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War Anthems: A Hymn of Victory

Companion Hymn to Psalm lx

THE PEOPLE

My heart is fixed, O God;

I will sing, yea, I will sing praises, even with my glory. Awake, psaltery and harp:

I myself will awake right early.

I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the peoples: And I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.

For thy mercy is great above the heavens,

And thy truth reacheth unto the skies.

Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens:
And thy glory above all the earth.

THE KING

That thy beloved may be delivered,
Save with thy right hand, and answer us.

God hath spoken in his holiness; “I will exult :

"I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.

"Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;

"Ephraim also is the defence of mine head; Judah is my sceptre.

"Moab is my washpot; upon Edom will I cast my shoe :

"Over Philistia will I shout."

Who will bring me into the fenced city?

Who hath led me unto Edom?

Hast not thou cast us off, O God?

And thou goest not forth, O God, with our hosts. Give us help against the adversary:

For vain is the help of man.

THE PEOPLE

Through God we shall do valiantly :

For he it is that shall tread down our adversaries.

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A Curse on him that curseth

Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit

have they opened against me:

They have spoken unto me with a lying tongue.
They compassed me about also with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.

For my love they are my adversaries :
But I give myself unto prayer.

And they have rewarded me evil for good,
And hatred for my love.

Set thou a wicked man over him:

And let an adversary stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; And let his prayer be turned into sin.

Let his days be few;

And let another take his office.

Let his children be fatherless,

And his wife a widow.

Let his children be vagabonds, and beg;

And let them seek their bread out of their desolate places.

Let the extortioner catch all that he hath;

And let strangers make spoil of his labour. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him;

Neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children.

Let his posterity be cut off;

In the generation following let their name be blotted

out.

Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD;

And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

Let them be before the LORD continually,

That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

Because that he remembered not to shew mercy,
But persecuted the poor and needy man,

And the broken in heart, to slay them.

Yea, he loved cursing,

And it came unto him;

And he delighted not in blessing,

And it was far from him.

He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment, And it came into his inward parts like water,

And like oil into his bones.

Let it be unto him as the raiment wherewith he covereth

himself,

And for the girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

This is the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD,

And of them that speak evil against my soul.

But deal thou with me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake:
Because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.
For I am poor and needy,

And my heart is wounded within me.

I am gone like the shadow when it declineth:
I am tossed up and down as the locust.

My knees are weak through fasting;
And my flesh faileth of fatness.

I am become also a reproach unto them:
When they see me, they shake their head.
Help me, O LORD my God;

O save me according to thy mercy :
That they may know that this is thy hand;

That thou, LORD, hast done it.

Let them curse, but bless thou:

When they arise, they shall be ashamed, but thy servant shall rejoice.

Let mine adversaries be clothed with dishonour,

And let them cover themselves with their own shame as

with a mantle.

I will give great thanks unto the LORD with my mouth; Yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

For he shall stand at the right hand of the needy,

To save him from them that judge his soul.