English text
1 I lift my heart to thee,
My God and guide most just,
Now suffer me to take no shame,
For in thee do I trust.
2 Let not my foes rejoice,
Nor make a scorn of me;
And let them not be overthrown,
That put their trust in thee.
3 But shame shall them befall,
Who harm them wrongfully:
Therefore thy paths, and thy right ways,
Unto me, Lord, descry.
4 Direct me in thy truth,
And teach me, I thee pray:
Thou art my Saviour and my God,
On thee I wait alway.
5 Thy mercies manifold
Remember, Lord, I pray:
In pity thou art plentiful,
And so hast been alway.
6 Remember not the faults
And frailty of my youth;
Call not to mind how ignorant
I have been of thy truth:
7 Nor after my deserts
Let me thy mercy find;
But of thine own benignity,
Lord, have me in thy mind.
8 His mercy is full sweet,
His truth a perfect guide;
Therefore the Lord will sinners teach,
And such as go aside.
9 The humble he will teach
His precepts to obey,
He will direct in all his paths
The lowly man alway.
10 For all the ways of God
Both truth and mercy are,
To them that do his covenant
And statutes keep with care.
The Second Part.
11 Now for thy holy Name,
O Lord, I thee intreat
To grant me pardon for my sin,
For it is very great.
12 Whoso doth fear the Lord,
By him he shall be kept,
To lead his life in such a way
As he doth best accept:
13 His soul shall evermore
In goodness dwell and stand;
His seed and his posterity
Inherit shall the land.
14 All those that fear the Lord,
Know his secret intent;
And unto them he doth declare
His will and testament.
15 My eyes and thankful heart
To him I will advance,
That pluck'd my feet out of the snare
Of sin and ignorance.
16 With mercy me behold,
To thee I make my moan:
For I am poor and desolate,
And comfortless alone.
17 The troubles of my heart
Are multiply'd indeed;
Bring me out of this misery.
Necessity, and need.
18 Behold my poverty,
My anguish and my pain:
Remit my sin and my offence,
And make me clean again.
19 O Lord, behold my foes,
How they do still increase,
Pursuing me with deadly hate,
That fain would live in peace:
20 Preserve and keep my soul,
And still deliver me;
And let me not be overthrown,
Because I trust in thee.
21 Let truth and uprightness
For ever wait on me,
Because my hope and confidence
Have always been in thee.
22 Deliver, Lord, thy folk,
And send them some relief;
I mean thy chosen Israel,
From all their pain and grief.
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Metrical 'New Version' (Tate/Brady)
English text
1 To God, in whom I trust,
I lift my heart and voice;
2 O let me not be put to shame,
Nor let my foes rejoice.
3 Those who on thee rely
Let no disgrace attend;
Be that the shameful lot of such
As willfully offend.
4-5 To me thy truth impart,
And lead me in thy way;
For thou art he that brings me help,
On thee I wait all day.
6 Thy mercies and thy love,
O Lord, recall to mind;
And graciously continue still,
As thou wert ever, kind.
7 Let all my youthful crimes
Be blotted out by thee;
And, for thy wondrous goodness' sake,
In mercy think on me.
8 His mercy and his truth
The righteous Lord displays,
In bringing wandering sinners home,
And teaching them his ways.
9 He those in justice guides
Who his direction seek;
And in his sacred paths shall lead
The humble and the meek.
10 Through all the ways of God
Both truth and mercy shine,
To such as with religious hearts
To his blest will incline.
The Second Part.
11 Since mercy is the grace
That most exalts thy fame,
Forgive my heinous sin, O Lord,
And so advance thy Name.
12 Whoe'er with humble fear
To God his duty pays,
Shall find the Lord a faithful guide
In all his righteous ways.
13 His quiet soul with peace
Shall be for ever blest,
And by his num'rous race the land
Successively possest.
14 For God to all his saints
His secret will imparts,
And does his gracious cov'nant write
In their obedient hearts.
15 To him I lift my eyes,
And wait his timely aid,
Who breaks the strong and treach'rous snare,
Which for my feet was laid.
16 O turn, and all my griefs,
In mercy, Lord, redress;
For I am compass'd round with woes,
And plung'd in deep distress.
17 The sorrows of my heart
To mighty sums increase;
O from this dark and dismal state
My troubled soul release!
18 Do thou with tender eyes
My sad affliction see;
Acquit me, Lord, and from my guilt
Entirely set me free.
19 Consider, Lord, my foes,
How vast their numbers grow;
What lawless force and rage they use,
What boundless hate they show.
20 Protect and set my soul
From their fierce malice free;
Nor let me be asham'd, who place
My steadfast trust in thee.
21 Let all my righteous acts
To full perfection rise,
Because my firm and constant hope
On thee alone relies.
22 To Israel's chosen race
Continue ever kind;
And in the midst of all their wants
Let them thy succour find.
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Metrical Paraphrase by Isaac Watts, 1719
English text
PART 1, vv. 1-11 (S. M.)
I Lift my soul to God,
My trust is in His name:
Let not my foes that seek my blood
Still triumph in my shame.
Sin, and the powers of hell,
Persuade me to despair:
Lord, make me know Thy covenant well,
That I may 'scape the snare.
From the first dawning light
Till the dark evening rise,
For Thy salvation, Lord, I wait
With ever-longing eyes.
Remember all Thy grace,
And lead me in thy truth;
Forgive the sins of riper days,
And follies of my youth.
The Lord is just and kind,
The meek shall learn His ways,
And every humble sinner find
The methods of His grace.
For his own goodness' sake
He saves my soul from shame:
He pardons, though my guilt be great,
Through my Redeemer's name.
PART 2, vv. 12, 14, 10, 13 (S. M.)
Where shall the man be found
That fears t' offend his God?
That loves the gospel's joyful sound,
And trembles at the rod?
The Lord shall make him know
The secrets of his heart,
The wonders of his covenant show,
And all his love impart.
The dealings of His hand
Are truth and mercy still,
With such as to His covenant stand,
And love to do His will.
Their souls shall dwell at ease
Before their Maker's face;
Their seed shall taste the promises
In their extensive grace.
PART 3, vv. 15-22 (S. M.)
Mine eyes and my desire
Are ever to the Lord;
I love to plead His promises,
And rest upon His word.
Turn, turn thee to my soul,
Bring thy salvation near;
When will thy hand release my feet
Out of the deadly snare?
When shall the sovereign grace
Of my forgiving God
Restore me from those dangerous ways
My wandering feet have trod?
The tumult of my thoughts
Doth but enlarge my woe;
My spirit languishes, my heart
Is desolate and low.
With every morning light
My sorrow new begins;
Look on my anguish and my pain,
And pardon all my sins.
Behold the hosts of hell,
How cruel is their hate!
Against my life they rise, and join
Their fury with deceit.
O keep my soul from death,
Nor put my hope to shame,
For I have placed my only trust
In my Redeemer's name.
With humble faith I wait
To see Thy face again:
Of Israel it shall ne'er be said,
He sought the Lord in vain.
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