Kings of earth and all peoples,
All rulers and judges of earth,
Young men and maidens too,
Old men and children together!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For his name alone is exalted.

Over heaven and earth is his majesty,

He has strengthened the might of his people;
He is praised by all who are faithful,

By the Israelites, who are near him.

HYMNS OF TRUST AND ADORATION

267. THE REVELATION OF GOD IN THE WORK OF CREATION!!

O Lord, our God, how glorious

Is thy name in all the earth!

Thou hast spread thy splendor over the heavens;

At the cry of babes and infants

Thou hast set up a bulwark, because of thine enemies, To silence the foe and avenger.

When I see thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
The moon and stars which thou hast prepared;
What is man that thou art mindful of him;
Or the son of man that thou visitest him?

Yet thou hast made him little less than divine,
And hast crowned him with glory and honor,
Making him lord of creation,

So that all things are subject to him.

The sheep and the oxen, all of them,
Yes, and the beasts of the field,

The birds of the air and the fish,

That dart through the paths of the sea.

O Lord, our God, how glorious

Is thy name in all the earth!

GOD'S GOODNESS REVEALED IN NATURE
AND IN THE LAW

The heavens declare the glory of God,
And the firmament shows his handiwork.

Day by day they pour forth speech,
Night by night reveal knowledge.
No speech nor words are spoken,
Not a sound from them is heard.
Yet their voice goes throughout the earth,
Their words to the end of the world.

He has set in them a tent for the sun,
Who is like a bridegroom leaving his tent;

He rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
He sets out from one end of the heavens,

To the other end is his circuit,

And nothing is hid from his heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul,
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the

simple,

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart, The command of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes, The religion of the Lord is clean, enduring forever,

The decisions of the Lord are true and right altogether, More to be desired than gold, yes, than much fine gold, Sweeter are they than honey as it drops from the honeycomb.

By them thy servant is warned; in the keeping is great reward.

Who can discern his own errors? Cleanse me from secret faults;

Restrain thy servant from reckless sins; let them not rule over me.

Then I shall be blameless and innocent of any great transgression.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable,

In thy sight forever, O Lord, my Rock and my Defender.

269. GOD'S POWER REVEALED IN THE STORM

Ascribe glory and honor to the Lord, O angels,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength,

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due him;
Worship the Lord in holy attire.

The voice of the Lord is on the waters,
The God of glory thunders,

The Lord is upon the great waters,
The voice of the Lord is powerful,
The voice of the Lord is majestic!

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
The Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon,
Making Lebanon skip like a calf,

And Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord cleaves the forked lightning,

The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness.

The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh,

The voice of the Lord twists the oaks,

The voice of the Lord strips the forests.

In his temple all say, 'Glory!'
The Lord sat enthroned at the flood,
And the Lord sits as king forever.
The Lord gives strength to his people,

He blesses his people with peace.

270. GOD, THE BENIGN RULER OF THE UNIVERSE

It is fitting to sing. praise to thee, O God, in Zion,
And unto thee shall the vow be paid in Jerusalem.
O thou who hearest prayer, all men shall come to thee!
Though our sins are too mighty for us, thou wilt forgive
them.

Happy the man whom thou choosest to dwell in thy

courts;

We are satisfied with the joys of thy house, of thy holy temple.

By dread deeds thou answerest us faithfully, O God of our salvation,

Thou, the confidence of the ends of the earth and of distant peoples,

Who, girded with might, established the hills by thy strength,

Who stillest the roaring of the seas, and the tumult of the nations;

Those also who live at the ends of the earth fear thy signs,

Thou makest the distant East and West shout with joy.

Thou visitest the earth and waterest it, thou dost greatly enrich it,

With the brook of God which is full of water, thou preparest for the grain,

For thus thou dost make it ready, saturating its furrows. Thou dost settle its ridges, making it soft with showers, Thou dost bless its growth, thou crownest the year with thy goodness,

And thy paths and the pastures of the wilderness drip with fertility.

The hills are girded with joy; they are clothed with sheep;

The valleys with grain are covered; they shout and sing joyfully.

271. GOD'S LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS

I will sing of the love of the Lord forever,
Proclaiming thy faithfulness to all generations.
For thou didst promise to establish thy love forever;
Firm as the heavens stands thy faithfulness.