Part 294 (1/2)

Thou makest darkness, and it is night; Wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their meat from G.o.d.

The sun ariseth, they get them away, And lay them down in their dens.

Man goeth forth unto his work And to his labour until the evening.

O Lord, how manifold are thy works!

In wisdom hast thou made them all: {122} The earth is full of thy riches.

Yonder is the sea, great and wide, Wherein are things creeping innumerable, Both small and great beasts.

There go the s.h.i.+ps; There is leviathan, whom thou hast formed to take his pastime therein.

These wait all upon thee, That thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

That thou givest unto them they gather; Thou openest thine hand, they are satisfied with good.

Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled; Thou takest away their breath, they die, And return to their dust.

Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created; And thou renewest the face of the ground.

Let the glory of the Lord endure for ever; Let the Lord rejoice in his works: Who looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.

I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my G.o.d while I have any being.

Let my meditation be sweet unto him: I will rejoice in the Lord.

Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, And let the wicked be no more.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Praise ye the Lord.

--_Psalm 104_.

{123}

HE HATH NOT DEALT SO WITH ANY NATION

Oh give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name; Make known among the peoples his doings.

Sing unto him, sing praises unto him; Talk ye of all his marvellous works.

Glory ye in his holy name: Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

Seek ye the Lord and his strength; Seek his face evermore.

Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth, O ye children of Abraham his servant, Ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

He is the Lord our G.o.d: His judgments are in all the earth.

He hath remembered his covenant for ever, The word which he commanded to a thousand generations, The covenant which he made with Abraham, And his oath unto Isaac, And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting covenant, Saying, ”Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, The lot of your inheritance,”

When they were but a few men in number, Yea, very few, and sojourners in it. {124} And they went about from nation to nation, From one kingdom to another people.

He suffered no man to do them wrong; Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, Saying, ”Touch not mine anointed ones, And do my prophets no harm.”

And he called for a famine upon the land; He brake the whole staff of bread.

He sent a man before them; Joseph was sold for a servant: His feet they hurt with fetters; He was laid in chains of iron, Until the time that his word came to pa.s.s, The word of the Lord tried him.

The king sent and loosed him; Even the ruler of peoples, and let him go free.

He made him lord of his house, And ruler of all his substance; To bind his princes at his pleasure, And teach his elders wisdom.

Israel also came into Egypt; And Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

And he increased his people greatly, And made them stronger than their adversaries.

He turned their heart to hate his people, To deal subtilly with his servants.

He sent Moses his servant, And Aaron whom he had chosen.

They set among them his signs, {125} And wonders in the land of Ham.

He sent darkness, and made it dark; And they rebelled not against his words.

He turned their waters into blood, And slew their fish.

Their land swarmed with frogs, In the chambers of their kings.

He spake, and there came swarms of flies, And lice in all their borders.

He gave them hail for rain, And flaming fire in their land.

He smote their vines also and their fig trees; And brake the trees of their borders.

He spake, and the locust came, And the cankerworm, and that without number, And did eat up every herb in their land, And did eat up the fruit of their ground.

He smote also all the firstborn in their land, The chief of all their strength.