English text
1 Give praises unto God the Lord,
And call upon his Name;
Among the people all declare
His works to spread his fame;
2 Sing joyfully unto the Lord,
Yea, sing unto him praise;
And talk of all his wondrous works
That he hath wrought always.
3 In honour of his holy Name
Rejoice with one accord,
And let the heart also be glad
Of them that seek the Lord.
4 Seek ye the Lord, and seek the strength
Of his eternal might,
Yea, seek his face incessantly.
And presence of his sight.
5 The wondrous works which he hath done
Keep still in mindful heart;
Let not the judgements of his mouth
Out of your mind depart:
6 Ye that of faithful Abraham
His servant are the seed,
Ye his elect, the children that
Of Jacob do proceed.
7 For why? 'tis he alone that is
The mighty Lord our God,
And his most righteous judgements are
In all the earth abroad.
8 His promise and his covenant
Which he hath made to his,
He hath remember'd evermore
To thousands of degrees:
The Second Part
9 The covenant which he hath made
With Abr'am long ago,
And faithful oath which he hath sworn
To Isaac also:
10 And did appoint it for a law,
That Jacob should obey,
And for eternal covenant
To Israel alway.
11 When thus he said, Lo, I to you
All Canaan land will give,
The lot of your inheritance,
Wherein your seed shall live:
12 Although their number at that time
Did very small appear:
Yea, very small, and in the land
They then but strangers were:
13 While yet they went from land to land
Without a sure abode;
And while from sundry kingdoms they
Did wander all abroad:
14 Yet wrong at no oppressor's hands
He suffer'd them to take;
But even great and mighty kings
Reproved for their sake.
15 And thus he said, Touch ye not them
That mine anointed be,
Nor do the prophets any harm
That do pertain to me.
16 He call'd a dearth upon the land,
Of bread destroy'd the store:
But yet against the time of need
Did send a man before:
The Third Part
17 E'en Joseph, who had once been sold
To live a slave in woe;
Whose feet they hurt in stocks, whose soul
The iron pierc'd into:
18 Until the time came, when his cause
Was known apparently,
The mighty word of God the Lord
His innocence did try.
19 The king sent and deliver'd him
From prison where he was,
The ruler of the people then
Did freely let him pass;
20 And over all his house he made
Him lord, to bear the sway,
And of his substance made him have
The rule and all the stay:
21 That he might to his will instruct
The princes of the land,
And wisdom teach his senators
Rightly to understand.
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22 Then into the Egyptian land
Came Israel also,
And Jacob in the land of Ham
Did sojourn to and fro.
23 His people he exceedingly
In numbers made to grow,
And stronger than their enemies,
Who sought their overthrow:
24 Whose heart he turned that with hate
They did his people treat;
And did his servants wrongfully
Abuse with base deceit.
The Fourth Part
25 His faithful servant Moses then,
And Aaron whom he chose,
He did command to go to them
His message to disclose.
26 His wonderful and mighty signs
Among them they did show,
And wonders in the land of Ham
Then did they work also:
27 Darkness he sent, and made it dark
Instead of brighter day;
And his commission and his word
They did not disobey.
28 He turn'd their waters into blood,
Their fish also did slay;
Their land brought frogs e'en in the place
Where their king Pharaoh lay.
29 He spake, and at his voice there came
Great swarms of noisome flies;
And all the quarters of their land
Were fill'd with crawling lice.
30 He gave them cold and stony hail
Instead of milder rain;
And fiery flames within their land
He sent unto their pain:
31 He smote their vines, and all their trees
Whereon the figs did grow;
And all the trees within their coasts
Also did overthrow:
32 He spake. then caterpillars did
And grasshoppers abound.
Eating the grass in all their land,
And fruit of all their ground.
The Fifth Part
33 The first-begotten in their land,
With death did likewise smite,
Yea, the beginning and first-fruit
Of all their strength and might.
34 With gold and silver caused his
From Egypt's land to pass,
And in the number of their tribes
No feeble One there was.
35 Egypt was glad and joyful then
When they did thence depart.
For terror and the fear of them
Was fall'n upon their heart:
36 To shroud them from the parching heat
A cloud he did display;
And fire he lent to give them light
When night had hid the day.
37 They asked, and he caused quails
To rain at their request,
And fully with the bread of heav'n
Their hunger he represt.
38 He opened the stony rock,
And water gushed out;
Also the dry and parched ground
Like rivers ran about.
39 For of his holy cov'nant he
Was mindful evermore,
Which to his servant Abraham
He plighted long before.
40 He brought his people forth with mirth,
And his elect with joy,
Out of the cruel land where they
Had liv'd in great annoy.
41 And of the heathen men he gave
To them the fruitful lands;
The labour of the people did
They take into their hands:
42 That they his holy statutes might
Observe for evermore,
And faithfully obey his laws;
Praise ye the Lord therefore.
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O render thanks, and bless the Lord;
Invoke his sacred name;
Acquaint the nations with his deeds,
His matchless deeds proclaim.
Sing to his praise, in lofty hymns
His wondrous works rehearse;
Make them the theme of your discourse,
And subject of your verse.
Rejoice in his almighty name,
Alone to be ador'd;
And let their heart o'erflow with joy
That humbly seek the Lord.
Seek ye the Lord, his saving strength
Devoutly still implore;
And, where he's ever present, seek
His face for evermore.
The wonders that his hands have wrought
Keep thankfully in mind;
The righteous statutes of his mouth,
And laws to us assign'd.
Know ye, his servant Abr'am's seed,
And Jacob's chosen race,
He's still our God, his judgments still
Throughout the earth take place.
His cov'nant he hath kept in mind
For num'rous ages past;
Which yet for thousand ages more
In equal force shall last.
First sign'd to Abr'am, next by oath
To Isaac made secure;
To Jacob and his heirs a law
For ever to endure.
That Canaan's land should be their lot,
When yet but few they were;
But few in number, and those few
All friendless strangers there.
In pilgrimage from realm to realm
Securely they remov'd;
Whilst proudest monarchs for their sakes
Severely he reprov'd.
These mine anointed are, said he,
Let none my servants wrong;
Nor treat the poorest prophet ill,
That does to me belong.
A dearth at last, by his command,
Did through the land prevail;
Till corn, the chief support of life,
Sustaining corn did fail.
But his indulgent providence
Had pious Joseph sent,
Sold into Egypt, but their death
Who sold him to prevent.
His feet with heavy chains were crush'd,
With calumny his fame;
Till God's appointed time and word
To his deliv'rance came.
The king his sov'reign order sent,
And rescu'd him with speed;
Whom private malice had confin'd,
The people's ruler freed.
His court, revenues, realm, were all
Subjected to his will;
His greatest princes to control,
And teach his statesmen skill.
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The Second Part.
To Egypt then, invited guests,
Half-famish'd Israel came;
And Jacob held, by royal grant,
The fertile soil of Ham.
Th'Almighty there with such increase
His people multiplied,
Till with their proud oppressors they
In strength and number vied.
Their vast increase th'Egyptians' hearts
With jealous anger fir'd
Till they his servants to destroy
By treach'rous arts conspir'd.
His servant Moses then he sent,
His chosen Aaron too;
Empower'd with signs and miracles
To prove their mission true.
He call'd for darkness, darkness came;
Nature his summons knew;
Each stream and lake, transform'd to blood,
The wond'ring fishes slew.
In putrid floods, throughout the land,
The pest of frogs was bred;
From noisome fens sent up to croak
At Pharaoh's board and bed.
He gave the sign, and swarms of flies
Came down in cloudy hosts,
Whilst earth's enliven'd dust below
Bred lice through all their coasts.
He sent them batt'ring hail for rain,
And fire for cooling dew ;
He smote their vines and forest plants,
And garden's pride o'erthrew.
He spake the word, and locusts came,
With caterpillars join'd.
They prey'd upon the poor remains
The storm bad left behind.
From trees to herbage they descend,
No verdant thing they spare;
But, like the naked fallow field,
Leave all the pastures bare.
From fields to villages and towns
Commission'd vengeance flew;
One fatal stroke their eldest hopes
And strength of Egypt slew.
He brought his servants forth, enrich'd
With Egypt's borrow'd wealth;
And, what transcends all treasures else,
Enrich'd with vig'rous health.
Egypt rejoic'd, in hopes to find
Her plagues with them remov'd;
Taught dearly now to fear worse ills
By those already prov'd.
Their shrouding canopy by day
A journeying cloud was spread;
A fiery pillar all the night
Their desert marches led.
They long'd for flesh; with ev'ning quails
He furnish'd ev'ry tent;
From heav'n's own granary, each morn,
The bread of angels sent.
He smote the rock, whose flinty breast
Pour'd forth a gushing tide;
Whose flowing stream, where'er they march'd
The desert's drought supplied.
For still he did on Abr'am's faith
And ancient league reflect;
He brought his people forth with joy,
With triumph his elect.
Quite rooting out their heathen foes
From Canaan's fertile soil,
To them in cheap possession gave
The fruit of others' toil.
That they his statutes might observe,
His sacred laws obey;
For benefits so vast let us
Our songs of praise repay.
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