The Second Kathisma

Antiphon One

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will declare all your wonderful deeds. 2) I will rejoice and jump for joy because of you, singing praise to your name, O most high. 3) When my enemies withdraw, it is the very sight of you that makes them stumble to their doom.

4) O, that you would uphold the justice of my cause, seated on your throne, O righteous judge! 5) Rebuke the nations and destroy the wicked! Blot out their names forever and ever! 6) Put an end to the enemy; ruin them forever! Turn their cities upside down, and make the very memory of them disappear!

7) But see, the Lord is enthroned from eternity; he has set up his throne for judgment. 8) He governs the world with justice; he judges the peoples fairly. 9) The Lord is a tower of strength for the oppressed, a tower of strength in times of trouble. 10) Those who cherish your name trust in you, for you never desert those who love you, O Lord.

11) Sing to the Lord who dwells in Sion! Make known his deeds among the peoples! 12) For he never ignores the cry of the afflicted; he who avenges bloodshed keeps them in mind.

13) Pity me, Lord! See what my foes have done to me! Raise me up from the gates of death 14) that I may repeat your praises at the gates of the city of Sion, that I may rejoice at this deliverance.

15) Let the nations fall into a pit of their own making; let their own feet get caught in the net they have laid. 16) May the Lord be known for his justice, and let the wicked man be ensnared by his own devices.

17) Let the wicked return to the depths of the earth; perish the nations that ignore God! 18) The needy shall not be forgotten forever; the hope of the poor shall not be in vain. 19) Rise up, Lord, lest men boast! Let the nations be judged before you! 20) Strike them with terror, O Lord! Muzzle them! Make the nations know they are only men!

Why, Lord, do you stand aloof? Why do you hide when times are hard? 2) In the wicked man's pride the lowly man is consumed; he is trapped by the schemes of the other.

3) For the wicked man crows about his unbridled lusts; the covetous man reviles and scorns the Lord. 4) In his arrogant scheming he thinks to himself: He will never demand an accounting; God does not care! 5) His plans evolve successfully, step by step; your decrees are far from him, and for all his foes he has nothing but contempt. 6) He assures himself: I will make out well; harm shall never touch me! 7) Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth; under his tongue lurk mischief and evil. 8) He lies in wait in the bushes; in secret he murders the innocent; his eyes are on the watch for the helpless. 9) He lurks in hiding, like a lion in his lair, ready to pounce on the hapless; he seizes the afflicted to drag him away in his net. 10) He is ever on the watch, crouching, ready to jump, and some luckless wretch falls prey to his might. 11) He says to himself: God pays no attention; he turns the other way; he never looks.

12) Arise, then, Lord! Lift up your hand! O God, do not forget the poor! 13) Why should the evildoer mock God, thinking you will not call him to account! 14) See for yourself the misery and sorrow; see it and take it in hand! The helpless entrusts himself to you, and the fatherless--you be his helper! 15) Break the arm of the wicked, of the evildoer! Surely you can see his malice! Do away with it forever!

16) The Lord is eternal, everlasting king, so let the heathen disappear from this land! 17) O Lord, hear the plea of the lowly; strengthen their hearts and grant them a hearing! 18) Judge in favor of the orphan and the downtrodden, so that man born of earth shall spread terror no more!

In the Lord I take refuge! How can you say to me: Take to the hills like a bird! 2) For look: The wicked are bracing their bow; they are fitting their arrows to the string, to shoot at the upright from ambush. 3) While foundations are being destroyed, what is the just one doing?

4) The Lord is in his temple, the Lord whose throne is in heaven; his eyes watch; his piercing eyes examine the children of men. 5) The Lord is the just one who examines the wicked; so the one who loves evil imperils his own soul. 6) He rains down coals of fire and burning sulphur on the wicked; a scorching wind shall be their lot. 7) For the Lord is the just one who loves justice, and the just shall behold his face.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Both now and forever, and unto ages of ages, amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.

Antiphon Two

Help us, Lord! The good have vanished! Loyalty has disappeared from mankind! 2) They do nothing but lie, one to another, deceit on their lips, duplicity in their hearts!

3) May the Lord slice off all lying lips, the tongue that speaks high-sounding words; 4) may he cut down those who say: Our tongue is our might; with lips like ours, who can master us?

5) Because the needy are oppressed, and the poor cry out in misery, I will rise, says the Lord; I will grant salvation to those who long for it.

6) The Lord's words are without alloy, natural silver, from the very earth, seven times refined. 7) You, O Lord, keep watchful care over us; you keep us safe from this generation onward. 8) On all sides the wicked prowl about; treachery is highly prized among the sons of men!

Lord, how long? Will you utterly forget me? How long will you hide your face from me? 2) How long must I bear this doubt in my heart, with my soul grieving day and night? How long will my enemies have the upper hand? 3) Look at me! Answer me, my God!

Give light to my eyes lest I fall asleep in death, 4) lest my enemy think: I have the best of him now; lest my enemy gloat at my ruin. 5) But I trust in your loving kindness; my heart rejoices in your saving help; I will sing to you for your goodness, Lord, to your great name, O most high!

The fool says to himself: There is no God! The deeds of men are corrupt, abominable; there is not one who does good. 2) From the heavens the Lord looks down on the children of men, to find one man of understanding, even one who seeks God. 3) But they are a stubborn lot, all of them depraved; not even one good man remains, no, not even one!

4) Are they so ignorant, these evildoers, who devour my people as if they were eating bread, and who never turn to the Lord! 5) They seek to prevail by plotting together, but God is on the side of the just; 6) you may mock the poor man's hope, but the Lord is his refuge.

7) O, that Israel's salvation might come from Sion! When the Lord restores his people's fortune, it will be gladness for Jacob, joy for Israel!

Glory: Both now:
Alleluia:

Antiphon Three

Lord, who has the right to make his home in your tent, to dwell on your holy mountain?

2) He whose way of life is blameless, who always does what is right, who speaks the truth from his heart, 3) who keeps his tongue from slander, who does no wrong to his brother and casts no slurs on his neighbor. 4) Such a one holds the godless in disdain, but honors those who revere the Lord. He keeps his word, come what may; 5) he asks no interest on money he lends the poor, nor accepts a return from the hungry.

Such a man stands firm forever!

Take care of me, O God; my safety lies with you. 2) I say to the Lord: You are my Lord! Nothing can compare with you! 3) As for those idols, those products of the earth, those mighty ones whom I used to cherish: 4) May they perish with all who worship them! Never again will I make them offerings of blood! Never again will their names cross my lips! 5) O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; it is you who are my prize; 6) the lot marked out for me is my delight, and welcome indeed is my inheritance.

7) I praise the Lord who gives me understanding, who directs my heart even in the dead of night. 8) I keep the Lord before me always; with him at my right, nothing can shake me. 9) And so my heart exults, my very soul rejoices, and my body rests secure. 10) For you will never abandon my soul to the depths of the earth; you will never allow your friend to see the pit. 11) You will teach me the way to life eternal, filling me with joy by your presence, with pleasure at your right forever.

Listen, Lord, to what is just! Give ear to my cries! Lend an ear to my prayer, for my lips are free of deceit. 2) Judge my cause, for your eyes discern truth. 3) Sound out my heart and visit me at night; try me, and you will find no wrong in me. 4) For my mouth has not sinned as evil men are used to doing. The words of your lips I have kept. 5) I have clung to the ways of your law, in your footsteps, lest my feet stumble.

6) Here I am, entreating you: Answer me, O God! Turn your ear to me and listen to my words. 7) Show me your love, O saviour of outcasts; from those who rebel against you, 8) keep me safe, as the apple of your eye. In the shadow of your wings, hide me 9) from these godless ones who hound me.

10) My foes breathe heavily as they close in on me; self-satisfied in their abundance, their mouths speak proudly. 11) They advance against me stealthily, hemming me in on all sides; they watch, ready to strike me to the ground; 12) like lions are they, ready to claw, like the young lion, crouching in ambush.

13) Rise up, Lord! Confront them and strike them down! With your sword, rescue my soul from the wicked. 14) Let your hand snatch me away from these men, from these men who receive their reward in this life. As for your treasured ones, fill their bellies with your great wealth; gladden them with sons; allow them to leave their wealth to their children. 15) My reward will be to see your face, on rising, to enjoy the sight of your glory.

Glory: Both now:
Alleluia:

The Psalter Copyright © 1984 by the Monks of New Skete
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