The Bible Story Part 294

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 ships; 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.

And he brought them forth with silver and gold: And there was not one feeble person among his tribes, Egypt was glad when they departed; For the fear of them had fallen upon them.

He spread a cloud for a covering; And fire to give light in the night.

They asked, and he brought quails, And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

He opened the rock, and waters gushed out; They ran in the dry places like a river.

For he remembered his holy word. {126} And Abraham his servant.

And he brought forth his people with joy, And his chosen with singing.

And he gave them the lands of the nations; And they took the labour of the peoples in possession: That they might keep his statutes, And observe his laws.

Praise ye the Lord.

Praise ye the Lord.

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, Or shew forth all his praise?

Blessed are they that keep judgment, And he that doeth righteousness at all times.

Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people; O visit me with thy salvation: That I may see the prosperity of thy chosen, That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, That I may glory with thine inheritance.

We have sinned with our fathers, We have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.

Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; They remembered not the mult.i.tude of thy mercies; But were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.

Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, That he might make his mighty power to be known.

He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up: {127} So he led them through the depths, as through a wilderness.

And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

And the waters covered their adversaries: There was not one of them left.

Then believed they his words; They sang his praise.

They soon forgot his works; They waited not for his counsel: But l.u.s.ted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tempted G.o.d in the desert.

And he gave them their request; But sent leanness into their soul.

They envied Moses also in the camp, And Aaron the saint of the Lord.

The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, And covered the company of Abiram.

And a fire was kindled in their company; The flame burned up the wicked.

They made a calf in h.o.r.eb, And worshipped a molten image.

Thus they changed their glory For the likeness of an ox that eateth gra.s.s.

They forgot G.o.d their saviour, Which had done great things in Egypt; Wondrous works in the land of Ham, And terrible things by the Red Sea.

Therefore he said that he would destroy them, Had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them. {128} Yea, they despised the pleasant land, They believed not his word; But murmured in their tents, And hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord.

Therefore he lifted up his hand unto them, That he would overthrow them in the wilderness: And that he would overthrow them among the nations, And scatter them in the lands.

They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, And ate the sacrifices of the dead.

Thus they provoked him to anger with their doings; And the plague broke in upon them.

Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: And so the plague was stayed.

And that was counted unto him for righteousness, Unto all generations for evermore.

They angered him also at the waters of Meribah, So that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: Because they were rebellious against his spirit, And he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

They did not destroy the peoples, As the Lord commanded them; But mingled themselves with the nations, And learned their works: And they served their idols; Which became a snare unto them: Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto demons, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, {129} Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with blood.

Thus were they defiled with their works, And did very evil in their doings.

Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against this people, And he abhorred his inheritance.

And he gave them into the hand of the nations; And they that hated them ruled over them.

Their enemies also oppressed them, And they were brought into subjection under their hand.

Many times did he deliver them; But they were rebellious in their counsel, And were brought low in their iniquity.

Nevertheless he regarded their distress, When he heard their cry: And he remembered for them his covenant, And repented according to the mult.i.tude of his lovingkindnesses.

He made them also to be pitied Of all those that carried them captive.

Save us, O Lord our G.o.d, And gather us from among the nations, To give thanks unto thy holy name, And to triumph in thy praise.

Blessed be the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting.