OT Canticles 36 to 43

¶		Old Testament Canticles


		36 A Song of Jerusalem our Mother

		Refrain:
All		Thus says our God, I will comfort you,
		you shall see and your heart shall rejoice.

1		'Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her •
		all you who love her', says the Lord.

2		'Rejoice with her in joy, •
		all you who mourn over her,

3		'That you may drink deeply with delight •
		from her consoling breast.'

4		For thus says our God, •
		'You shall be nursed and carried on her arm.

5		'As a mother comforts her children, •
		so I will comfort you;

6		'You shall see and your heart shall rejoice; •
		you shall flourish like the grass of the fields.'
		Isaiah 66.10-11a,12a,12c,13a,14a,b
		Glory to the Father and to the Son
		and to the Holy Spirit;
		as it was in the beginning is now
		and shall be for ever. Amen.


		37 A Song of Lamentation

		Refrain:
All		Great is your faithfulness, O Lord.

1		Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? •
		Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow;

2		Which was brought upon me, •
		which the Lord inflicted
		on the day of his fierce anger.

3		For these things I weep;
		my eyes flow with tears; •
		for a comforter is far from me,
		one to revive my courage;

4		Remember my affliction and my bitterness, •
		the wormwood and the gall!

5		The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, •
		his mercies never come to an end;

6		They are new every morning; •
		great is your faithfulness.

7		'The Lord is my portion', says my soul, •
		'therefore I will hope in him.'

8		The Lord is good to those who wait for him, •
		to the soul that seeks him.

9		It is good that we should wait quietly •
		for the salvation of the Lord.

10		It is good to bear the yoke in our youth; •
		to sit alone in silence when he has imposed it.

11		For the Lord will not reject for ever, •
		though he causes grief, he will have compassion,

12		According to the abundance of his steadfast love; •
		for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.
		Lamentations 1.12,16a,b; 3.19,22-28,31-33
		Glory to the Father and to the Son
		and to the Holy Spirit;
		as it was in the beginning is now
		and shall be for ever. Amen.


		38 A Song of Ezekiel

		Refrain:
All		The Spirit of God fills the whole world. Alleluia!

1		I will take you from the nations, •
		and gather you from all the countries.

2		I will sprinkle clean water upon you, •
		and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses.

3		A new heart I will give you, •
		and put a new spirit within you,

4		And I will remove from your body the heart of stone •
		and give you a heart of flesh.

5		You shall be my people, •
		and I will be your God.
		Ezekiel 36.24-26,28b
		Glory to the Father and to the Son
		and to the Holy Spirit;
		as it was in the beginning is now
		and shall be for ever. Amen.


		39 A Song of Humility

		Refrain:
All		Raise us up, O God,
		that we may live in your presence.
1		Come, let us return to the Lord •
		who has torn us and will heal us.

2		God has stricken us •
		and will bind up our wounds.

3		After two days, he will revive us, •
		and on the third day will raise us up,
		that we may live in his presence.

4		Let us strive to know the Lord; •
		his appearing is as sure as the sunrise.

5		He will come to us like the showers, •
		like the spring rains that water the earth.

6		'O Ephraim, how shall I deal with you? •
		How shall I deal with you, O Judah?

7		'Your love for me is like the morning mist, •
		like the dew that goes early away.

8		'Therefore, I have hewn them by the prophets, •
		and my judgement goes forth as the light.

9		'For loyalty is my desire and not sacrifice, •
		and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.'
		Hosea 6.1-6
		Glory to the Father and to the Son
		and to the Holy Spirit;
		as it was in the beginning is now
		and shall be for ever. Amen.


		40 A Song of Jonah

		Refrain:
All		My prayer came to you in your holy temple,
		and you brought up my life from the depths.

1		I called to you, O God, out of my distress
		and you answered me; •
		out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
		and you heard my voice.

2		You cast me into the deep,
		into the heart of the seas, •
		and the flood surrounded me,
		all your waves and billows passed over me.

3		Then I said, I am driven away from your sight; •
		how shall I ever look again upon your holy temple?

4		The waters closed in over me,
		the deep was round about me; •
		weeds were wrapped around my head
		at the roots of the mountains.

5		I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me for ever, •
		yet you brought up my life from the depths, O God.

6		As my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, O God, •
		and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.

7		With the voice of thanksgiving, I will sacrifice to you; •
		what I have vowed I will pay,
		deliverance belongs to the Lord!
		Jonah 2.2-7,9
		Glory to the Father and to the Son
		and to the Holy Spirit;
		as it was in the beginning is now
		and shall be for ever. Amen.


		41 A Song of Tobit

		Refrain:
All		See what the Lord our God has done
		and exalt him in the sight of the living.

1		Blessed be God, who lives for ever, •
		whose reign endures throughout all ages.

2		Declare God's praise before the nations, •
		you who are the children of Israel.

3		For if our God has scattered you among them, •
		there too has he shown you his greatness.

4		Exalt him in the sight of the living, •
		because he is our Lord and God and our Father for ever.

5		Though God punishes you for your wickedness, •
		mercy will be shown to you all.

6		God will gather you from every nation, •
		from wherever you have been scattered.

7		When you turn to the Lord
		with all your heart and soul, •
		God will hide his face from you no more.

8		See what the Lord has done for you •
		and give thanks with a loud voice.

9		Praise the Lord of righteousness •
		and exalt the King of the ages.
		Tobit 13.1,3,4-6a
		Glory to the Father and to the Son
		and to the Holy Spirit;
		as it was in the beginning is now
		and shall be for ever. Amen.


		42 A Song of Judith

		Refrain:
All		You sent forth your Spirit, O God,
		and you continue to show mercy to all.

1		I will sing a new song to my God, •
		for you are great and glorious,
		truly strong and invincible.

2		May your whole creation serve you, •
		for you spoke and all things came to be.

3		You sent forth your Spirit and they were formed, •
		for no one can resist your voice.

4		Mountains and seas are stirred to their depths; •
		at your presence rocks shall melt like wax.

5		But to those who fear you, •
		you continue to show mercy.

6		No sacrifice, however fragrant, can please you, •
		but whoever fears the Lord
		shall stand in your sight for ever.
		Judith 16. 13-16
		Glory to the Father and to the Son
		and to the Holy Spirit;
		as it was in the beginning is now
		and shall be for ever. Amen.


		43 A Song of the Righteous

		Refrain:
All		God has found the righteous worthy
		and their hope is of immortality.

1		The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God •
		and no torment will ever touch them.

2		In the eyes of the foolish, they seem to have died; •
		but they are at peace.

3		For though, in the sight of others, they were punished, •
		their hope is of immortality.

4		Having been disciplined a little,
		they will receive great good, •
		because God tested them and found them worthy.

5		Like gold in the furnace, God tried them •
		and, like a sacrificial burnt offering, accepted them.

6		In the time of their visitation, they will shine forth •
		and will run like sparks through the stubble.

7		They will govern nations and rule over peoples •
		and God will reign over them for ever.
		Wisdom 3.1,2a,3b-8
		Glory to the Father and to the Son
		and to the Holy Spirit;
		as it was in the beginning is now
		and shall be for ever. Amen.

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