(To the choir-master. Of David. A psalm. A song.)

Unto the end, a psalm of a canticle for David himself.

In finem. Psalmus cantici ipsi David.

Let God bestir himself, needs must his foes be scattered, their malice take flight before his coming.

Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered: and let them that hate him flee from before his face.

Exsurgat Deus, et dissipentur inimici ejus; et fugiant qui oderunt eum a facie ejus.

Vanish the wicked at God’s presence as the smoke vanishes, as wax melts at the fire,

As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

Sicut deficit fumus, deficiant; sicut fluit cera a facie ignis, sic pereant peccatores a facie Dei.

while the just keep holiday and rejoice at the sight of him, glad and content.

And let the just feast, and rejoice before God: and be delighted with gladness.

Et justi epulentur, et exsultent in conspectu Dei, et delectentur in lætitia.

Sing, then, in God’s honour, praise his name with a psalm; a royal progress through the wilderness for the God whose name tells of omnipotence! Triumph in his presence;

Sing ye to God, sing a psalm to his name, make a way for him who ascendeth upon the west: the Lord is his name. Rejoice ye before him: but the wicked shall be troubled at his presence,

Cantate Deo; psalmum dicite nomini ejus: iter facite ei qui ascendit super occasum. Dominus nomen illi; exsultate in conspectu ejus. Turbabuntur a facie ejus,

he is a father to the orphan, and gives the widow redress, this God who dwells apart in holiness.

who is the father of orphans, and the judge of widows. God in his holy place:

patris orphanorum, et judicis viduarum; Deus in loco sancto suo.

This is the God who makes a home for the outcast, restores the captives to a land of plenty, leaves none but the rebels to find their abode in the wilderness.

God who maketh men of one manner to dwell in a house: Who bringeth out them that were bound in strength; in like manner them that provoke, that dwell in sepulchres.

Deus qui inhabitare facit unius moris in domo; qui educit vinctos in fortitudine, similiter eos qui exasperant, qui habitant in sepulchris.

O God, when thou didst go forth at the head of thy people, on that royal progress of thine through the desert,

O God, when thou didst go forth in the sight of thy people, when thou didst pass through the desert:

Deus, cum egredereris in conspectu populi tui, cum pertransires in deserto,

how the earth trembled, how the sky broke at God’s coming, how even Sinai shook, when the God of Israel came!

The earth was moved, and the heavens dropped at the presence of the God of Sina, at the presence of the God of Israel.

terra mota est, etenim cæli distillaverunt, a facie Dei Sinai, a facie Dei Israël.

And on this thy own land, O God, thou sendest rain abundantly; all parched it lies, and thou dost bring it relief.

Thou shalt set aside for thy inheritance a free rain, O God: and it was weakened, but thou hast made it perfect.

Pluviam voluntariam segregabis, Deus, hæreditati tuæ; et infirmata est, tu vero perfecisti eam.

Pasture-land of thy own flock; and shouldst thou not make bounteous provision here, O God, for thy pensioners?

In it shall thy animals dwell; in thy sweetness, O God, thou hast provided for the poor.

Animalia tua habitabunt in ea; parasti in dulcedine tua pauperi, Deus.

Word has come from the Lord, good news borne on a multitude of lips:

The Lord shall give the word to them that preach good tidings with great power.

Dominus dabit verbum evangelizantibus, virtute multa.

Routed their kings, routed the armies; they have left their spoils for housewives to carry away;

The king of powers is of the beloved, of the beloved; and the beauty of the house shall divide spoils.

Rex virtutum dilecti, dilecti; et speciei domus dividere spolia.

never shone silver so bright on a dove’s feathers, never gold so fair on a dove’s wings; and you, all the while, resting quiet among the sheep-folds!

If you sleep among the midst of lots, you shall be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and the hinder parts of her back with the paleness of gold.

Si dormiatis inter medios cleros, pennæ columbæ deargentatæ, et posteriora dorsi ejus in pallore auri.

White fell the snows on Salmon, when the Almighty put kings to rout.

When he that is in heaven appointeth kings over her, they shall be whited with snow in Selmon.

Dum discernit cælestis reges super eam, nive dealbabuntur in Selmon.

Basan’s hills are high, Basan’s hills are rugged;

The mountain of God is a fat mountain. A curdled mountain, a fat mountain.

Mons Dei, mons pinguis: mons coagulatus, mons pinguis.

must you turn your eyes, rugged hills, towards God’s mountain, and envy what you see? The mountain where God loves and will ever love to dwell.

Why suspect, ye curdled mountains? A mountain in which God is well pleased to dwell: for there the Lord shall dwell unto the end.

Ut quid suspicamini, montes coagulatos? mons in quo beneplacitum est Deo habitare in eo; etenim Dominus habitabit in finem.

See where God comes, with chariots innumerable for his escort; thousands upon thousands; comes from Sinai to this his sanctuary.

The chariot of God is attended by ten thousands; thousands of them that rejoice: the Lord is among them in Sina, in the holy place.

Currus Dei decem millibus multiplex, millia lætantium; Dominus in eis in Sina, in sancto.

Thou dost mount up on high, thou dost capture thy spoil, and men must be thy tribute, will they or no, yonder heathen must have the Lord God for their neighbour.

Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive; thou hast received gifts in men. Yea for those also that do not believe, the dwelling of the Lord God.

Ascendisti in altum, cepisti captivitatem, accepisti dona in hominibus; etenim non credentes inhabitare Dominum Deum.

Blessed be the Lord now and ever, the God who bears our burdens, and wins us the victory.

Blessed be the Lord day by day: the God of our salvation will make our journey prosperous to us.

Benedictus Dominus die quotidie: prosperum iter faciet nobis Deus salutarium nostrorum.

Our God is a God of deliverance; the Lord is our Master, that saves men from peril of death.

Our God is the God of salvation: and of the Lord, of the Lord are the issues from death.

Deus noster, Deus salvos faciendi; et Domini, Domini exitus mortis.

God will smite the heads of his enemies, smite the proud locks of the men who live at ease in their wickedness.

But God shall break the heads of his enemies: the hairy crown of them that walk on in their sins.

Verumtamen Deus confringet capita inimicorum suorum, verticem capilli perambulantium in delictis suis.

I will restore my people, the Lord says; I will restore them to their land, from Basan, from the shore of the high seas.

The Lord said: I will turn them from Basan, I will turn them into the depth of the sea:

Dixit Dominus: Ex Basan convertam, convertam in profundum maris:

Soon the blood of thy enemies will stain thy feet, never a jackal that follows thee but shall lick its prey.

That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thy enemies; the tongue of thy dogs be red with the same.

ut intingatur pes tuus in sanguine; lingua canum tuorum ex inimicis, ab ipso.

Thou comest, O God, a mark for all eyes; he comes, my God and my king, to visit his sanctuary.

They have seen thy goings, O God, the goings of my God: of my king who is in his sanctuary.

Viderunt ingressus tuos, Deus, ingressus Dei mei, regis mei, qui est in sancto.

Before him go the singers, and the minstrels follow, while the maids play on their tambours between:

Princes went before joined with singers, in the midst of young damsels playing on timbrels.

Prævenerunt principes conjuncti psallentibus, in medio juvencularum tympanistriarum.

Give praise to the Lord God in this solemn assembly, sons of Israel!

In the churches bless ye God the Lord, from the fountains of Israel.

In ecclesiis benedicite Deo Domino de fontibus Israël.

Here is Benjamin, youngest of the tribes, that marches in the van; here are the chieftains of Juda with their companies, chieftains, too, from Zabulon, chieftains from Nephtali.

There is Benjamin a youth, in ecstasy of mind. The princes of Juda are their leaders: the princes of Zabulon, the princes of Nephthali.

Ibi Benjamin adolescentulus, in mentis excessu; principes Juda, duces eorum; principes Zabulon, principes Nephthali.

Shew thy power, O God, shew thy Divine power, perfect thy own achievement for us;

Command thy strength, O God: confirm, O God, what thou hast wrought in us.

Manda, Deus, virtuti tuæ; confirma hoc, Deus, quod operatus es in nobis.

to honour thy temple at Jerusalem, kings shall bring gifts before thee.

From thy temple in Jerusalem, kings shall offer presents to thee.

A templo tuo in Jerusalem, tibi offerent reges munera.

Tame the wild beasts of the marshes, fierce bulls that lord it over the peaceful herd of nations; down fall they, bringing silver pieces for their ransom. Scatter the nations that delight in war,

Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds, the congregation of bulls with the kine of the people; who seek to exclude them who are tried with silver. Scatter thou the nations that delight in wars:

Increpa feras arundinis; congregatio taurorum in vaccis populorum: ut excludant eos qui probati sunt argento. Dissipa gentes quæ bella volunt.

till Egypt sends hither her princes, till Ethiopia makes her peace with God.

ambassadors shall come out of Egypt: Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to God.

Venient legati ex Ægypto; Æthiopia præveniet manus ejus Deo.

Kingdoms of the earth, raise your voices in God’s honour, sing a psalm to the Lord; a psalm to God,

Sing to God, ye kingdoms of the earth: sing ye to the Lord: Sing ye to God,

Regna terræ, cantate Deo; psallite Domino; psallite Deo.

who mounts on the heavens, the immemorial heavens, and utters his word in a voice of thunder.

who mounteth above the heaven of heavens, to the east. Behold he will give to his voice the voice of power:

Qui ascendit super cælum cæli, ad orientem: ecce dabit voci suæ vocem virtutis.

Pay honour to God, the God whose splendour rests over Israel, who holds dominion high among the clouds.

give ye glory to God for Israel, his magnificence, and his power is in the clouds.

Date gloriam Deo super Israël; magnificentia ejus et virtus ejus in nubibus.

Awe dwells about him in his holy place! The God of Israel gives his people strength and courage; blessed be God!

God is wonderful in his saints: the God of Israel is he who will give power and strength to his people. Blessed be God.

Mirabilis Deus in sanctis suis; Deus Israël ipse dabit virtutem et fortitudinem plebi suæ. Benedictus Deus!