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God is great![a]

104 I say to myself, ‘Praise the Lord!’
Lord, my God, you are very great!
    You rule with authority as a great king.
Light is all round you,
    like the clothes that you wear.
You have put the skies as a roof over the earth.
You have built the beams of your home
    on the clouds of rain.
The clouds carry you as you travel,
    and you ride on the wind.
You use the winds to carry your messages.
    Flames of fire are your servants.
You, Lord, built the earth
    on its strong foundations.
Nothing will ever shake it from its place.
You covered the earth with deep water,
    like a coat.
The water covered the tops of the mountains.
But when you shouted,
    the water went back.
It ran away,
    when you shouted like thunder.
The water poured down from the mountains,
    and it went down into the valleys.
It went to stay in the place that you had chosen for it.
You made a border for the water
    so that it could not cross.
Never again will the water cover the earth.[b]

10 You cause springs of water
    to pour along the valleys.
Streams of water run between the hills.
11 They give water to all the wild animals.
    Wild donkeys drink from them.
12 The birds make their homes beside the streams.
    They sing from the branches of the trees.
13 You pour down rain on the mountains
    from your home above the sky.
You cause many fruits to grow on the earth.
14 You give grass for farm animals to eat.
    You give crops for people to plant.
In that way, people get food from the ground.
15 They grow grapes for wine,
    which makes them happy.
They grow olive trees for oil,
    which makes their faces shine.
They grow grain for bread,
    which makes them strong.
16 The Lord's own trees receive plenty of rain.
They are the cedar trees
    that he planted in Lebanon.
17 The birds make their nests there.
    Storks live there in the fir trees.
18 The wild goats live high up in the mountains.
    Rock badgers hide among the rocks.
19 You made the moon
    to tell us the months and seasons.
The sun also knows the right time for sunset.
20 At night you make it dark,
    so that the forest animals come out.
21 The lions roar
    while they look for animals to kill.
They look for the food that God gives to them.
22 At sunrise, they go back to their homes,
    and they lie down to rest.
23 During the day, people go out to work.
    They work at their jobs until it is evening.

24 Lord, you have made very many different things!
You were very wise in the way that you have made them all.
The earth is full of the living things
    that you have made.[c]
25 Look at the sea, which is deep and wide!
It is full of living things,
    that are both large and small.
They are more than anyone can count.
26 Ships travel on the sea.
You made the monster, Leviathan,
    to swim and to play in the sea.
27 All these living things wait for you
    to give them their food when they need it.
28 When you give it to them, they take it.
You open your hand to feed them,
    and they have plenty of good things.
29 When you turn away from them,
    they become very afraid.
When you take away their breath,
    they die and they return to the dust.
30 But when you breathe into anything,
    it receives life.
In that way, you bring new life to the earth.

31 I pray that the glory of the Lord
    will continue for ever!
I pray that the Lord will be happy
    with everything that he has made!
32 When he looks down at the earth,
    it shakes!
When he touches the mountains,
    they pour out smoke!
33 All my life, I will sing to praise the Lord.
I will always sing songs to praise my God,
    for as long as I live.
34 I want my song to make him happy.
I will be happy,
    because of what the Lord has done.
35 I pray that wicked people will disappear from the earth.
    May they disappear for ever!

I say to myself, ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!’

Footnotes

  1. 104:1 The writer of this psalm praises God. God is the one who has made the whole universe, and he is the one who takes care of it. It is because of God that everything has life.
  2. 104:9 See Genesis 1:9-10.
  3. 104:24 God knows how to make everything so that it is good. He is very wise. That is why we need to trust him and obey him. Then we will have good lives in the way that he has made us to be.

104 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.

They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

11 They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.

12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.

16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;

17 Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.

18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.

19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

22 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.

32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.

35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.