Church Psalter: The Book of Psalms for Liturgical and Private Use
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About this ebook
The present rendition, based loosely on the version published in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, attempts to maintain the liturgical feel of the Psalter while, at the same time, purging it of unnecessary baggage.
Here is a version of the Psalter which can be prayed, without any reservation, by Christian communities and individuals alike.
Georg Retzlaff
Georg Retzlaff has been a priest and teacher in the church for almost forty years. Educated in Europe, he earned a doctorate in Church History from the University of Bern, Switzerland, taught at colleges, universities, and seminaries in the USA, Liberia, and Tanzania. His previous books, articles for journals and weekly newspapers were published in Germany and Switzerland. Retzlaff has a passion for teaching on all levels, academic as well as congregational. He is presently serving as rector of an Episcopal Church in South Carolina.
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Church Psalter - Georg Retzlaff
the psalter
Psalm 1
1 Happy are they who walk in the light, *
and turn from their foolish ways.
2 Their delight is in the goodness of the LORD, *
they meditate upon it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted by streams of water,*
bearing fruit in due season.
4 Their leaves do not wither; *
everything they do shall glorify their God.
5 They remember their ways of old; *
when they were like chaff which the wind blows away.
6 When they stood proudly before their God, *
and failed to praise him humbly for the gift of salvation.
7 But the LORD knows the depths of their hearts, *
and rejoices over every sinner who repents.
Psalm 2
1 Why are the nations in an uproar? *
Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?
2 Why do the rulers of the earth rise up in revolt, and their
leaders 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 who dwells on high grieves over them; *
the Lord mourns because of them.
5 He spoke to them with passion, *
He called and wooed them without ceasing.
6 "I myself have given you my Son *
I have sent him in the midst of you.
7 It is I, the LORD, who spoke to him: *
‘You are my Son; this day have I begotten you.
8 I will save all peoples through your word *
and the ends of the earth for your name’s sake.
9 You shall open their eyes to see the truth *
and make of them a new creation.’"
10 And now, repent of trusting in your wealth; *
bow down, you mighty ones of the earth.
11 Let God be God in all His glory, *
renounce your pride and humble yourselves before him;
12 Lest he withdraw and leave you; *
and abandon you to your own devices and desires.
13 Happy are they who are God’s children, *
who take refuge in him!
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 dwelling;
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 Be with me, O LORD; set me free, O my God; *
surely, you will help me pray for all my enemies.
8 Deliverance belongs to the LORD. *
Your blessing be upon your people!
Psalm 4
1 I call on your name, O God, *
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 I will give you all honor and glory; *
I will worship you and forsake all vanity.
3 I know that the LORD dwells among the faithful; *
I call upon the LORD, he is near me.
4 I am angry at my sin and faithlessness; *
I speak to my heart in silence upon my bed.
5 I will make all of my life a sacrifice to God *
and put my trust in the LORD.
6 Many are saying, Oh, that we might see better times!
*
but the light of your countenance shines upon us always.
7 You have put gladness in my heart, *
more than when earthly treasures increase.
8 I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; *
for only you, LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 5
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; *
consider my meditation.
2 Hearken to my cry for help, my All, my God, *
for I make my prayer to you.
3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; *
early in the morning I spread my whole life out before you and tarry.
4 No wickedness can ever give you pleasure,*
and evil cannot dwell with you.
5 I cannot boast of any merit in your sight; *
you bless all those who seek your kingdom.
6 The lies I speak offend you, God; *
my lust for vengeance and deceit, O LORD, you abhor.
7 Only through the greatness of your mercy can I abide with you; *
I will bow down toward your holy dwelling in awe of you.
8 Take me by my hand and lead me; *
make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in our mouths; *
there is destruction in our hearts;
10 Our throats are an open grave; *
we flatter with our tongues.
11 Have mercy on us, God; *
redeem us and make us whole.
12 Though our transgressions are many you help us, *
you are faithful even when we rebel against you.
13 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 merciful; *
You will defend them with your favor as with a shield.
Psalm 6
1 LORD, I need you in this time of trial; *
be near me because I am afflicted.
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 to me, LORD, and deliver me; *
save me for your mercy’s sake.
5 For death is fearsome to me; *
and dread of suffering has seized my soul.
6 I grow weary because of my groaning; *
every night I lie awake and weep.
7 My eyes are wasted with grief *
and worn away because of all my troubles.
8 Depart from me, all evil spirits, *
for the LORD has heard the sound of my crying.
9 The LORD has heard my supplication; *
the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my worries shall be lifted; *
they shall turn to shouts of praise and thanks.
Psalm 7
1 O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; *
save and deliver me from all my troubles;
2 Lest like wild beasts they tear me in pieces *
and snatch me away with none to deliver me.
3 O LORD my God, I know my failures: *
there is wickedness in my hands,
4 I have repaid my friend with evil, *
and wished him ill who is my enemy;
5 Oh, let not my troubles overwhelm me, *
or trample me down and make me like dust.
6 Stand by my side, O LORD, in your mercy; *
be my helper against the turmoil within me.
7 Leave me not alone, O my God, and hasten to my aid; *
send your angels to stand by my side.
8 You are the God of my life; *
O LORD, you see deep within my heart.
9 Help me according to your righteousness, O LORD, *
and according to your holiness, O Most High.
10 Let my malice come to an end, and make me righteous; *
for you test the mind and heart, O gracious God.
11 God is my shield and my defense; *
he saves those who are pure in heart.
12 God is our father and protector; *
God watches over us every day.
13 If we will not repent, God will still be faithful; *
he will send redemption and deliver us.
14 He has shown us the way; *
his help is near, he does not tarry.
15 He pities them who are in labor with wickedness, *
who conceive evil, and give birth to a lie.
16 Who dig a pit and make it deep *
and fall into the hole that they have made.
17 Whose malice turns back upon their own head; *
whose violence falls on their own scalp.
18 I will bear witness that the LORD is good; *
I will praise the Name of the LORD Most High.
Psalm 8
1 O LORD, dear God, *
how lovely is your Name in all the world!
2 Out of the mouths of infants and children *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.
3 Their voices are pure and innocent, *
they herald the coming of your kingdom.
4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
5 Who are we that you should be mindful of us? *
we mortals that you should seek us out?
6 You have made us but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn us with glory and honor;
7 You place us amid the works of your hands; *
you call us to care for all creatures:
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, dear God, *
how lovely is your Name in all the world!
Psalm 9
1 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with my whole heart; *
I will tell of all your marvelous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; *
I will sing to your Name, O Most High.
3 Now my sins are blotted out, *
I will no longer stumble because you are with me.
4 For you have made me right before you; *
you know me through and through.
5 You have rebuked, destroyed my wickedness; *
you have given me hope for ever and ever.
6 As for my past, it is finished, in perpetual ruin, *
its stronghold plowed under, its memory perished;
7 The LORD is merciful for ever; *
he has made me his dwelling place.
8 It is he who calls the world with gentleness; *
and hears those who call upon him.
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, *
a shelter 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 praises to the LORD who dwells within you; *
proclaim to the peoples the things that he has done.
12 He is ever mindful of your afflictions; *
he will not forget the cry of those who struggle.
13 You had pity on me, O LORD; *
you saw the misery I suffered from my own grievous faults.
14 So that I might rejoice in your salvation *
in the assembly of those who love your Name.
15 Without you I would have fallen into a pit, *
and my foot would have been caught in the snare of my sin.
16 The LORD is known by his loving-kindness; *
he frees the wicked from the works of their own hands.
17 Apart from God there is only the grave, *
and death alone for all the people that forget God.
18 But the needy shall not ever be forgotten, *
and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.
19 You have helped me, O LORD, and made me yours for ever; *
you cleansed me by your mercy.
20 Bless me with insight and wisdom, O LORD; *
remind me that my days are few on earth.
Psalm 10
1 Why do you stand afar from us, O LORD, *
and hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 The wicked arrogantly persecute the poor, *
and trap them 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 judgments are out of
their sight; *
they defy all calls to turn and repent.
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 and in secret places they harm the
innocent; *
they spy out the helpless.
9 They lie in wait to seize upon the lowly; *
they seize 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 and his people do not care; *
they hide their faces; they will never notice."
12 Stir us up, O LORD; strengthen our hands; *
so that we do not forget the afflicted.
13 Why should the wicked revile God and his people? *
why should they say in their heart, They do not care
?
14 Surely, you behold trouble and misery; *
you see it and put it into our own hand.
15 The helpless commit themselves to you, *
they look to your people for help.
16 With you we shall break the power of wickedness; *
through you we shall bring it to an end.
17 You are God for ever and ever; *
awaken us and take away the veil from our eyes.
18 Help us to hear the cries of the humble; *
so we can strengthen their hearts and be by their