Ekklesia Muskogee

1    That there is not a God, the fool

          doth in his heart conclude:

     They are corrupt, their works are vile,

          not one of them doth good.

2    The Lord upon the sons of men

          from heav’n did cast his eyes,

     To see if any one there was

          that sought God, and was wise.

3    They altogether filthy are,

          they all are backward gone;

     And there is none that doeth good,

          no, not so much as one.

4    These workers of iniquity,

          do they not know at all,

     That they my people eat as bread,

          and on God do not call?

5    Ev’n there they were afraid, and stood

          with trembling, all dismay’d,

     Whereas there was no cause at all

          why they should be afraid:

     For God his bones that thee besieg’d

          hath scatter’d all abroad;

     Thou hast confounded them, for they

          despised are of God.

6    Let Isr’el’s help from Sion come:

          when back the Lord shall bring

     His captives, Jacob shall rejoice,

          and Israel shall sing.

1    Do ye, O congregation,

          indeed speak righteousness?

     O ye that are the sons of men,

          judge ye with uprightness?

2    Yea, ev’n within your very hearts

          ye wickedness have done;

     And ye the vi’lence of your hands

          do weigh the earth upon.

3    The wicked men estranged are,

          ev’n from the very womb;

     They, speaking lies, do stray as soon

          as to the world they come.

4    Unto a serpent’s poison like

          their poison doth appear;

     Yea, they are like the adder deaf,

          that closely stops her ear;

5    That so she may not hear the voice

          of one that charm her would,

     No, not though he most cunning were,

          and charm most wisely could.

6    Their teeth, O God, within their mouth

          break thou in pieces small;

     The great teeth break thou out, O Lord,

          of these young lions all.

7    Let them like waters melt away,

          which downward still do flow:

     In pieces cut his arrows all,

          when he shall bend his bow.

8    Like to a snail that melts away,

          let each of them be gone;

     Like woman’s birth untimely, that

          they never see the sun.

9    He shall them take away before

          your pots the thorns can find,

     Both living, and in fury great,

          as with a stormy wind.

10   The righteous, when he vengeance sees,

          he shall be joyful then;

     The righteous one shall wash his feet

          in blood of wicked men.

11   So men shall say, The righteous man

          reward shall never miss:

     And verily upon the earth

          a God to judge there is.

1    Why dost thou boast, O mighty man,

          of mischief and of ill?

     The goodness of Almighty God

          endureth ever still.

2    Thy tongue mischievous calumnies

          deviseth subtilely,

     Like to a razor sharp to cut,

          working deceitfully.

3    Ill more than good, and more than truth

          thou lovest to speak wrong:

4    Thou lovest all-devouring words,

          O thou deceitful tongue.

5    So God shall thee destroy for aye,

          remove thee, pluck thee out

     Quite from thy house, out of the land

          of life he shall thee root.

6    The righteous shall it see, and fear,

          and laugh at him they shall:

7    Lo, this the man is that did not

          make God his strength at all:

     But he in his abundant wealth

          his confidence did place;

     And he took strength unto himself

          from his own wickedness.

8    But I am in the house of God

          like to an olive green:

     My confidence for ever hath

          upon God’s mercy been.

9    And I for ever will thee praise,

          because thou hast done this:

     I on thy name will wait; for good

          before thy saints it is.

1    After thy loving-kindness, Lord,
          have mercy upon me:
     For thy compassions great, blot out
          all mine iniquity.

2    Me cleanse from sin, and throughly wash
          from mine iniquity:
3    For my transgressions I confess;
          my sin I ever see.

4   ‘Gainst thee, thee only, have I sinn’d,
          in thy sight done this ill;
     That when thou speak’st thou may’st be just,
          and clear in judging still.

5    Behold, I in iniquity
          was form’d the womb within;
     My mother also me conceiv’d
          in guiltiness and sin.

6    Behold, thou in the inward parts
          with truth delighted art;
     And wisdom thou shalt make me know
          within the hidden part.

7    Do thou with hyssop sprinkle me,
          I shall be cleansed so;
     Yea, wash thou me, and then I shall
          be whiter than the snow.

8    Of gladness and of joyfulness
          make me to hear the voice;
     That so these very bones which thou
          hast broken may rejoice.

9    All mine iniquities blot out,
          thy face hide from my sin.
10   Create a clean heart, Lord, renew
          a right sp’rit me within.

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11   Cast me not from thy sight, nor take

          thy Holy Sp’rit away.

12   Restore me thy salvation’s joy;

          with thy free Sp’rit me stay.

13   Then will I teach thy ways unto

          those that transgressors be;

     And those that sinners are shall then

          be turned unto thee.

14   O God, of my salvation God,

          me from blood-guiltiness

     Set free; then shall my tongue aloud

          sing of thy righteousness.

15   My closed lips, O Lord, by thee

          let them be opened;

     Then shall thy praises by my mouth

          abroad be published.

16   For thou desir’st not sacrifice,

          else would I give it thee;

     Nor wilt thou with burnt-offering

          at all delighted be.

17   A broken spirit is to God

          a pleasing sacrifice:

     A broken and a contrite heart,

          Lord, thou wilt not despise.

18   Shew kindness, and do good, O Lord,

          to Sion, thine own hill:

     The walls of thy Jerusalem

          build up of thy good will.

19   Then righteous off ‘rings shall thee please,

          and off ‘rings burnt, which they

     With whole burnt-off ‘rings, and with calves,

          shall on thine altar lay.

1    All people, clap your hands; to God

          with voice of triumph shout:

2    For dreadful is the Lord most high,

          great King the earth throughout.

3    The heathen people under us

          he surely shall subdue;

     And he shall make the nations

          under our feet to bow.

4    The lot of our inheritance

          chuse out for us shall he,

     Of Jacob, whom he loved well,

          ev’n the excellency.

5    God is with shouts gone up, the Lord

          with trumpets sounding high.

6    Sing praise to God, sing praise, sing praise,

          praise to our King sing ye.

7    For God is King of all the earth;

          with knowledge praise express.

8    God rules the nations: God sits on

          his throne of holiness.

9    The princes of the people are

          assembled willingly;

     Ev’n of the God of Abraham

          they who the people be.

     For why? the shields that do defend

          the earth are only his:

     They to the Lord belong; yea, he

          exalted greatly is.

¹ To render thanks unto the Lord
it is a comely thing,
And to thy name, O thou most High,
due praise aloud to sing.

² Thy loving-kindness to show forth
when shines the morning light;
And to declare thy faithfulness
with pleasure ev’ry night.

³ On a ten-stringed instrument,
upon the psaltery,
And on the harp with solemn sound,
and grave sweet melody.

⁴ For thou, Lord, by thy mighty works
hast made my heart right glad;
And I will triumph in the works
which by thine hands were made.

⁵ How great, Lord, are thy works! each thought
of thine a deep it is:
⁶ A brutish man it knoweth not;
fools understand not this.

⁷ When those that lewd and wicked are
spring quickly up like grass,
And workers of iniquity
do flourish all apace;

It is that they for ever may
destroyed be and slain;
⁸ But thou, O Lord, art the most High,
for ever to remain.

⁹ For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord,
thine en’mies perish shall;
The workers of iniquity
shall be dispersed all.

¹⁰ But thou shalt, like unto the horn
of th’ unicorn, exalt
My horn on high: thou with fresh oil
anoint me also shalt.

¹¹ Mine eyes shall also my desire
see on mine enemies;
Mine ears shall of the wicked hear
that do against me rise.

¹² But like the palm-tree flourishing
shall be the righteous one;
He shall like to the cedar grow
that is in Lebanon.

¹³ Those that within the house of God
are planted by his grace,
They shall grow up, and flourish all
in our God’s holy place.

¹⁴ And in old age, when others fade,
they fruit still forth shall bring;
They shall be fat, and full of sap,
and aye be flourishing;

¹⁵ To show that upright is the Lord:
he is a rock to me;
And he from all unrighteousness
is altogether free.

First Version (L.M.)

1    All people that on earth do dwell,         
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
2    Him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell,
          Come ye before him and rejoice.

3    Know that the Lord is God indeed;
          Without our aid he did us make:
     We are his flock, he doth us feed,
          And for his sheep he doth us take.

4    O enter then his gates with praise,
          Approach with joy his courts unto:
     Praise, laud, and bless his name always,
          For it is seemly so to do.

5    For why? the Lord our God is good,
          His mercy is for ever sure;
     His truth at all times firmly stood,
          And shall from age to age endure.

Second Version (C.M.)

1    O all ye lands, unto the Lord
          make ye a joyful noise.
2    Serve God with gladness, him before
          come with a singing voice.

3    Know ye the Lord that he is God;
          not we, but he us made:
     We are his people, and the sheep
          within his pasture fed.

4    Enter his gates and courts with praise,
          to thank him go ye thither:
     To him express your thankfulness,
          and bless his name together.

5    Because the Lord our God is good,
          his mercy faileth never;
     And to all generations
          his truth endureth ever.

1    Th’ eternal Lord doth reign as king,

          let all the people quake;

     He sits between the cherubims,

          let th’ earth be mov’d and shake.

2    The Lord in Sion great and high

          above all people is;

3    Thy great and dreadful name (for it

          is holy) let them bless.

4    The king’s strength also judgment loves;

          thou settlest equity:

     Just judgment thou dost execute

          in Jacob righteously.

5    The Lord our God exalt on high,

          and rev’rently do ye

     Before his footstool worship him:

          the Holy One is he.

6    Moses and Aaron ‘mong his priests,

          Samuel, with them that call

     Upon his name: these call’d on God,

          and he them answer’d all.

7    Within the pillar of the cloud

          he unto them did speak:

     The testimonies he them taught,

          and laws, they did not break.

8    Thou answer’dst them, O Lord our God;

          thou wast a God that gave

     Pardon to them, though on their deeds

          thou wouldest vengeance have.

9    Do ye exalt the Lord our God,

          and at his holy hill

     Do ye him worship: for the Lord

          our God is holy still.

1    O sing a new song to the Lord:

          sing all the earth to God.

2    To God sing, bless his name, shew still

          his saving health abroad.

3    Among the heathen nations

          his glory do declare;

     And unto all the people shew

          his works that wondrous are.

4    For great’s the Lord, and greatly he

          is to be magnify’d;

     Yea, worthy to be fear’d is he

          above all gods beside.

5    For all the gods are idols dumb,

          which blinded nations fear;

     But our God is the Lord, by whom

          the heav’ns created were.

6    Great honour is before his face,

          and majesty divine;

     Strength is within his holy place,

          and there doth beauty shine.

7    Do ye ascribe unto the Lord,

          of people ev’ry tribe,

     Glory do ye unto the Lord,

          and mighty pow’r ascribe.

8    Give ye the glory to the Lord

          that to his name is due;

     Come ye into his courts, and bring

          an offering with you.

9    In beauty of his holiness,

          O do the Lord adore;

     Likewise let all the earth throughout

          tremble his face before.

10   Among the heathen say, God reigns;

          the world shall stedfastly

     Be fix’d from moving; he shall judge

          the people righteously.

11   Let heav’ns be glad before the Lord,

          and let the earth rejoice;

     Let seas, and all that is therein,

          cry out, and make a noise.

12   Let fields rejoice, and ev’ry thing

          that springeth of the earth:

     Then woods and ev’ry tree shall sing

          with gladness and with mirth

13   Before the Lord; because he comes,

          to judge the earth comes he:

     He’ll judge the world with righteousness,

          the people faithfully.

1    The Lord doth reign, and cloth’d is he

          with majesty most bright;

     His works do shew him cloth’d to be,

          and girt about with might.

     The world is also stablished,

          that it cannot depart.

2    Thy throne is fix’d of old, and thou

          from everlasting art.

3    The floods, O Lord, have lifted up,

          they lifted up their voice;

     The floods have lifted up their waves,

          and made a mighty noise.

4    But yet the Lord, that is on high,

          is more of might by far

     Than noise of many waters is,

          or great sea-billows are.

5    Thy testimonies ev’ry one

          in faithfulness excel;

     And holiness for ever, Lord,

          thine house becometh well.