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O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

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The Glory of the Lord in Creation

To the Chief Musician. [a]On the instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David.

O Lord, our Lord,
How (A)excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have (B)set Your glory above the heavens!

(C)Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have [b]ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence (D)the enemy and the avenger.

When I (E)consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
(F)What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You (G)visit[c] him?
For You have made him a little lower than [d]the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

(H)You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
(I)You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 8:1 Heb. Al Gittith
  2. Psalm 8:2 established
  3. Psalm 8:4 give attention to or care for
  4. Psalm 8:5 Heb. Elohim, God; LXX, Syr., Tg., Jewish tradition angels

The Lord’s Greatness

For the director of music. On the gittith. A psalm of David.

Lord our Lord,
    your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!
    It brings you praise in heaven above.
You have taught children and babies
    to sing praises to you
    because of your enemies.
And so you silence your enemies
    and destroy those who try to get even.

I look at your heavens,
    which you made with your fingers.
I see the moon and stars,
    which you created.
But why are people even important to you?
    Why do you take care of human beings?
You made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
You put them in charge of everything you made.
    You put all things under their control:
all the sheep, the cattle,
    and the wild animals,
the birds in the sky,
    the fish in the sea,
    and everything that lives under water.

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Psalm 8

For the music leader. According to the Gittith.[a] A psalm of David.

Lord, our Lord, how majestic
    is your name throughout the earth!
    You made your glory higher than heaven![b]
From the mouths of nursing babies
    you have laid a strong foundation
    because of your foes,
    in order to stop vengeful enemies.
When I look up at your skies,
    at what your fingers made—
    the moon and the stars
    that you set firmly in place—
        what are human beings
            that you think about them;
        what are human beings
            that you pay attention to them?
You’ve made them only slightly less than divine,
    crowning them with glory and grandeur.
You’ve let them rule over your handiwork,
    putting everything under their feet—
        all sheep and all cattle,
        the wild animals too,
        the birds in the sky,
        the fish of the ocean,
        everything that travels the pathways of the sea.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 8:1 Perhaps the name of an instrument (Tg) or melody. LXX About the winepresses; or About the Gittite; also in Pss 81 and 84
  2. Psalm 8:1 Correction; Heb uncertain

(A psalm by David for the music leader.[a])

The Wonderful Name of the Lord

Our Lord and Ruler,
your name is wonderful
    everywhere on earth!
You let your glory be seen[b]
    in the heavens above.
(A) With praises from children
and from tiny infants,
    you have built a fortress.
It makes your enemies silent,
and all who turn against you
    are left speechless.

I often think of the heavens
    your hands have made,
and of the moon and stars
    you put in place.
(B) Then I ask, “Why do you care
    about us humans?
Why are you concerned
    for us weaklings?”
(C) You made us a little lower
    than you yourself,[c]
and you have crowned us
    with glory and honor.

(D) You let us rule everything
    your hands have made.
And you put all of it
    under our power—
the sheep and the cattle,
    and every wild animal,
the birds in the sky,
the fish in the sea,
    and all ocean creatures.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 8 leader: The Hebrew text adds “according to the gittith,” which may refer to either a musical instrument or a tune.
  2. 8.1 You … seen: Or “I will worship your glory.”
  3. 8.5 you yourself: Or “the angels” or “the beings in heaven.”