Psalm 103(102) Benedic, anima mea

1 (Of David.)

Bless the Lord, my soul, unite, all my powers, to bless that holy name.

2 Bless the Lord, my soul, remembering all he has done for thee,

3 how he pardons all thy sins, heals all thy mortal ills,

4 rescues thy life from deadly peril, crowns thee with the blessings of his mercy;

5 how he contents all thy desire for good, restores thy youth, as the eagle’s plumage is restored.

6 The Lord’s acts are acts of justice, every wronged soul he offers redress.

7 The Lord, who told Moses his secrets, who shewed the sons of Israel his power!

8 How pitying and gracious the Lord is, how patient, how rich in mercy!

9 He will not always be finding fault, his frown does not last for ever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve, does not exact the penalty of our wrong-doing.

11 High as heaven above the earth towers his mercy for the men that fear him;

12 far as the east is from the west, he clears away our guilt from us.

13 For his own worshippers, the Lord has a father’s pity;

14 does he not know the stuff of which we are made, can he forget that we are only dust?

15 Man’s life is like the grass, he blooms and dies like a flower in the fields;

16 once the hot wind has passed over, it has gone, forgotten by the place where it grew.

17 But the Lord’s worshippers know no beginning or end of his mercy; he will keep faith with their children’s children,

18 do they but hold fast by his covenant, and live mindful of his law.

19 The Lord has set up his throne in heaven, rules with universal sway.

20 Bless the Lord, all you angels of his; angels of sovereign strength, that carry out his commandment, attentive to the word he utters;

21 bless the Lord, all you hosts of his, the servants that perform his will;

22 bless the Lord, all you creatures of his, in every corner of his dominion; and thou, my soul, bless the Lord. (KNOX)