Psalm 104
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Psalm 104[a]
Praise of God the Creator
I
1 Bless the Lord, my soul!
Lord, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and splendor,
2 robed in light as with a cloak.
You spread out the heavens like a tent;(A)
3 setting the beams of your chambers upon the waters.[b]
You make the clouds your chariot;
traveling on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your messengers;
flaming fire, your ministers.(B)
II
5 [c]You fixed the earth on its foundation,
so it can never be shaken.
6 The deeps covered it like a garment;
above the mountains stood the waters.
7 At your rebuke they took flight;
at the sound of your thunder they fled.(C)
8 They rushed up the mountains, down the valleys
to the place you had fixed for them.
9 You set a limit they cannot pass;
never again will they cover the earth.(D)
III
10 You made springs flow in wadies
that wind among the mountains.
11 They give drink to every beast of the field;(E)
here wild asses quench their thirst.
12 Beside them the birds of heaven nest;
among the branches they sing.
13 You water the mountains from your chambers;
from the fruit of your labor the earth abounds.
14 You make the grass grow for the cattle
and plants for people’s work
to bring forth food from the earth,
15 wine to gladden their hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread to sustain the human heart.
16 [d]The trees of the Lord drink their fill,
the cedars of Lebanon, which you planted.
17 There the birds build their nests;
the stork in the junipers, its home.(F)
18 The high mountains are for wild goats;
the rocky cliffs, a refuge for badgers.
IV
19 You made the moon to mark the seasons,(G)
the sun that knows the hour of its setting.
20 You bring darkness and night falls,
then all the animals of the forest wander about.
21 Young lions roar for prey;
they seek their food from God.(H)
22 When the sun rises, they steal away
and settle down in their dens.
23 People go out to their work,
to their labor till evening falls.
V
24 How varied are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.(I)
25 There is the sea, great and wide!
It teems with countless beings,
living things both large and small.(J)
26 There ships ply their course
and Leviathan,[e] whom you formed to play with.(K)
VI
27 All of these look to you
to give them food in due time.(L)
28 When you give it to them, they gather;
when you open your hand, they are well filled.
29 [f]When you hide your face, they panic.
Take away their breath, they perish
and return to the dust.(M)
30 Send forth your spirit, they are created
and you renew the face of the earth.
VII
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord be glad in his works!
32 Who looks at the earth and it trembles,
touches the mountains and they smoke!(N)
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.(O)
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him;
I will rejoice in the Lord.
35 May sinners vanish from the earth,
and the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, my soul! Hallelujah![g]
Footnotes
- Psalm 104 A hymn praising God who easily and skillfully made rampaging waters and primordial night into a world vibrant with life. The psalmist describes God’s splendor in the heavens (Ps 104:1–4), how the chaotic waters were tamed to fertilize and feed the world (Ps 104:5–18), and how primordial night was made into a gentle time of refreshment (Ps 104:19–23). The picture is like Gn 1:1–2: a dark and watery chaos is made dry and lighted so that creatures might live. The psalmist reacts to the beauty of creation with awe (Ps 104:24–34). May sin not deface God’s work (Ps 104:35)!
- 104:3 Your chambers upon the waters: God’s heavenly dwelling above the upper waters of the sky, cf. Gn 1:6–7; Ps 29:10.
- 104:5–9 God places the gigantic disk of the earth securely on its foundation and then, as a warrior, chases away the enveloping waters and confines them under, above, and around the earth.
- 104:16–18 Even the exotic flora and fauna of the high mountains of the Lebanon range receive adequate water.
- 104:26 Leviathan: a sea monster symbolizing primeval chaos, cf. Ps 74:14; Is 27:1; Jb 40:25. God does not destroy chaos but makes it part of the created order.
- 104:29–30 On one level, the spirit (or wind) of God is the fall and winter rains that provide food for all creatures. On another, it is the breath (or spirit) of God that makes beings live.
- 104:35 Hallelujah: a frequent word in the last third of the Psalter. The word combines the plural imperative of praise (hallelu) with an abbreviated form of the divine name Yah(weh).
Psalmi 104
Biblija: suvremeni hrvatski prijevod
Zahvala Bogu, stvoritelju i skrbniku
104 Slavi BOGA, dušo moja!
Kako si velik, o BOŽE moj!
Odjenuo si slavu i veličanstvo.
2 Svjetlost si kao ogrtač ogrnuo.
Nebesa razastireš kao šator.
3 Na nebeskim vodama postavljaš svoje odaje.
Od oblaka praviš svoja kola.
Putuješ na krilima vjetra.
4 Vjetrove koristiš kao glasnike
i vatrene munje kao sluge.
5 Zemlju si na temelje postavio
i nikada se neće poljuljati.
6 Pokrio si je dubokim morima,
vode su se podigle iznad planina.
7 Zaprijetio si vodama i one su pobjegle,
kad si zagrmio, brzo su se povukle.
8 S planina su u doline otekle,
do mjesta koje si im odredio.
9 Postavio si im granicu koju prijeći ne smiju,
da ponovo zemlju ne prekriju.
10 Ti vode iz izvora izlijevaš u klance
pa između planina teku,
11 napajaju svaku divlju životinju.
Divlji magarci gase žeđ,
12 a ptice se pokraj gnijezde,
pjevaju među granama.
13 Iz svojih nebeskih odaja planine natapaš,
zemlja je puna plodova tvoga rada.
14 Ti daješ travu za stoku,
i biljke na korist ljudima,
da stvaraju hranu iz zemlje:
15 vino, koje razveseljuje srce,
ulje, od kojeg se sjaji lice,
i kruh, koji osnažuje tijelo[a].
16 Vodom se natapaju BOŽJA stabla,
libanonski cedrovi koje on posadi.
17 Na njima vrapci grade gnijezda,
a rode svoj dom na jelama.
18 Visoke planine utočište su divokozama,
a stijene planinskim zečevima.
19 Stvorio si mjesec da određuje razdoblja,
sunce zna kada je vrijeme zalaska.
20 Ti spuštaš tamu i pada noć
kad izlaze sve šumske životinje.
21 Lavovi riču za plijenom,
kao da hranu od Boga traže.
22 Kad sunce izađe, oni se povlače
i liježu u svoje jazbine.
23 Tada čovjek ide na posao
i radi do večeri.
24 BOŽE, toliko toga si stvorio!
Sve si mudro učinio.
Puna je zemlja tvojih stvorenja.
25 Gle more, tako je veliko i široko,
vrvi od stvorenja bezbrojnih,
bića malih i velikih.
26 Po njemu plove lađe,
u njemu se igra Levijatan[b],
morska neman koju si stvorio.
27 Svi oni čekaju na tebe,
da im daš hranu u pravo vrijeme.
28 Kad im daješ, oni sabiru,
kad otvoriš ruku, site se dobrima.
29 Kad se od njih okreneš,
oni se uplaše.
Kad im oduzmeš dah[c], oni ugibaju
i u prah se vraćaju.
30 A kad pošalješ svoj dah[d], oni nastaju,
i tako obnavljaš zemlju.
31 Neka BOŽJA slava zauvijek traje!
Neka se BOG u svojim djelima raduje!
32 Kad on zemlju pogleda, ona zadrhti,
kad planine dotakne, one se zadime.
33 Dok sam živ, BOGU ću pjevati,
dok me bude, BOGA ću slaviti.
34 Neka mu se svide moje misli
jer zbog BOGA sam radostan.
35 Neka grešnici nestanu sa zemlje
i neka više ne bude zlih ljudi.
Slavi BOGA, dušo moja!
Slavi BOGA!
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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