<h3>GOD THE LOVING CREATOR</h3>
<div class='poem'>
Bless the Lord, O my soul!<br/>
O Lord, my God, thou art great;<br/>
Thou art clothed with glory and majesty,<br/>
Thou hast put on light as a mantle;<br/>
Thou hast stretched the heavens like a tent,<br/>
Thou framest thy upper stories in the waters,<br/>
Thou makest the clouds thy chariot,<br/>
Thou ridest on the wings of the wind,<br/>
Thou makest winds thy messengers,<br/>
Flames of fire are thy servants.<br/>
<br/>
Thou didst fix the earth on its foundations,<br/>
That it should not be moved forever.<br/>
Thou didst cover it with the sea as with a garment.<br/>
The waters stood far above the mountains,<br/>
But at thy reproof they fled,<br/>
At the sound of thy thunder they hastened away,<br/>
Not to pass the bound thou hadst set,<br/>
Not to return to cover the earth.<br/>
Mountains rose, valleys sank,<br/>
To the place which thou hadst prepared for them.<br/>
<br/>
Thou sendest the springs to the valleys,<br/>
They run down between the mountains,<br/>
They give drink to every wild beast,<br/>
The wild asses quench their thirst.<br/>
The birds make their home beside them,<br/>
They sing from among the branches.<br/>
<br/>
Thou waterest the mountains from thine upper stories;<br/>
The earth is filled with the fruit of thy works.<br/>
Thou makest grass spring up for the cattle,<br/>
And green herbs for the service of man,<br/>
Causing food to spring from the earth,<br/>
Wine to gladden man's heart,<br/>
Oil that makes his face shine,<br/>
And bread to strengthen his heart.<br/>
The trees of the Lord are full of sap,<br/>
The cedars of Lebanon, which he has planted,<br/>
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</SPAN></span>Where the birds build their nests;<br/>
The stork has her home in the fir-trees.<br/>
The high mountains are for the wild goats,<br/>
The rocks are a hiding-place for the marmots.<br/>
<br/>
Thou createst the moon to divide the year,<br/>
The sun knows when it should set.<br/>
Thou makest darkness, and it is night,<br/>
In which wild beasts creep forth;<br/>
The young lions roar for their prey,<br/>
And seek their food from God.<br/>
When the sun arises they disappear,<br/>
And lay themselves down in their dens.<br/>
Man goes out to his work,<br/>
To toil until evening comes.<br/>
<br/>
O Lord, how many are thy works!<br/>
Wisely thou madest them all;<br/>
The earth is full of thy creatures.<br/>
There is the sea, great and wide,<br/>
With its crawling things innumerable,<br/>
Living things both small and great;<br/>
There go the monsters of the sea,<br/>
And the dragon thou madest to play.<br/>
<br/>
These all wait for thee,<br/>
To give them their food in due season.<br/>
When thou givest to them, they gather it;<br/>
Thou openest thy hand, they are satisfied.<br/>
Thou hidest thy face, they are frightened;<br/>
Thou takest their breath, they die,<br/>
And return to the dust from which they came.<br/>
Thou sendest thy spirit, and they are created;<br/>
Thou refillest the earth with living things.<br/>
<br/>
May the glory of the Lord be eternal,<br/>
Let the Lord rejoice in his works.<br/>
He looks at the earth, and it trembles,<br/>
He touches the mountains, and they smoke.<br/>
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live,<br/>
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</SPAN></span>I will sing praise to my God while I exist.<br/>
May my thoughts be pleasing unto him;<br/>
I myself find my joy in the Lord.<br/></div>
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