{"slug": "jehovahs-perfect-law", "title": "The Perfect Law of God", "first_line": "Jehovah's perfect law", "author_source": "The Psalter, 1912", "foot": "iambic", "meter": {"pattern": [6, 6, 6, 6, 8, 8], "doubled": false, "refrain": false, "alleluia": false, "irregular": false}, "psalm": 19, "topics": ["Psalms"], "scripture": ["Psalm 19"], "provenance": {"layer": "text", "source": "psalter-1912", "source_kind": "open_encoding", "encoding_origin": "hymnary.org (selection 38) via the Wayback Machine; cross-verified against two independently scanned printings (archive.org OCR)", "pd_basis": "pub_pre_1931", "pd_evidence": "The Psalter, United Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1912 \u2014 Psalm 19, selection 38. Imported by tools/psalter1912_import.py: word-bag attested by both scans; every line machine-scanned to the metre.", "pd_jurisdictions": {"US": true}}, "stanzas": {"1": {"syllabified": "Je -- ho -- vah's per -- fect law Re -- stores the soul a -- gain; His tes -- ti -- mo -- ny sure Gives wis -- dom un -- to men; The pre -- cepts of the Lord are right, And fill the heart with great de -- light.", "prose": ["Jehovah's perfect law", "Restores the soul again;", "His testimony sure", "Gives wisdom unto men;", "The precepts of the Lord are right,", "And fill the heart with great delight."]}, "2": {"syllabified": "The Lord's com -- mands are pure, They light and joy re -- store; Je -- ho -- vah's fear is clean, En -- dur -- ing ev -- er -- more; His stat -- utes, let the world con -- fess, Are whol -- ly truth and right -- eous -- ness.", "prose": ["The Lord's commands are pure,", "They light and joy restore;", "Jehovah's fear is clean,", "Enduring evermore;", "His statutes, let the world confess,", "Are wholly truth and righteousness."]}, "3": {"syllabified": "They are to be de -- sired A -- bove the fin -- est gold; Than hon -- ey from the comb More sweet -- ness far they hold; With warn -- ings they Thy ser -- vant guard, In keep -- ing them is great re -- ward.", "prose": ["They are to be desired", "Above the finest gold;", "Than honey from the comb", "More sweetness far they hold;", "With warnings they Thy servant guard,", "In keeping them is great reward."]}, "4": {"syllabified": "His er -- rors who can know? Cleanse me from hid -- den stain; Keep me from will -- ful sins, Nor let them o'er me reign; And then I up -- right shall ap -- pear And be from great trans -- gres -- sions clear.", "prose": ["His errors who can know?", "Cleanse me from hidden stain;", "Keep me from willful sins,", "Nor let them o'er me reign;", "And then I upright shall appear", "And be from great transgressions clear."]}, "5": {"syllabified": "When Thou dost search my life, May all my tho'ts with -- in And all the words I speak Thy full ap -- pro -- val win. O Lord, Thou art a rock to me, And my Re -- deem -- er Thou shalt be.", "prose": ["When Thou dost search my life,", "May all my tho'ts within", "And all the words I speak", "Thy full approval win.", "O Lord, Thou art a rock to me,", "And my Redeemer Thou shalt be."]}}, "license": "The hymn texts and tunes are in the public domain; per-layer provenance is recorded on each record."}