Lord, how many adversaries I have!
how many there are who rise up against me!
how many there are who say of me,
“There is no help for him in his God.”
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me;
you are my glory, the one who lifts up my head.

I call aloud upon the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy hill;
I lie down and go to sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
I do not fear the multitudes of people
who set themselves against me all around.

Rise up, O Lord; set me free, O my God;
surely, you will strike all my enemies across the face,
you will break the teeth of the wicked.
Deliverance belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing be upon your people!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

O Christ, Redeemer of us all,
the Father’s sole-begotten Son,
alone before all time began,
beyond all telling, born from him,

O Light, O Father’s splendor bright,
O everlasting hope for all,
bend low to hear your servants’ prayers,
poured out by them throughout the earth.

O Author of all saving grace,
recall that once you took our flesh
and from the Virgin pure and chaste
assumed by birth our human form.

This feast today now testifies,
within the cycle of the year,
that you as Savior of the world
alone came from the Father’s throne.

The sky above, the earth, the sea,
and all creation held therein
extol with joyous hymns of praise
the Author of your advent here.

We also, whom you came to save
and by your holy blood redeem,
all sing a new and joyful hymn
to celebrate your day of birth.

To you, Lord Jesus, glory be,
the Virgin Mother’s newborn Son,
with God the Father, ever blest,
and loving Spirit, ever one. Amen.

Why are the nations in an uproar?
Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?
Why do the kings of the earth rise up in revolt,
and the princes plot together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed?
“Let us break their yoke,” they say;
“let us cast off their bonds from us.”

He whose throne is in heaven is laughing;
the Lord has them in derision.
Then he speaks to them in his wrath,
and his rage fills them with terror.
“I myself have set my king,
upon my holy hill of Zion.”

Let me announce the decree of the Lord:
he said to me, “You are my Son;
this day have I begotten you.

Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall crush them with an iron rod
and shatter them like a piece of pottery.”

And now, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Submit to the Lord with fear,
and with trembling bow before him;
lest he be angry and you perish;
for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Happy are they all
who take refuge in him!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament shows his handiwork.
One day tells its tale to another,
and one night imparts knowledge to another.

Although they have no words or language,
and their voices are not heard,
their sound has gone out into all lands,
and their message to the ends of the world.

In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun;
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again;
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.

The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear and gives light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever;
the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold,
sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb.

By them also is your servant enlightened,
and in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can tell how often he offends?
cleanse me from my secret faults.

Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me;
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offense.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world and all who dwell therein.
For it is he who founded it upon the seas
and made it firm upon the rivers of the deep.

“Who can ascend the hill of the Lord?
and who can stand in his holy place?”
“Those who have clean hands and a pure heart,
who have not pledged themselves to falsehood,
nor sworn by what is a fraud.

“They shall receive a blessing from the Lord
and a just reward from the God of their salvation.”
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.

“Who is this King of glory?”
“The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.”

Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.

“Who is he, this King of glory?”
“The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory.”

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

My heart is stirring with a noble song;
let me recite what I have fashioned for the king;
my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.

You are the fairest of men;
grace flows from your lips,
because God has blessed you for ever.

Strap your sword upon your thigh, O mighty warrior,
in your pride and in your majesty.
Ride out and conquer in the cause of truth
and for the sake of justice.

Your right hand will show you marvelous things;
your arrows are very sharp, O mighty warrior.
The peoples are falling at your feet,
and the king’s enemies are losing heart.

Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever,
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom;
you love righteousness and hate iniquity.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia,
and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.

Kings’ daughters stand among the ladies of the court;
on your right hand is the queen,
adorned with the gold of Ophir.

“Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely;
forget your people and your father’s house.
The king will have pleasure in your beauty;
he is your master; therefore do him honor.

“The people of Tyre are here with a gift;
the rich among the people seek your favor.”
All glorious is the princess as she enters;
her gown is cloth-of-gold.

In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king;
after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.
With joy and gladness they are brought,
and enter into the palace of the king.

“In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons;
you shall make them princes over all the earth.
I will make your name to be remembered
from one generation to another;
therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
in the city of our God is his holy hill.
Beautiful and lofty, the joy of all the earth, is the hill of Zion,
the very center of the world and the city of the great King.
God is in her citadels;
he is known to be her sure refuge.

Behold, the kings of the earth assembled
and marched forward together.
They looked and were astounded;
they retreated and fled in terror.

Trembling seized them there;
they writhed like a woman in childbirth,
like ships of the sea when the east wind shatters them.

As we have heard, so have we seen,
in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God;
God has established her for ever.

We have waited in silence on your loving-kindness, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
Your praise, like your Name, O God, reaches to the world’s end;
your right hand is full of justice.

Let Mount Zion be glad
and the cities of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments.

Make the circuit of Zion;
walk round about her;
count the number of her towers.

Consider well her bulwarks;
examine her strongholds;
that you may tell those who come after.
This God is our God for ever and ever;
he shall be our guide for evermore.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Give the King your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the King’s Son;
That he may rule your people righteously
and the poor with justice;

That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people,
and the little hills bring righteousness.
He shall defend the needy among the people;
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure,
from one generation to another.
He shall come down like rain upon the mown field,
like showers that water the earth.
In his time shall the righteous flourish;
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.

He shall rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
His foes shall bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute,
and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.
All kings shall bow down before him,
and all the nations do him service.

For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress,
and the oppressed who has no helper.
He shall have pity on the lowly and poor;
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.
He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence,
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.

Long may he live!
and may there be given to him gold from Arabia;
may prayer be made for him always,
and may they bless him all the day long.

May there be abundance of grain on the earth,
growing thick even on the hilltops;
may its fruit flourish like Lebanon,
and its grain like grass upon the earth.

May his Name remain for ever
and be established as long as the sun endures;
may all the nations bless themselves in him and call him blessed.

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds!
And blessed be his glorious Name for ever!
and may all the earth be filled with his glory.
Amen. Amen.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

You have been gracious to your land, O Lord,
you have restored the good fortune of Jacob.
You have forgiven the iniquity of your people
and blotted out all their sins.
You have withdrawn all your fury
and turned yourself from your wrathful indignation.

Restore us then, O God our Savior;
let your anger depart from us.
Will you be displeased with us for ever?
will you prolong your anger from age to age?
Will you not give us life again,
that your people may rejoice in you?

Show us your mercy, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
I will listen to what the Lord God is saying,
for he is speaking peace to his faithful people
and to those who turn their hearts to him.

Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.

Mercy and truth have met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring up from the earth,
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

The Lord will indeed grant prosperity,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness shall go before him,
and peace shall be a pathway for his feet.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing;
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever;
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
‘I will establish your line for ever,
and preserve your throne for all generations.’”

The heavens bear witness to your wonders, O Lord,
and to your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones;
For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
who is like the Lord among the gods?
God is much to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
great and terrible to all those round about him.

Who is like you, Lord God of hosts?
O mighty Lord, your faithfulness is all around you.
You rule the raging of the sea
and still the surging of its waves.
You have crushed Rahab of the deep with a deadly wound;
you have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours;
you laid the foundations of the world and all that is in it.
You have made the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your Name.

You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand and high is your right hand.
Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne;
love and truth go before your face.

Happy are the people who know the festal shout!
they walk, O Lord, in the light of your presence.
They rejoice daily in your Name;
they are jubilant in your righteousness.

For you are the glory of their strength,
and by your favor our might is exalted.
Truly, the Lord is our ruler;
the Holy One of Israel is our King.

You spoke once in a vision and said to your faithful people:
“I have set the crown upon a warrior
and have exalted one chosen out of the people.

“I have found David my servant;
with my holy oil have I anointed him.
My hand will hold him fast
and my arm will make him strong.

“No enemy shall deceive him,
nor any wicked man bring him down.
I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.

“My faithfulness and love shall be with him,
and he shall be victorious through my Name.
I shall make his dominion extend
from the Great Sea to the River.

“He will say to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
I will make him my firstborn
and higher than the kings of the earth.

“I will keep my love for him for ever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
I will establish his line for ever
and his throne as the days of heaven.

“If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my judgments;
If they break my statutes
and do not keep my commandments;

“I will punish their transgressions with a rod
and their iniquities with the lash;
But I will not take my love from him,
nor let my faithfulness prove false.
I will not break my covenant,
nor change what has gone out of my lips.

“Once for all I have sworn by my holiness:
‘I will not lie to David.
His line shall endure for ever
and his throne as the sun before me;
It shall stand fast for evermore like the moon,
the abiding witness in the sky.’”

But you have cast off and rejected your anointed;
you have become enraged at him.
You have broken your covenant with your servant,
defiled his crown, and hurled it to the ground.

You have breached all his walls
and laid his strongholds in ruins.
All who pass by despoil him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.

You have exalted the right hand of his foes
and made all his enemies rejoice.
You have turned back the edge of his sword
and have not sustained him in battle.

You have put an end to his splendor
and cast his throne to the ground.
You have cut short the days of his youth
and have covered him with shame.

How long will you hide yourself, O Lord?
will you hide yourself for ever?
how long will your anger burn like fire?
Remember, Lord, how short life is,
how frail you have made all flesh.
Who can live and not see death?
who can save himself from the power of the grave?

Where, Lord, are your loving-kindnesses of old,
which you promised David in your faithfulness?
Remember, Lord, how your servant is mocked,
how I carry in my bosom the taunts of many peoples,
The taunts your enemies have hurled, O Lord,
which they hurled at the heels of your anointed.

Blessed be the Lord for evermore!
Amen, I say, Amen.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the whole earth.
Sing to the Lord and bless his Name;
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations
and his wonders among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
he is more to be feared than all gods.
As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols;
but it is the Lord who made the heavens.
Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence!
Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary!

Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples;
ascribe to the Lord honor and power;
Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name;
bring offerings and come into his courts.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
let the whole earth tremble before him.
Tell it out among the nations: “The Lord is King!
he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it;
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.

Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy
before the Lord when he comes,
when he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with his truth.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lord is King;
let the earth rejoice;
let the multitude of the isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.

A fire goes before him
and burns up his enemies on every side.
His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees it and is afraid.

The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
The heavens declare his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.

Confounded be all who worship carved images
and delight in false gods!
Bow down before him, all you gods.
Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O Lord.

For you are the Lord,
most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.

The Lord loves those who hate evil;
he preserves the lives of his saints
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Light has sprung up for the righteous,
and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.
Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy Name.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things.
With his right hand and his holy arm
has he won for himself the victory.

The Lord has made known his victory;
his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.
He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel,
and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands;
lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.
Sing to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the voice of song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn,
shout with joy before the King, the Lord.

Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it,
the lands and those who dwell therein.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord,
when he comes to judge the earth.

In righteousness shall he judge the world
and the peoples with equity.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lord is King;
let the people tremble;
he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth shake.
The Lord is great in Zion;
he is high above all peoples.

Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome;
he is the Holy One.
“O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”

Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and fall down before his footstool;
he is the Holy One.

Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call upon his Name,
they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.

He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud;
they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.

“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed;
you were a God who forgave them,
yet punished them for their evil deeds.”

Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and worship him upon his holy hill;
for the Lord our God is the Holy One.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

We have a strong city;
he sets up victory
like walls and bulwarks.
Open the gates,
so that the righteous nation that keeps faith
may enter in.

Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace -
in peace because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for in the Lord God
you have an everlasting rock.

For he has brought low
the inhabitants of the height;
the lofty city he lays low.
He lays it low to the ground,
casts it to the dust.
The foot tramples it,
the feet of the poor,
the steps of the needy.

The way of the righteous is level;
O Just One, you make smooth the path of the righteous.
In the path of your judgments,
O Lord, we wait for you;
your name and your renown
are the soul’s desire.

My soul yearns for you in the night,
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

If favor is shown to the wicked,
they do not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness they deal perversely
and do not see the majesty of the Lord.

O Lord, your hand is lifted up,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.

O Lord, you will ordain peace for us,
for indeed, all that we have done, you have done for us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.

A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

“Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.

“Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All people are like grass,
their constancy is like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades,
when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her -

That you may nurse and be satisfied
from her consoling breast;
that you may drink deeply with delight
from her glorious bosom.

For thus says the Lord:
I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm,
and dandled on her knees.

As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

You shall see and your heart shall rejoice;
your bodies shall flourish like the grass;
and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.