2 How bless'd, who to his righteous laws
Have still obedient been;
And have, with fervent humble zeal,
His favour sought to win!

3 Such men their utmost caution use
To shun each wicked deed;
But in the path which he directs

With constant care proceed.

4 Thou strictly hast enjoin'd us, Lord,
To learn thy sacred will;
And all our diligence employ
Thy statutes to fulfil.

5 O then that thy most holy will
Might o'er my ways preside;
And I the course of all my life
By thy direction guide!

6 Then with assurance should I walk,
From all confusion free;
Convinced, with joy, that all my ways
With thy commands agree.

7 My upright heart shall my glad mouth
With cheerful praises fill,

When, by thy righteous judgments taught, I shall have learn'd thy will.

2 So to thy sacred laws shall I

Entire observance pay:

O then forsake me not, my God,
Nor cast me quite away!

PART II. BETH. C. M.

1 How shall the young preserve their ways From all pollution free?

By making still their course of life

With thy commands agree.

2 With hearty zeal for thee I seek,
To thee for succour pray;
O suffer not my careless steps
From thy right paths to stray!

3 Safe in my heart, and closely hid,
Thy word, my treasure, lies,
To succour me with timely aid
When sinful thoughts arise.

4 Secured by that, my grateful soul

Shall ever bless thy Name;
O teach me then by thy just laws
My future life to frame!

5 My lips, unlock'd by pious zeal,
To others have declared

How well the judgments of thy mouth
Deserve our best regard.

6 Whilst in the way of thy commands,
More solid joy I found,

Then had I been with vast increase
Of envied riches crown'd.

7 Therefore thy just and upright laws Shall always fill my mind;

And those sound rules which thou prescrib'st,

Entire respect shall find.

8 To keep thy statutes undefaced
Shall be my constant joy;

The strict remembrance of thy word
Shall all my thoughts employ.

PART III. GIMEL. C. M.

1 BE gracious to thy servant, Lord;
Do thou my life defend,
That I according to thy word
My time to come may spend.

2 Enlighten both my eyes and mind,
That so I may discern

The wondrous things which they behold,
Who thy just precepts learn.

3 My fainting soul is almost pined,
With earnest longing spent,
While always on the eager search
Of thy just will intent.

4 Thy sharp rebuke shall crush the proud,
Whom still thy curse pursues;
Since they to walk in thy right ways
Presumptuously refuse.

5 But far from me do thou, O Lord,
Contempt and shame remove;

For I thy sacred laws affect

With undissembled love.

6 For thy commands have always been My comfort and delight;

By them I learn with prudent care
To guide my steps aright.

PART IV. DALETH. C. M.

1 My soul, oppress'd with deadly care,
Close to the dust doth cleave;
Revive me, Lord, and let me now
Thy promised aid receive.

2 To thee I still declared my ways,
And thou inclin'dst thine ear;

O teach me then my future life
By thy just laws to steer!

3 If thou wilt make me know thy laws,
And by their guidance walk,

The wondrous works which thou hast don?
Shall be my constant talk.

4 But see, my soul within me sinks,
Press'd down with weighty care;
Do thou, according to thy word,
My wasted strength repair.

5 Far, far from me be all false ways And lying arts removed;

But kindly grant I still may keep

The path by thee approved.

Thy faithful ways, thou God of truth,

My happy choice I've made; Thy judgments, as my rule of life,

Before me always laid.

? My care has been to make my life

With thy commands agree;

O then preserve thy servant, Lord,
From shame and ruin free!

8 So in the way of thy commands
Shall I with pleasure run;
And, with a heart enlarged with joy,
Successfully go on.

PART V. HE. C. M.

1 INSTRUCT me in thy statutes, Lord,
Thy righteous paths display;
And I from them, through all my life,

Will never go astray.

2 If thou true wisdom from above

Wilt graciously impart,
To keep thy perfect laws I will
Devote my zealous heart.

3 Direct me in the sacred ways
To which thy precepts lead;
Because my chief delight has been
Thy righteous paths to tread.

4 Do thou to thy most just commands
Incline my willing heart;
Let no desire of worldly wealth

From thee my thoughts divert.
From those vain objects turn mine eyes,
Which this false world displays;
But give me lively power and strength
To keep thy righteous ways.

S Confirm the promise of thy word,
And give thy servant aid,

Who to transgress thy sacred laws
Is awfully afraid.

7 The censure and reproach I fear,
In mercy, Lord, remove;
For all the judgments thou ordain'st
Are full of grace and love.

8 Thou know'st how after thy commands
My longing heart does pant;
O then make haste to raise me up,
And promised succour grant!

PART VI. VAU. C. M.

1 THY constant blessing, Lord, bestow,
To cheer my drooping heart;
To me, according to thy word,
Thy saving health impart.

2 So shall I, whosoe'er upbraids,
This ready answer make;
"In God I trust, who never will
His faithful promise break."

3 Then let not quite the word of truth
Be from my mouth removed;
Since still my ground of steadfast hope
Thy judgments, Lord, have proved.

4 So I to keep thy righteous laws
Will all my study bend;
And constantly my time to come
In their observance spend.

5 My soul shall gladly walk at large,
From all oppression free,
Since I resolved to make my life
With thy commands agree.

6 My longing heart and ravish'd soul
Shall both o'erflow with joy,
When in thy loved commandments ī
My happy hours employ.

7 Then will I to thy holy laws
Lift up my willing hands;

My care and business then shall be
To study thy commands.

PART VII. ZAIN. C. M.

1 ACCORDING to thy promised grace,
Thy favour, Lord, extend;
Make good to me the word, on which
Thy servant's hopes depend.

2 That only comfort in distress

Did all my griefs control;

Thy word, when troubles hemm'd e round,

Revived my fainting soul.

3 Thy judgments then, of ancient date,
I quickly call'd to mind,

Till, ravish'd with such thoughts, my sou
Did speedy comfort find.

4 Thy Name, that cheer'd my heart by day, Has fill'd my thoughts by night:

I then resolved by thy just laws

To guide my steps aright.

2 With all the strength of warm desire
I did thy grace implore;
Disclose, according to thy word,
Thy mercy's boundless store

3 With deep reflection and strict care
On all my ways I thought;
And so, reclaim'd to thy just paths,
My wandering steps I brought.
4 Prolonging not the time, my soul

Resolved without delay

To watch, that I might never more
From thy commandments stray.

5 To such as fear thy holy Name
Myself I closely join ;

To all who their obedient wills

To thy commands resign.

6 O'er all the earth thy mercy, Lord, Abundantly is shed;

O grant that I may truly learn
Thy sacred paths to tread.

PART IX. TETH. C. M.

1 WITH me, thy servant, thou hast dealt
Most graciously, O Lord;
Repeated benefits bestow'd,
According to thy word.

2 Teach me the sacred skill by which
Right judgment is attain'd,
Who in belief of thy commands
Have steadfastly remain'd.

3 Before affliction stopp'd my course,
My footsteps went astray;
But I have since been disciplined
Thy precepts to obey.

4 Thou art, O Lord, supremely good,
And all thou dost is so ;

On me, thy statutes to discern,
Thy saving skill bestow.

5 'Tis good for me that I have felt

Affliction's chastening rod,
That I may duly learn and keep
The statutes of my God.

6 The law that from thy mouth proceeds.
Of more esteem I hold

Than richest mines, than thousand mines
Of silver and of gold

PART X. JOD. C. M. 1 To me, who am the workmanship Of thy almighty hands,

The heavenly understanding give To learn thy just commands.

2 My preservation to thy saints
Strong comfort will afford,
To see success attend my hopes,
Who trusted in thy word.
That right thy judgments are, I now
By sure experience see;
And that in faithfulness, O Lord,

Thou hast afflicted me.

4 O let thy tender mercy now
Afford me needful aid;
According to thy promise, Lord,
To me, thy servant, made!

5 To me thy saving grace restore,
That I again may live;

Whose soul can relish no delight
But what thy precepts give.

6 In thy blest statutes let my heart
Continue always sound;

That guilt and shame, the sinner's lot,
May never me confound.

PART XI. CAPH. C. M.

1 My soul with long expectance faints
To see thy saving grace;
Yet still on thy unerring word
My confidence I place.

2 My very eyes consume and fail
With waiting for thy word;

O when wilt thou thy kind relief
And promised aid afford?

3 Thy wonted kindness, Lord, restore,
My drooping heart to cheer;
That by thy righteous statutes I
My life's whole course may steer.

PART XII. LAMED. C. M.

1 FOR ever and for ever, Lord,

Unchanged thou dost remain; Thy word, establish'd in the heavens, Does all their orbs sustain.

2 Through circling ages, Lord, thy truth Immovable shall stand,

As doth the earth, which thou uphold'st
By thine almighty hand.

3 All things the course by thee ordain'd
E'en to this day fulfil;
They are the faithful subjects all,
And servants of thy will.

4 Unless thy sacred law had been
My comfort and delight,

I must have fainted, and expired
In dark affliction's night.

5 Thy precepts therefore from my thoughts Shall never, Lord, depart;

For thou by them hast to new life

Restored my dying heart.

5 I've seen an end of what we call

Perfection here below;

But thy commandments, like thyself,
No change or period know.

PART XIII. MEM. C. M.
1 THE love that to thy laws I bear
No language can display;
They with fresh wonders entertain
My raptured thoughts all day.

2 My feet with care I have refrain'd
From every sinful way,

That to thy sacred word I might

Entire obedience pay.

3 I have not from thy judgments stray'd
By vain desires misled;

For, Lord, thou hast instructed me
Thy righteous paths to tread.

4 How sweet are all thy words to me;
O what divine repast!

How much more grateful to my soul
Than honey to my taste!

5 Taught by thy sacred precepts, I

With heavenly skill am blest;
Through which the treacherous ways of sin
I utterly detest.

PART XIV. NUN. C. M.
THY word is to my feet a lamp,
The way of truth to show;

A watch-light, to point out the path
In which I ought to go.

2 I've vow'd, and from my covenant, Lord, Will never start aside,

That in thy righteous judgments I
Will steadfastly abide.

3 Let still my sacrifice of praise
With thee acceptance find;

And in thy righteous judgments, Lord,
Instruct my willing mind.

Thy testimonies I have made

My heritage and choice;

For they, when other comforts fail,
My drooping heart rejoice.

5 My heart with early zeal began
Thy statutes to obey;

And, till my course of life is done,
Shall keep thine upright way.

PART XV. SAMECH. C. M.

1 DECEITFUL thoughts and practices
I utterly detest;

But to thy law affectica bear
Too great to be express'd.

2 My hiding-place, my refuge-tower,
And shield art thou, O Lord;
I firmly anchor all my hopes
On thy unerring word.

3 Away from me, ye wicked men,
Approach not my abode;
For firmly I resolve to keep
The precepts of my God.

4 According to thy gracious word,
From danger set me free;

Nor make me of those hopes ashamed
That I repose on thee.

PART XVI. AIN. C. M.

1 MINE eyes, alas! begin to fail, In long expectance held; Till thy salvation they behold.

And righteous word fulfill'd.

2 To me thy servant in distress,
Thy wonted grace display,
And discipline my willing heart
Thy statutes to obey

3 On me, devoted to thy fear,
Thy sacred skill bestow,
That of thy testimonies I

The full extent may know.

4 Thy laws and precepts I account
In all respects divine;

They teach me to discern the right,
And all false ways decline.

PART XVII. PE. C. M.

1 THE Wonders which thy laws contain
No words can represent;
Therefore to learn and practise them
My zealous heart is bent.

2 The very entrance to thy word
Celestial light displays,

And knowledge of true happiness
To simplest minds conveys.

3 With eager hopes I waiting stood,
And fainting with desire,

That of thy wise commands I might
The sacred skill acquire.

4 With favour, Lord, look down on me, Who thy relief implore;

As thou art wont to visit those

Who thy blest Name adore.

Directed by thy heavenly word
Let all my footsteps be;
Nor wickedness of any kind
Dominion have o'er me.

On me, devoted to thy fear,

Lord, make thy face to shine: Thy statutes both to know and keep My heart with zeal incline.

PART XVIII. TSADDI. C. M.

1 THOU art the righteous Judge, in whom
Wrong'd innocence may trust;
And, like thyself, thy judgments, Lord,
In all respects are just.

2 Most just and true those statutes were
Which thou didst first decree;
And all with faithfulness perform'd
Succeeding times shall see.

3 Lord, each neglected word of thine,
Howe'er by men despised,

Is pure, and for eternal truth

By me, thy servant, prized.

Thy righteousness shall then endure
When time itself is past;
Thy law is truth itself, that truth

Which shall for ever last.

5 Inough trouble, anguish, doubts, and dread, To compass me unite;

Beset with danger, still I make

Thy precepts my delight.

6 Eternal and unerring rules

Thy testimonies give:

Teach me the wisdom that will make
My soul for ever live.

PART XIX. KOPH. C. M.

1 WITH my whole heart to God I call'd-
Lord, hear my earnest cry!
And I thy statutes to perform
Will all my care apply.

2 Again more fervently I pray'd-
O save me, that I may
Thy testimonies fully know,
And steadfastly obey!

3 My earlier prayer the dawning day
Prevented, while I cried

To him, upon whose faithful word
My hope alone relied.

4 Lord, hear my supplicating voice,
And wonted favour show;
O quicken me, and so approve
Thy judgments ever true!

5 Concerning thy divine commands My soul has known of old,

That they were true, and shall their truth To endless ages hold.

PART XX. RESCH. C. M.

1 CONSIDER my affliction, Lord,
And me from bondage draw;
Think on thy servant in distress,
Who ne'er forgets thy law.

2 Defend my cause, and me to save
Thy timely aid afford;

With beams of mercy quicken me
According to thy word.

3 From harden'd sinners thou remov'st
Salvation far away;

'Tis just thou should'st withdraw from them
Who from thy statutes stray.

4 Since great thy tender mercies are
To all who thee adore;
According to thy judgments, Lord,
My fainting hopes restore.

5 Consider, O my gracious God,
How I thy precepts love;

O therefore quicken me with beams
Of mercy from above!

6 As from the birth of time thy truth
Has held through ages past,
So shall thy righteous judgments firm
To endless ages last..

PART XXI. SCHIN. C. M.

1 THY sacred word my joyful breast
With heavenly rapture warms;
Nor conquest, nor the spoils of war,
Have such transporting charms.

2 Perfidious practices and lies

I utterly detest;

But to thy laws affection bear,
Too vast to be express'd.

3 Seven times a day, with grateful voice
Thy praises I resound,
Because I find thy judgments all

With truth and justice crown'd.

4 Secure, substantial peace have they
Who truly love thy law;
No smiling mischief them can tempt,
Nor frowning danger awe.

5 For thy salvation I have hoped,
And, though so long delay'd,
With cheerful zeal and anxious care
All thy commands obey'd.