The Lord is good to all,

Showing mercy to all his creatures.

All thy works give thee thanks, O Lord,
And those who love thee praise thee,
They speak of thy glorious rule,
And proclaim thy mighty power,
That men may know thy great deeds,
And the glorious splendor of thy rule.
Thy rule is an everlasting rule,
Thy dominion endures forever.

The Lord upholds all who fall,

And raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all wait for thee,

And thou givest them food in due season.
Thou it is who openest thy hand,

And satisfiest the desires of all creatures.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways,
And gracious in all his acts.

He is near all who call upon him,

To all who call upon him in truth.

He fulfils the desire of his worshippers,
He hears their cry and saves them.
He takes care of all who love him,
But destroys all those who do wrong.

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My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord.
Let all flesh praise his holy name forever.

261. GOD'S PROTECTION OF HIS HOLY CITY

Great is the Lord and highly praised in the city of our God,

His holy mount is fair in situation, the joy of the whole earth,

On the northern slopes, Zion, the city of the great King.

God in her citadels has shown himself a tower of strength, For once the kings assembled and then advanced together,

But when they saw, they were amazed, and fled away dismayed,

Trembling seized them there, pain as that of a woman in childbirth,

As when an east wind dashes into pieces the ships of Tarshish.

As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts

May God preserve his city forever and ever.

We meditate, Lord, on thy goodness as we stand within

thy temple;

As is thy name, O Lord, so is thy fame to the ends of the earth;

Thy right hand is full of justice; therefore Mount Zion rejoices;

The daughters of Judah exult in thy righteous decisions.

Walk about Zion, encircle her, and count her towers, Mark well her ramparts, and pass between her citadels, That you may tell to later generations that such is God, Our God forever, who will guide us eternally.

262. THE JOY OF WORSHIPPING THE LORD IN HIS TEMPLE

How dear is the place where thou dwellest, O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs and pines to see the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Verily the sparrow has found for herself a home,
And the swallow a nest, in which to lay her young,
Even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God!
Happy are those who live in thy temple, who ever praise
thee!

Happy are those who find strength in thee, who are pilgrims at heart.

As they pass through the valley of weeping they make it a place of springs;

The early rain, too, covers it over with pools.

They go from strength to strength, till they see God in Zion.

O Lord, O God of hosts, give heed to my prayer;
Give ear,
O God of Jacob, for thou art our shield;
Behold, O God, and look upon thine anointed,

For one day in thy courts is better than a thousand without.

I would rather lie on the threshold of thy temple, O God, Than dwell within the tents of the wicked.

For the Lord, my God, is a sun and a shield,

The Lord imparts grace and majesty,

He withholds no good thing from those who live uprightly.

O Lord of hosts, happy the man who trusts in thee!

263. THE SPIRIT OF TRUE WORSHIP

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth,
Serve the Lord with gladness,

Come into his presence with singing,

- Know that the Lord is God,"

He has made us and we are his,

His people, the flock that he tends.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
His courts with songs of rejoicing,
Give thanks to him, praise his name,
He is good, his kindness eternal,
And his faithfulness unto all generations.

264. THANKSgiving for DELIVERANCE FROM GREAT AFFLICTION

I love the Lord because he has heard
My voice and my supplications;
Because he has listened to my cry,
I will call upon him as long as I live.

The cords of death encircled me,
Mortal anguish seized me,

I experienced trouble and sorrow;

Then I called on the name of the Lord:

'O Lord, save thou my life.'

The Lord is gracious and righteous!

Our God, indeed, is merciful.
The Lord protects the simple;

When I was weak, he helped me.

Return, O my soul, to your resting-place,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with me.

He has saved me from death,
My eyes from tears,

My feet from falling.
I will walk before him
In the land of the living.
I trusted, though saying,
'I am greatly afflicted;'
Though I said in my haste,
'All men are liars.'

How can I repay the Lord
For all his benefits toward me?
I will take the cup of salvation,
And call on the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord
In the presence of all the people. next

Precious in the eyes of the Lord

Is the death of those who love him.
O Lord, I am truly thy servant,

Thy servant, the son of thy maid servant;
Thou indeed hast loosed my bonds.

I will give to thee a thank-offering,
And will call on the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord

In the presence of all his people;

In the courts of the house of the Lord,

Within you, O Jerusalem!

265. A UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAISE THE LORD

Praise the Lord from the heavens,

Praise him on the heights.

Praise him, all his angels,

Praise him, all his host!

Praise him, sun and moon,
Praise him, all stars of light!
Praise him, heavens of heavens,
And waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For at his command they were made;
He fixed them forever and ever,
Set a bound they must not pass.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
Sea-monsters and all deeps!
Fire, hail, snow, and vapor,
Storm wind, fulfilling his word!

Mountains and all hills,

Fruit-trees and all cedars!

Wild beasts and all cattle,

Creeping things and winged birds!