Psalm 105 N.
Words: Sternhold and Hopkins, The Whole Book of Psalms Collected into English Metre
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 honor 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 judgments 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 judgments are
in all the earth abroad.
8 His promise and his covenant
which he hath made to his,
He hath remembered evermore
to thousands of degrees.
The Second Part.
9 The covenant which he hath made
with Abram 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 this 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 suffered them to take;
But even great and mighty kings
Reprovèd 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 called a dearth upon the land,
of bread destroyed 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 pierced 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 delivered 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.
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 turn-ed 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 turned 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 filled 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 causèd 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 sent to give them light
when night had hid the day.
37 They askèd, and he causèd quails
to rain at their request,
And fully with the bread of heav'n
their hunger he repressed.
38 He openèd the stony rock,
and waters gush-ed out;
Also the dry and parch-ed 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 lived in great annoy.
41 And of the heathen men he gave
to them the fruitful lands;
The labors 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.
