8. Hāle Hāle Yǝbārkǝwo

A prayer in Ge’ez for the morning service of regular Sabbaths, the Seventh Sabbath and the Səgd. The melody is the one for these two latter occasions. The text mixes composed passages and quotes from Biblical sources (primarily Psalm 148; also Isaiah 49:12; I Samuel 2:4; and other quotes). It begins with an introduction stating that God is eternal and should be praised by all His creatures, then a section that praises Him for sustaining the weak; the rest of the prayer details the list of creatures that should praise God, including those who sing the prayer. An extended version of this text is found in written sources of the Beta Israel liturgy.

This relatively long piece is completely antiphonal, consisting of one melodic formula repeated by soloist and choir.