Will be subdued and subjugated to me.”
Who will lead me into the firmly fortified
City of life? Who will bring me into Edom?
You are the same God who cast us from glory 35
And drove us away when we were sinners.
May you never withdraw the strength of your hand,
The power of your will from our assembled army.
Grant us your help in our time of trouble,
For all earthly aid is idle and vain. 40
The almighty Lord, our trustworthy guardian
Will lend us his strength, a share of his power.
Then he will render our enemies helpless,
Leaving them useless, utterly undone.
108
I will not be silent in my praise of you, Lord,
My living God, though the malicious mouths
Of the wicked and sinful are always open,
Weaving deceitful words against me
With their hateful hearts and lying tongues. 5
My enemies have conspired boldly against me,
Attacking me endlessly without cause.
They have offered me harsh insults and slander,
Hateful deeds instead of love.
They were pernicious but I always prayed for them. 10
They offered me evil instead of goodness,
They offered me loathing in place of love.
Set a wicked master over one like this—
Let the devil stand at his right hand.
Let his antagonist always be his accuser. 15
Let him stand in judgment and be condemned.
Let him suffer the doom he surely deserves.
May his pernicious prayers be turned to sin.
May his dwelling place become a desert,
A wasteland where no living creature can be. 20
May his days be few, dark and dim.
May his office of authority be filled with enemies.
May his children be orphans, his wife a widow.
May all within his reach be wretched.
May all his children be scorned and scattered, 25
Outcasts and aliens expelled from home,
Living in longing for his protection and love—
When they beg for shelter, may he throw them out.
May a powerful money-lender seize his goods,
Dispensing them all to an evil enemy. 30
May foreign hands take hold of his wealth.
May no man ever take pity upon him
Or offer aid to his fatherless children.
May all his offspring fall into ruin,
Forever poor, forever wretched. 35
Let his name be annihilated in one generation.
Let the memory of him be next to nothing.
May the evil and iniquity of his forefathers
Be brought before the mind of God.
May the sins of his mother never be wiped out. 40
Let them stand against the Lord in their deeds.
Let the Lord blot out the memory of them
By his own decree forever from the earth.
There was no gentle purpose in that man’s mind—
He was full of malice and without mercy. 45
He persecuted the poor with a heartless passion,
Plotting how he might cunningly destroy them.
He loved cursing—so curses came upon him.
He loathed blessings—they were banished from him,
Withdrawn from his breast, his heart’s hoard. 50
He clothed himself with savage curses
As if they were like the finest clothes.
They soaked grimly into his skin and flesh
Like dark water and gathered in his gut,
Opening his innards, slowly seeping 55
Into bone and sinew like an oily joy,
A pulpy healing for his bursting bones.
May he always be clothed in the rags of malice
And grow old suddenly, tattered and torn.
May his curses be like a tight belt 60
Wrapped around him both day and night.
This is the work of those who despise me,
Those who savagely speak ill of me.
May the Lord shut himself off from the one
Who speaks wounding words to my soul. 65
And as for you, my Lord God,
I pray that you might grant me mercy
For the sake of your great and glorious name,
As you have shown a compassionate spirit
To many before me. Guardian of life, 70
Deliver me now for I am wretched
And in perilous need. My spirit is troubled,
My heart heavy. I am like a shadow
Vanishing at evening, like a grasshopper
Lifted up from the goodness of the land. 75
I can barely walk, my knees are weak
From constant fasting. My flesh soaks
In a fragrant oil and begins to turn,
Dangerously transformed. Now I have become
A walking reproach to all my neighbors. 80
When people see me, they shake their heads.
Help me, Lord God, and make me whole;
Save me, Christ, in your great mercy.
Let them know the reality of your right hand,
That you have done these things to redeem me. 85
Let them be cursed—but may you be blessed.
Let those who are roused up in rage against me
With sinful acts be confused and confounded,
While your faithful servant finds joy in you.
Let those who insulted and dishonored me 90
Be clothed in shame like a man without pants,
Exposed to the world. I will praise the Lord
With the words of my mouth in the midst of men.
He has stood at the right hand of the needy
To protect the poor and provide for them, 95
As he has stood by me, protecting me always
From the fierce foes who would persecute me.
109
* * *
[He shall judge nations] and act severely;
He shall crush the heads of many men
Widely over earth. Those who walk on the way
Will stop and drink from the deep streams,
The surging torrents. They shall be stronger 5
And more spirited, doing great deeds.
Afterwards they will lift their heads up high.
110
I will acknowledge you, eternal Lord,
And praise you fully with my whole heart
Before the assembly of the righteous and the just.
Great are the works of the Lord our God.
Now, as always, I earnestly seek 5
To know God’s wishes and accomplish his will.
His majesty and justice abide forever.
He has made a remembrance of his great wonders.
He is gentle and generous. Almighty God
Gives food to those who fear and revere him. 10
He will always be mindful of his witness in this world,
His promise and covenant which he perfectly fulfilled
With great miracles and glorious deeds,
Declaring to his people that he desires to give them
Through his own power the inheritance of the Gentiles 15
As their proper possession, their true heritage.
God’s handiwork is revealed in the minds of the righteous
And the fairness of judgment that he desires to raise up.
His commandments are true, his precepts established,
His judgments fair, forever and ever. 20
There is no deception in the laws of the Lord;
This is confirmed in the honor and integrity
Of all his decrees. He has offered redemption
To his beloved people, commanding them all
To faithfully keep his
covenant forever 25
And hold his holy name in awe.
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom
For those who stand in awe of the Lord.
This awareness will lead to a wise understanding
For those who observe it and put it into practice. 30
The praise of the Lord shall abide in this world,
A lasting joy forever and ever.
111
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Whose reverence endures in his steadfast heart,
Who follows his commands with with a willing spirit.
He shall be joyful and prosperous on earth,
And his descendants shall be blessed for generations. 5
Glory and wealth shall thrive in his house;
His justice shall be known to everyone on earth
As long as it survives. A light was revealed
To his beloved people, his chosen ones,
Who had lived for a long time in darkness— 10
Yet in spite of this, their hearts held true.
The mighty Lord has a merciful spirit—
He is always trustworthy in a time of trouble.
A man deeply glad, good and kind,
Wise and worthy, establishes his authority 15
With true words and righteous judgment.
He shall be blessed and fortunate forever.
Whoever follows God’s truth and laws,
Never fearing afterwards any evil tidings,
Shall remain in everlasting remembrance. 20
His heart is ready for hope in the Lord,
His spirit is strengthened by true teaching
So that no malicious enemy may harm him.
He will spurn the sinful, despise his foes.
He who gathers his goods and gives them away 25
To the wretched and needy will see his justice
Abide forever, endure till the end.
His horn shall be lifted up in glory,
A wonder in this world. Sinners shall see this
And grow angry, gnashing their teeth 30
In terrible pain, howling with rage,
Swollen up with an ephemeral fury—
But the desires of the wicked shall pass away.
112
Children, praise now the redeeming Lord,
Eagerly praise the name of the Lord.
Let his name be blessed now and forever.
From the first sight of the sun’s rising
Till it travels toward the edge of the western sky, 5
Praise the name of the Lord with all of your acts.
The Lord is exalted above all nations,
The greatest glory of the race of mankind.
His grandeur extends beyond the heavens.
Who can compare to our holy Lord, 10
Our God who dwells gathered in glory
In his heavenly kingdom, who watches over
The poor and lowly, caring for the meek
Everywhere on earth? He can raise the wretched
Up from the dust, lift the downtrodden 15
Out of the dungheap, offering his aid
To one who has no safety or solace,
No comfort or care, and establish him
In a life of lordship, the prince of his people.
He can bring a barren woman home 20
And bless her, the mother of many children—
She will feast and rejoice over her sons.
113
When the tribe of Israel went out of Egypt,
The whole house of Jacob left a fierce foe,
Barbarians who spoke a foreign tongue.
When the tribe of Judah secured the blessing
Of the holy one, they wielded power, 5
Honor and authority, over the Israelites.
When the sea saw them, it suddenly fled.
The River Jordan retreated from them.
The mountains rejoiced, resting like rams,
And the lesser hills were like little lambs 10
At peace among the protecting sheep.
What was it, O sea, that forced you to flee?
What was it, O Jordan, that made you run backwards?
The mountains rejoiced, reclining like rams,
The hills were festive like fair lambs with sheep. 15
The earth shall tremble before the gaze
Of the eternal Lord. The earth shall quake
In awe and fear before Jacob’s God.
He transforms stone into wide water,
The broad lakes rising across the land 20
And converts cliffs into surging springs
With his ruling hand. Not to us, O Lord,
Not to us, O Savior, but only to your name
Shall we attribute the abounding glory
That everywhere exists throughout the land 25
In your powerful mercy and steadfast truth,
Yoked together, lest foreigners should say,
“Where is their God? Is he anywhere now?”
Our God exists above with the angels
In heavenly bliss. In this earthly realm, 30
He does as he desires, he works his will.
The idols of the heathens are evil icons,
Silver and gold, unholy images
Wrought with craft by earthly hands.
They have mouths yet cannot cry 35
Or speak one word. They have eyes
Yet cannot see. They have ears
That cannot hear and open noses
That cannot breathe. They have hands
Yet cannot hold anything good. 40
They have feet yet cannot walk.
They have throats that cannot wail
Or lament their loss—no living breath
Rises up from within to quicken them.
They are like their makers who trust in them. 45
The houses of Israel first looked for the Lord,
Seeking his help and powerful protection
Against their enemies. The house of Aaron
Likewise believed in a beloved Lord,
Who was gracious to them, a great support, 50
Providing security in times of trouble.
To all those who fear and revere the Lord,
To all those who place their hopes in him,
The Lord will be a stalwart friend,
A steadfast protector, in their hour of need. 55
Be mindful of us, O mighty Lord,
And bestow your faithful blessing on us,
As you blessed all the children of Israel
And also blessed the house of Aaron.
You brought a blessing of abounding joy 60
To all those who feared and revered you,
The great and small throughout the earth.
May the mighty Lord be magnified
Over all of you and all your children.
May you all be blessed by almighty God, 65
Who made heaven and earth. He rules the heavens
And has given this earth to the children of men.
The dead shall never praise you, Lord,
Nor those who travel from here to hell,
But we, the living, shall fervently bless 70
Our beloved Lord now and forever.
We will never stop singing praise-songs to him.
114
I love you, Lord, for hearing my prayer,
For humbly lending your ear to my plea
When I called you silently with the still voice
Of my hidden heart through all of my days.
A terrible sorrow surrounded me, 5
Besieging me with the pangs of death,
And the fear of hell was clinging to me.
Pain and sorrow, trial and tribulation,
Often oppressed me. Then I earnestly called
On the name of the Lord in my desperate need: 10
Beloved God, free my soul, redeem my life,
/> Lead me to safety. The one thing I know,
Almighty Lord, is that our God is just.
Offer us mercy in your enduring power.
The Lord protects and preserves the little ones 15
With a knowing grace. When I was wretched,
Debased and despised, he delivered me.
Lord, bring my soul to its resting place,
Its proper home, your sheltering love.
You have treated me to your bounty and blessing 20
In this earthly life. You have saved my soul
And brought it back from dreaded death.
You have saved my eyes from bitter tears,
My feet from falling. Wherever I go
In the land of the living, I will please my Lord. 25
115
I have always believed so I speak but a little.
I am modest and meek, for I have been humbled.
When I started to seek for answers in my soul,
I said to myself that as far as I could see,
All men were false and full of deceit. 5
What good can I give back to the Lord
For all the good things he has done for me?
I have accepted on earth the chalice of salvation
And will earnestly invoke the name of the Lord.
Precious is the death of his holy ones 10
In the sight of the Lord, a bright beacon.
Listen, O Lord—I am your servant,
Your handmaiden’s son born through you.
Lord, you have broken my cruel bonds;
Now let me bring you my sacrificial praise. 15
I will pay my promise to the holy Lord
And fulfill my vows at the proper times
In the precious courts around his house
Before the eyes of everyone there,
Rejoicing gladly in the midst of Jerusalem. 20
116
Let all people praise the eternal Lord
With wise words and heartfelt hymns.
Let them praise together the glorious one,
For his kindness and mercy extend over us.
His great compassion is clearly confirmed, 5
A boon and blessing to all mankind.
Likewise the Lord’s steadfast truth
Abides with us always and forever.
117
I will acknowledge and praise the eternal Lord,
For I know him to be a wise God,
Gracious and good. His mercy is forever.
Let all of Israel affirm this now,
For he is a great and glorious God, 5
And his loving mercy abides forever.
Let the house of Aaron declare this too:
He is a great and glorious God,
And his loving mercy abides forever.
Let all honorable people who fear 10
And revere the Lord affirm this too,
For he is a great and glorious God,
And his loving mercy abides forever.
I called out to the Lord in my time of trouble;
The Complete Old English Poems Page 91
