Psalm 85
John Milton
Thy Land to favour graciously Thou hast not Lord been slack, Thou hast from hard Captivity Returned Jacob back. Th’ iniquity thou didst forgive That wrought thy people woe, And all their Sin, that did thee grieve Hast hid where none shall know. Thine anger all thou hadst remov’d, And calmly didst return From thy *fierce wrath which we had prov’d *Heb. The burning Far worse then fire to burn. heat of thy God of our saving health and peace, wrath. Turn us, and us restore, Thine indignation cause to cease Toward us, and chide no more. Wilt thou be angry without end, For ever angry thus Wilt thou thy frowning ire extend From age to age on us? Wilt thou not *turn, and hear our voice * Heb. Turn to And us again *revive, quicken us. That so thy people may rejoyce By thee preserv’d alive. Cause us to see thy goodness Lord, To us thy mercy shew Thy saving health to us afford And lift in us renew. And now what God the Lord will speak I will go strait and hear, For to his people he speaks peace And to his Saints full dear, To his dear Saints he will speak peace, But let them never more Return to folly, but surcease To trespass as before. Surely to such as do him fear Salvation is at hand And glory shall ere long appear To dwell within our Land. Mercy and Truth that long were miss’d Now joyfully are met Sweet Peace and Righteousness have kiss’d And hand in hand are set. Truth from the earth like to a flowr Shall bud and blossom then, And Justice from her heavenly bowr Look down on mortal men. The Lord will also then bestow Whatever thing is good Our Land shall forth in plenty throw Her fruits to be our food. Before him Righteousness shall go His Royal Harbinger, Then *will he come, and not be slow *Heb. He will set his steps to the way. His footsteps cannot err.
