Kathisma 7

THE SEVENTH KATHISMA

Psalm 46

Unto the end: a Psalm for the sons of Korah.

O clap your hands, all ye nations; shout unto God with a voice of rejoicing.
For the Lord Most High is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth.
He hath subdued the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
He hath chosen us for His inheritance, the beauty of Jacob which He loved.
God is gone up with jubilation, the Lord with the sound of the trumpet.
Sing praises to our God, sing praises; sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
For God is the king of all the earth; sing ye praises with understanding.

God reigneth over the heathen; God sitteth upon His holy throne.
The princes of the people are gathered together with the God of Abraham, for God’s mighty ones of the earth are greatly exalted.

Psalm 47

A Psalm of praise for the sons of Korah on the second day of the week.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain; well rooted, the joy of the whole earth, On the mountains of Zion, on the sides of the north, is the city of the great king.
God is known in her palaces, when He cometh to her help.
For lo, the kings of the earth were assembled; they gathered together.
When they saw her so, they marvelled, they were troubled, they were moved; trembling took hold upon them; there were pains, as of a woman in travail.
With a vehement wind shalt Thou shatter the ships of Tarshish.
As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God.
God hath established it for ever.
We have thought of Thy mercy, O God, in the midst of Thy people.
According to Thy name, O God, so also is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth; Thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Let Mount Zion rejoice, and let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Thy judgments, O Lord.
Walk about Zion, and go round about her; tell the towers thereof.
Mark ye well her strength in your hearts, and consider her bulwarks; that ye may tell it to another generation.
For this is our God for ever, yea, for ever and ever; He will shepherd us unto the ages.

Psalm 48

Unto the end: a Psalm for the sons of Korah.

Hear this, all ye nations; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world.
All ye that are born of earth, and ye sons of men; rich and poor together.
My mouth shall speak of wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
I will incline my ear to a parable; I will open my dark saying upon the psaltery.
Wherefore should I fear in the day of evil? The iniquity at my heel shall compass me about.
There be some that trust in their strength, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.
A brother cannot redeem; shall a man redeem? He shall not give to God a ransom for himself, nor the price of the redemption of his soul, even though he hath laboured for ever, and shall live unto the end.
For he shall not see corruption, when he seeth wise men dying.
The senseless and the fool shall perish together, and leave their wealth to others.
And their graves shall be their houses for ever, their dwelling places from generation to generation; though they have called their lands after their own names.
Nevertheless man being in honour understood not; he is compared to the senseless cattle, and is become like unto them.
This their way is a stumbling block for them, yet afterwards they shall please themselves with their mouth.
Like sheep they are laid in Hades; death shall be their shepherd.
And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, and their help shall wax old in Hades from their glory.
But God will redeem my soul from the hand of Hades, when He receiveth me.
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, nor when the glory of his house is increased.
For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend with him.

For in his life his soul shall be blessed; he will give Thee thanks when Thou doest well to him.
He shall go into the generation of his fathers; he shall never see light.
But man that is in honour, understood not; he is compared to the senseless cattle, and is become like unto them.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God.
Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Psalm 49

A Psalm of Asaph.

The God of gods, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
Out of Zion is the comeliness of His beauty.
God, our God, shall come manifestly, and shall not keep silence.
A fire shall burn before Him, and a mighty tempest shall be round about Him.
He shall summon the heaven above, and the earth, that He may judge His people.
Gather His saints together unto Him, those that have established His covenant upon sacrifices.
And the heavens shall declare His righteousness; for God is judge.
Hear, O My people, and I will speak to thee, O Israel; and I will testify against thee; I am God, even thy God.
I will not reprove thee for sacrifices, for thy whole burnt- offerings are continually before Me.
I will not welcome bullocks out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy flocks.
For all the beasts of the field are Mine, the cattle upon the mountains, and the oxen.

I know all the fowls of the air, and the beauty of the fields is Mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is Mine, and the fulness thereof.
Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God a sacrifice of praise, and pay thy vows unto the Most High.
And call upon me in the day of thy trouble, and I will deliver thee; and thou shalt glorify Me.
But unto the sinner God said, Why dost thou declare My statutes, and takest My covenant in thy mouth? Thou hast hated instruction, and hast cast My words behind thee.
When thou sawest a thief, then thou didst run with him, and hast been partaker with the adulterer.
Thy mouth hath multiplied evil, and thy tongue hath framed deceits.
Thou satest and spakest against thy brother, and laidst a scandal against thy mother’s son.
These things hast thou done, and I kept silence. Thou thoughtest wickedly that I should be like unto thee; but I will reprove thee, and set thy sins before thy face.
Now understand this, ye that forget God, lest He snatch you away, and there be none to deliver.
A sacrifice of praise shall glorify Me, and there is the way wherein I will shew him My salvation.

Psalm 50

Unto the end: a Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, when he had gone in to Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgression.
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is ever before me.
Against Thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight; that Thou mightest be justified in Thy words, and overcome when Thou art judged.
For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me.
For behold, Thou hast loved truth; the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom hast Thou revealed to me.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
Thou shalt make me to hear joy and gladness; the bones that are humbled shall rejoice.
Turn away Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and stablish me with Thy sovereign Spirit.
I will teach transgressors Thy ways, and the ungodly shall turn again to Thee.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in Thy righteousness.
O Lord, Thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise.
For hadst Thou desired sacrifice, I would have given it; Thou delightest not in whole burnt offerings.
A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; a contrite and humbled heart God will not despise.
Do good, O Lord, in Thy good pleasure unto Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be builded.
Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, oblation and whole burnt offerings.
Then shall they offer calves upon Thine altar.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God.
Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Psalm 51

Unto the end: instruction for David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, David is gone into the house of Ahimelech.

Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man, and in iniquity all the day long? Thy tongue hath devised unrighteousness; like a sharpened razor thou hast wrought deceit.
Thou hast loved evil more than good, and unrighteousness rather than to speak righteousness.
Thou hast loved all words of destruction, and a deceitful tongue.
Therefore God shall destroy thee for ever; He shall pluck thee out, and take thee away out of thy dwelling place, and thy root out of the land of the living.
The righteous shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him, and say, Lo, this is the man that made not God his helper, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his vanity.
But I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God; I have hoped in the mercy of God for ever, and for ever.
I will praise Thee for ever, because Thou hast done it; and I will wait on Thy name, for it is good before Thy saints.

Psalm 52

Unto the end: a Psalm of David for Mahaleth; understanding.

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and are become abominable in iniquity; there is none that doeth good.
God looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there were any that did understand, or seek God.
They are all have gone astray, they are altogether become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Shall all the workers of iniquity have no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread? They have not called upon the Lord.
There were they in great fear, where no fear was; for God hath scattered the bones of them that please men; they have been put to shame, because God hath despised them.
Who shall give the salvation of Israel out of Zion? When God turneth back the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Psalm 53

Unto the end: among the hymns of instruction by David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, Lo, is not David hid with us?

Save me, O God, by Thy name, and judge me by Thy strength. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
For strangers are risen up against me, and the mighty have sought after my soul; and they have not set God before them.
For behold, God helpeth me, and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
He shall bring evils upon my enemies; cut them off in Thy truth.
I will freely sacrifice unto Thee; I will praise Thy name, O Lord, for it is good.
For Thou hast delivered me out of every trouble, and mine eye hath looked down upon mine enemies.

Psalm 54

Unto the end: among the hymns of instruction by David.

Give ear to my prayer, O God, and despise not my supplication; attend unto me, and hear me.
I was grieved in my meditation, and was troubled, because of the voice of the enemy, and because of the oppression of the sinner.
For they brought iniquity upon me, and in wrath were they angry with me.

My heart is troubled within me, and the terror of death is fallen upon me.
Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and darkness hath covered me.
And I said, Who will give me wings like a dove? and I will fly away, and be at rest.
Lo, I fled afar off, and lodged in the wilderness.
I waited for God Which saveth me from faintheartedness and from tempest.
Drown, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have seen iniquity and strife in the city.
Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof; iniquity and toil and unrighteousness are in the midst of it.
And usury and deceit have not departed from her streets.
For had an enemy reproached me, then I could have borne it; and if he that hated me had spoken great things against me, then I would have hid myself from him.
But it was thou, a man of like mind with me, my guide and my familiar friend.
Who sweetened my meals together with me; we walked in the house of God in company.
Let death come upon them, and let them go down quick into Hades; for wickedness is in their dwellings, and in the midst of them.
As for me, I cried unto God, and the Lord heard me.
Evening, and morning, and at noon will I declare and tell of it; and He shall hear my voice.
He shall redeem my soul in peace from them that draw near to me, for they among many were with me.
God shall hear, and bring them down, even He that abideth from everlasting.
For there is no change with them, for they have not feared God.
He hath put forth His hand to repay; they have defiled His covenant.
They were scattered at the wrath of His countenance, and their hearts have drawn near. Their words are smoother than oil, and yet are they very darts.
Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall nourish thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

But Thou, O God, shalt bring these men down into the pit of destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in Thee, O Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God. O Lord, our Hope, glory to Thee.