English text
Give to the Lord, ye potentates,
Give ye with one accord,
All praise and honour, might and strength,
Unto the living Lord.
Give glory to his holy name,
And honour him alone;
Give worship to his majesty,
Within his holy throne.
His voice doth rule the waters all,
As he himself doth please;
He doth prepare the thunder-claps,
And governs all the seas.
The voice of God is of great force,
And wondrous excellent:
It is most mighty in effect,
And most magnificent.
The voice of God doth rend and break
The cedar-trees so long,
The cedar-trees of Lebanon,
Which are both high and strong;
And makes them leap like as a calf,
Or as the unicorn;
Not only trees, but mountains great,
Whereon the trees are borne.
His voice divides the flames of fire,
And shakes the wilderness:
It makes the desert quake for fear,
That Cades called is:
It makes the hinds for fear to calve,
And coverts plain appear;
And in his temple ev'ry man
Speaks of his glory there.
The Lord doth sit upon the floods,
Their fury to restrain:
And he likewise as Lord and King
For evermore shall reign.
The Lord will give his people strength,
Whereby they shall increase,
And he will bless his chosen flock
With everlasting peace.
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Metrical 'New Version' (Tate/Brady)
English text
Ye princes that in might excel,
Your grateful sacrifice prepare;
God's glorious actions loudly tell,
His wondrous pow'r to all declare.
To his great name fresh altars raise,
Devoutly due respect afford;
Him in his holy temple praise,
Where he's with solemn state ador'd.
'Tis he that with amazing noise,
The wat'ry clouds in sunder breaks;
The ocean trembles at his voice,
When he from heav'n in thunder speaks.
How full of power his voice appears!
With what majestic terror crown'd!
Which from their roots tall cedars tears,
And strews their scatter'd branches round.
They, and the hills on which they grow,
Are sometimes hurried far away;
And leap like hinds that bounding go,
Or unicorns in youthful play.
When God in thunder loudly speaks,
And scatter'd flames of lightning sends,
The forest nods, the desert quakes,
And stubborn Kadesh lowly bends.
He makes the hinds to cast their young,
And lays the beasts' dark coverts bare;
While those that to his courts belong
Securely sing his praises there.
God rules the angry floods on high;
His boundless sway shall never cease;
His saints with strength he will supply,
And bless his own with constant peace.
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