Simeon Singer - The Standard Prayer Book

Cong .—My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Mourner .—He who maketh peace in his high places, may he make peace for us and for all Israel; and say ye, Amen.

Table of Contents

This is the First Day of the Week on which the Levites in the Temple used to say:—

Psalm xxiv.

A Psalm of David: The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For it is he that hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? And who may stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not set his desire upon vanity, and hath not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek after him, that seek thy face, (O God of) Jacob! (Selah.) Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who, then, is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; yea, lift them up, ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who, then, is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. (Selah.)

Psalm for the Second Day of the Week .

This is the Second Day of the Week on which the Levites in the Temple used to say:—

(Psalm xlviii.)

A Song; a Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion,—at the sides of the north,—the city of the great king. God hath made himself known in her palaces as a stronghold. For, lo, the kings met each other, they passed on together. They saw it; then were they amazed; they were confounded, they hasted away. Trembling took hold of them there; pangs as of a woman in travail. With an east wind thou didst break the ships of Tarshish. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. (Selah.) We thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple. As is thy name, O God, so is thy renown unto the ends of the earth; thy right hand is full of righteousness. Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments. Compass ye Zion and go round about her: count the towers thereof. Mark ye well her rampart, traverse her palaces; that ye may tell a later generation, that this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

Psalm for the Third Day of the Week .

This is the Third Day of the Week, on which the Levites in the Temple used to say:—

(Psalm lxxxii.)

A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the judges. How long will ye judge unjustly, and respect the persons of the wicked? (Selah.) Judge the lowly and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the lowly and needy: deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither do they understand; they walk about in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are moved. I said, Ye are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High. Nevertheless ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt possess all the nations.

Psalm for the Fourth Day of the Week .

This is the Fourth Day of the Week, on which the Levites in the Temple used to say:—

(Psalm xciv.)

O God of vengeance, Lord, O God of vengeance, shine forth. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render to the proud their desert. Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? They prate, they speak arrogantly: all the workers of iniquity are boastful. They crush thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. And they say, The Lord will not see, neither will the God of Jacob give heed. Give heed, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chasteneth the nations, shall not he punish, even he that teacheth man knowledge? The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men, that they are vanity. Happy is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest out of thy Law; that thou mayest give him rest from the days of evil, until the pit be digged for the wicked. For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. For judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the. upright in heart shall follow it. Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers, who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had soon dwelt in silence. When I say, My foot slippeth, thy lovingkindness, O Lord, holdeth me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul. Hath the tribunal of destruction fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by statute? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. But the Lord is become my stronghold; and my God the rock of my refuge. And he bringeth back upon them their own iniquity, and for their evil shall cut them off; the Lord our God shall cut them off.

O come, let us exult before the Lord: let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.

Psalm for the Fifth Day of the Week .

This is the Fifth Day of the Week, on which the Levites in the Temple used to say:—

(Psalm lxxxi.)

To the Chief Musician. Set to the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph. Exult aloud unto God our strength: shout for joy unto the God of Jacob. Raise the song, and strike the timbrel, the pleasant lyre with the harp. Blow the horn on the new moon, at the beginning of the month, for our day of festival. For it is a statute of Israel, a decree of the God of Jacob. He appointed it in Joseph for a testimony, when he went forth over the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I knew not. I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were freed from the basket. Thou calledst in trouble and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder, I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. (Selah.) Hear, O my people, and I will testify against thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me. There shall be no strange god in thee; neither shalt thou worship any foreign god. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open wide thy mouth, and I will fill it. But my people hearkened not to my voice; and Israel was not willing towards me. So I let them go in the stubbornness of their heart, that they might walk in their own counsels. O that my people would hearken unto me, that Israel would walk in my ways. I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord should submit themselves unto him; so that their time might endure for ever. He would feed them also with the fat of wheat: and with honey out of the rock would I satisfy thee.

Psalm for the Sixth Day of the Week .

This is the Sixth Day of the Week, on which the Levites in the Temple used to say:—

Psalm xciii.

The Lord reigneth; he hath robed him in majesty; the Lord hath robed him, yea, he hath girded himself with strength: the world also is set firm, that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is set firm from of old: thou art from everlasting. The streams have lifted up, O Lord, the streams have lifted up their voice; the streams lift up their roaring. Than the voices of many waters, mighty waters, breakers of the sea, more mighty is the Lord on high. Thy testimonies are very faithful: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for evermore.