Psalms 1--21

Psalm 2
1	Why are the nations in an uproar?* Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?
2	Why do the kings of the earth rise up in revolt    and the princes plot together,* against the Lord and against his anointed?
3	‘Let us break their yoke’, they say;* ‘let us cast off their bonds from us.’
4	He whose throne is in heaven is laughing;* the Lord has them in derision.
5	Then he speaks to them in his wrath* and his rage fills them with terror.
6	‘I myself have set my king* upon my holy hill of Zion.’
7	Let me announce the decree of the Lord:* he said to me, ‘You are my Son;    this day have I begotten you.
8	‘Ask of me and I will give you the nations for    your inheritance* and the ends of the earth for your possession.
9	‘You shall crush them with an iron rod* and shatter them like a piece of pottery.’
10	And now, you kings, be wise;* be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11	Submit to the Lord with fear,* and with trembling bow before him;
12	Lest he be angry and you perish;* for his wrath is quickly kindled.
13	Happy are they all* who take refuge in him!
	O God, whose kingdom is not of this world: your Son has shattered our yoke of sin and loosened the fetters of all that bound us in tyranny: acknowledge the servants who bow before you and bless the inheritance of your Son’s redeeming; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 3
1	Lord, how many adversaries I have!* how many there are who rise up against me!
2	How many there are who say of me,* ‘There is no help for him in his God.’
3	But you, O Lord, are a shield about me;* you are my glory, the one who lifts up my head.
4	I call aloud upon the Lord* and he answers me from his holy hill;
5	I lie down and go to sleep;* I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6	I do not fear the multitudes of people* who set themselves against me all around.
7	Rise up, O Lord; set me free, O my God;* surely, you will strike all my enemies across the face,    you will break the teeth of the wicked.
8	Deliverance belongs to the Lord.* Your blessing be upon your people!
	Arise, O Lord; deliver your people and rouse us from the sleep of sin: for as your Son offered up prayer with tears    in the days of his flesh, so hear his heavenly intercession for us; that though we may be tempted in every way, as he was, we likewise may not fall away from you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 4
1	Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause;* you set me free when I am hard-pressed;    have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2	‘You mortals, how long will you dishonour my glory;* how long will you worship dumb idols    and run after false gods?’
3	Know that the Lord does wonders for the faithful;* when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.
4	Tremble, then, and do not sin;* speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.
5	Offer the appointed sacrifices* and put your trust in the Lord.
6	Many are saying, ‘O that we might see better times!’* Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord.
7	You have put gladness in my heart,* more than when grain and wine and oil increase.
8	I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep;* for only you, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
	In fear and trembling we offer to you, O Lord, the fruit of lips which acknowledge your Name. May our sacrifice of praise at this hour of darkness turn upon us the light of your countenance; that finding rest in sleep, we may rise to give you glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 5
1	Give ear to my words, O Lord;* consider my meditation.
2	Hearken to my cry for help, my King and my God,* for I make my prayer to you.
3	In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;* early in the morning I make my appeal    and watch for you.
4	For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness* and evil cannot dwell with you.
5	Braggarts cannot stand in your sight;* you hate all those who work wickedness.
6	You destroy those who speak lies;* the bloodthirsty and deceitful, O Lord, you abhor.
7	But as for me, through the greatness of your mercy,    I will go into your house;* I will bow down towards your holy temple in awe of you.
8	Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness,    because of those who lie in wait for me;* make your way straight before me.
9	For there is no truth in their mouth;* there is destruction in their heart;
10	Their throat is an open grave;* they flatter with their tongue.
11	Declare them guilty, O God;* let them fall, because of their schemes.
12	Because of their many transgressions cast them out,* for they have rebelled against you.
13	But all who take refuge in you will be glad;* they will sing out their joy for ever.
14	You will shelter them,* so that those who love your name may exult in you.
15	For you, O Lord, will bless the righteous;* you will defend them with your favour as with a shield.
	O Lord, our King and our God, whose own dear Son trod for us the path of suffering and was delivered up into the hands of the wicked: lead us in the way of righteousness and make straight our path through all temptations, O Lord, our shield and defence. Amen.
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Psalm 6
1	Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger;* do not punish me in your wrath.
2	Have pity on me, Lord, for I am weak;* heal me, Lord, for my bones are racked.
3	My spirit shakes with terror;* how long, O Lord, how long?
4	Turn, O Lord, and deliver me;* save me for your mercy’s sake.
5	For in death no one remembers you;* and who will give you thanks in the grave?
6	I grow weary because of my groaning;* every night I drench my bed    and flood my couch with tears.
7	My eyes are wasted with grief* and worn away because of all my enemies.
8	Depart from me, all evildoers,* for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9	The Lord has heard my supplication;* the Lord accepts my prayer.
10	All my enemies shall be confounded and quake with fear;* they shall turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
	From the death of sin, raise us up, O Lord, that with a troubled spirit and penitential tears our prayer may find favour in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 7
1	O Lord my God, I take refuge in you;* save and deliver me from all who pursue me;
2	Lest like a lion they tear me in pieces* and snatch me away with none to deliver me.
3	O Lord my God, if I have done these things:* if there is any wickedness in my hands,
4	If I have repaid my friend with evil,* or plundered one who without cause is my enemy;
5	Then let my enemy pursue and overtake me,* trample my life into the ground,    and lay my honour in the dust.
6	Stand up, O Lord, in your wrath;* rise up against the fury of my enemies.
7	Awake, O my God, decree justice;* let the assembly of the peoples gather round you.
8	Be seated on your lofty throne, O Most High;* O Lord, judge the nations.
9	Give judgement for me    according to my righteousness, O Lord,* and according to my innocence, O Most High.
10	Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,    but establish the righteous;* for you test the mind and heart, O righteous God.
11	God is my shield and defence;* he is the saviour of the true in heart.
12	God is a righteous judge;* God sits in judgement every day.
13	If they will not repent, God will whet his sword;* he will bend his bow and make it ready.
14	He has prepared his weapons of death;* he makes his arrows shafts of fire.
15	Look at those who are in labour with wickedness,* who conceive evil and give birth to a lie.
16	They dig a pit and make it deep* and fall into the hole that they have made.
17	Their malice turns back upon their own head;* their violence falls on their own scalp.
18	I will bear witness that the Lord is righteous;* I will praise the name of the Lord Most High.
	O Christ, who for a season laid aside the divine glory and, though Son of God, learned obedience through suffering: teach us in all our afflictions to raise our eyes to the One who judges justly and to find in your will our peace and deliverance; who live and reign now and for ever. Amen.
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Psalm 8
1	O Lord our governor,* how exalted is your name in all the world!
2	Out of the mouths of infants and children* your majesty is praised above the heavens.
3	You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries,* to quell the enemy and the avenger.
4	When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,* the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
5	What are mortals, that you should be mindful of them?* mere human beings, that you should seek them out?
6	You have made them little lower than the angels;* you adorn them with glory and honour.
7	You give them mastery over the works of your hands;* and put all things under their feet,
8	All sheep and oxen,* even the wild beasts of the field,
9	The birds of the air, the fish of the sea,* and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.
10	O Lord our governor,* how exalted is your name in all the world!
	O God the Word and Son of God, exalted is your name in all creation, yet you have stooped to become one with us: as you have ordained humanity the steward of your creation, so minister through us the mystery of your salvation; to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.
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Psalm 9
1	I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart;* I will tell of all your marvellous works.
2	I will be glad and rejoice in you;* I will sing to your name, O Most High.
3	When my enemies are driven back,* they will stumble and perish at your presence.
4	For you have maintained my right and my cause;* you sit upon your throne judging right.
5	You have rebuked the ungodly and destroyed the wicked;* you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6	As for the enemy, they are finished, in perpetual ruin,* their cities ploughed under,    the memory of them perished;
7	But the Lord is enthroned for ever;* he has set up his throne for judgement.
8	It is he who rules the world with righteousness;* he judges the peoples with equity.
9	The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed,* a refuge in time of trouble.
10	Those who know your name will put their trust in you,* for you never forsake those who seek you, O Lord.
11	Sing praise to the Lord who dwells in Zion;* proclaim to the peoples the things he has done.
12	The avenger of blood will remember them;* he will not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13	Have pity on me, O Lord;* see the misery I suffer from those who hate me,    O you who lift me up from the gate of death;
14	So that I may tell of all your praises    and rejoice in your salvation* in the gates of the city of Zion.
15	The ungodly have fallen into the pit they dug,* and in the snare they set is their own foot caught.
16	The Lord is known by his acts of justice;* the wicked are trapped in the works of their own hands.
17	The wicked shall be given over to the grave,* and also all the peoples that forget God.
18	For the needy shall not always be forgotten,* and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.
19	Rise up, O Lord,    let not the ungodly have the upper hand;* let them be judged before you.
20	Put fear upon them, O Lord;* let the ungodly know they are but mortal.
	You have delivered us from the gates of death, O Lord, and have opened before us the place of your dwelling: set up your throne and rule the peoples in righteousness, and we shall sing of your name, O Most High; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 10
1	Why do you stand so far off, O Lord,* and hide yourself in time of trouble?
2	The wicked arrogantly persecute the poor,* but they are trapped in the schemes they have devised.
3	The wicked boast of their heart’s desire;* the covetous curse and revile the Lord.
4	The wicked are so proud that they care not for God;* their only thought is, ‘God does not matter.’
5	Their ways are devious at all times;    your judgements are far above out of their sight;* they defy all their enemies.
6	They say in their heart, ‘I shall not be shaken;* no harm shall happen to me ever.’
7	Their mouth is full of cursing, deceit and oppression;* under their tongue are mischief and wrong.
8	They lurk in ambush in public squares    and in secret places they murder the innocent;* they spy out the helpless.
9	They lie in wait, like a lion in a covert;    they lie in wait to seize upon the lowly;* they seize the lowly and drag them away in their net.
10	The innocent are broken and humbled before them;* the helpless fall before their power.
11	They say in their heart, ‘God has forgotten;* he hides his face; he will never notice.’
12	Rise up, O Lord;    lift up your hand, O God;* do not forget the afflicted.
13	Why should the wicked revile God?* why should they say in their heart, ‘You do not care’?
14	Surely, you behold trouble and misery;* you see it and take it into your own hand.
15	The helpless commit themselves to you,* for you are the helper of orphans.
16	Break the power of the wicked and evil;* search out their wickedness until you find none.
17	The Lord is king for ever and ever;* the ungodly shall perish from his land.
18	The Lord will hear the desire of the humble;* you will strengthen their heart and your ears shall hear;
19	To give justice to the orphan and oppressed,* so that mere mortals may strike terror no more.
	O God, whose own dear Son bore the yoke of suffering and tasted for us the abandonment of desolation: raise up the power of your hand, that being baptised with his baptism and drinking the cup that he drank, we may trust in your judgement and salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 11
1	In the Lord have I taken refuge;* how then can you say to me,    ‘Fly away like a bird to the hilltop;
2	‘For see how the wicked bend the bow    and fit their arrows to the string,* to shoot from ambush at the true of heart.
3	‘When the foundations are being destroyed,* what can the righteous do?’
4	The Lord is in his holy temple;* the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
5	His eyes behold the inhabited world;* his piercing eye weighs our worth.
6	The Lord weighs the righteous as well as the wicked,* but those who delight in violence he abhors.
7	Upon the wicked he shall rain coals of fire    and burning sulphur;* a scorching wind shall be their lot.
8	For the Lord is righteous;    he delights in righteous deeds;* and the just shall see his face.
	O God, who from the midst of your holy temple behold all the dwellers upon earth: guard your faithful in the time of trial and save us from the dangers and temptations of this life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 12
1	Help me, Lord, for there is no godly one left;* the faithful have vanished from among us.
2	Everyone speaks falsely with their neighbour;* with a smooth tongue they speak from a double heart.
3	O that the Lord would cut off all smooth tongues,* and close the lips that utter proud boasts!
4	Those who say, ‘With our tongue will we prevail;* our lips are our own; who is lord over us?’
5	‘Because the needy are oppressed,    and the poor cry out in misery,* I will rise up’, says the Lord,    ‘and give them the help they long for.’
6	The words of the Lord are pure words,* like silver refined from ore    and purified seven times in the fire.
7	O Lord, watch over us* and save us from this generation for ever.
8	The wicked prowl on every side,* and that which is worthless is highly prized by everyone.
	O Father, whose Son, for lies, was falsely accused and by falsehood, wrongly condemned: watch over your people and guard them in the way of truth, that by your grace they may overcome the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 13
1	How long, O Lord;    will you forget me for ever?* how long will you hide your face from me?
2	How long shall I have perplexity in my mind,    and grief in my heart, day after day?* how long shall my enemy triumph over me?
3	Look upon me and answer me, O Lord my God;* give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;
4	Lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed over him’,* and my foes rejoice that I have fallen.
5	But I put my trust in your mercy;* my heart is joyful because of your saving help.
6	I will sing to the Lord,    for he has dealt with me richly;* I will praise the name of the Lord Most High.
	O God, we carry in our own bodies the death of the Lord Jesus, that likewise we might manifest his life: let not our spiritual foe prevail against us, but with the morning light raise us up from the sleep of sin and death; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 14
1	The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’* All are corrupt and commit abominable acts;    there is none who does any good.
2	The Lord looks down from heaven upon us all,* to see if there is any who is wise,    if there is one who seeks after God.
3	Everyone has proved faithless;    all alike have turned bad;* there is none who does good; no, not one.
4	Have they no knowledge, all those evildoers* who eat up my people like bread    and do not call upon the Lord?
5	See how they tremble with fear,* because God is in the company of the righteous.
6	Their aim is to confound the plans of the afflicted,* but the Lord is their refuge.
7	O that Israel’s deliverance would come out of Zion!* when the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,    Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad.
	O God, in the fear of whom is found true wisdom: preserve us uncorrupted through the course of this world and help us to find our joy in seeking your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 15
1	Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle?* who may abide upon your holy hill?
2	Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right,* who speaks the truth from his heart.
3	There is no guile upon his tongue;    he does no evil to his friend;* he does not heap contempt upon his neighbour.
4	In his sight the wicked is rejected,* but he honours those who fear the Lord.
5	He has sworn to do no wrong* and does not take back his word.
6	He does not give his money in hope of gain,* nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
7	Whoever does these things* shall never be overthrown.
	Establish, O Christ, your kingdom in our hearts and keep us untainted by this earthly life; that in your Father’s house we may be received    into the eternal habitations; where you are alive and reign, now and for ever. Amen.
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Psalm 16
1	Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you;* I have said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord,    my good above all other.’
2	All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land,* upon those who are noble among the people.
3	But those who run after other gods* shall have their troubles multiplied.
4	Their libations of blood I will not offer,* nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.
5	O Lord, you are my portion and my cup;* it is you who uphold my lot.
6	My boundaries enclose a pleasant land;* indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
7	I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel;* my heart teaches me, night after night.
8	I have set the Lord always before me;* because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.
9	My heart, therefore, is glad and my spirit rejoices;* my body also shall rest in hope.
10	For you will not abandon me to the grave,* nor let your holy one see the Pit.
11	You will show me the path of life;* in your presence there is fullness of joy,    and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.
	O Lord, who did not abandon your Faithful One in the Pit but raised him victorious from the grave: show the path of life    to those redeemed as his own possession, that they may attain to the fullness of joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 17
1	Hear my plea of innocence, O Lord;    give heed to my cry;* listen to my prayer,    which does not come from lying lips.
2	Let my vindication come forth from your presence;* let your eyes be fixed on justice.
3	Weigh my heart, summon me by night,* melt me down; you will find no impurity in me.
4	I give no offence with my mouth as others do;* I have heeded the words of your lips.
5	My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law;* in your paths my feet shall not stumble.
6	I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me;* incline your ear to me and hear my words.
7	Show me your marvellous loving-kindness,* O Saviour of those who take refuge at your right hand    from those who rise up against them.
8	Keep me as the apple of your eye;* hide me under the shadow of your wings,
9	From the wicked who assault me,* from my deadly enemies who surround me.
10	They have closed their heart to pity,* and their mouth speaks proud things.
11	They press me hard,    now they surround me,* watching how they may cast me to the ground,
12	Like a lion, greedy for its prey,* and like a young lion lurking in secret places.
13	Arise, O Lord; confront them and bring them down;* deliver me from the wicked by your sword.
14	Deliver me, O Lord, by your hand* from those whose portion in life is this world;
15	Whose bellies you fill with your treasure,* who are well supplied with children    and leave their wealth to their little ones.
16	But at my vindication I shall see your face;* when I awake, I shall be satisfied,    beholding your likeness.
	Cast your eyes upon us, O Lord, and hide us under the shadow of your wings, that, trusting not to our own works but in the refining fire of your compassion, we may come to see you face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 18, Part I
1	I love you, O Lord my strength,* O Lord my stronghold, my crag and my haven.
2	My God, my rock in whom I put my trust,* my shield, the horn of my salvation and my refuge;    you are worthy of praise.
3	I will call upon the Lord,* and so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4	The breakers of death rolled over me,* and the torrents of oblivion made me afraid.
5	The cords of hell entangled me,* and the snares of death were set for me.
6	I called upon the Lord in my distress* and cried out to my God for help.
7	He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling;* my cry of anguish came to his ears.
8	The earth reeled and rocked;* the roots of the mountains shook;    they reeled because of his anger.
9	Smoke rose from his nostrils    and a consuming fire out of his mouth;* hot burning coals blazed forth from him.
10	He parted the heavens and came down* with a storm cloud under his feet.
11	He mounted on cherubim and flew;* he swooped on the wings of the wind.
12	He wrapped darkness about him;* he made dark waters and thick clouds his pavilion.
13	From the brightness of his presence, through the clouds,* burst hailstones and coals of fire.
14	The Lord thundered out of heaven;* the Most High uttered his voice.
15	He loosed his arrows and scattered them;* he hurled thunderbolts and routed them.
16	The beds of the seas were uncovered,    and the foundations of the world laid bare,* at your battle cry, O Lord,    at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
17	He reached down from on high and grasped me;* he drew me out of great waters.
18	He delivered me from my strong enemies    and from those who hated me;* for they were too mighty for me.
19	They confronted me in the day of my disaster;* but the Lord was my support.
20	He brought me out into an open place;* he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Psalm 18, Part II
21	The Lord rewarded me because of my righteous dealing;* because my hands were clean he rewarded me;
22	For I have kept the ways of the Lord* and have not offended against my God;
23	For all his judgements are before my eyes,* and his decrees I have not put away from me;
24	For I have been blameless with him* and have kept myself from iniquity;
25	Therefore the Lord rewarded me    according to my righteous dealing,* because of the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
26	With the faithful you show yourself faithful, O God;* with the forthright you show yourself forthright.
27	With the pure you show yourself pure,* but with the crooked you are wily.
28	You will save a lowly people,* but you will humble the haughty eyes.
29	You, O Lord, are my lamp;* my God, you make my darkness bright.
30	With you I will break down an enclosure;* with the help of my God I will scale any wall.
31	As for God, his ways are perfect;    the words of the Lord are tried in the fire;* he is a shield to all who trust in him.
32	For who is God, but the Lord?* who is the rock, except our God?
33	It is God who girds me about with strength* and makes my way secure.
34	He makes me sure-footed like a deer* and lets me stand firm on the heights.
35	He trains my hands for battle* and my arms for bending even a bow of bronze.
36	You have given me your shield of victory;* your right hand also sustains me;    your loving care makes me great.
37	You lengthen my stride beneath me,* and my ankles do not give way.
38	I pursue my enemies and overtake them;* I will not turn back till I have destroyed them.
39	I strike them down and they cannot rise;* they fall defeated at my feet.
40	You have girded me with strength for the battle;* you have cast down my adversaries beneath me;    you have put my enemies to flight.
41	I destroy those who hate me;    they cry out, but there is none to help them;* they cry to the Lord, but he does not answer.
42	I beat them small like dust before the wind;* I trample them like mud in the streets.
43	You deliver me from the strife of the peoples;* you put me at the head of the nations.
44	A people I have not known shall serve me;    no sooner shall they hear than they shall obey me;* strangers will cringe before me.
45	The foreign peoples will lose heart;* they shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
46	The Lord lives! Blessèd is my rock!* Exalted is the God of my salvation!
47	He is the God who gave me victory* and cast down the peoples beneath me.
48	You rescued me from the fury of my enemies;    you exalted me above those who rose against me;* you saved me from my deadly foe;
49	Therefore will I extol you among the nations, O Lord,* and sing praises to your name.
50	He multiplies the victories of his king;* he shows loving-kindness to his anointed,    to David and his descendants for ever.
	Guard us, O Lord, with the shield of faith and fight for us with the sword of the Spirit, that in all our spiritual warfare    against the powers of darkness we may gain the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 19
1	The heavens declare the glory of God,* and the firmament shows his handiwork.
2	One day tells its tale to another,* and one night imparts knowledge to another.
3	Although they have no words or language,* and their voices are not heard,
4	Their sound has gone out into all lands,* and their message to the ends of the world.
5	In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun;* it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;    it rejoices like a champion to run its course.
6	It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens    and runs about to the end of it again;* nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
7	The law of the Lord is perfect    and revives the soul;* the testimony of the Lord is sure    and gives wisdom to the innocent.
8	The statutes of the Lord are just    and rejoice the heart;* the commandment of the Lord is clear    and gives light to the eyes.
9	The fear of the Lord is clean    and endures for ever;* the judgements of the Lord are true    and righteous altogether.
10	More to be desired are they than gold,    more than much fine gold,* sweeter far than honey,    than honey in the comb.
11	By them also is your servant enlightened,* and in keeping them there is great reward.
12	Who can tell how often he offends?* Cleanse me from my secret faults.
13	Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;    let them not get dominion over me;* then shall I be whole and sound,    and innocent of a great offence.
14	Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart    be acceptable in your sight,* O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
	Let the Sun of Righteousness arise, O God, with healing in his wings; may he come forth as the bridegroom to rejoice with the bride and make your people acceptable in his sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 20
1	May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble,* the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
2	Send you help from his holy place* and strengthen you out of Zion;
3	Remember all your offerings* and accept your burnt sacrifice;
4	Grant you your heart’s desire* and prosper all your plans.
5	We will shout for joy at your victory    and triumph in the name of our God;* may the Lord grant all your requests.
6	Now I know that the Lord gives victory    to his anointed;* he will answer him out of his holy heaven,    with the victorious strength of his right hand.
7	Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses,* but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God.
8	They collapse and fall down,* but we will arise and stand upright.
9	O Lord, give victory to the king* and answer us when we call.
	O God, whose Son was born in our flesh    to be our Redeemer: hear and defend us, who call upon his holy Name, and grant us to share in his victory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Psalm 21
1	The king rejoices in your strength, O Lord;* how greatly he exults in your victory!
2	You have given him his heart’s desire;* you have not denied him the request of his lips.
3	For you meet him with blessings of prosperity,* and set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
4	He asked you for life and you gave it to him;* length of days, for ever and ever.
5	His honour is great, because of your victory;* splendour and majesty have you bestowed upon him.
6	For you will give him everlasting felicity* and will make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7	For the king puts his trust in the Lord;* because of the loving-kindness of the Most High,    he will not fall.
8	Your hand will lay hold upon all your enemies;* your right hand will seize all those who hate you.
9	You will make them like a fiery furnace* at the time of your appearing, O Lord;
10	You will swallow them up in your wrath,* and fire shall consume them.
11	You will destroy their offspring from the land* and their descendants    from among the peoples of the earth.
12	Though they intend evil against you    and devise wicked schemes,* yet they shall not prevail.
13	For you will put them to flight* and aim your arrows at them.
14	Be exalted, O Lord, in your might;* we will sing and praise your power.
	Go before us, Lord Christ, with the blessings of your goodness and guide all those you call to authority in the way of your justice, the knowledge of your liberty and the wisdom of your gentleness; for your Name’s sake. Amen.
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