Sunday, July 31, 2016

"Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale..."

Our worship theme this week was based on the 23rd Psalm. The text of each of the hymns was a paraphrase of that psalm. My own favorite among them is Isaac Watts' "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" and we sang that. We also sang two fine settings for the Scottish Psalter (1650) paraphrase of the psalm:

The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want.
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green: He leadeth me
the quiet waters by.
My table Thou hast furnished
in presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
and my cup overflows.
My soul He doth restore again;
and me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
ev'n for His own name's sake.
Goodness and mercy all my life
shall surely follow me:
And in God's house for evermore
my dwelling-place shall be.
Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale,
yet will I fear none ill:
For Thou art with me; and Thy rod
and staff me comfort still.



The two settings, both in our hymnbook, are "Crimond" and, my favorite, "Brother James' Air" (good singing below but I don't care for their modifications of the text):

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