THE MERCY OF THE LORD

May your love be upon us, O Lord,

As we place all our hope in you.

Happy the people, whom the Lord

has chosen for his own.

Learn of me, says the Lord:

I am meek and gentle.

Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,

with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs!

O sing him a song that is new,

play loudly, with all your skill!

For the word of the Lord is faithful

and all his words to be trusted.

The Lord loves justice and right,

and fills the earth with his love.

By his word the heavens were made,

by the breath of his mouth all the stars,

He collects the waves of the ocean,

he stores up the depths of the sea.

Let all the earth fear the Lord,

all who live in the world revere him.

He spoke; and it came to be.

He commanded; it sprang into being.

He frustrates the designs of the nations,

he defeats the plans of the peoples.

His own designs shall stand for ever,

The plans of his heart from age to age.

They are happy, whose God is the Lord,

the people he has chosen as his own.

From the heavens the Lord looks forth.

He sees all the children of the world.

From the place where he dwells,

he gazes on all the dwellers on the earth,

he who shapes the hearts of them all,

who considers all their deeds.

A king is not saved by his army,

Nor a warrior preserved by his strength.

A vain hope for safety is the horse;

despite its power it cannot save.

The Lord looks on those who revere him,

on those who hope in his love,

to rescue their souls from death,

to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

The Lord is our help and our shield.

In him do our hearts find joy.

We trust in his holy name.

May your love be upon us, O Lord,

as we place all our hope in you.

To the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit

give praise for ever. Amen.