Help! I can't decide which is REALLY God's word!
March 1, 2015 at 6:16 pm
(This post was last modified: March 1, 2015 at 6:17 pm by Mudhammam.)
Help! I know one of these was written by the Supreme Creator of the Universe inspiring one of his humble servants, and the other was just written by some forgotten ancient whom we can dismiss out of hand.
But I can't figure out which one! Can a theist help me divine the truth?
Bless the
, O my soul. O my 
, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.
The trees of the are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from.
The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
O, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
The glory of the shall endure for ever: the shall rejoice in his works.
He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
I will sing unto the as long as I live: I will sing praise to my while I have my being.
My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the.
Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the, O my soul. Praise ye the .
Thy dawning is beautiful in the horizon of heaven,
O living, Beginning of life!
When Thou risest in the eastern horizon of heaven,
Thou fillest every land with Thy beauty;
For Thou art beautiful, great, glittering, high over the earth;
Thy rays, they encompass the lands, even all Thou hast made.
Thou art, and Thou hast carried them all away captive;
Thou bindest them by Thy love.
Though Thou art from afar, Thy rays are on earth;
Though Thou art on high, Thy footprints are the day.
When Thou settest in the western horizon of heaven,
The world is in darkness like the dead.
Men sleep in their chambers,
Their heads are wrapped up,
Their nostrils stopped, and none seeth the other.
Stolen are all their things that are under their heads,
While they know it not.
Every lion comes forth from his den,
All serpents, they sting.
Darkness reigns,
The world is in silence:
He that made them has gone to rest in His horizon.
Bright is the earth, when Thou risest in the horizon,
When Thou shinest as by day.
The darkness is banished
When Thou sendest forth Thy rays;
The two lands are in daily festivity,
Awake and standing upon their feet,
For Thou hast raised them up.
Their limbs bathed, they take their clothing,
Their arms uplifted in adoration to Thy dawning,
Then in all the world they do their work.
All cattle rest upon the herbage,
All trees and plants flourish;
The birds flutter in in their marshes,
Their wings flutter in adoration to Thee.
All the sheep dance upon their feet,
All winged things fly,
They live when Thou hast shone upon them.
The barques sail up-stream and down-stream alike.
Every highway is open because Thou has dawned.
The fish in the river leap up before Thee,
And thy rays are in the midst of the great sea.
Thou art He who creates the man-child in woman,
Who makest seed in man,
Who giveth life to the son in the body of his mother,
Who sootheth him that he may not weep,
A nurse [even] in the womb.
Who giveth breath to animate every one that He maketh.
When he comes forth from the body . . .
On the day of his birth,
Thou openist his mouth in speech,
Thou suppliest his necessities.
When the chicken crieth in the egg-shell,
Thou givest him breath therein, to preserve him alive;
When Thou hast perfected him
That he may pierce the egg,
He cometh forth from the egg.
To chirp with all his might;
He runneth about upon his two feet,
When he hath come forth therefrom.
How manifold are all Thy works!
They are hidden before us,
O Thou sole, whose powers no other possesseth.
Thou dids't create the earth according to Thy desire,
While Thou wast alone:
Men, all cattle large and small,
All that are upon the earth,
That go about upon their feet;
All that are on high,
That fly with their wings.
The countries of Syria and Nubia
The land of Egypt;
Thou settest every man in his place
Thou suppliest their necessities.
Every one has his possessions,
And his days are reckoned.
Their tongues are divers in speech,
Their form likewise and their skins,
For Thou, divider, hast divided the peoples.
Thou makest the Nile in the Nether world,
Thou bringest it at Thy desire, to preserve the people alive.
O of them all, when feebleness is in them,
O of every house, who risest for them,
O sun of day, the fear of every distant land,
Thou makest [also] their life.
Thou hast set a Nile in heaven,
That it may fall for them,
Making floods upon the mountains, like the great sea,
And watering their fields among their towns.
How excellent are Thy designs, O of eternity!
The Nile in heaven is for the strangers,
And for the cattle of every land that go upon their feet;
But the Nile, it cometh from the nether world for Egypt.
Thus Thy rays nourish every garden;
When Thou risest they live, and grow by Thee.
Thou makest the seasons, in oprder to create all Thy works;
Winter bringeth them coolness,
And the heat [the summer bringeth].
Thou hast made the distant heaven in order to rise therein,
In order to behold all that Thou didst make,
While Thou wast alone,
Rising in Thy form as Living,
Dawning, shining far off, and returning.
Thou makest the beauty of form through Thyself alone,
Cities, towns, and settlements,
On highway or on river,
All eyes see Thee before then,
For Thou art of the day over the earth.
Thou art in my heart;
There is no other that knoweth Thee,
Save Thy son.
Thou hast made him wise in Thy designs
And in Thy might.
The world is in Thy hand,
Even as Thou hast made them.
When Thou hast risen they live;
When Thou settest they die.
For Thou art duration, beyond mere limbs;
By Thee man liveth,
And their eyes look upon Thy beauty
Until Thou settest.
All labour is laid aside
When Thou settest in the west.
When Thou risest they are made to grow. . . .
Since Thou didst establish the earth,
Thou hast raised them up for Thy son,
Who came forth from Thy limbs,
The King, living in truth, . . .
But I can't figure out which one! Can a theist help me divine the truth?
Bless the
, O my soul. O my , thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.
The trees of the
are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from
.The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
O
, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
The glory of the
shall endure for ever: the shall rejoice in his works.He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
I will sing unto the
as long as I live: I will sing praise to my while I have my being.My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the
.Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the
, O my soul. Praise ye the .Thy dawning is beautiful in the horizon of heaven,
O living
, Beginning of life!When Thou risest in the eastern horizon of heaven,
Thou fillest every land with Thy beauty;
For Thou art beautiful, great, glittering, high over the earth;
Thy rays, they encompass the lands, even all Thou hast made.
Thou art
, and Thou hast carried them all away captive;Thou bindest them by Thy love.
Though Thou art from afar, Thy rays are on earth;
Though Thou art on high, Thy footprints are the day.
When Thou settest in the western horizon of heaven,
The world is in darkness like the dead.
Men sleep in their chambers,
Their heads are wrapped up,
Their nostrils stopped, and none seeth the other.
Stolen are all their things that are under their heads,
While they know it not.
Every lion comes forth from his den,
All serpents, they sting.
Darkness reigns,
The world is in silence:
He that made them has gone to rest in His horizon.
Bright is the earth, when Thou risest in the horizon,
When Thou shinest as
by day.The darkness is banished
When Thou sendest forth Thy rays;
The two lands are in daily festivity,
Awake and standing upon their feet,
For Thou hast raised them up.
Their limbs bathed, they take their clothing,
Their arms uplifted in adoration to Thy dawning,
Then in all the world they do their work.
All cattle rest upon the herbage,
All trees and plants flourish;
The birds flutter in in their marshes,
Their wings flutter in adoration to Thee.
All the sheep dance upon their feet,
All winged things fly,
They live when Thou hast shone upon them.
The barques sail up-stream and down-stream alike.
Every highway is open because Thou has dawned.
The fish in the river leap up before Thee,
And thy rays are in the midst of the great sea.
Thou art He who creates the man-child in woman,
Who makest seed in man,
Who giveth life to the son in the body of his mother,
Who sootheth him that he may not weep,
A nurse [even] in the womb.
Who giveth breath to animate every one that He maketh.
When he comes forth from the body . . .
On the day of his birth,
Thou openist his mouth in speech,
Thou suppliest his necessities.
When the chicken crieth in the egg-shell,
Thou givest him breath therein, to preserve him alive;
When Thou hast perfected him
That he may pierce the egg,
He cometh forth from the egg.
To chirp with all his might;
He runneth about upon his two feet,
When he hath come forth therefrom.
How manifold are all Thy works!
They are hidden before us,
O Thou sole
, whose powers no other possesseth.Thou dids't create the earth according to Thy desire,
While Thou wast alone:
Men, all cattle large and small,
All that are upon the earth,
That go about upon their feet;
All that are on high,
That fly with their wings.
The countries of Syria and Nubia
The land of Egypt;
Thou settest every man in his place
Thou suppliest their necessities.
Every one has his possessions,
And his days are reckoned.
Their tongues are divers in speech,
Their form likewise and their skins,
For Thou, divider, hast divided the peoples.
Thou makest the Nile in the Nether world,
Thou bringest it at Thy desire, to preserve the people alive.
O
of them all, when feebleness is in them,O
of every house, who risest for them,O sun of day, the fear of every distant land,
Thou makest [also] their life.
Thou hast set a Nile in heaven,
That it may fall for them,
Making floods upon the mountains, like the great sea,
And watering their fields among their towns.
How excellent are Thy designs, O
of eternity!The Nile in heaven is for the strangers,
And for the cattle of every land that go upon their feet;
But the Nile, it cometh from the nether world for Egypt.
Thus Thy rays nourish every garden;
When Thou risest they live, and grow by Thee.
Thou makest the seasons, in oprder to create all Thy works;
Winter bringeth them coolness,
And the heat [the summer bringeth].
Thou hast made the distant heaven in order to rise therein,
In order to behold all that Thou didst make,
While Thou wast alone,
Rising in Thy form as Living
,Dawning, shining far off, and returning.
Thou makest the beauty of form through Thyself alone,
Cities, towns, and settlements,
On highway or on river,
All eyes see Thee before then,
For Thou art
of the day over the earth.Thou art in my heart;
There is no other that knoweth Thee,
Save Thy son.
Thou hast made him wise in Thy designs
And in Thy might.
The world is in Thy hand,
Even as Thou hast made them.
When Thou hast risen they live;
When Thou settest they die.
For Thou art duration, beyond mere limbs;
By Thee man liveth,
And their eyes look upon Thy beauty
Until Thou settest.
All labour is laid aside
When Thou settest in the west.
When Thou risest they are made to grow. . . .
Since Thou didst establish the earth,
Thou hast raised them up for Thy son,
Who came forth from Thy limbs,
The King, living in truth, . . .
He who loves God cannot endeavour that God should love him in return - Baruch Spinoza
