PSALM 132 paraphrase of Isaac Watts

[No sleep nor slumber to his eyes Good David would afford, Till he had found below the skies A dwelling for the Lord. The Lord in Zion placed his name, His ark was settled there; To Zion the whole nation came To worship thrice a year. But we have no such lengths to go, Nor wander far abroad; Where'er thy saints assemble now, There is a house for God.] Arise, O King of grace, arise, And enter to thy rest! Lo! thy church waits with longing eyes Thus to be owned and blessed. Enter with all thy glorious train, Thy Spirit and thy word; All that the ark did once contain Could no such grace afford. Here, mighty God, accept our vows, Here let thy praise be spread; Bless the provisions of thy house, And fill thy poor with bread. Here let the Son of David reign, Let God's Anointed shine; Justice and truth his court maintain With love and power divine. Here let him hold a lasting throne; And as his kingdom grows, Fresh honors shall adorn his crown, And shame confound his foes.

Psalm 126 Isaac Watts paraphrase

1 When God reveal'd his gracious Name,
And chang'd my mournful state,
My rapture seem'd a pleasing dream,
The grace appear'd so great.

2 The world beheld the glorious change,
And did thy hand confess;
My tongue broke out in unknown strains,
And sung surprising grace:

3 "Great is the work," my neighbours cry'd,
And own'd the power divine;
"Great is the work," my heart reply'd,
"And be the glory thine."

4 The Lord can clear the darkest skies,
Can give us day for night,
Make drops of sacred sorrow rise
To rivers of delight.

5 Let those that sow in sadness wait
Till the fair harvest come,
They shall confess their sheaves are great,
And shout the blessings home.

6 Tho' seed lie bury'd long in dust,
It shan't deceive their hope;
The precious grain can ne'er be lost,
For grace insures the crop.

This last line was used by Spurgeon in an early sermon:

www.spurgeongems.org/vols49-51/chs2896.pdf

Can be sung to any C M tune

Psalm 117 paraphrase of Isaac Watts

1

From all that dwell below the skies,

let the Creator's praise arise!
Let the Redeemer's name be sung
thro' every land, by every tongue.

2
Eternal are thy mercies, Lord;
eternal truth attends thy word:
thy praise shall sound from shore to shore,
till suns shall rise and set no more. 

Tune: Duke Street

Psalm 18 Paraphrase

Ps.18  

1. I love the Lord, His strength is mine;

He is my God, I trust His grace.

My fortress high, my shield divine,

My Saviour and my hidingplace.

2. My prayer to God shall still be raised

When troubles thick around me close;

The Lord, most worthy to be praised,

Will rescue me from all my foes. 

3. When, floods of evil raging near,

Down nigh to death my soul was brought,

I cried to God in all my fear;

He heard and great deliverance wrought. 

4. He came: the earth's foundations quake,

The hills are shaken from their place,

Thick smoke and fire devouring break

In anger dread before His face. 

5. Descending through the bending skies,

With gloom and darkness under Him,

Forth through the storm Jehovah flies

As on the wings of cherubim. 

6. Thick darkness hides Him from the view,

And swelling clouds His presence veil,

Until His glorious light breaks through

In lightning flash and glistening hail. 

7. Jehovah's thunders fill the heaven,

The dreadful voice of God Most High;

With shafts of light the clouds are riven,

His foes, dismayed, in terror fly. 

8. The raging torrents overflow,

And sweep the world's foundations bare,

Because Thy blasts of anger blow,

O Lord of earth and sea and air. 

9. He took me from the whelming waves

Of bitter hate and sore distress;

The Lord, my stay and helper, saves,

Though mighty foes around me press. 

10. From direful straits He set me free,

He saved the man of His delight;

For good the Lord rewarded me,

Because I kept His ways aright.

Psalm 5

Ps.5

Tune:Aberystwyth77.77.D

1 O Jehovah, hear my words;
  To my thoughts attentive be.
2 Hear my cry, my King, my God,
  For I make my prayer to Thee.
3 With the morning light, O LORD,
  Thou shalt hear my voice and cry;
  In the morn my prayer arrange
  And keep constant watch will I.

4 Truly Thou art not a God
  That in sin doth take delight;
  Evil shall not dwell with Thee
5 Nor the proud stand in Thy sight.
  Evil doers Thou dost hate;
6 Liars Thou wilt bring to naught.
  GOD abhors the man who loves
  Deed of blood or lying thought.

7 But in Thine abundant grace
  To Thy house will I repair;
  Looking to Thy holy place,
  In Thy fear I'll worship there.
8 Since, O LORD, mine enemies,
  For my soul do lie in wait,
  Lead me in Thy righteousness;
  Make Thy way before me straight.

9 For they flatter with their tongue;
  In their mouth no truth is found;
  Like an open grave their throat;
  All their thoughts with sin abound.
10 Hold them guilty, O my God;
   Them for all their sins expel;
   Let them fall by their own craft,
   For against Thee they rebel.

11 But let all that trust Thy care
   Ever glad and joyful be;
   Let them joy who love Thy name,
   For they guarded are by Thee.
12 And a blessing rich, O LORD,
   To the righteous Thou wilt yield;
   Thou wilt compass him about
   With Thy favor as a shield.

from: the book of Psalms for Singing