Kathisma 8

THE EIGHTH KATHISMA

Psalm 55

Unto the end: over the people that were removed from the sanctuary. By David, for a pillar inscription, when the Philistines held him in Gath.
Be merciful unto me, O God, for man hath trod me down; he fighting all the day long hath oppressed me.
My enemies have trod me down all the day long, for they be many that fight against me from on high.
By day I will not be afraid, but I will hope in Thee.
In God I will praise my words, in God I have put my hope; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
All the day long they abhorred my words; all their thoughts were against me for evil.
They will dwell near, and hide themselves; they will mark where I set my heel, as they have waited for my soul.
By no means shalt Thou save them; in wrath shalt Thou cast down the peoples, O God.
I have declared my life unto Thee; Thou hast set my tears in Thy sight.
As also in Thy promise, shall mine enemies be turned back. In whatsoever day I call upon Thee, behold, I know that Thou art my God.

In God will I praise His word; in the Lord will I praise His speech.
In God have I put my hope; I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Thy vows are upon me, O God, which I will render in praise of Thee.
For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from sliding; that I may be pleasing before the Lord in the light of the living.

Psalm 56

Unto the end: destroy not. A pillar inscription by David, when he fled from the presence of Saul to the cave.

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me; for my soul trusteth in Thee. Yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I put my hope, until iniquity be overpast.
I will cry unto God Most High, unto God my benefactor.
He hath sent from heaven, and saved me; He hath made them a reproach that trod me down.
God hath sent His mercy and His truth, and hath delivered my soul from the midst of lions’ whelps; I slept, troubled.
The sons of men, their teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
Be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Thy glory above all the earth.
They have prepared a snare for my feet, and bowed down my soul. They have digged a pit before me, and they are fallen into it themselves.
My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready; I will sing and give praise in my glory.
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp; I myself will awake right early.
I will praise Thee, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praise unto Thee among the nations.
For Thy mercy is magnified unto the heavens, and Thy truth unto the clouds.
Be Thou exalted, O Lord, above the heavens, and Thy glory above all the earth.

Psalm 57

Unto the end: destroy not. A pillar inscription of David.

If ye do indeed speak righteousness, judge rightly, O ye sons of men.
Yea, in your heart ye work wickedness in the earth; your hands devise unrighteousness.
Sinners are estranged from the womb; they have gone astray even from the belly, they have spoken lies.
Their rage is like that of a serpent, like the asp that is deaf, and stoppeth her ears.
Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, nor heed the charm prepared skilfully by the wise.
God shall crush their teeth in their mouth; the Lord hath shattered the great teeth of the lions.
They shall come to nought as waters running down; He shall bend his bow until they be weakened.
Like wax that is melted, they shall be taken away; fire hath fallen upon them, and they have not seen the sun.
Before your thorns can know the briar, He shall swallow them up living in His wrath.
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance; he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.
And man shall say, If indeed there be fruit for the righteous, verily there is a God that judgeth them upon the earth.

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 58

Unto the end: destroy not. Of David, for a pillar inscription, when Saul sent and watched his house, to kill him.

Rescue me from mine enemies, O God, and redeem me from them that rise up against me.
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from men of blood.
For lo, they have hunted after my soul, the mighty have set upon me; not for mine iniquity, nor for my sin, O Lord.
I ran and directed my steps without iniquity; arise to meet me, and behold.
And Thou, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, look to visit all the heathen; be not merciful to any that work iniquity.
They shall return at evening, and hunger like dogs, and go round about the city.
Behold, they shall utter a sound with their mouth, and a sword is in their lips: For who, say they, hath heard us? But Thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them; Thou shalt bring all the nations to nought.
O my strength, I will keep watch for Thee; for Thou, O God, art my helper.
As for my God, His mercy shall prevent me; God shall reveal it unto me among mine enemies.
Slay them not, lest at any time they forget Thy law: scatter them by Thy power, and bring them down, O Lord my defender.
For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them be taken captive in their pride.
And for their cursing and lying shall their utter destruction be made known, in the wrath of utter destruction.
And they shall be no more, and they shall know that God is Lord of Jacob, and of the ends of the earth.
They shall return at evening, and hunger like dogs, and go round about the city.
They shall be scattered abroad to eat; they shall murmur if they be not satisfied.
But I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will rejoice in Thy mercy in the morning. For Thou art become my helper and my refuge in the day of my trouble.
Thou art my helper, unto Thee will I sing, for Thou, O God, art my helper; my God, Thou art my mercy.

Psalm 59

Unto the end: concerning the verses to be alternated. A pillar inscription for David, for instruction, when he had burned Mesopotamia of Syria and Syrian Zobal, and Joab had returned and smitten Edom, twelve thousand in the valley of salt.

O God, Thou hast cast us off, and hast destroyed us; Thou hast been angry, and hast had pity upon us.
Thou hast made the earth to tremble, and hast troubled it; heal the breaches thereof, for it hath been shaken.
Thou hast shewed Thy people hard things; Thou hast made us drink the wine of sorrow.
Thou hast given a sign to them that fear Thee, that they may flee from before the bow.
That Thy beloved may be delivered, save with Thy right hand, and hear me.
God hath spoken in His holiness, I will exult, and divide Shechem, and measure out the vale of tabernacles.
Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the strength of My head; Judah is My king.
Moab is the caldron of My hope, over Edom will I stretch forth My shoe; the strangers are made subject unto Me.
Who will lead me into a fortified city? Or who will bring me into Edom? Will not Thou, O God, Who hast cast us off? And wilt not Thou, O God, go forth with our armies? Give us help from trouble, for vain is the salvation of man.
Through God we shall do mightily, and He shall bring those that afflict us to nought.

Psalm 60

Unto the end: among the hymns of David.

Hear my supplication, O God; attend unto my prayer.
From the ends of the earth have I cried unto Thee, when my heart was in anguish; Thou hast lifted me high upon a rock.
Thou hast guided me, for Thou hast been my hope, a strong tower against the face of the enemy.
I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever; I shall be sheltered under the covert of Thy wings.
For Thou, O God, hast heard my prayers; Thou hast given an heritage unto them that fear Thy name.
Thou wilt add days to days of the king, his years even to generation upon generation.
He shall abide before the face of God for ever; who shall search out His mercy and truth? So will I sing praise unto Thy name for ever and ever, that I may daily perform my vows.

Psalm 61

Unto the end: a Psalm of David for Jeduthun.

Shall not my soul be subject unto God? for from Him cometh my salvation.
For He is my God, my Saviour and my helper; and I shall be moved no more.
How long do ye assail a man? Ye slay, all of you, as a leaning wall, and a tottering fence.
But they consulted to cast down my honour; they ran in lies; they bless with their mouth, but curse in their heart.
But my soul, be thou subject unto God; for my endurance is from Him.
For He Himself is my God, and my Saviour; He is my helper; and I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory; He is the God of my help, and my hope is in God.
Hope in Him, all ye congregation of the peoples; pour out your hearts before Him, for God is our helper.
For the sons of men are vain, the sons of men are liars in the balances; out of vanity they gather themselves together, that they may work injustice.
Hope not in injustice, and covet not plunder; if riches flow in, set not your heart upon them.
God hath spoken once, and these two things have I heard: that power belongeth unto God; also unto Thee belongeth mercy, O Lord; for Thou shalt render unto every man according to his works.

Psalm 62

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

O God my God, early do I rise to Thee. My soul hath thirsted for Thee; how many ways hath my flesh longed after Thee, in a barren and untrodden land, where no water is.
Thus have I appeared before Thee in the sanctuary, that I might see Thy power and Thy glory.
Because Thy mercy is better than life; my lips shall praise Thee.
Thus will I bless Thee while I live, and will lift up my hands in Thy name.
Let my soul be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips.
If I remembered Thee upon my bed, I meditated on Thee in the morning watches.
Because Thou hast been my help; in the shelter of Thy wings will I rejoice.
My soul hath cleaved unto Thee; Thy right hand hath upheld me.
But they have sought my soul in vain; they shall go into the lower parts of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be portions for foxes.
But the king shall be glad in God; every one that sweareth by Him shall be praised; for the mouth of them that speak unjust things is stopped.

Psalm 63

Unto the end: a Psalm of David.

Hear my prayer, O God, when I make supplication unto Thee; rescue my soul from fear of the enemy.
Shelter me from the assembly of the wicked, from the multitude of the workers of unrighteousness.
They have whetted their tongues like a sword, they have bent their bow, a bitter thing, that they may shoot in secret at the blameless.
Suddenly will they will shoot at him, and will not fear; they have strengthened themselves with a wicked word.
They have communed of laying snares privily; they said, Who shall see them? They searched out iniquity; they wearied themselves with a diligent search.
A man shall draw near, and the heart is deep; and God shall be exalted.
As an arrow of babes are their blows, and their tongues were weakened against them.
All that saw them were troubled, and every man feared.
And they declared the works of God, and understood His doings.
The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall hope in Him, and all the upright in heart shall be praised.

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.