Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous; * 
it is good for the just to sing praises.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp; *
play to him upon the psaltery and lyre.
3 Sing for him a new song; *
sound a fanfare with all
your skill upon the trumpet.
4 For the word of the Lord is right, *
and all his works are sure.
5 He loves righteousness
and justice; *
the loving-kindness of the Lord
fills the whole earth.
6 By the word of the Lord
were the heavens made, *
by the breath of his mouth
all the heavenly hosts.
7 He gathers up the waters
of the ocean as in a water-skin *
and stores up the depths of the sea.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; *
let all who dwell in the world
stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to pass; *
he commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The Lord brings the will
of the nations to naught; *
he thwarts the designs of the peoples.
11 But the Lord's will stands fast for ever, *
and the designs of his heart from age to age.
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord! *
happy the people he has chosen to be his own!
13 The Lord looks down from heaven, *
and beholds all the people in the world.
14 From where he sits enthroned
he turns his gaze *
on all who dwell on the earth.
15 He fashions all the hearts of them *
and understands all their works.
16 There is no king that can be
saved by a mighty army; *
a strong man is not delivered
by his great strength.
17 The horse is a vain hope for deliverance; *
for all its strength it cannot save.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord
is upon those who fear him, *
on those who wait upon his love,
19 To pluck their lives from death, *
and to feed them in time of famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord; *
he is our help and our shield.
21 Indeed, our heart rejoices in him, *
for in his holy Name we put our trust.
22 Let your loving-kindness,
O Lord, be upon us, *
as we have put our trust in you. Psalm 33
Dear Elizabeth,
This is my last letter to you for some time. We leave tonight once it is dark and will go a few miles to stay with a distant cousin of Joseph. She is quite elderly but Joseph says she has been kind to him all of his life and she has a big house. I hope she likes me. Some older women are very protective of their sons and nephews and very judgmental of the women they marry. As I write, Papa and Joseph are packing the last items and Mama is making us an early dinner. Elizabeth, I am so scared. I have never been away from home without Mama and Papa. And I am so close to delivering this child.
The wise woman came last night and examine me early this morning. Mama was with me and held my hand. I was still so nervous, that Mama taught me to breath until I calmed down. And then she whispered some psalms as the examination went forward. I was able to join her in the words and it did help me be somewhat calmer. The wise woman did say that I was only a few weeks away from delivery and that the baby was a good size and very healthy. That made me cry - I am so happy and so terrified at the same time. I so want to be back here with Mama when I give birth. I hope our trip to Bethlehem goes as planned and we can rush back before labor begins. I need Mama to breathe with me. I need her now more than ever. Pray for us, that the trip is quick and we can return home in time.
Love,
Mary
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