Psalm 104
1Praise the Lord, my soul.
Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
2The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent
3and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.
4He makes winds his messengers,104:4 Or angels
flames of fire his servants.
5He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.
6You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.
9You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.
10He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
11They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.
13He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:
15wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread that sustains their hearts.
16The trees of the Lord are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the junipers.
18The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.
19He made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
20You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
22The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.
23Then people go out to their work,
to their labor until evening.
24How many are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
26There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
27All creatures look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.
28When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
30When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
31May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the Lord.
35But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Praise the Lord.104:35 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105.
Psalm 104
1I will praise the Lord.
Lord my God, you are very great.
You are dressed in glory and majesty.
2The Lord wraps himself in light as if it were a robe.
He spreads out the heavens like a tent.
3He builds his palace high in the heavens.
He makes the clouds serve as his chariot.
He rides on the wings of the wind.
4He makes the winds serve as his messengers.
He makes flashes of lightning serve him.
5He placed the earth on its foundations.
It can never be moved.
6You, Lord, covered it with the oceans like a blanket.
The waters covered the mountains.
7But you commanded the waters, and they ran away.
At the sound of your thunder they rushed off.
8They flowed down the mountains.
They went into the valleys.
They went to the place you appointed for them.
9You drew a line they can’t cross.
They will never cover the earth again.
10The Lord makes springs pour water into the valleys.
It flows between the mountains.
11The springs give water to all the wild animals.
The wild donkeys satisfy their thirst.
12The birds in the sky build nests by the waters.
They sing among the branches.
13The Lord waters the mountains from his palace high in the clouds.
The earth is filled with the things he has made.
14He makes grass grow for the cattle
and plants for people to take care of.
That’s how they get food from the earth.
15There is wine to make people glad.
There is olive oil to make their skin glow.
And there is bread to make them strong.
16The cedar trees of Lebanon belong to the Lord.
He planted them and gave them plenty of water.
17There the birds make their nests.
The stork has its home in the juniper trees.
18The high mountains belong to the wild goats.
The cliffs are a safe place for the rock badgers.
19The Lord made the moon to mark off the seasons.
The sun knows when to go down.
20You, Lord, bring darkness, and it becomes night.
Then all the animals of the forest prowl around.
21The lions roar while they hunt.
All their food comes from God.
22The sun rises, and they slip away.
They return to their dens and lie down.
23Then people get up and go to work.
They keep working until evening.
24Lord, you have made so many things!
How wise you were when you made all of them!
The earth is full of your creatures.
25Look at the ocean, so big and wide!
It is filled with more creatures than people can count.
It is filled with living things, from the largest to the smallest.
26Ships sail back and forth on it.
Leviathan, the sea monster you made, plays in it.
27All creatures depend on you
to give them their food when they need it.
28When you give it to them,
they eat it.
When you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29When you turn your face away from them,
they are terrified.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn back into dust.
30When you send your Spirit,
you create them.
You give new life to the ground.
31May the glory of the Lord continue forever.
May the Lord be happy with what he has made.
32When he looks at the earth, it trembles.
When he touches the mountains, they pour out smoke.
33I will sing to the Lord all my life.
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34May these thoughts of mine please him.
I find my joy in the Lord.
35But may sinners be gone from the earth.
May evil people disappear.
I will praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
