1 Bless God, my soul. O Lord my God,
thou art exceeding great;
With honour and with majesty
thou clothed art in state.
2 With light, as with a robe, thyself
thou coverest about;
And, like unto a curtain, thou
the heavens stretchest out.
3 Who of his chambers doth the beams
within the waters lay;
Who doth the clouds his chariot make,
on wings of wind make way.
4 Who flaming fire his ministers,
his angels sp’rits, doth make:
5 Who earth’s foundations did lay,
that it should never shake.
6 Thou didst it cover with the deep,
as with a garment spread:
The waters stood above the hills,
when thou the word but said.
7 But at the voice of thy rebuke
they fled, and would not stay;
They at thy thunder’s dreadful voice
did haste them fast away.
8 They by the mountains do ascend,
and by the valley-ground
Descend, unto that very place
which thou for them didst found.
9 Thou hast a bound unto them set,
that they may not pass over,
That they do not return again
the face of earth to cover.
10 He to the valleys sends the springs,
which run among the hills:
11 They to all beasts of field give drink,
wild asses drink their fills.
12 By them the fowls of heav’n shall have
their habitation,
Which do among the branches sing
with delectation.
13 He from his chambers watereth
the hills, when they are dry’d:
With fruit and increase of thy works
the earth is satisfy’d.
14 For cattle he makes grass to grow,
he makes the herb to spring
For th’ use of man, that food to him
he from the earth may bring;
15 And wine, that to the heart of man
doth cheerfulness impart,
Oil that his face makes shine, and bread
that strengtheneth his heart.
16 The trees of God are full of sap;
the cedars that do stand
In Lebanon, which planted were
by his almighty hand.
17 Birds of the air upon their boughs
do chuse their nests to make;
As for the stork, the fir-tree she
doth for her dwelling take.
18 The lofty mountains for wild goats
a place of refuge be;
The conies also to the rocks
do for their safety flee.
19 He sets the moon in heav’n, thereby
the seasons to discern:
From him the sun his certain time
of going down doth learn.
20 Thou darkness mak’st, ’tis night, then beasts
of forests creep abroad.
21 The lions young roar for their prey,
and seek their meat from God.
22 The sun doth rise, and home they flock,
down in their dens they lie.
23 Man goes to work, his labour he
doth to the ev’ning ply.
24 How manifold, Lord, are thy works!
in wisdom wonderful
Thou ev’ry one of them hast made;
earth’s of thy riches full:
25 So is this great and spacious sea,
wherein things creeping are,
Which number’d cannot be; and beasts
both great and small are there.
26 There ships go; there thou mak’st to play
that leviathan great.
27 These all wait on thee, that thou may’st
in due time give them meat.
28 That which thou givest unto them
they gather for their food;
Thine hand thou open’st lib’rally,
they filled are with good.
29 Thou hid’st thy face; they troubled are,
their breath thou tak’st away;
Then do they die, and to their dust
return again do they.
30 Thy quick’ning spirit thou send’st forth,
then they created be;
And then the earth’s decayed face
renewed is by thee.
31 The glory of the mighty Lord
continue shall for ever:
The Lord Jehovah shall rejoice
in all his works together.
32 Earth, as affrighted, trembleth all,
if he on it but look;
And if the mountains he but touch,
they presently do smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord most high,
so long as I shall live;
And while I being have I shall
to my God praises give.
34 Of him my meditation shall
sweet thoughts to me afford;
And as for me, I will rejoice
in God, my only Lord.
35 From earth let sinners be consum’d,
let ill men no more be.
O thou my soul, bless thou the Lord.
Praise to the Lord give ye.