Lament and Laughter; The Psalms in English Verse

This complete collection of Psalms in English verse is presented both to provide texts for singing and to help today's readers enjoy and become familiar with the full and rich range of these ancient songs. Hopefully, they will encourage readers to return to their Bibles to develop their knowledge and use of the Psalter.

The language is today's English, freed from the tired accents of Victorian and pre-war devotion, yet not lapsing into casual colloquialisms. Many of the texts have benefited from the close criticism of Pastor Erroll Hulse and hymn-writer Christopher Idle. The verse is in traditional English forms with rhythm and rhyme, and should appeal to all parts of the English-speaking world.

The author has sought to be as faithful to the Hebrew texts as the discipline of verse will allow, using not only a range of English translations from NASB and JB to TNIV and ESV, and from GNB to NLT and Eugene Peterson, but also studying a range of commentaries, and idiomatic renderings (Chouraqui, Motyer, Goldingay) and consulting experts from time to time. Hence great care has been taken to render the various names of God precisely, along with key Hebrew words such as "hesed", "barak" and the eight distinct terms for God's law in Ps.119.

The Psalter's ancient division into five books is clearly marked, the significance of which is discussed in the Introduction.

A list of suggested tunes, one for each Psalm where available, is provided at the end of the book, though individuals and congregations in varying times and places will have their own preferences, or compose their own.