Odes of Solomon/Ode 16

God Spread Out the Earth and Settled the Waters in the Sea

¹ As the ploughman’s work is the ploughshare,

and as the helmsman’s work is ship-steering,

so also is my work the praise of the Lord by his psalms.

² My occupation and my craft are in his hymns,

because his love has nourished my heart,

and he made his fruits to bubble up even to my lips.

³ For my love is the Lord,

and therefore I will sing to him.

⁴ For I am made strong in his hymns,

and in him I have confidence.

⁵ I will open my mouth, and his spirit will speak through me

the glory of the Lord and his beauty,

⁶ the work of his hands and the labor of his fingers,

⁷ for the sake of his mercies’ abundance and of his speech’s strength.

⁸ For the speech of the Lord searches what is concealed,

and his thought (searches) what is revealed.

⁹ For the eye sees his works

and the ear hears his thought.

¹⁰ He spread out the earth and settled the waters in the sea,

¹¹ stretched out the heavens and fixed the stars,

¹² and put in order the creation and established it,

and he rested from his works.

¹³ And created things run in their courses,

and fulfill their tasks,

and they know not how to stop and be still.

¹⁴ And his hosts are subject to his speech.

¹⁵ The storehouse of the light is the sun,

and the storehouse of the darkness is the night.

¹⁶ And the sun makes the day to be bright,

and night brings darkness over the face of the earth.

¹⁷ And their welcoming each other completes the beauty of God.

¹⁸ And there is nothing apart from the Lord,

because he was before anything came into being.

¹⁹ And the ages are by his speech,

and by the thought of his heart.

²⁰ Glory and honor to his name!

Hallelujah!