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.

In Praise of the Creator

104 Praise the Lord, my soul!
    O Lord, my God, how great you are!
You are clothed with majesty and glory;
    you cover yourself with light.
You have spread out the heavens like a tent
    and built your home on the waters above.[a]
You use the clouds as your chariot
    and ride on the wings of the wind.
(A)You use the winds as your messengers
    and flashes of lightning as your servants.

You have set the earth firmly on its foundations,
    and it will never be moved.
You placed the ocean over it like a robe,
    and the water covered the mountains.
When you rebuked the waters, they fled;
    they rushed away when they heard your shout of command.
They flowed over the mountains and into the valleys,
    to the place you had made for them.
You set a boundary they can never pass,
    to keep them from covering the earth again.

10 You make springs flow in the valleys,
    and rivers run between the hills.
11 They provide water for the wild animals;
    there the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 In the trees near by,
    the birds make their nests and sing.

13 From the sky you send rain on the hills,
    and the earth is filled with your blessings.
14 You make grass grow for the cattle
    and plants for us to use,
so that we can grow our crops
15     and produce wine to make us happy,
    olive oil to make us cheerful,
    and bread to give us strength.

16 The cedars of Lebanon get plenty of rain—
    the Lord's own trees, which he planted.
17 There the birds build their nests;
    the storks nest in the fir trees.
18 The wild goats live in the high mountains,
    and the rock badgers hide in the cliffs.

19 You created the moon to mark the months;
    the sun knows the time to set.
20 You made the night, and in the darkness
    all the wild animals come out.
21 The young lions roar while they hunt,
    looking for the food that God provides.
22 When the sun rises, they go back
    and lie down in their dens.
23 Then people go out to do their work
    and keep working until evening.

24 Lord, you have made so many things!
    How wisely you made them all!
    The earth is filled with your creatures.
25 There is the ocean, large and wide,
    where countless creatures live,
    large and small alike.
26 (B)The ships sail on it, and in it plays Leviathan,
    that sea monster which you made.[b]

27 All of them depend on you
    to give them food when they need it.
28 You give it to them, and they eat it;
    you provide food, and they are satisfied.
29 When you turn away, they are afraid;
    when you take away your breath, they die
    and go back to the dust from which they came.
30 But when you give them breath,[c] they are created;
    you give new life to the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord last forever!
    May the Lord be happy with what he has made!
32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles;
    he touches the mountains, and they pour out smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
    as long as I live I will sing praises to my God.
34 May he be pleased with my song,
    for my gladness comes from him.
35 May sinners be destroyed from the earth;
    may the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, my soul!
Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 104:3 A reference to the waters above the celestial dome (Gn 1.6, 7).
  2. Psalm 104:26 in it plays … made; or Leviathan is there, that sea monster you made to amuse you.
  3. Psalm 104:30 give them breath; or send out your spirit.

Psalm 104

God the Creator and Provider

Bless the Lord, O my soul.
    O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,(A)
    wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent;(B)
    you set the beams of your[a] chambers on the waters;
you make the clouds your[b] chariot;
    you ride on the wings of the wind;(C)
you make the winds your[c] messengers,
    fire and flame your[d] ministers.(D)

You set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it shall never be shaken.(E)
You cover it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.(F)
At your rebuke they flee;
    at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys,
    to the place that you appointed for them.(G)
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they might not again cover the earth.(H)

10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills,(I)
11 giving drink to every wild animal;
    the wild asses quench their thirst.(J)
12 By the streams[e] the birds of the air have their habitation;
    they sing among the branches.(K)
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.(L)

14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle
    and plants for people to cultivate,
to bring forth food from the earth(M)
15     and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine
    and bread to strengthen the human heart.(N)
16 The trees of the field[f] are watered abundantly,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests;
    the stork has its home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
    the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.(O)
19 You have made the moon to mark the seasons;
    the sun knows its time for setting.(P)
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
    when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.(Q)
21 The young lions roar for their prey,
    seeking their food from God.(R)
22 When the sun rises, they withdraw
    and lie down in their dens.
23 People go out to their work
    and to their labor until the evening.(S)

24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
    In wisdom you have made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.(T)
25 There is the sea, great and wide;
    creeping things innumerable are there,
    living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships
    and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.(U)

27 These all look to you
    to give them their food in due season;(V)
28 when you give to them, they gather it up;
    when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
    when you take away their breath, they die
    and return to their dust.(W)
30 When you send forth your spirit,[g] they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.(X)

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works—(Y)
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke.(Z)
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.(AA)
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!(AB)

Footnotes

  1. 104.3 Heb his
  2. 104.3 Heb his
  3. 104.4 Heb his
  4. 104.4 Heb his
  5. 104.12 Heb By them
  6. 104.16 Gk: Heb trees of the Lord
  7. 104.30 Or your breath