Scottish Psalter and Paraphrases

¹O God, we with our ears have heard,

our fathers have us told,

What works thou in their days hadst done,

ev’n in the days of old.

²Thy hand did drive the heathen out,

and plant them in their place;

Thou didst afflict the nations,

but them thou didst increase.

³For neither got their sword the land,

nor did their arm them save;

But thy right hand, arm, countenance;

for thou them favour gave.

⁴Thou art my King: for Jacob, Lord,

deliv’rances command.

⁵Through thee we shall push down our foes,

that do against us stand:

We, through thy name, shall tread down those

that ris’n against us have.

⁶For in my bow I shall not trust,

nor shall my sword me save.

⁷But from our foes thou hast us sav’d,

our haters put to shame.

⁸In God we all the day do boast,

and ever praise thy name.

⁹But now we are cast off by thee,

and us thou putt’st to shame;

And when our armies do go forth,

thou go’st not with the same.

¹⁰Thou mak’st us from the enemy,

faint-hearted, to turn back;

And they who hate us for themselves

our spoils away do take.

¹¹Like sheep for meat thou gavest us;

’mong heathen cast we be.

¹²Thou didst for nought thy people sell;

their price enrich’d not thee.

¹³Thou mak’st us a reproach to be

unto our neighbours near;

Derision and a scorn to them

that round about us are.

¹⁴A by-word also thou dost us

among the heathen make;

The people, in contempt and spite,

at us their heads do shake.

¹⁵Before me my confusion

continually abides;

And of my bashful countenance

the shame me ever hides:

¹⁶For voice of him that doth reproach,

and speaketh blasphemy;

By reason of th’ avenging foe,

and cruel enemy.

¹⁷All this is come on us, yet we

have not forgotten thee;

Nor falsely in thy covenant

behav’d ourselves have we.

¹⁸Back from thy way our heart not turn’d;

our steps no straying made;

¹⁹Though us thou brak’st in dragons’ place,

and cover’dst with death’s shade.

²⁰If we God’s name forgot, or stretch’d

to a strange god our hands,

²¹Shall not God search this out? for he

heart’s secrets understands.

²²Yea, for thy sake we’re kill’d all day,

counted as slaughter-sheep.

²³Rise, Lord, cast us not ever off;

awake, why dost thou sleep?

²⁴O wherefore hidest thou thy face?

forgett’st our cause distress’d,

²⁵And our oppression? For our soul

is to the dust down press’d:

Our belly also on the earth

fast cleaving, hold doth take.

²⁶Rise for our help, and us redeem,

ev’n for thy mercies’ sake.