Psalms 89--104

Psalm 89, Part I

1 Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing;*
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever;*
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
3 ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one;*
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
4 ’"I will establish your line for ever,*
and preserve your throne for all generations."’
               *              *              *
5 The heavens bear witness to your wonders, O Lord,*
and to your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones;
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?*
who is like the Lord among the gods?
7 God is much to be feared in the council of the holy ones,*
great and terrible to all those round about him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God of hosts?*
O mighty Lord, your faithfulness is all around you.
9 You rule the raging of the sea*
and still the surging of its waves.
10 You have crushed Rahab of the deep with a deadly wound;*
you have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours;*
you laid the foundations of the world
   and all that is in it.
12 You have made the north and the south;*
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;*
strong is your hand and high is your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice
   are the foundations of your throne;*
love and truth go before your face.
15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout!*
they walk, O Lord, in the light of your presence.
16 They rejoice daily in your name;*
they are jubilant in your righteousness.
17 For you are the glory of their strength,*
and by your favour our might is exalted.
18 Truly, the Lord is our ruler;*
the Holy One of Israel is our king.
As we sing your love, O Lord,
establish your covenant with us
and anoint us with the seal of your Spirit
that we may praise your faithfulness
and proclaim your righteousness from age to age;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Psalm 89, Part II

19 You spoke once in a vision
   and said to your faithful people:*
‘I have set the crown upon a warrior
   and have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20 ‘I have found David my servant;*
with my holy oil have I anointed him.
21 ‘My hand will hold him fast*
and my arm will make him strong.
22 ‘No enemy shall deceive him,*
nor the wicked bring him down.
23 ‘I will crush his foes before him*
and strike down those who hate him.
24 ‘My faithfulness and love shall be with him,*
and he shall be victorious through my name.
25 ‘I shall make his dominion extend*
from the Great Sea to the River.
26 ‘He will say to me, "You are my Father,*
my God and the rock of my salvation."
27 ‘I will make him my first-born*
and higher than the kings of the earth.
28 ‘I will keep my love for him for ever,*
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
29 ‘I will establish his line for ever*
and his throne as the days of heaven.
30 ‘If his children forsake my law*
and do not walk according to my judgements;
31 ‘If they break my statutes*
and do not keep my commandments;
32 ‘I will punish their transgressions with a rod*
and their iniquities with the lash;
33 ‘But I will not take my love from him,*
nor let my faithfulness prove false.
34 ‘I will not break my covenant,*
nor change what has gone out of my lips.
35 ‘Once for all I have sworn by my holiness:*
"I will not lie to David.
36 ’"His line shall endure for ever*
and his throne as the sun before me;
37 ’"It shall stand fast for evermore like the moon,*
the abiding witness in the sky."’
38 But you have cast off and rejected your anointed;*
you have become enraged at him.
39 You have broken your covenant with your servant,*
defiled his crown and hurled it to the ground.
40 You have breached all his walls*
and laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All who pass by despoil him;*
he has become the scorn of his neighbours.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes*
and made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have turned back the edge of his sword*
and have not sustained him in battle.
44 You have put an end to his splendour*
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth*
and have covered him with shame.
46 How long will you hide yourself, O Lord?
   will you hide yourself for ever?*
how long will your anger burn like fire?
47 Remember, Lord, how short life is,*
how frail you have made all flesh.
48 Who can live and not see death?*
who can save himself from the power of the grave?
49 Where, Lord, are your loving-kindnesses of old,*
which you promised David in your faithfulness?
50 Remember, Lord, how your servant is mocked,*
how I carry in my bosom the taunts of many peoples,
51 The taunts your enemies have hurled, O Lord,*
which they hurled at the heels of your anointed.
52 Blessèd be the Lord for evermore!*
Amen, I say, Amen.
Faithful God,
you have established with us
your covenant of love:
remember your promise,
fulfilled in your anointed Son Jesus Christ,
and count us worthy to stand in his strength alone;
who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen.
29

Psalm 90

1 Lord, you have been our refuge*
from one generation to another.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
   or the land and the earth were born,*
from age to age you are God.
3 You turn us back to the dust and say,*
‘Go back, O child of earth.’
4 For a thousand years in your sight
   are like yesterday when it is past*
and like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep us away like a dream;*
we fade away suddenly like the grass.
6 In the morning it is green and flourishes;*
in the evening it is dried up and withered.
7 For we consume away in your displeasure;*
we are afraid because of your wrathful indignation.
8 Our iniquities you have set before you,*
and our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 When you are angry, all our days are gone;*
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 The span of our life is seventy years,
   perhaps in strength even eighty;*
yet the sum of them is but labour and sorrow,
   for they pass away quickly and we are gone.
11 Who regards the power of your wrath?*
who rightly fears your indignation?
12 So teach us to number our days*
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord; how long will you tarry?*
be gracious to your servants.
14 Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning;*
so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
15 Make us glad by the measure of the days
   that you afflicted us*
and the years in which we suffered adversity.
16 Show your servants your works*
and your splendour to their children.
17 May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us;*
prosper the work of our hands;
   prosper our handiwork.
Eternal Father,
our refuge from generation to generation,
in Christ your salvation has dawned for your people:
prosper the work of our hands
that the promise of your glorious kingdom
may be fulfilled in our midst;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
29

Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,*
abides under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 He shall say to the Lord,
   ‘You are my refuge and my stronghold,*
my God in whom I put my trust.’
3 He shall deliver you from the snare of the hunter*
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with his pinions,
   and you shall find refuge under his wings;*
his faithfulness shall be a shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of any terror by night,*
nor of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Of the plague that stalks in the darkness,*
nor of the sickness that lays waste at midday.
7 A thousand shall fall at your side
   and ten thousand at your right hand,*
but it shall not come near you.
8 Your eyes have only to behold*
to see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,*
and the Most High your habitation.
10 There shall no evil happen to you,*
neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over you,*
to keep you in all your ways.
12 They shall bear you in their hands,*
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and adder;*
you shall trample the young lion and the serpent
   under your feet.
14 Because he is bound to me in love,
   therefore will I deliver him;*
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 He shall call upon me and I will answer him;*
I am with him in trouble,
   I will rescue him and bring him to honour.
16 With long life will I satisfy him,*
and show him my salvation.
Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy
and, as you have bound us to yourself in love,
leave us not who call upon your name
and grant us your salvation,
made known in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
29

Psalm 92

1 It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord,*
and to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning*
and of your faithfulness in the night season;
3 On the psaltery and on the lyre*
and to the melody of the harp.
4 For you have made me glad by your acts, O Lord;*
and I shout for joy because of the works of your hands.
5 Lord, how great are your works!*
your thoughts are very deep.
6 The dullard does not know,
   nor does the fool understand,*
that though the wicked grow like weeds,
   and all the workers of iniquity flourish,
7 They flourish only to be destroyed for ever;*
but you, O Lord, are exalted for evermore.
8 For lo, your enemies, O Lord,
   lo, your enemies shall perish,*
and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
9 But my horn you have exalted
   like the horns of wild bulls;*
I am anointed with fresh oil.
10 My eyes also gloat over my enemies,*
and my ears rejoice to hear the doom of the wicked
   who rise up against me.
11 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,*
and shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.
12 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord*
shall flourish in the courts of our God;
13 They shall still bear fruit in old age;*
they shall be green and succulent;
14 That they may show how upright the Lord is,*
my rock, in whom there is no fault.
Establish your people, O Lord,
in the way that leads to righteousness,
so that we may with confidence
come into your presence and sing your praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
29

Psalm 93

1 The Lord is king; he has put on splendid apparel;*
the Lord has put on his apparel
   and girded himself with strength.
2 He has made the whole world so sure*
that it cannot be moved;
3 Ever since the world began,
   your throne has been established;*
you are from everlasting.
4 The waters have lifted up, O Lord,
   the waters have lifted up their voice;*
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
5 Mightier than the sound of many waters,
   mightier than the breakers of the sea,*
mightier is the Lord who dwells on high.
6 Your testimonies are very sure,*
and holiness adorns your house, O Lord,
   for ever and for evermore.
You have established your throne, O Lord,
above the chaos of this world:
may your truth, which is for everlasting,
be ours, now and for ever.
Amen.
29

Psalm 94

1 O Lord God of vengeance,*
O God of vengeance, show yourself.
2 Rise up, O Judge of the world;*
give the arrogant their just deserts.
3 How long shall the wicked, O Lord,*
how long shall the wicked triumph?
4 They bluster in their insolence;*
all evildoers are full of boasting.
5 They crush your people, O Lord,*
and afflict your chosen nation.
6 They murder the widow and the stranger*
and put the orphans to death.
7 Yet they say, ‘The Lord does not see,*
the God of Jacob takes no notice.’
8 Consider well, you dullards among the people;*
when will you fools understand?
9 He that planted the ear, does he not hear?*
he that formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who admonishes the nations, will he not punish?*
he who teaches all the world, has he no knowledge?
11 The Lord knows our human thoughts;*
how like a puff of wind they are.
12 Happy are they whom you instruct, O Lord!*
whom you teach out of your law;
13 To give them rest in evil days,*
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not abandon his people,*
nor will he forsake his own.
15 For judgement will again be just,*
and all the true of heart will follow it.
16 Who rose up for me against the wicked?*
who took my part against the evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not come to my help,*
I should soon have dwelt in the land of silence.
18 As often as I said, ‘My foot has slipped’,*
your love, O Lord, upheld me.
19 When many cares fill my mind,*
your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can a corrupt tribunal have any part with you,*
one which frames evil into law?
21 They conspire against the life of the just*
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,*
and my God the rock of my trust.
23 He will turn their wickedness back upon them
   and destroy them in their own malice;*
the Lord our God will destroy them.
Lord our God, judge of all,
before whom no secrets are hidden:
let your justice shine forth
and your righteousness direct the hearts and minds
   of all your people,
now and for ever.
Amen.
29

Psalm 95

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord;*
let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving*
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God,*
and a great king above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,*
and the heights of the hills are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,*
and his hands have moulded the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down and bend the knee,*
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For he is our God,
   and we are the people of his pasture
   and the sheep of his hand.*
O that today you would hearken to his voice!
8 ‘Harden not your hearts,
   as your forebears did in the wilderness,*
at Meribah, and on that day at Massah,
   when they tempted me.
9 ‘They put me to the test,*
though they had seen my works.
10 ‘Forty years long I detested that generation and said,*
"This people are wayward in their hearts; they do not know my ways."
11 ‘So I swore in my wrath,*
"They shall not enter into my rest."’
Lord God, the creator of all,
before whom we bow down in worship:
make us joyful in your presence
and do not test us beyond our enduring;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
29

Psalm 96

1 Sing to the Lord a new song;*
sing to the Lord, all the whole earth.
2 Sing to the Lord and bless his name;*
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations*
and his wonders among all peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;*
he is more to be feared than all gods.
5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols;*
but it is the Lord who made the heavens.
6 O the majesty and magnificence of his presence!*
O the power and the splendour of his sanctuary!
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples;*
ascribe to the Lord honour and power.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name;*
bring offerings and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;*
let the whole earth tremble before him.
10 Tell it out among the nations: ‘The Lord is king!*
he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
   he will judge the peoples with equity.’
11 Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad;
   let the sea thunder and all that is in it;*
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
12 Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy
   before the Lord when he comes,*
when he comes to judge the earth.
13 He will judge the world with righteousness*
and the peoples with his truth.
Heaven and earth, O Lord, are full of your glory
and all creation resounds with your praise.
As your Son has appeared in the likeness of our flesh
so may all creation share in the beauty of holiness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
25

Psalm 97

1 The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice;*
let the multitude of the isles be glad.
2 Clouds and darkness are round about him,*
righteousness and justice
   are the foundations of his throne.
3 A fire goes before him*
and burns up his enemies on every side.
4 His lightnings light up the world;*
the earth sees it and is afraid.
5 The mountains melt like wax
   at the presence of the Lord,*
at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,*
and all the peoples see his glory.
7 Confounded be all who worship carved images
   and delight in false gods!*
Bow down before him, all you gods.
8 Zion hears and is glad and the cities of Judah rejoice,*
because of your judgements, O Lord.
9 For you are the Lord: most high over all the earth;*
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 The Lord loves those who hate evil;*
he preserves the lives of his saints
   and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light has sprung up for the righteous,*
and joyful gladness for those who are true-hearted.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,*
and give thanks to his holy name.
All creation was astonished at your appearing, O Christ,
for in your presence no one living can be justified,
yet you have redeemed us and we rejoice in your salvation:
grant that your righteousness may illuminate our hearts
to the glory of your Name.
Amen.
25

Psalm 98

1 Sing to the Lord a new song,*
for he has done marvellous things.
2 With his right hand and his holy arm*
has he won for himself the victory.
3 The Lord has made known his victory;*
his righteousness has he openly shown
   in the sight of the nations.
4 He remembers his mercy and faithfulness
   to the house of Israel,*
and all the ends of the earth have seen
   the victory of our God.
5 Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands;*
lift up your voice, rejoice and sing.
6 Sing to the Lord with the harp,*
with the harp and the voice of song.
7 With trumpets and the sound of the horn*
shout with joy before the King, the Lord.
8 Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it,*
the lands and those who dwell therein.
9 Let the rivers clap their hands,*
and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord,
   when he comes to judge the earth.
10 In righteousness shall he judge the world,*
and the peoples with equity.
O God, mindful of your promises,
you have visited and redeemed your people:
as we rejoice in the power of your victory,
so hasten the day of your appearing;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
25

Psalm 99

1 The Lord is king; let the people tremble;*
he is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth shake.
2 The Lord is great in Zion;*
he is high above all peoples.
3 Let them confess his name, which is great and awesome;*
he is the Holy One.
4 ‘O mighty King, lover of justice,
   you have established equity;*
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.’
5 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
   and fall down before his footstool;*
he is the Holy One.
6 Moses and Aaron among his priests,
   and Samuel among those who call upon his name,*
they called upon the Lord and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud;*
they kept his testimonies
   and the decree that he gave them.
8 ‘O Lord our God, you answered them indeed;*
you were a God who forgave them,
   yet punished them for their evil deeds.’
9 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
   and worship him upon his holy hill;*
for the Lord our God is the Holy One.
O Lord our king, exalted on high,
yet stooping to the measure of our lowliness,
you have called us to be holy for you are holy:
as in our worship we confess your glory,
so may our lives be directed in righteousness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
25

Psalm 100

1 Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands;*
serve the Lord with gladness
   and come before his presence with a song.
2 Know this: The Lord himself is God;*
he himself has made us and we are his;
   we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
   go into his courts with praise;*
give thanks to him and call upon his name.
4 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;*
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.
As we enter your courts of light, O Lord,
may we rejoice in your power to save
and praise your faithfulness, day by day;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
29

Psalm 101

1 I will sing of mercy and justice;*
to you, O Lord, will I sing praises.
2 I will strive to follow a blameless course;
   O when will you come to me?*
I will walk with sincerity of heart within my house.
3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;*
I hate the doers of evil deeds;
   they shall not remain with me.
4 A crooked heart shall be far from me;*
I will not know evil.
[5 Those who in secret slander their neighbours
   I will destroy;*
those who have a haughty look and a proud heart
   I cannot abide.]
6 My eyes are upon the faithful in the land,
   that they may dwell with me,*
and only those who lead a blameless life
   shall be my servants.
7 Those who act deceitfully shall not dwell in my house,*
and those who tell lies shall not continue in my sight.
[8 I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land,*
that I may root out all evildoers
   from the city of the Lord.]
Purify our hearts, O Lord,
and teach us to seek your Kingdom first;
that the world may see our good works
and glorify you, our Father in heaven,
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
29

Psalm 102

1 Lord, hear my prayer and let my cry come before you;*
hide not your face from me in the day of my trouble.
2 Incline your ear to me;*
when I call, make haste to answer me,
3 For my days drift away like smoke,*
and my bones are hot as burning coals.
4 My heart is smitten like grass and withered,*
so that I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the voice of my groaning*
I am but skin and bones.
6 I have become like a vulture in the wilderness,*
like an owl among the ruins.
7 I lie awake and groan;*
I am like a sparrow, lonely on a house-top.
8 My enemies revile me all day long,*
and those who scoff at me
   have taken an oath against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes for bread*
and mingled my drink with weeping.
10 Because of your indignation and wrath*
you have lifted me up and thrown me away.
11 My days pass away like a shadow,*
and I wither like the grass.
12 But you, O Lord, endure for ever,*
and your name from age to age.
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
   for it is time to have mercy upon her;*
indeed, the appointed time has come.
14 For your servants love her very rubble,*
and are moved to pity even for her dust.
15 The nations shall fear your name, O Lord,*
and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16 For the Lord will build up Zion,*
and his glory will appear.
17 He will look with favour on the prayer of the homeless;*
he will not despise their plea.
18 Let this be written for a future generation,*
so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord.
19 For the Lord looked down from his holy place on high;*
from the heavens he beheld the earth;
20 That he might hear the groan of the captive*
and set free those condemned to die;
21 That they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord,*
and his praise in Jerusalem;
22 When the peoples are gathered together,*
and the kingdoms also, to serve the Lord.
23 He has brought down my strength before my time;*
he has shortened the number of my days;
24 And I said, ‘O my God,
   do not take me away in the midst of my days;*
your years endure throughout all generations.
25 ‘In the beginning, O Lord,
   you laid the foundations of the earth,*
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
26 ‘They shall perish, but you will endure;
   they all shall wear out like a garment;*
as clothing you will change them,
   and they shall be changed;
27 ‘But you are always the same,*
and your years will never end.
28 ‘The children of your servants shall continue,*
and their offspring shall stand fast in your sight.’
Eternal Father,
you have built your Church on the rock of faith
so that the gates of hell prevail not against us:
as with tears of penitence we confess our frailty,
so reclothe us with the garments of everlasting joy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
25

Psalm 103

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,*
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,*
and forget not all his benefits.
3 He forgives all your sins*
and heals all your infirmities;
4 He redeems your life from the grave*
and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;
5 He satisfies you with good things,*
and your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.
6 The Lord executes righteousness*
and judgement for all who are oppressed.
7 He made his ways known to Moses*
and his works to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy,*
slow to anger and of great kindness.
9 He will not always accuse us,*
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,*
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,*
so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,*
so far has he removed our sins from us.
13 As a father cares for his children,*
so does the Lord care for those who fear him.
14 For he himself knows whereof we are made;*
he remembers that we are but dust.
15 Our days are like the grass;*
we flourish like a flower of the field;
16 When the wind goes over it, it is gone,*
and its place shall know it no more.
17 But the merciful goodness of the Lord
   endures for ever on those who fear him,*
and his righteousness on children’s children;
18 On those who keep his covenant*
and remember his commandments and do them.
19 The Lord has set his throne in heaven,*
and his kingship has dominion over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you angels of his,
   you mighty ones who do his bidding,*
and hearken to the voice of his word.
21 Bless the Lord, all you his hosts,*
you ministers of his who do his will.
22 Bless the Lord, all you works of his,
   in all places of his dominion;*
bless the Lord, O my soul.
As your merciful goodness endures for ever, O Lord,
remember the frailty of your children;
deal with us not according to our sins
but, in your compassion, redeem our life
and crown us with your mercy and loving-kindness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
29

Psalm 104

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul;*
O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness!
   you are clothed with majesty and splendour.
2 You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak*
and spread out the heavens like a curtain.
3 You lay the beams of your chambers
   in the waters above;*
you make the clouds your chariot;
   you ride on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your messengers*
and flames of fire your servants.
5 You have set the earth upon its foundations,*
so that it never shall move at any time.
6 You covered it with the deep as with a mantle;*
the waters stood higher than the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they fled;*
at the voice of your thunder they hastened away.
8 They went up into the hills
   and down to the valleys beneath,*
to the places you had appointed for them.
9 You set the limits that they should not pass;*
they shall not again cover the earth.
10 You send the springs into the valleys;*
they flow between the mountains.
11 All the beasts of the field drink their fill from them,*
and the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 Beside them the birds of the air make their nests*
and sing among the branches.
13 You water the mountains from your dwelling on high;*
the earth is fully satisfied by the fruit of your works.
14 You make grass grow for flocks and herds*
and plants to serve us all;
15 That they may bring forth food from the earth,*
and wine to gladden our hearts,
16 Oil to make a cheerful countenance,*
and bread to strengthen the heart.
17 The trees of the Lord are full of sap,*
the cedars of Lebanon which he planted,
18 In which the birds build their nests,*
and in whose tops the stork makes his dwelling.
19 The high hills are a refuge for the mountain goats,*
and the stony cliffs for the rock badgers.
20 You appointed the moon to mark the seasons,*
and the sun knows the time of its setting.
21 You make darkness that it may be night,*
in which all the beasts of the forest prowl.
22 The lions roar after their prey*
and seek their food from God.
23 The sun rises and they slip away*
and lay themselves down in their dens.
24 The labourer goes forth to work*
and to toil until the evening.
25 O Lord, how manifold are your works!*
in wisdom you have made them all;
   the earth is full of your creatures.
26 Yonder is the great and wide sea
   with its living things too many to number,*
creatures both small and great.
27 There move the ships,
   and there is that Leviathan,*
which you have made for the sport of it.
28 All of them look to you*
to give them their food in due season.
29 You give it to them, they gather it;*
you open your hand and they are filled with good things.
30 You hide your face and they are terrified;*
you take away their breath
   and they die and return to their dust.
31 You send forth your Spirit and they are created;*
and so you renew the face of the earth.
32 May the glory of the Lord endure for ever;*
may the Lord rejoice in all his works.
33 He looks at the earth and it trembles;*
he touches the mountains and they smoke.
34 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;*
I will praise my God while I have my being.
35 May these words of mine please him;*
I will rejoice in the Lord.
36 Let sinners be consumed out of the earth,*
and the wicked be no more.
37 Bless the Lord, O my soul.*
Alleluia!
O Holy Spirit and giver of life,
who from the beginning
   wrought beauty and peace in all creation;
renew the face of the earth
that we may glorify the Author and Maker of all
and rejoice in the promise of redemption
in Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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