Bless the Lord, my soul; O Lord my God, what magnificence is thine! Glory and beauty are thy clothing.

Ipsi David.
Benedic, anima mea, Domino: Domine Deus meus, magnificatus es vehementer. Confessionem et decorem induisti,

For David himself.
Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art exceedingly great. Thou hast put on praise and beauty:

The light is a garment thou dost wrap about thee, the heavens a curtain thy hand unfolds.

amictus lumine sicut vestimento. Extendens cælum sicut pellem,

and art clothed with light as with a garment. Who stretchest out the heaven like a pavilion:

The waters of heaven are thy ante-chamber, the clouds thy chariot; on the wings of the wind thou dost come and go.

qui tegis aquis superiora ejus: qui ponis nubem ascensum tuum; qui ambulas super pennas ventorum:

who coverest the higher rooms thereof with water. Who makest the clouds thy chariot: who walkest upon the wings of the winds.

Thou wilt have thy angels be like the winds, the servants that wait on thee like a flame of fire.

qui facis angelos tuos spiritus, et ministros tuos ignem urentem.

Who makest thy angels spirits: and thy ministers a burning fire.

The earth thou hast planted on its own firm base, undisturbed for all time.

Qui fundasti terram super stabilitatem suam: non inclinabitur in sæculum sæculi.

Who hast founded the earth upon its own bases: it shall not be moved for ever and ever.

The deep once covered it, like a cloak; the waters stood high above the mountains,

Abyssus sicut vestimentum amictus ejus; super montes stabunt aquæ.

The deep like a garment is its clothing: above the mountains shall the waters stand.

then cowered before thy rebuking word, fled away at thy voice of thunder,

Ab increpatione tua fugient; a voce tonitrui tui formidabunt.

At thy rebuke they shall flee: at the voice of thy thunder they shall fear.

leaving the mountain heights to rise, the valleys to sink into their appointed place!

Ascendunt montes, et descendunt campi, in locum quem fundasti eis.

The mountains ascend, and the plains descend into the place which thou hast founded for them.

And to these waters thou hast given a frontier they may not pass; never must they flow back, and cover the earth again.

Terminum posuisti quem non transgredientur, neque convertentur operire terram.

Thou hast set a bound which they shall not pass over; neither shall they return to cover the earth.

Yet there shall be torrents flooding the glens, water-courses among the hills

Qui emittis fontes in convallibus; inter medium montium pertransibunt aquæ.

Thou sendest forth springs in the vales: between the midst of the hills the waters shall pass.

that give drink to every wild beast; here the wild asses may slake their thirst.

Potabunt omnes bestiæ agri; expectabunt onagri in siti sua.

All the beasts of the field shall drink: the wild asses shall expect in their thirst.

The birds of heaven, too, will roost beside them; vocal is every bough with their music.

Super ea volucres cæli habitabunt; de medio petrarum dabunt voces.

Over them the birds of the air shall dwell: from the midst of the rocks they shall give forth their voices.

From thy high dwelling-place thou dost send rain upon the hills; thy hand gives earth all her plenty.

Rigans montes de superioribus suis; de fructu operum tuorum satiabitur terra:

Thou waterest the hills from thy upper rooms: the earth shall be filled with the fruit of thy works:

Grass must grow for the cattle; for man, too, she must put forth her shoots, if he is to bring corn out from her bosom;

producens fœnum jumentis, et herbam servituti hominum, ut educas panem de terra,

Bringing forth grass for cattle, and herb for the service of men. That thou mayst bring bread out of the earth:

if there is to be wine that will rejoice man’s heart, oil to make his face shine, and bread that will keep man’s strength from failing.

et vinum lætificet cor hominis: ut exhilaret faciem in oleo, et panis cor hominis confirmet.

and that wine may cheer the heart of man. That he may make the face cheerful with oil: and that bread may strengthen man’s heart.

Moisture there must be for the forest trees, for the cedars of Lebanon, trees of the Lord’s own planting.

Saturabuntur ligna campi, et cedri Libani quas plantavit:

The trees of the field shall be filled, and the cedars of Libanus which he hath planted:

Here it is the birds build their nests; the stork makes its home in the fir-branches;

illic passeres nidificabunt: herodii domus dux est eorum.

there the sparrows shall make their nests. The highest of them is the house of the heron.

finds refuge there such as the goats find in the high hills, the coney in its cave.

Montes excelsi cervis; petra refugium herinaciis.

The high hills are a refuge for the harts, the rock for the irchins.

He has given us the moon for our calendar; the sun knows well the hour of his setting.

Fecit lunam in tempora; sol cognovit occasum suum.

He hath made the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

Thou dost decree darkness, and the night falls; in the night all the forest is astir with prowling beasts;

Posuisti tenebras, et facta est nox; in ipsa pertransibunt omnes bestiæ silvæ:

Thou hast appointed darkness, and it is night: in it shall all the beasts of the woods go about:

the young lions go roaring after their prey, God’s pensioners, asking for their food.

catuli leonum rugientes ut rapiant, et quærant a Deo escam sibi.

The young lions roaring after their prey, and seeking their meat from God.

Then the sun rises, and they slink away to lie down in their dens,

Ortus est sol, et congregati sunt, et in cubilibus suis collocabuntur.

The sun ariseth, and they are gathered together: and they shall lie down in their dens.

while man goes abroad to toil and drudge till the evening.

Exibit homo ad opus suum, et ad operationem suam usque ad vesperum.

Man shall go forth to his work, and to his labour until the evening.

What diversity, Lord, in thy creatures! What wisdom has designed them all! There is nothing on earth but gives proof of thy creative power.

Quam magnificata sunt opera tua, Domine! omnia in sapientia fecisti; impleta est terra possessione tua.

How great are thy works, O Lord ? thou hast made all things in wisdom: the earth is filled with thy riches.

There lies the vast ocean, stretching wide on every hand; this, too, is peopled with living things past number, great creatures and small;

Hoc mare magnum et spatiosum manibus; illic reptilia quorum non est numerus: animalia pusilla cum magnis.

So is this great sea, which stretcheth wide its arms: there are creeping things without number: Creatures little and great.

the ships pass them on their course. Leviathan himself is among them; him, too, thou hast created to roam there at his pleasure.

Illic naves pertransibunt; draco iste quem formasti ad illudendum ei.

There the ships shall go. This sea dragon which thou hast formed to play therein.

And all look to thee to send them their food at the appointed time;

Omnia a te expectant ut des illis escam in tempore.

All expect of thee that thou give them food in season.

it is through thy gift they find it, thy hand opens, and all are filled with content.

Dante te illis, colligent; aperiente te manum tuam, omnia implebuntur bonitate.

What thou givest to them they shall gather up: when thou openest thy hand, they shall all be filled with good.

But see, thou hidest thy face, and they are dismayed; thou takest their life from them, and they breathe no more, go back to the dust they came from.

Avertente autem te faciem, turbabuntur; auferes spiritum eorum, et deficient, et in pulverem suum revertentur.

But if thou turnest away thy face, they shall be troubled: thou shalt take away their breath, and they shall fail, and shall return to their dust.

Then thou sendest forth thy spirit, and there is fresh creation; thou dost repeople the face of earth.

Emittes spiritum tuum, et creabuntur, et renovabis faciem terræ.

Thou shalt send forth thy spirit, and they shall be created: and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Glory be to the Lord for ever; still let him take delight in his creatures.

Sit gloria Domini in sæculum; lætabitur Dominus in operibus suis.

May the glory of the Lord endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.

One glance from him makes earth tremble; at his touch, the mountains are wreathed in smoke.

Qui respicit terram, et facit eam tremere; qui tangit montes, et fumigant.

He looketh upon the earth, and maketh it tremble: he toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.

While life lasts, I will sing in the Lord’s honour; my praise shall be his while I have breath to praise him;

Cantabo Domino in vita mea; psallam Deo meo quamdiu sum.

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

oh, may this prayer with him find acceptance, in whom is all my content!

Jucundum sit ei eloquium meum; ego vero delectabor in Domino.

Let my speech be acceptable to him: but I will take delight in the Lord.

Perish all sinners from the land, let the wrong-doers be forgotten! But thou, my soul, bless the Lord. Alleluia.

Deficiant peccatores a terra, et iniqui, ita ut non sint. Benedic, anima mea, Domino.

Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, and the unjust, so that they be no more: O my soul, bless thou the Lord.