I spoke, therefore, without sense, Of wonders beyond my knowledge.
I had heard of thee but by hearsay, But now my eye has seen thee; Therefore I despise my words, And repent in dust and ashes."
Then Jehovah gave back to Job, twice as much as he had before. And Jehovah blessed the last part of Job"s life more than the first part; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand a.s.ses. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And after this Job lived an hundred and forty years.
PSALMS
THE KING OF GLORY
The earth is the Lord"s in its fulness, The world and those who live in it; He founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods.
Who may go up to the hill of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart, Who plans no evil purpose, Nor promises in order to deceive.
He shall win from the Lord a blessing, And approval from G.o.d his Saviour.
Such is the man who may worship him, Who may enter thy presence, O G.o.d of Jacob.
Lift up your heads, O gates, Be lifted up, O everlasting doors, Let the King of Glory come in!
Who is this King of Glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty, The Lord, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates, Be lifted up, O everlasting doors, That the King of Glory may come in.
Who is this King of Glory?
The Lord, the G.o.d of hosts, He is the King of Glory!
G.o.d THE LOVING CREATOR
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord, my G.o.d, thou art great; Thou art clothed with glory and majesty, Thou hast put on light as a mantle; Thou hast stretched the heavens like a tent, Thou framest thy upper stories in the waters, Thou makest the clouds thy chariot, Thou ridest on the wings of the wind, Thou makest winds thy messengers, 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 pa.s.s 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 a.s.ses 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 gra.s.s 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 G.o.d.
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 G.o.d while I exist.
May my thoughts be pleasing unto him; I myself find my joy in the Lord.
G.o.d 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 gra.s.s; As a flower of the field he flourishes, For the wind pa.s.ses 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.
G.o.d FROM WHOM ALL GOOD THINGS COME
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.