O you⌃ heavens, bless you⌃ the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O you⌃ angels of the Lord, bless you⌃ the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
O all you⌃ waters that be above the heaven, bless you⌃ the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
O all you⌃ powers of the Lord, bless you⌃ the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
O you⌃ stars of heaven, bless you⌃ the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
O you⌃ lightnings and clouds, bless you⌃ the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
O all you⌃ fowls of the air, bless you⌃ the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
O you⌃ spirits and souls of the righteous, bless you⌃ the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
And they perverted their own mind, and turned away their eyes, that they might not look to heaven, nor remember just judgements.
And she weeping looked up toward heaven: for her heart trusted in the Lord.
And he said, Because I may not do honor to idols made with hands, but to the living God, who has created the heaven and the earth, and has sovereignty over all flesh.
saying, Let us die all in our innocency: heaven and earth witness over us, that you⌃ put us to death without trial.
Elijah, for that he was exceeding zealous for the law, was taken up into heaven.
And Judas said, It is an easy thing for many to be shut up in the hands of a few; and with heaven it is all one, to save by many or by few:
for victory in battle stands not in the multitude of an army; but strength is from heaven.
And they cried aloud toward heaven, saying, What shall we do with these men, and whither shall we carry them away?
Nevertheless, as may be the will in heaven, so shall he do.
And now let us cry to heaven, if he will have us, and will remember the covenant of our fathers, and destroy this army before our face today:
And they returned home, and sang a song of thanksgiving, and gave praise to heaven; because his mercy is good, because his mercy endures forever.
and fell on their faces to the ground, and blew with the solemn trumpets, and cried toward heaven.
And all the people fell upon their faces, and worshipped, and gave praise to heaven, which had given them good success.
And Judas saw that the battle was begun, and that the cry of the city went up to heaven, with trumpets and a great sound,
Now therefore cry to heaven, that you⌃ may be delivered out of the hand of your enemies.
for we have the help which is from heaven to help us, and we have been delivered from our enemies, and our enemies have been brought low.
But now I am old, and you⌃ moreover, by his mercy, are of a sufficient age: be you⌃ instead of me and my brother, and go forth and fight for our nation; but let the help which is from heaven be with you.
And it was contained in the writing, that the prophet, being warned of God, commanded that the tabernacle and the ark should follow with him, when he went forth into the mountain where Moses went up and saw the heritage of God.
And Jeremiah came and found a chamber in the rock, and there he brought in the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense; and he made fast the door.
As Moses prayed to the Lord, and fire came down out of heaven and consumed the sacrifice, even so prayed Solomon also, and the fire came down and consumed the burnt offerings;
and the manifestations that came from heaven to those that vied with one another in manful deeds for the religion of the Jews; so that, being but a few, they rescued the whole country, and chased the barbarous multitudes,
And the priests, prostrating themselves before the altar in their priestly garments, and looking toward heaven, called upon him that gave the law concerning deposits, that he should preserve these treasures safe for those that had deposited them.
And all, stretching forth their hands toward heaven, made their solemn supplication.
For there was seen by them a horse with a terrible rider upon him, and adorned with beautiful trappings, and he rushed fiercely and struck at Heliodorus with his forefeet, and it seemed that he that sat upon the horse had complete armor of gold.
and do you, since you have been scourged from heaven, publish to all men the sovereign majesty of God. And when they had spoken these words, they vanished out of sight.
For he that has his dwelling in heaven himself has his eyes upon that place, and helps it; and those who come to hurt it he smiteth and destroys.
And it so befell that throughout all the city, for the space of almost forty days, there appeared in the midst of the sky horsemen in swift motion, wearing robes inwrought with gold and carrying spears, equipped in troops for battle;
and nobly said, From heaven I possess these; and for his laws’ sake I contemn these; and from him I hope to receive these back again:
I beseech you, my child, to lift your eyes to the heaven and the earth, and to see all things that are therein, and thus to recognize that God made them not of things that were, and that the race of men in this wise comes into being.
Don’t be afraid of this butcher, but, proving yourself worthy of your kindred, accept your death, that in the mercy of God I may receive you again with your kindred.
and the help given in the land of Babylon, even the battle that was fought against the Gauls, how that they came to the engagement eight thousand in all, with four thousand Macedonians, and how that, the Macedonians being hard pressed, the six thousand destroyed the hundred and twenty thousand, because of the succour which they had from heaven, and took great booty.
And the man that a little before supposed himself to touch the stars of heaven, no one could endure to carry for his intolerable stench.
May you⌃ and your children fare well; and your affairs shall be to your mind. Having my hope in heaven,
But when the battle waxed strong, there appeared out of heaven to their adversaries five men on horses with bridles of gold, in splendid array; and two of them, leading on the Jews,
they advanced in array, having him that is in heaven to fight on their side, for the Lord had mercy on them.
(And if he did it looking to an honorable memorial of gratitude laid up for those who die in godliness, holy and godly was the thought.) Wherefore he made the atoning sacrifice for those who had died, that they might be released from their sin.
And having said this, he departed. But the priests, stretching forth their hands toward heaven, called upon him that ever fights for our nation, in these words:
You, O Lord of the universe, who in yourself have need of nothing, was well pleased that a sanctuary of your habitation should be set among us;
then the thrice-accursed wretch asked if there were a Sovereign in heaven that had commanded to keep the Sabbath day.
And when they declared, There is the Lord, living himself a Sovereign in heaven, who bade us observe the seventh day;
And he exhorted his company not to be fearful at the inroad of the heathen, but, keeping in mind the help which of old they had oftentimes received from heaven, so now also to look for the victory which would come to them from the Almighty;
And the vision of that dream was this: He saw Onias, him that was high priest, a noble and good man, reverend in bearing, yet gentle in manner and well-spoken, and exercised from a child in all points of virtue, with outstretched hands invoking blessings on the whole body of the Jews:
thereupon he saw a man appear, of venerable age and exceeding glory, and wonderful and most majestic was the dignity around him:
and Onias answered and said, This is the lover of the kindred, he who prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah the prophet of God:
so now also, O Sovereign of the heavens, send a good angel before us to bring terror and trembling:
And they all looking up to heaven blessed the Lord who had manifested himself, saying, Blessed be he that has preserved his own place undefiled.
O sirs, are not women strong? great is the earth, high is the heaven, swift is the sun in his course, for he encircles the heavens round about, and fetches his course again to his own place in one day.
All the earth calls upon truth, and the heaven blesses her: all works shake and tremble, but with her is no unrighteous thing.
Now when this young man was gone forth, he lifted up his face to heaven toward Jerusalem, and praised the King of heaven,
So they gave us this answer, We are the servants of the Lord which made heaven and earth.
But when our fathers sinned against the Lord of Israel which is in heaven, and provoked him to wrath, he gave them over into the hands of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, king of the Chaldeans;
for our sins are multiplied above our heads, and our errors have reached up to heaven,
O LORD Almighty, that are in heaven, you God of our fathers, of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous seed;
who have made heaven and earth, with all the ornament thereof;
for I have sinned above the number of the sands of the sea. My transgressions are multiplied, O Lord: my transgressions are multiplied, and I am not worthy to behold and see the height of heaven for the multitude of my iniquities.
And I will praise the forever all the days of my life: for all the army of heaven does sing your praise, and your is the glory forever and ever. Amen.
O Lord, Lord, King of the heavens, and Ruler of the whole creation, Holy among the holy, sole Governor, Almighty, give ear to us who are oppressed by a wicked and profane one, who exults in his confidence and strength.
Your dwelling place, the heaven of heavens, is indeed unapproachable to men.
Now this was an active interference of the unconquerable Providence which assisted the Jews from heaven.
Their litany so earnest went up to heaven.
Nevertheless, when they reflected upon the succour before granted them from heaven, they prostrated themselves with one accord; removed even the sucking children from the breasts, and
When the Jews saw this, they uttered a loud cry to heaven, so that the adjacent valleys resounded, and caused an irrepressible lamentation throughout the army.
Then the all-glorious, all-powerful, and true God, displayed his holy countenance, and opened the gates of heaven, from which two angels, dreadful of form, came down and were visible to all but the Jews.
Release the sons of the almighty living God of heaven, who from our ancestors’ times until now has granted a glorious and uninterrupted prosperity to our affairs.
For this cause we severely threatened them; yet, with the clemency which we are wont to extend to all men, we at length permitted them to live. Finding that the God of heaven cast a shield of protection over the Jews so as to preserve them, and that he fought for them as a father always fights for his sons;
And now, O father, behold with glory; and see the people that come from the east:
Their glory also will I take to me, and give these the everlasting tabernacles, which I had prepared for them.
They shall have the tree of life for an ointment of sweet savor; they shall neither labor, nor be weary.
Ask, and you⌃ shall receive: pray for few days to you, that they may be shortened: the kingdom is already prepared for you: watch.
Take heaven and earth to witness, take them to witness; for I have given up the evil, and created the good: for I live, says the Lord.
And those that be dead will I raise up again from their places, and bring them out from their tombs: for I have known my name in them.
For your help will I send my servants Esaias and Jeremy, after whose counsel I have sanctified and prepared for you twelve trees laden with various fruits,
and as many springs flowing with milk and honey, and seven mighty mountains, whereupon there grow roses and lilies, whereby I will fill your children with joy.
Flee the shadow of this world, receive the joyfulness of your glory: I call to witness my savior openly.
O receive that which is given you of the Lord, and be joyful, giving thanks to him that has called you to heavenly kingdoms.
Arise up and stand, and behold the number of those that be sealed in the feast of the Lord;
those who withdrew them from the shadow of the world have received glorious garments of the Lord.
Look upon your number, O Sion, and make up the reckoning of those of your that are clothed in white, which have fulfilled the law of the Lord.
I Esdras saw upon the mount Sion a great multitude, whom I could not number, and they all praised the Lord with songs.
And in the midst of them there was a young man of a high stature, taller than all the rest, and upon every one of their heads he set crowns, and was more exalted; whereat I marveled greatly.
He answered and said to me, These be those who have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal, and have confessed the name of God: now are they crowned, and receive palms.
Then said I to the angel, What young man is he that sets crowns upon them, and gives them palms in their hands?
So he answered and said to me, It is the Son of God, whom they have confessed in the world. Then began I greatly to commend those who stood so stiffly for the name of the Lord.
And you led him into paradise, which your right hand did plant, before ever the earth came forward.
You bowed the heavens also, and did shake the earth, and movedst the whole world, and made the depths to tremble, and troubled the course of that age.
And he said to me, If I had asked you, saying, How many dwellings are there in the heart of the sea? or how many springs are there at the fountain head of the deep? or how many ways are above the firmament? or which are the outgoings of hell? or which are the paths of paradise?
perhaps you would say to me, I never went down into the deep, nor as yet into hell, neither did I ever climb up into heaven.
For like as the ground is given to the wood, and the sea to his waves, even so those who dwell upon the earth may understand nothing but that which is upon the earth: and he only that dwells above the heavens may understand the things that are above the height of the heavens.
Did not the souls of the righteous ask question of these things in their chambers, saying, How long are we here? when comes the fruit of the threshing time of our reward?
Then said I, no, Lord, that can it not. And he said to me, in the grave the chambers of souls are like the womb:
and of all the depths of the sea you have filled you one river: and of all built cities you have hallowed Sion to yourself:
before the voices of the thunder sounded and before the flashes of the lightning shone, or ever the foundations of paradise were laid,












