Alleluja.

Alleluia.

Confitemini Domino, quoniam bonus, quoniam in sæculum misericordia ejus.

Praise the Lord, the Lord is gracious; his mercy endures for ever;

Give glory to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Dicant qui redempti sunt a Domino, quos redemit de manu inimici, et de regionibus congregavit eos,

be this the cry of men the Lord has rescued, rescued them from the enemy’s hand, and gathered them in

Let them say so that have been redeemed by the Lord, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy: and gathered out of the countries.

a solis ortu, et occasu, ab aquilone, et mari.

from sunrising and sunset, from the north country and the south.

From the rising and from the setting of the sun, from the north and from the sea.

Erraverunt in solitudine, in inaquoso; viam civitatis habitaculi non invenerunt.

Some have wandered in parched deserts, missing the way to the city that was their home,

They wandered in a wilderness, in a place without water: they found not the way of a city for their habitation.

Esurientes et sitientes, anima eorum in ipsis defecit.

hungry and thirsty, so that their spirits died within them.

They were hungry and thirsty: their soul fainted in them.

Et clamaverunt ad Dominum cum tribularentur, et de necessitatibus eorum eripuit eos;

So they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he relieved their distress,

And they cried to the Lord in their tribulation: and he delivered them out of their distresses.

et deduxit eos in viam rectam, ut irent in civitatem habitationis.

guiding them surely to the place where they should find a home.

And he led them into the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.

Confiteantur Domino misericordiæ ejus, et mirabilia ejus filiis hominum.

Praise they the Lord in his mercies, in his wondrous dealings with mortal men;

Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.

Quia satiavit animam inanem, et animam esurientem satiavit bonis.

poor souls that were thirsty, contented now, poor souls that were hungry, satisfied now with all good.

For he hath satisfied the empty soul, and hath filled the hungry soul with good things.

Sedentes in tenebris et umbra mortis; vinctos in mendicitate et ferro.

Some lay where darkness overshadowed them, helpless in bonds of iron;

Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death: bound in want and in iron.

Quia exacerbaverunt eloquia Dei, et consilium Altissimi irritaverunt.

their punishment for rebelling against God’s decrees, for thwarting the will of the most High.

Because they had exasperated the words of God: and provoked the counsel of the most High:

Et humiliatum est in laboribus cor eorum; infirmati sunt, nec fuit qui adjuvaret.

Their hearts bowed down with sorrow, none else to aid their faltering steps,

And their heart was humbled with labours: they were weakened, and there was none to help them.

Et clamaverunt ad Dominum cum tribularentur; et de necessitatibus eorum liberavit eos.

they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he relieved their distress,

Then they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he delivered them out of their distresses.

Et eduxit eos de tenebris et umbra mortis, et vincula eorum dirupit.

rescuing them from darkness, from the shadows, tearing their chains asunder.

And he brought them out of darkness, and the shadow of death; and broke their bonds in sunder.

Confiteantur Domino misericordiæ ejus, et mirabilia ejus filiis hominum.

Praise they the Lord in his mercies, in his wondrous dealings with mortal men;

Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.

Quia contrivit portas æreas, et vectes ferreos confregit.

the Lord who has shattered the gates of brass, riven the bonds of iron.

Because he hath broken gates of brass, and burst iron bars.

Suscepit eos de via iniquitatis eorum; propter injustitias enim suas humiliati sunt.

Some for their own fault must needs be humbled; for their guilt

He took them out of the way of their iniquity: for they were brought low for their injustices.

Omnem escam abominata est anima eorum, et appropinquaverunt usque ad portas mortis.

they lay sick, with no stomach for food, close to death’s door.

Their soul abhorred all manner of meat: and they drew nigh even to the gates of death.

Et clamaverunt ad Dominum cum tribularentur, et de necessitatibus eorum liberavit eos.

So they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he relieved their distress,

And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he delivered them out of their distresses.

Misit verbum suum, et sanavit eos, et eripuit eos de interitionibus eorum.

uttered the word of healing, and saved them from their peril.

He sent his word, and healed them: and delivered them from their destructions.

Confiteantur Domino misericordiæ ejus, et mirabilia ejus filiis hominum.

Praise they the Lord in his mercies, in his wondrous dealings with mortal men;

Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.

Et sacrificent sacrificium laudis, et annuntient opera ejus in exsultatione.

theirs to offer him sacrifice in thanksgiving, and proclaim joyfully what he has done for them.

And let them sacrifice the sacrifice of praise: and declare his works with joy.

Qui descendunt mare in navibus, facientes operationem in aquis multis:

Some there were that ventured abroad in ships, trafficking over the high seas;

They that go down to the sea in ships, doing business in the great waters:

ipsi viderunt opera Domini, et mirabilia ejus in profundo.

these are men that have witnessed the Lord’s doings, his wonderful doings amid the deep.

These have seen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

Dixit, et stetit spiritus procellæ, et exaltati sunt fluctus ejus.

At his word the stormy wind rose, churning up its waves;

He said the word, and there arose a storm of wind: and the waves thereof were lifted up.

Ascendunt usque ad cælos, et descendunt usque ad abyssos; anima eorum in malis tabescebat.

high up towards heaven they were carried, then sank into the trough, with spirits fainting at their peril;

They mount up to the heavens, and they go down to the depths: their soul pined away with evils.

Turbati sunt, et moti sunt sicut ebrius, et omnis sapientia eorum devorata est.

see them reeling and staggering to and fro as a drunkard does, all their seamanship forgotten!

They were troubled, and reeled like a drunken man; and all their wisdom was swallowed up.

Et clamaverunt ad Dominum cum tribularentur; et de necessitatibus eorum eduxit eos.

So they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he relieved their distress,

And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he brought them out of their distresses.

Et statuit procellam ejus in auram, et siluerunt fluctus ejus.

stilling the storm into a whisper, till all its waves were quiet.

And he turned the storm into a breeze: and its waves were still.

Et lætati sunt quia siluerunt; et deduxit eos in portum voluntatis eorum.

Glad hearts were theirs, when calm fell about them, and he brought them to the haven where they longed to be.

And they rejoiced because they were still: and he brought them to the haven which they wished for.

Confiteantur Domino misericordiæ ejus, et mirabilia ejus filiis hominum.

Praise they the Lord in his mercies, in his wondrous dealings with mortal men;

Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.

Et exaltent eum in ecclesia plebis, et in cathedra seniorum laudent eum.

let them extol his name, where the people gather, glorify him where the elders sit in council.

And let them exalt him in the church of the people: and praise him in the chair of the ancients.

Posuit flumina in desertum, et exitus aquarum in sitim;

Here, he changes rivers into desert sand, wells into dry ground;

He hath turned rivers into a wilderness: and the sources of waters into dry ground:

terram fructiferam in salsuginem, a malitia inhabitantium in ea.

land that once was fruitful into a salty marsh, to punish its people’s guilt.

A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.

Posuit desertum in stagna aquarum, et terram sine aqua in exitus aquarum.

There, he turns the wilderness into pools of water, desert ground into springs;

He hath turned a wilderness into pools of waters, and a dry land into water springs.

Et collocavit illic esurientes, et constituerunt civitatem habitationis:

and establishes hungry folk there, so that they build themselves a city to dwell in,

And hath placed there the hungry; and they made a city for their habitation.

et seminaverunt agros et plantaverunt vineas, et fecerunt fructum nativitatis.

sow fields, and plant vineyards, and reap the harvest;

And they sowed fields, and planted vineyards: and they yielded fruit of birth.

Et benedixit eis, et multiplicati sunt nimis; et jumenta eorum non minoravit.

he blesses them, so that their numbers increase beyond measure, and to their cattle grants increase.

And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly: and their cattle he suffered not to decrease.

Et pauci facti sunt et vexati sunt, a tribulatione malorum et dolore.

Once, they were but few, worn down by stress of need and ill fortune;

Then they were brought to be few: and they were afflicted through the trouble of evils and sorrow.

Effusa est contemptio super principes: et errare fecit eos in invio, et non in via.

but now the same power that shames proud chieftains, and keeps them wandering in a pathless desert,

Contempt was poured forth upon their princes: and he caused them to wander where there was no passing, and out of the way.

Et adjuvit pauperem de inopia, et posuit sicut oves familias.

has rescued the poor from need, their households thrive like their own flocks.

And he helped the poor out of poverty: and made him families like a flock of sheep.

Videbunt recti, et lætabuntur; et omnis iniquitas oppilabit os suum.

Honest men will rejoice to witness it, and malice will stand dumb with confusion.

The just shall see, and shall rejoice, and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.

Quis sapiens, et custodiet hæc, et intelliget misericordias Domini?

Heed it well, if thou wouldst be wise; be these thy study, the mercies of the Lord.

Who is wise, and will keep these things; and will understand the mercies of the Lord?