Flames of fire are thy servants.
Thou didst fix the earth on its foundations,
That it should not be moved forever.
Thou didst cover it with the sea as with a garment.
The waters stood far above the mountains,
But at thy reproof they fled,
At the sound of thy thunder they hastened away,
Not to pass the bound thou hadst set,
Not to return to cover the earth.
Mountains rose, valleys sank,
To the place which thou hadst prepared for them.
Thou sendest the springs to the valleys,
They run down between the mountains,
They give drink to every wild beast,
The wild asses quench their thirst.
The birds make their home beside them,
They sing from among the branches.
Thou waterest the mountains from thine upper stories;
The earth is filled with the fruit of thy works.
Thou makest grass spring up for the cattle,
And green herbs for the service of man,
Causing food to spring from the earth,
Wine to gladden man's heart,
Oil that makes his face shine,
And bread to strengthen his heart.
The trees of the Lord are full of sap,
The cedars of Lebanon, which he has planted,
Where the birds build their nests;
The stork has her home in the fir-trees.
The high mountains are for the wild goats,
The rocks are a hiding-place for the marmots.
Thou createst the moon to divide the year,
The sun knows when it should set.
Thou makest darkness, and it is night,
In which wild beasts creep forth;
The young lions roar for their prey,
And seek their food from God.
When the sun arises they disappear,
And lay themselves down in their dens.
Man goes out to his work,
To toil until evening comes.
O Lord, how many are thy works!
Wisely thou madest them all;
The earth is full of thy creatures.
There is the sea, great and wide,
With its crawling things innumerable,
Living things both small and great;
There go the monsters of the sea,
And the dragon thou madest to play.
These all wait for thee,
To give them their food in due season.
When thou givest to them, they gather it;
Thou openest thy hand, they are satisfied.
Thou hidest thy face, they are frightened;
Thou takest their breath, they die,
And return to the dust from which they came.
Thou sendest thy spirit, and they are created;
Thou refillest the earth with living things.
May the glory of the Lord be eternal,
Let the Lord rejoice in his works.
He looks at the earth, and it trembles,
He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live,
I will sing praise to my God while I exist.
May my thoughts be pleasing unto him;
I myself find my joy in the Lord.
God the Loving Father
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all his benefits,
Who forgives all your iniquities,
And heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from the grave,
And crowns you with love and tender mercy,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord is a doer of righteous acts,
And of justice to all the oppressed.
He made known his laws to Moses,
His deeds to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Patient and full of love.
He will not always chide,
Nor keep his anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is his love toward those who revere him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has he removed our wrong deeds from us.
As a father loves his children,
So the Lord loves those who revere him,
For he understands our nature,
He remembers that we are dust.
Frail man—his days are as grass;
As a flower of the field he flourishes,
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place knows it no more.
But the love of the Lord is eternal,
And his righteousness to children's children,
To those who keep their covenant with him,
And remember to obey his commands.
He has established his throne in the heavens,
And his rule extends over all.
Bless the Lord, his angels,
You strong ones who do his bidding.
Bless the Lord all his hosts,
You servants who do his will,
Bless the Lord, all his works,
In every place where he rules,
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
God from Whom All Good Things Come
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman wakens in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit down at your meal late,
And so eat the bread of toil; for he gives to his loved ones sleep.
Children too are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward.
As arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of youth.
Happy indeed is the man whose quiver is full of them,
He shall not be put to shame when he argues with foes in the court.
LO, CHILDREN ARE A HERITAGE OF THE LORD
God's Goodness and Mercy
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
Patient, and full of loving-kindness.
The Lord is good to all,
Showing mercy to all his creatures.
All thy works give thee thanks, O Lord,
And those who love thee praise thee,
They speak of thy glorious rule,
And proclaim thy mighty power,
That men may know thy great deeds,
And the glorious splendor of thy rule.
Thy rule is an everlasting rule,
Thy dominion endures forever.
The Lord lifts up all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all wait for thee,
And thou givest them food in due season.
Thou it is who openest thy hand,
And satisfiest the desires of all creatures.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways,
And gracious in all his acts.
He is near all who call upon him,
To all who call upon him in truth.
He fulfils the desire of his worshippers,
He hears their cry and saves them.
He takes care of all who love him,
But destroys all those who do wrong.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord.
Let all flesh praise his holy name forever.
God the All-Seeing
O Lord, thou searchest and knowest me,
Whether I sit or stand, thou knowest,
Thou readest my thought afar off,
When I walk or lie down thou dost know it.
Thou knowest all my ways.
There is not a word on my tongue,
That thou, O Lord, dost not know!
Behind and before thou enfoldest me,
Over me thou dost lay thy hand.
Such knowledge for me is too wonderful!
Too high, I cannot attain it.
Where shall I go from thy spirit,
Where shall I flee from thy presence?
If I climb into heaven, thou art there,
If I lie down in the grave, thou art there.
Should I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell on the most distant sea,
Even there thy hand would grasp me,
Thy right hand would hold me fast.
If I say, "The darkness will hide me,
And the night throw its curtain about me,"
Even darkness for thee is not dark,
But the night shines clear as the day.
Thou didst form my vital parts,
Thou didst make me from the beginning,