by C. S. Lewis
27. There is little Benjamin, their ruler, and the princes of Judah their counsel: the princes of Zabulon, and the princes of Nephthali.
28. Thy God hath sent forth strength for thee: stablish the thing, O God, that thou hast wrought in us.
29. For thy temple’s sake at Jerusalem: so shall kings bring presents unto thee.
30. When the company of the spear-men, and multitude of the mighty are scattered abroad among the beasts of the people, so that they humbly bring pieces of silver: and when he hath scattered the people that delight in war;
31. Then shall the princes come out of Egypt: the Morians’ land shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.
32. Sing unto God, O ye kingdoms of the earth: O sing praises unto the Lord.
33. Who sitteth in the heavens over all from the beginning: lo, he doth send out his voice, yea, and that a mighty voice.
34. Ascribe ye the power to God over Israel: his worship and strength is in the clouds.
35. O God, wonderful art thou in thy holy places: even the God of Israel; he will give strength and power unto his people; blessed be God.
Psalm 104
Benedic, anima mea
1. Praise the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art become exceeding glorious; thou art clothed with majesty and honour.
2. Thou deckest thyself with light as it were with a garment: and spreadest out the heavens like a curtain.
3. Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: and maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind.
4. He maketh his angels spirits: and his ministers a flaming fire.
5. He laid the foundations of the earth: that it never should move at any time.
6. Thou coveredst it with the deep like as with a garment: the waters stand in the hills.
7. At thy rebuke they flee: at the voice of thy thunder they are afraid.
8. They go up as high as the hills, and down to the valleys beneath: even unto the place which thou hast appointed for them.
9. Thou hast set them their bounds which they shall not pass: neither turn again to cover the earth.
10. He sendeth the springs into the rivers: which run among the hills.
11. All beasts of the field drink thereof: and the wild asses quench their thirst.
12. Beside them shall the fowls of the air have their habitation: and sing among the branches.
13. He watereth the hills from above: the earth is filled with the fruit of thy works.
14. He bringeth forth grass for the cattle: and green herb for the service of men.
15. That he may bring food out of the earth, and wine that maketh glad the heart of man: and oil to make him a cheerful countenance, and bread to strengthen man’s heart.
16. The trees of the Lord also are full of sap: even the cedars of Libanus which he hath planted.
17. Wherein the birds make their nests: and the fir-trees are a dwelling for the stork.
18. The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats, and so are the stony rocks for the conies.
19. He appointed the moon for certain seasons: and the sun knoweth his going down.
20. Thou makest darkness that it may be night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do move.
21. The lions roaring after their prey: do seek their meat from God.
22. The sun ariseth, and they get them away together: and lay them down in their dens.
23. Man goeth forth to his work, and to his labour; until the evening.
24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works: in wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches.
25. So is the great and wide sea also: wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
26. There go the ships, and there is that Leviathan: whom thou hast made to take his pastime therein.
27. These wait all upon thee: that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
28. When thou givest it them they gather it: and when thou openest thy hand they are filled with good.
29. When thou hidest thy face they are troubled: when thou takest away their breath they die, and are turned again to their dust.
30. When thou lettest thy breath go forth they shall be made: and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
31. The glorious majesty of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.
32. The earth shall tremble at the look of him: if he do but touch the hills, they shall smoke.
33. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will praise my God while I have my being.
34. And so shall my words please him: my joy shall be in the Lord.
35. As for sinners, they shall be consumed out of the earth, and the ungodly shall come to an end: praise thou the Lord, O my soul, praise the Lord.
Psalm 110
Dixit Dominus
1. The Lord said unto my Lord: Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
2. The Lord shall send the rod of thy power out of Sion: be thou ruler, even in the midst among thine enemies.
3. In the day of thy power shall the people offer thee free-will offerings with an holy worship: the dew of thy birth is of the womb of the morning.
4. The Lord sware, and will not repent: Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech.
5. The Lord upon thy right hand: shall wound even kings in the day of his wrath.
6. He shall judge among the heathen; he shall fill the places with the dead bodies: and smite in sunder the heads over divers countries.
7. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up his head.
APPENDIX II
PSALMS DISCUSSED OR MENTIONED
The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use your e-book reader’s search tools.
Psalm
pages
1. Blessed is the man (Baetus vir)
65
2. Why do the heathen (Quare fremuerunt)
4, 142
5. Ponder my words (Verba mea auribus)
87
6. O Lord, rebuke me not (Domine ne in furore)
44
7. O Lord my God (Domine Deus Meus)
20, 21
8. O Lord our governor (Domine, Dominus noster)
155–57
9. I will give thanks (Confitebor tibi)
14, 59
10. Why standest thou so far off (Ut quid Domine?)
18, 87
11. In the Lord put I my trust (In Domino confido)
71
12. Help me, Lord (Salvum me fac)
87
13. How long wilt thou forget me (Usque quo, Domine?)
142
16. Preserve me, O God (Conserve me, Domine)
138
17. Hear the right, O Lord (Exaudi, Domine)
39–40, 158
18. I will love thee (Diligam te, Domine)
3, 68, 95
19. The heavens declare (Coeli enarrant)
63, 73, 95
22. My God, My God, look upon me (Deus, Deus me)
138, 149
23. The Lord is my shepherd (Dominus regit me)
24
26. Be thou my Judge (Judica me, Domine)
77, 158
27. The Lord is my light (Dominus illuminatio)
55, 58
28. Unto thee will I cry (Ad te, Domine)
142
29. Bring unto the Lord (Afferte Domino)
95
30. I will magnify thee (Exaltabo te, Domine)
44, 106
31. In thee, O Lord (In te, Domine, speravi)
77, 87
33. Rejoice in the Lord (Exultate, justi)
97
35. Plead thou my cause (Judica, Domine)
12, 20
36. My heart sheweth me (Dixit injustus)
71, 87, 95, 159
37. Fret not thys
elf (Noli aemulari)
4
39. I said, I will take heed (Dixi, custodiam)
44
40. I waited patiently (Expectans expectavi)
149
41. Blessed is he that considereth (Beatus qui intelligit)
87
42. Like as the hart (Quemadmodum)
58
43. Give sentence with me, O God (Hudica me, Deus)
59
45. My heart is inditing (Eructavit cor meum)
146, 150–55
47. O clap your hands (Omnes gentes, plaudite)
59
49. O hear ye this (Audite haec, omnes)
40, 44
50. The Lord, even the most mighty God (Deus deorum)
19, 57–58, 77, 106, 109, 114
52. Why boastest thou thyself (Quid gloriaris?)
87
54. Save me, O God (Deus in nomine)
106
55. Hear my prayer, O God (Exaudi, Deus)
87, 142
57. Be merciful unto me (Miserere mei, Deus)
59
58. Are your minds set (Si vere utique)
35
63. O God, thou art my God (Deus, Deus meus)
58
65. Thou, O God, art praised (Te decet hymnus)
59, 91, 97
67. God be merciful unto us (Deus misereatur)
11
68. Let God arise (Exurgat Deus)
14, 55, 147–48
69. Save me, O God (Salvum me fac)
24
72. Give the King thy judgements (Deus judicium)
14, 142
76. In Jewry is God known (Notus in Judaea)
14
81. Sing we merrily (Exultate Deo)
59
82. God standeth in the congregation (Deus stetit)
14
84. How amiable (Quam dilecta!)
59, 160–61
86. Bow down thine ear (Inclina, Domine)
158
88. O Lord God of my salvation (Domine Deus)
44, 106
89. My song shall be alway (Misericordias Domini)
44, 146
90. Lord, thou hast been our refuge (Domine, refugium)
160
91. Whoso dwelleth (Qui habitat)
138
96. O sing unto the Lord (Cantate Domino)
12
97. The Lord is King (Dominus regnavit)
60
102. Hear my prayer, O Lord (Domine exaudi)
87, 142
104. Praise the Lord, O my soul (Benedic, anima mea)
91, 95, 97, 98, 99, 100
106. O give thanks (Confitemini Domino)
42
107. O give thanks (Confitemini Domino)
5
109. Hold not thy tongue (Deus laudem)
23
110. The Lord said unto my Lord (Dixit Dominus)
138, 143–45, 146
111. I will give thanks (Confitebor tibi)
70
116. I am well pleased (Dilexi, quoniam)
44
118. O give thanks (Confitemini Domino)
138, 141
119. Blessed are those (Beati immaculati)
5, 67–70, 106
132. Lord, remember David (Memento Domine)
146
136. O give thanks (Confitemini)
97
137. By the waters of Babylon (Super flumina)
24, 159
139. O Lord, thou hast searched me out (Domine probasti)
24, 77, 103
141. Lord, I call upon thee (Domine, clamavi)
77
143. Hear my prayer (Domine, exaudi)
19, 24
146. Praise the Lord, O my soul (Lauda, anima mea)
44
147. O praise the Lord (Laudate Dominum)
99
148. O praise the Lord (Laudate Dominum)
97
150. O praise God (Laudate Dominum)
60
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CLIVE STAPLES LEWIS (1898–1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
ALSO BY C. S. LEWIS
A Grief Observed
George MacDonald: An Anthology
Mere Christianity
Miracles
The Abolition of Man
The Great Divorce
The Problem of Pain
The Screwtape Letters (with “Screwtape Proposes a Toast”)
The Weight of Glory
The Four Loves
Till We Have Faces
Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life
Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer
The Personal Heresy
The World’s Last Night: And Other Essays
Poems
The Dark Tower: And Other Stories
Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories
Narrative Poems
A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C. S. Lewis
Letters of C. S. Lewis
All My Road Before Me
The Business of Heaven: Daily Readings from C. S. Lewis
Present Concerns: Journalistic Essays
Spirits in Bondage: A Cycle of Lyrics
On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature
ALSO AVAILABLE FROM HARPERCOLLINS
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Magician’s Nephew
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle
FURTHER READING
CREDITS
Cover design and illustration: Kimberly Glyder
COPYRIGHT
The Book of Common Prayer is Crown Copyright. The extracts are reproduced by permission.
REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS. Copyright © 1958 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. Copyright renewed 1986 by Arthur Owen Barfield. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Originally published in the United Kingdom in 1958 by Harcourt Brace.
EPub Edition February 2017 ISBN 9780062565464
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Lewis, C. S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963, author.
Title: Reflections on the Psalms / C. S. Lewis.
Description: San Francisco : HarperCollins, 2017. | Originally published in 1958 by Harcourt Brace.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016030650 | ISBN 9780062565488 (pbk.) | ISBN 9780062565464 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Psalms--Criticism, interpretations, etc.
Classification: LCC BS1430.52 .L49 2017 | DDC 223/.206—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/20160306
50
* * *
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8, Canada
www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com
1 This was perhaps sung while the Ark itself was carried round.
2 Not ‘all ye people’ as in our version, but ‘all ye nations’ (Goyim).
1 See Appendix I.
2 See Appendix I.