Scripture Verse

God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. Genesis 1:20

Introduction

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John M. Neale (1818–1866)
Wikipedia

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Words: Un­known au­thor, 6th or 7th Cen­tu­ry (Mag­nae De­us po­ten­ti­ae). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by John M. Neale in The Hym­nal Not­ed, 1854.

Music: Ills­ley John Bi­shop, A Set of New Psalm Tunes 1711 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Bi­shop (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

Almighty God, who from the flood
Didst bring to light a two­fold brood;
Part in the fir­ma­ment to fly,
And part in ocean’s depths to lie.

Appointing fish­es in the sea,
And fowls in op­en air to be,
That each, by ori­gin the same,
Its se­pa­rate dwell­ing place might claim:

Grant that Thy ser­vants, by the tide
Of blood and wa­ter pu­ri­fied,
No guil­ty fall from Thee may know,
Nor death eter­nal un­der­go.

Be none sub­merged in sin’s dis­tress,
None lift­ed up in boast­ful­ness;
That con­trite hearts be not dis­mayed,
Nor naugh­ty souls in ruin laid.

O Fa­ther, that we ask be done,
Through Je­sus Christ Thine on­ly Son;
Who, with the Ho­ly Ghost and Thee,
Doth live and reign eter­nal­ly.

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Creation of the Animals
Jacopo Tintoretto (1518–1594)