THE CATTLE UPON A THOUSAND HILLS ARE HIS

God, even God, the Lord, hath spoken,
And called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the
going down thereof.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God hath shined forth.
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence:
A fire shall devour before him,
And it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
He shall call to the heavens above,
And to the earth, that he may judge his people:
Gather my saints together unto me;
Those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness;
For God is judge himself.
Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, and I will testify unto thee:
I am God, even thy God.
I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices;
And thy burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will take no bullock out of thy house,
Nor he-goats out of thy folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
And the cattle upon a thousand hills. [{74}] I know all the fowls of the mountains:
And the wild beasts of the field are 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 the sacrifice of thanksgiving;
And pay thy vows unto the Most High:
And call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
--Psalm 50:1-15.

[{75}]

A PRAYER OF REPENTANCE

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:
According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions:
And my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
And done that which is evil in thy sight:
That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest,
And be clear when thou judgest.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Hide 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 uphold me with a free spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;
And sinners shall be converted unto thee. [{76}] O Lord, open thou my lips;
And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it:
Thou hast no pleasure in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
--Psalm 51:1-17.

[{77}]

BE THOU EXALTED, O GOD, ABOVE THE HEAVENS

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me;
For my soul taketh refuge in thee:
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge,
Until these calamities be overpast.
I will cry unto God Most High;
Unto God that performeth all things for me.
He shall send from heaven, and save me,
When he that would swallow me up reproacheth;
God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
My soul is among lions;
I lie among them that are set on fire,
Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.
They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down:
They have digged a pit before me;
They are fallen into the midst thereof themselves.
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises.
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp:
I myself will awake right early. [{78}] I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the peoples:
I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
For thy mercy is great unto the heavens,
And thy truth unto the skies.
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.
--Psalm 57.

[{79}]

THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I

Hear my cry, O God;
Attend unto my prayer.
From the end of the earth will I call unto thee, when my
heart is overwhelmed:
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For thou hast been a refuge for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever:
I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings.
My soul waiteth only upon God:
From him cometh my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation:
He is my high tower; I shall not be greatly moved.
My soul, wait thou only upon God;
For my expectation is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation:
He is my high tower; I shall not be moved.
With God is my salvation and my glory:
The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
--Psalms 61:1-4; 62:1, 2, 5-7.

[{80}]

A SONG OF THANKSGIVING

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion:
And unto thee shall the vow be performed.
O thou that hearest prayer,
Unto thee shall all flesh come.
Iniquities prevail against me:
As for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,
and causest to approach unto thee,
That he may dwell in thy courts:
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,
The holy place of thy temple.
By terrible things thou wilt answer us in righteousness,
O God of our salvation;
Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains;
Being girded about with might:
Which stilleth the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens:
Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. [{81}] Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it,
Thou greatly enrichest it;
The river of God is full of water:
Thou providest them corn, when thou hast so prepared the earth.
Thou waterest her furrows abundantly;
Thou settlest the ridges thereof:
Thou makest it soft with showers;
Thou blessest the springing thereof.
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;
And thy paths drop fatness.
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness:
And the hills are girded with joy.
The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered over with corn;
They shout for joy, they also sing.
--Psalm 65.

[{82}]