Tuesday Lauds 2

And that I may go unto the altar of God

Characteristic of this Hour is the Canticle of King Hezekias, a song of penance and at the same time thanksgiving for the grace of repentance.  The rest of the Hour fits perfectly into this twofold sentiment.

Miserere

Confession of guilt

Miserére mei Deus, * secúndum magnam misericórdiam tuam.
2  Et secúndum multitúdinem miseratiónum tuárum, * dele iniquitátem meam.
3  Amplius lava me ab iniquitáte mea: * et a peccáto meo munda me.
4  Quóniam iniquitátem meam ego cognósco: * et peccátum meum contra me est semper.
5  Tibi soli peccávi, et malum coram te feci: * ut justificéris in sermónibus tuis, et vincas cum judicáris.
6  Ecce enim in iniquitátibus concéptus sum: * et in peccátis concépit me mater mea.
7  Ecce enim veritátem dilexísti: * incérta et occúlta sapiéntiæ tuæ manifestásti mihi.

Have mercy upon me, O God, * after thy great goodness.
2  According to the multitude of thy mercies * do away mine offences.
3  Wash me throughly from my wickedness, * and cleanse me from my sin.
4  For I acknowledge my faults, * and my sin is ever before me.
5  Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; * that thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou art judged.
6  Behold, I was shapen in wickedness, * and in sin hath my mother conceived me.
7  But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts, * and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly.

Plea for inner conversion

8  Aspérges me hyssópo, et mundábor: * lavábis me, et super nivem dealbábor.
9  Audítui meo dabis gáudium et lætítiam: * et exsultábunt ossa humiliáta.
10  Avérte fáciem tuam a peccátis meis: * et omnes iniquitátes meas dele.
11  Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: * et spíritum rectum ínnova in viscéribus meis.
12  Ne projícias me a fácie tua: * et spíritum sanctum tuum ne áuferas a me.
13  Redde mihi lætítiam salutáris tui: * et spíritu principáli confírma me.

8  Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; * thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
9  Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness, * that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
10  Turn thy face from my sins, * and put out all my misdeeds.
11  Make me a clean heart, O God, * and renew a right spirit within me.
12  Cast me not away from thy presence, * and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
13  O give me the comfort of thy help again, * and stablish me with thy free Spirit.

Thanksgiving and a promise

14  Docébo iníquos vias tuas: * et ímpii ad te converténtur.
15  Líbera me de sanguínibus, Deus, Deus salútis meæ: * et exsultábit lingua mea justítiam tuam.
16  Dómine, lábia mea apéries: * et os meum annuntiábit laudem tuam.
17  Quóniam si voluísses sacrifícium dedíssem útique: * holocáustis non delectáberis.
18  Sacrifícium Deo spíritus contribulátus: * cor contrítum, et humiliátum, Deus non despícies.

Finale

19  Benígne fac, Dómine, in bona voluntáte tua Sion: * ut ædificéntur muri Jerúsalem.
20  Tunc acceptábis sacrifícium justítiæ, oblatiónes, et holocáusta: * tunc impónent super altáre tuum vítulos.

19  O be favourable and gracious unto Sion; * build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
20  Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations; * then shall they offer young bullocks upon thine altar.

Psalm 42.  Judica me, Deus

Longing for the temple

Psalm 42, the third part of the wonderful elegy from the days of exile (Ps. 41, 42), leads the soul from the depths of its sinfulness to the mystical mount of Calvary.

Júdica me, Deus, et discérne causam meam de gente non sancta, * ab hómine iníquo, et dolóso érue me.
2  Quia tu es, Deus, fortitúdo mea: * quare me repulísti? et quare tristis incédo, dum afflígit me inimícus?
3  Emítte lucem tuam et veritátem tuam: * ipsa me deduxérunt, et adduxérunt in montem sanctum tuum, et in tabernácula tua.
4  Et introíbo ad altáre Dei: * ad Deum, qui lætíficat juventútem meam.
5  Confitébor tibi in cíthara, Deus, Deus meus: * quare tristis es, ánima mea? et quare contúrbas me?
6  Spera in Deo, quóniam adhuc confitébor illi: * salutáre vultus mei, et Deus meus.

Judge me, O God, and defend my cause from the ungodly people; * O deliver me from the deceitful and wicked man.
2  For thou art the God of my strength; * why hast thou put me from thee? and why go I mourning, whilst the enemy oppresseth me?
3  O send out thy light and thy truth, * they have led me, and brought me unto thy holy hill, and into thy dwelling.
4  I will go unto the altar of God, * even to God that giveth joy to my youth.
5  And upon the harp will I give thanks unto thee, O God, my God : * why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou trouble me?
6  O put thy trust in God, for I will yet praise him, * the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

Hymn of blessing

In this Psalm we pray for God's paternal blessing on the day to come; the Antiphon, with its reference to light, takes up another theme very familiar to the spirit of Lauds.

May we come to know our God

Deus misereátur nostri, et benedicat nobis: * illúminet vultum suum super nos, et misereátur nostri.
2  Ut cognoscámus in terra viam tuam, * in ómnibus Géntibus salutáre tuum.
3  Confiteántur tibi pópuli, Deus: * confiteántur tibi pópuli omnes.

God be merciful unto us, and bless us, * and shew us the light of his countenance, and be merciful unto us;
2  That we may know thy way upon earth, * thy salvation amongst all nations.
3  Let the peoples praise thee, O God; * yea, let all the peoples praise thee.

May we all be glad

4  Læténtur et exsúltent Gentes: * quóniam júdicas pópulos in æquitáte, et Gentes in terra dírigis.
5  Confiteántur tibi pópuli, Deus, confiteántur tibi pópuli omnes: * terra dedit fructum suum.

4  O let the nations rejoice and be glad; * for thou judgest the people with justice, and dost govern the nations upon earth.
5  Let the peoples praise thee, O God; yea, let all the peoples praise thee : * the earth hath brought forth her increase.

May God bless us

6  Benedicat nos Deus, Deus noster, benedicat nos Deus: * et métuant eum omnes fines terræ.

6  God, even our own God, shall give us his blessing, yea, God shall bless us; * and all the ends of the world shall fear him.

This is the song of King Hezekias during his critical illness and again during the time of his recovery.  It falls logically into two parts: 1) description of the sickness; 2) thanksgiving for recovery.

For us it is a prayer of repentance: our sickness is a disease of soul, sin, from which we beg God to heal us.  Our thanksgiving is the grace of repentance.

Sickness―sin

Ego dixi: in dimídio diérum meórum * vadam ad portas ínferi.
2  Quæsívi residuum annórum meórum. * Dixi : Non vidébo Dóminum Deum in terra vivéntium.
3  Non aspiciam hóminem ultra, * et habitatórem quietis.
4  Generátio mea abláta est, et convoluta est a me, * quasi tabernáculum pastórum.
5  Præcisa est velut a texente, vita mea: dum adhuc ordirer, succidit me: * de mane usque ad vésperam finies me.
6  Sperábam usque ad mane, * quasi leo sic contrívit ómnia ossa mea:
7  De mane usque ad vésperam finies me: * sicut pullus hirundinis sic clamábo, meditábor ut columba:
8  Attenuáti sunt óculi mei, * suspiciéntes in excélsum.

I said, In the midst of my days * I shall go down unto the portals of hell.
2  I sought for the residue of my years.  * I said, I shall not see the Lord God in the land of the living.
3  I shall behold man no more, * neither the inhabitant of the land of rest.
4  Mine age is departed, and is rolled up from me, * like as it were a shepherd's tent.
5  My life is cut off as by a weaver, whilst I was yet but beginning, he cut me off : * from morning even until night shalt thou make an end of me.
6  I hoped till morning, * as a lion, so hath he broken all my bones.
7  From morning even until night shalt thou make an end of me : * I will cry like a young swallow; I will meditate like a dove.
8  Mine eyes are weakened, * with looking upward.

Recovery―redemption

9  Dómine, vim patior, responde pro me. * Quid dicam, aut quid respondébit mihi, cum ipse fécerit?
10  Recogitábo tibi omnes annos meos * in amaritúdine ánimæ meæ.
11  Dómine, si sic vivitur, et in tálibus vita spíritus mei, corripies me et vivificábis me. * Ecce in pace amaritúdo mea amaríssima:
12  Tu autem eruísti ánimam meam ut non periret: * projecísti post tergum tuum ómnia peccáta mea.
13  Quia non infernus confitébitur tibi, neque mors laudábit te: * non exspectábunt qui descéndunt in lacum, veritátem tuam.
14  Vivens vivens ipse confitébitur tibi, sicut et ego hódie: * pater fíliis notam fáciet veritátem tuam.
15  Dómine, salvum me fac, * et psalmos nostros cantábimus cunctis diébus vitæ nostræ in domo Domini.

9  O Lord, I suffer violence, answer thou for me. * What shall I say, or what shall he answer me, whereas he himself hath done it?
10  I will call to remembrance before thee all my years * in the bitterness of my soul.
11  O Lord, if man's life be such, and the life of my spirit be in such things as these, thou shalt chasten me, and make me to live. * Behold, in peace is my my bitterness most bitter.
12  But thou hast delivered my soul that it should not perish: * thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
13  For hell shall not give glory unto thee, neither shall death praise thee, * nor yet shall they that go down into the pit look for thy truth.
14  The living, yea the living, he shall give praise unto thee, as I do this day; * the father to the children shall make known thy truth.
15  O Lord, save me, * and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.

Psalm 134.  Laudate nomen Domini

Praised be the Creator and Redeemer

We have two main reasons for praising God: 1) He is our Creator; 2) He is our Redeemer.  In this Psalm the deliverance from Egypt prefigures our Redemption through Christ.  Our age, too, worships idols that powerless: money, honour, pleasure.

Exhortation

Laudáte nomen Dómini, * laudáte, servi Dóminum.
2  Qui statis in domo Dómini, * in átriis domus Dei nostri.
3  Laudáte Dóminum, quia bonus Dóminus: * psállite nómini ejus, quóniam suáve.
4  Quóniam Jacob elégit sibi Dóminus, * Israël in possessiónem sibi.

O praise ye the Name of the Lord; * give praise, O ye servants of the Lord.
2  Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, * even in the courts of the house of our God.
3  O praise the Lord, for the Lord is gracious; * O sing praises unto his Name, for it is lovely.
4  For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, * and Israel for his own possession.

God is great in the universe

5  Quia ego cognóvi quod magnus est Dóminus, * et Deus noster præ ómnibus diis.
6  Omnia quæcúmque vóluit, Dóminus fecit in cælo, et in terra, * in mari, et in ómnibus abyssis.
7  Edúcens nubes ab extrémo terræ: * fúlgura in plúviam fecit.

5  For I have known that the Lord is great, * and that our God is above all gods.
6  Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth; * and in the sea, and in all deep places.
7  He bringeth forth the clouds from the ends of the world, * and sendeth forth lightnings with the rain.

In the history of his people

8  Qui prodúcit ventos de thesáuris suis: * qui percússit primogénita Ægypti ab hómine usque ad pecus.
9  Et misit signa, et prodígia in médio tui, Ægypte: * in Pharaónem, et in omnes servos ejus.
10  Qui percússit gentes multas: * et occídit reges fortes:
11  Sehon, regem Amorrhæórum, et Og, regem Basan, * et ómnia regna Chánaan.
12  Et dedit terram eórum hereditátem, * hereditátem Israël, pópulo suo.
13  Dómine, nomen tuum in ætérnum: * Dómine, memoriále tuum in generatiónem et generatiónem.
14  Quia judicábit Dóminus pópulum suum: * et in servis suis deprecábitur.

8  He bringeth forth the winds out of his treasuries : * he smote the firstborn of Egypt, from man even unto beast.
9  He sent forth signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O thou land of Egypt; * upon Pharaoh, and all his servants.
10  He smote divers nations, * and slew mighty kings:
11  Sihon, king of the Amorites; and Og, the king of Bashan; * and all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12  And gave their land to be an heritage, * even an heritage unto Israel his people.
13  Thy Name, O Lord, endureth for ever; * thy memorial, O Lord, from one generation to another.
14  For the Lord will judge his people, * and will be entreated in favour of his servants.

Great in comparison to the idols

15  Simulácra Géntium argéntum et aurum: * ópera mánuum hóminum.
16  Os habent, et non loquéntur: * óculos habent, et non vidébunt.
17  Aures habent, et non áudient: * neque enim est spíritus in ore ipsórum.
18  Símiles illis fiant qui fáciunt ea: * et omnes qui confídunt in eis.

15  The idols of the heathen are but silver and gold; * the work of men's hands.
16  They have mouths, and speak not; * eyes have they, but they see not.
17  They have ears, and yet they hear not; * neither is there any breath in their mouths.
18  May they that make them be like unto them; * and all they that put their trust in them.

Finale

19  Domus Israël,  benedícite Dómino: * domus Aaron, benedícite Dómino.
20  Domus Levi, benedícite Dómino: * qui timétis Dóminum, benedícite Dómino.
21  Benedíctus Dóminus ex Sion, * qui hábitat in Jerúsalem.

19  Bless the Lord, ye house of Israel; * bless the Lord, ye house of Aaron.
20  Bless the Lord, ye house of Levi; * ye that fear the Lord, bless ye the Lord.
21  Blessed be the Lord out of Sion, * who dwelleth at Jerusalem.