Deus laudem tuam

Verse 1

In speechless silence do not hold, O God, thy tongue always, Ev'n thou, O Lord, because thou art the God of all my praise.

Verse 2

The wicked and the guileful mouths on me disclosed be, And they with false and lying tongue have spoken unto me.

Verse 3

They did beset me round about with words of hateful spite, Without all cause of my desert against me they did fight.

Verse 4

For my good will they were my foes, then I began to pray; My good with ill, my friendliness with hate they did repay.

Verse 5

Set thou the wicked over him, to have the upper hand, At his right hand, Lord, suffer thou his hateful foe to stand.

Verse 6

When he is judged, let him then condemned be therein. And let the prayer that he doth make be turned into sin:

Verse 7

Few be his days, his charge also let thou another take, His children let be fatherless, his wife a widow make:

Verse 8

His offspring let be vagabonds, and ever beg their bread, In places desolate and waste let them seek to be fed:

Verse 9

Let covetous extortioners get all his goods in store, And let the stranger spoil the fruit of all his toil before:

Verse 10

Let there be none to pity him, let there be none at all That on his children fatherless will let their mercy fall:

Verse 11

Let his posterity be quite destroy'd and never breed, Their name out-blotted in the age, that after shall succeed:

Verse 12

Let not his father's wickedness from God's remembrance fall, And never let his mother's sin be done away at all:

Verse 13

But in the presence of the Lord, let them for ever stay, That from the earth their memory he may cut clean away:

Verse 14

Since mercy he forgot to shew, but did pursue with spite The troubled man, and sought to slay the woful-hearted wight.

Verse 15

As he did cursing love, it shall happen unto him so; And as he did not blessing love, far from him it shall go,

Verse 16

As he with cursing clad himself, so it like water shall Enter his bowels, and like oil into his bones shall fall.

Verse 17

Ev'n as the garment let it be to cover him withal, And as a girdle wherewith he always be girded shall.

Verse 18

Let this be the reward from God of him, that is my foe, Yea, and of those that evil speak against my soul also.

Verse 19

But thou, O Lord, that art my God, deal graciously with me; Deliver me for thy name's sake, for great thy mercies be;

Verse 20

Because in depth of great distress I needy am and poor, Also within my pained breast my heart is wounded sore.

Verse 21

Ev'n so do I depart away, as doth declining shade, And as the grasshopper, so I am shaken off and fade.

Verse 22

With fasting long from needful food my knees enfeebled are, And all the fatness of my flesh is gone with grief and care:

Verse 23

And I also a vile reproach to them am made to be, And they that did upon me look did shake their heads at me.

Verse 24

Help me therefore, O God, I pray, my aid and succour be, According to thy mercies great save and deliver me.

Verse 25

And they shall know thereby, that this is thy most mighty hand, And that 'tis thou that hast it done, they well shall understand,

Verse 26

Although they curse with spite, yet thou shalt bless with loving voice When they rise up, and come to shame, thy servant shall rejoice.

Verse 27

Let them with shame be cloathed all, that are mine enemies, And with confusion as a cloak be covered likewise.

Verse 28

But greatly I will with my mouth give thanks unto the Lord, And I among the multitude his praises will record.

Verse 29

For he with help at his right hand will stand the poor man by, To save him from the man, that would condemn his soul to die.