150 of the World'sGreatest Lyric Poemsfrom the Psalter of theOld TestamentFrom the Authorized King James VersionO come, let us sing unto the Lord:Let us make a joyful noise to the rock         of our salvation.Let us come before his presence        with thanksgiving,And make a joyful noise unto him        with psalms.                           --from Psalm 95Of all the books of the Bible, The Book of Psalms is the most frequently cited. Indeed, the psalms are considered by many to be the greatest lyric poems ever written. The numerous psalms or songs of David are particularly exquisite, in their emotional expressiveness as well as in the beauty of their words.        The Book of Psalms, also called the Psalter, is a book of the Old Testament that, in the Hebrew Bible, begins the third section of the biblical canon known as the Writings. The collection consists of 150 sacred poems. The Psalms is at the heart of the Hebrew Bible--it is the longest book, and the one most filled with passion and the one most intelligible. So universal are these songs of hope, despair, anger, love, thanksgiving, and praise that Christianity build its liturgies upon them.        As the great writer and scholar Mark Van Doren said of the Psalms, "Any person can feel their intimate authority and can use their eloquence as if it were his own."        In this beautifully designed edition, each of the 150 numerically ordered psalms is clearly and boldy presented. Although The Book of Psalms is a collection of hymns that grew out of, and expressed sentiments of, worship, its power is intensely personal and speaks to the needs and yearnings, delights and desires deep within each of us. Read Less