Psalms in Metre
1 Thou Shepherd, that dost Israel keep,
give ear, and take good heed,
Who leadest Joseph like a sheep,
and dost him watch and feed;
2 And thou, O Lord, whose seat is set
on cherubims most bright,
Show forth thyself, and do not let,
send down thy beams of light.
3 Before Ephraim, and Benjamin,
Manasses in likewise,
To show thy pow'r do thou begin;
come help us, Lord, arise:
4 Direct our hearts by thy good grace,
convert us unto thee,
Show us the brightness of thy face,
and then full safe are we.
5 Lord God of hosts of Israel,
how long wilt thou delay?
And 'gainst thy fo1k in anger swell,
and wilt not hear them pray!
6 Thou dost them feed with sorrows deep,
their bread with grief they eat;
And drink the tears that they do weep,
in measure full and great.
7 Thou hast us made a very strife
to those that dwell about;
Which much doth please our enemies,
they laugh and jest it out.
8 O take us, Lord, unto thy grace,
convert our hearts to thee:
Show forth to us thy joyful face,
and we full safe shall be.
9 From Egypt, where it grew not well,
thou brought'st a vine full dear:
The heathen folk thou didst expel,
and thou didst plant it there.
10 Thou didst prepare for it a place,
and set its roots so fast,
That it did grow and spring apace,
and filled the land at last.
The Second Part.
11 The hills were covered round about
with shade that from it came;
Also the cedars strong and stout,
with branches of the same.
12 Why then didst thou her walls destroy?
her hedge plucked up thou hast;
That all the folk that pass thereby,
the same do spoil and waste.
13 The boar out of the wood so wild
doth dig and root it out,
The furious beasts out of the field
devour it all about.
14 O Lord of hosts, return again,
from heav'n do thou look down;
Behold, and with thy help sustain
thy vineyard overthrown.
15 Thy pleasant vine, thy Israel,
which thy right hand hath set;
The same which thou didst love so well,
O Lord, do not forget:
16 They lop and cut it off apace,
they burn it down with fire;
And through the frowning of thy face
we perish in thine ire.
17 Let thy right hand be with him now,
whom thou hast kept so long;
And with the son of man, whom thou
to thee hast made so strong.
18 And so, when thou hast set us free,
and sav-ed us from shame;
Then will we never fall from thee,
but call upon thy Name.
19 O Lord of hosts, through thy good grace,
convert us unto thee;
Behold us with a pleasant face,
and then full safe are we.

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