拉丁原文（Migne PL 32, 公版）
Magnus es, domine, et laudabilis valde: magna virtus tua et sapientiae tuae non est numerus. et laudare te vult homo, aliqua portio creaturae tuae, et homo circumferens mortalitatem suam, circumferens testimonium peccati sui et testimonium quia superbis resistis: et tamen laudare te vult homo, aliqua portio creaturae tuae.
Tu excitas, ut laudare te delectet, quia fecisti nos ad te, et inquietum est cor nostrum, donec requiescat in te. Da mihi, domine, scire et intellegere, utrum sit prius invocare te an laudare te, et scire te prius sit an invocare te.
Sed quis te invocat nesciens te? aliud enim pro alio potest invocare nesciens. an potius invocaris ut sciaris? quomodo autem invocabunt, in quem non crediderunt? aut quomodo credent sine praedicante? et laudabunt dominum qui requirunt eum: quaerentes enim invenient eum et invenientes laudabunt eum. quaeram te, domine, invocans te, et invocem te credens in te: praedicatus enim es nobis.
公版英译（Pusey 1838 / Schaff 1886 NPNF）
Great art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy power, and of Thy wisdom there is no end. And man, being a part of Thy creation, desires to praise Thee — man, who bears about with him his mortality, the witness of his sin, the witness that Thou resistest the proud: yet man, being a part of Thy creation, desires to praise Thee.
Thou movest us to delight in praising Thee; for Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our heart is restless until it find rest in Thee. Grant me, O Lord, to know and understand which is first, to call upon Thee, or to praise Thee; and likewise to know Thee, or to call upon Thee.
But who calls upon Thee not knowing Thee? For one not knowing Thee may call upon another instead of Thee. Or is it rather that Thou art called upon that Thou mayest be known? But how shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe without a preacher? And those that seek the Lord shall praise Him; for they that seek shall find Him, and they that find Him shall praise Him. Let me seek Thee, O Lord, in calling upon Thee, and call upon Thee in believing in Thee.
关键短句（学者讲解时常引）
- fecisti nos ad te, et inquietum est cor nostrum, donec requiescat in te — "汝造我为汝，我心永不安宁，直到歇息于汝。" 西方文学最被引用的开篇之一。
- Magnus es, domine, et laudabilis valde — 直引《诗篇》144 (LXX 145) :3，把这一卷打开为对神的祷文文体。
- aliqua portio creaturae tuae — "汝创造的一小部分"——人在被造序列中的位置感。