king's life, his years as
many generations. He shall abide before God forever.
O prepare mercy and truth which may preserve
him. So I will sing praise to your name forever,
that I may daily perform my vows. Psalm 64 Inscription
To the Chief Musician A Psalm of David Hear my
voice, O God, in my meditation. Preserve my life
from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret
plots of the wicked, from the rebellion of the
workers of iniquity, who sharpen their tongue
like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their
arrows. bitter words, that they may shoot in
secret at the blameless. Suddenly they shoot
at him and do not fear. They encourage themselves
in an evil matter. They talk of laying snares
secretly. They say, who will see them? They devise
iniquities. We have perfected a shrewd scheme.
Both the inward thought and the heart of man
are deep. But God will shoot at them with an
arrow. Suddenly they shall be wounded. So he
will make them stumble over their own tongue.
All who see them shall flee away. All men shall
fear. and shall declare the work of God, for
they shall wisely consider his doing. The righteous
shall be glad in the Lord and trust in him, and
all the upright in heart shall glory. Psalm 69,
Inscription To the chief musician said to the
lilies, a psalm of David. Save me, O God, for
the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in
deep mire, where there is no standing. I have
come into deep waters, where the floods overflow
me. I am weary with my crying. My throat is dry.
My eyes fail while I wait for my God. Those who
hate me without a cause are more than the hairs
of my head. They are mighty who would destroy
me, being my enemies wrongfully. Though I have
stolen nothing, I still must restore it. O God,
you know my foolishness, and my sins are not
hidden from you. Let not those who wait for you,
O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me.
Let not those who seek you be confounded because
of me, O God of Israel, because for your sake
I have borne reproach. Shame has covered my face.
I have become a stranger to my brothers, and
an alien to my mother's children, because zeal
for your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches
of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
that became my reproach. I also made sackcloth
my garment. I became a byword to them. Those
who sit in the gate speak against me, and I am
the song of the drunkards. But as for me, my
prayer is to you. O Lord, in the acceptable time,
O God, in the multitude of your mercy, hear me
in the truth of your salvation. Deliver me out
of the mire, and let me not sink. Let me be delivered
from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters.
Let not the flood water overflow me, nor let
the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut
its mouth on me. Hear me, O Lord, for your lovingkindness
is good. Turn to me according to the multitude
of your tender mercies, and do not hide your
face from your servant, for I am in trouble.
Hear me speedily. Draw near to my soul and redeem
it. Deliver me because of my enemies. You know
my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor. My adversaries
are all before you. Reproach has broken my heart,
and I am full of heaviness. I looked for someone
to take pity, but there was none, and for comforters
I have found none. They also gave me gall for
my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar
to drink. Let their table become a snare before
them, and their well -being a trap. Let their
eyes be darkened, so that they do not see. and
make their loins shake continually. Pour out
your indignation upon them, and let your wrathful
anger take hold of them. Let their dwelling place
be desolate. Let no one live in their tents.
For they persecute the ones you have struck.
And talk of the grief of those you have wounded.
Add iniquity to their iniquity. And let them
not come into your righteousness. Let them be
blotted out of the book of the living, and not
be written with the righteous. But I am poor
and sorrowful. Let your salvation, O God, set
me up on high. I will praise the name of God
with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
This also shall please the Lord better than an
ox or bull, which has horns and hooves. The humble
shall see this and be glad, and you who seek
God, your hearts shall live. For the Lord hears
the poor, and does not despise his prisoners.
Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and
everything that moves in them. For God will save
Zion, and build the cities of Judah, that they
may dwell there and possess it. Also the descendants
of his servants shall inherit it, and those who
love his name shall dwell in it. Psalm 70 Inscription
To the Chief Musician A Psalm of David To bring
to remembrance Make haste, O God, to deliver
me. Make haste to help me, O Lord. Let them be
ashamed and confounded who seek my life. Let
them be turned back and confused who desire my
hurt. Let them be turned back because of their
shame who say, Aha! Aha! Let all those who seek
you rejoice and be glad in you, and let those
who love your salvation say continually, Let
God be magnified. But I am poor and needy. Make
haste to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer.
O Lord, do not delay. Psalm 71 In you, O Lord,
I put my trust. Let me never be put to shame.
Deliver me in your righteousness and cause me
to escape. Incline your ear to me and save me.
Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually.
You have given the commandment to save me, for
you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me,
O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out
of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
For you are my hope, O Lord God. You are my trust
from my youth. By you I have been upheld from
birth. You are he who took me out of my mother's
womb. My praise shall be continually of you.
I have become as a wonder to many, but you are
my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with
your praise and with your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off in a time of old age. Do not
forsake me when my strength fails, for my enemies
speak against me, and those who lie in wait for
my life take counsel together, saying, God has
forsaken him, pursue and take him, for there
is none to deliver him. O God, do not be far
from me. O my God, make haste to help me. Let
them be confounded and consumed, who are adversaries
of my life. Let them be covered with reproach
and dishonor, who seek my hurt. But I will hope
continually. and will praise you yet more and
more. My mouth shall tell of your righteousness
and your salvation all the day. For I do not
know their limits. I will go in the strength
of the Lord God. I will make mention of your
righteousness, of yours only. O God, you have
taught me from my youth, and to this day I declare
your wondrous works. Now also, when I am old
and gray -headed, O God, do not forsake me, until
I declare your strength to this generation, your
power to everyone who is to come. Also your righteousness,
O God, is very high. You who have done great
things, O God, who is like you? You who have
shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive
me again, and bring me up again from the depth
of the earth. You shall increase my greatness
and comfort me on every side. Also with the lute
I will praise you, and your faithfulness, O my
God, to you I will sing with the harp, O Holy
One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice
when I sing to you, and my soul, which you have
redeemed. My tongue shall also talk of your righteousness
all the day long, for they are confounded, for
they are brought to shame who seek my hurt. I
hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as I
did, and I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow
to continue on our journey. God bless you and
have a great day.