O sov'reign Lord, my suppliant plainings hear

1 O Sov'reign Lord, my suppliant plainings hear;
Give to my mournful plea a list'ning ear;
Thy wonted faith, thy wonted justice shew,
And shield me, save me, from th' obdurate foe.
2 Yet not my life too strictly thou survey,
Since none so perfectly thy laws obey,
None o'er their passions hold so firm command,
As pure, as guiltless, in thy fight to stand.
3 Lo! my fierce enemy assaults my soul;
The victim of his villain-hate I fall.
My dismal dwelling in the dark I have,
Like them who long have moulder'd in the grave.
4 Therefore my soul was overwhelm'd with grief;
My heart well nigh despair'd to ask relief:
5 Yet I remember'd still, (and still ador'd)
That not in vain our ancestcrs implor'd
Thy gracious mercy; when thy pitying hand
Dispell'd their dangers, and their souls sustain'd.
6 This gives me courage to support my fate,
With confidence thy mercy I intreat;
For thee I long, as long the thirsty plains,
Parch'd by the sultry heat, for kindly rains.
7 Then hear, all-clement God; swift aid impart,
Droops my afflicted soul, and fails my heart:
Shoud'st thou in anger turn thy face away,
Soon death wou'd drive me from the realms of day.
8 In thee alone I hope, on thee rely;
With gracious speed to my assistance fly;
To thee my soul looks up, to only thee;
Save her, my God, and give her liberty.
9 O shield her from the insults of her foes,
For thee her fortress and her rock she chose.
10 Wise, good and just, art thou--direct my will,
That I thy statutes ever may fulfil;
That I no ear to error's lure may give,
But in the paths of duty ever live.
11 And that the grateful tribes thy name may praise,
Give me the blessings of my former days;
And, that thy justice may to all appear,
Relieve me from this burthen of my fear.
12 Thy servant I my griefs in mercy view,
And let thy vengeance my fell foes pursue;
Destroy them, that they not distress me more,
And I'll that mercy gratefully adore.


Source: New Version of the Psalms of David #CXLIII