Add parallel Print Page Options

Psalm 103

Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness

Of David.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name.(A)
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and do not forget all his benefits—
who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,(B)
who redeems your life from the Pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,(C)
who satisfies you with good as long as you live[a]
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord works vindication
    and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
    his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.(D)
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.(E)
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.(F)
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;(G)
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far he removes our transgressions from us.(H)
13 As a father has compassion for his children,
    so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.(I)
14 For he knows how we were made;
    he remembers that we are dust.(J)

15 As for mortals, their days are like grass;
    they flourish like a flower of the field;(K)
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
    and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
    on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
    and remember to do his commandments.(L)

19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
    and his kingdom rules over all.(M)
20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    obedient to his spoken word.(N)
21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
    his ministers who do his will.(O)
22 Bless the Lord, all his works,
    in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.

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,(P)
    wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent;(Q)
    you set the beams of your[b] chambers on the waters;
you make the clouds your[c] chariot;
    you ride on the wings of the wind;(R)
you make the winds your[d] messengers,
    fire and flame your[e] ministers.(S)

You set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it shall never be shaken.(T)
You cover it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.(U)
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.(V)
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they might not again cover the earth.(W)

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

14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle
    and plants for people to cultivate,
to bring forth food from the earth(AB)
15     and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine
    and bread to strengthen the human heart.(AC)
16 The trees of the field[g] 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.(AD)
19 You have made the moon to mark the seasons;
    the sun knows its time for setting.(AE)
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
    when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.(AF)
21 The young lions roar for their prey,
    seeking their food from God.(AG)
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.(AH)

24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
    In wisdom you have made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.(AI)
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.(AJ)

27 These all look to you
    to give them their food in due season;(AK)
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.(AL)
30 When you send forth your spirit,[h] they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.(AM)

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works—(AN)
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke.(AO)
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.(AP)
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!(AQ)

Footnotes

  1. 103.5 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 104.3 Heb his
  3. 104.3 Heb his
  4. 104.4 Heb his
  5. 104.4 Heb his
  6. 104.12 Heb By them
  7. 104.16 Gk: Heb trees of the Lord
  8. 104.30 Or your breath

Psalm 103

Of David.

Praise the Lord,(A) my soul;(B)
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.(C)
Praise the Lord,(D) my soul,
    and forget not(E) all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins(F)
    and heals(G) all your diseases,
who redeems your life(H) from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,(I)
who satisfies(J) your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed(K) like the eagle’s.(L)

The Lord works righteousness(M)
    and justice for all the oppressed.(N)

He made known(O) his ways(P) to Moses,
    his deeds(Q) to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,(R)
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;(S)
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve(T)
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love(U) for those who fear him;(V)
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions(W) from us.

13 As a father has compassion(X) on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,(Y)
    he remembers that we are dust.(Z)
15 The life of mortals is like grass,(AA)
    they flourish like a flower(AB) of the field;
16 the wind blows(AC) over it and it is gone,
    and its place(AD) remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children(AE)
18 with those who keep his covenant(AF)
    and remember(AG) to obey his precepts.(AH)

19 The Lord has established his throne(AI) in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules(AJ) over all.

20 Praise the Lord,(AK) you his angels,(AL)
    you mighty ones(AM) who do his bidding,(AN)
    who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,(AO)
    you his servants(AP) who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works(AQ)
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.(AR)

Psalm 104

Praise the Lord, my soul.(AS)

Lord my God, you are very great;
    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.(AT)

The Lord wraps(AU) himself in light(AV) as with a garment;
    he stretches(AW) out the heavens(AX) like a tent(AY)
    and lays the beams(AZ) of his upper chambers on their waters.(BA)
He makes the clouds(BB) his chariot(BC)
    and rides on the wings of the wind.(BD)
He makes winds his messengers,[a](BE)
    flames of fire(BF) his servants.

He set the earth(BG) on its foundations;(BH)
    it can never be moved.
You covered it(BI) with the watery depths(BJ) as with a garment;
    the waters stood(BK) above the mountains.
But at your rebuke(BL) the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder(BM) they took to flight;
they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned(BN) for them.
You set a boundary(BO) they cannot cross;
    never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs(BP) pour water into the ravines;
    it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water(BQ) to all the beasts of the field;
    the wild donkeys(BR) quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky(BS) nest by the waters;
    they sing among the branches.(BT)
13 He waters the mountains(BU) from his upper chambers;(BV)
    the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.(BW)
14 He makes grass grow(BX) for the cattle,
    and plants for people to cultivate—
    bringing forth food(BY) from the earth:
15 wine(BZ) that gladdens human hearts,
    oil(CA) to make their faces shine,
    and bread that sustains(CB) their hearts.
16 The trees of the Lord(CC) are well watered,
    the cedars of Lebanon(CD) that he planted.
17 There the birds(CE) make their nests;
    the stork has its home in the junipers.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;(CF)
    the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.(CG)

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,(CH)
    and the sun(CI) knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness,(CJ) it becomes night,(CK)
    and all the beasts of the forest(CL) prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey(CM)
    and seek their food from God.(CN)
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
    they return and lie down in their dens.(CO)
23 Then people go out to their work,(CP)
    to their labor until evening.(CQ)

24 How many are your works,(CR) Lord!
    In wisdom you made(CS) them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.(CT)
25 There is the sea,(CU) vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.(CV)
26 There the ships(CW) go to and fro,
    and Leviathan,(CX) which you formed to frolic(CY) there.(CZ)

27 All creatures look to you
    to give them their food(DA) at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied(DB) with good things.
29 When you hide your face,(DC)
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.(DD)
30 When you send your Spirit,(DE)
    they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the Lord(DF) endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works(DG)
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,(DH)
    who touches the mountains,(DI) and they smoke.(DJ)

33 I will sing(DK) to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice(DL) in the Lord.
35 But may sinners vanish(DM) from the earth
    and the wicked be no more.(DN)

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Praise the Lord.[b](DO)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 104:4 Or angels
  2. Psalm 104:35 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105.

Proclaiming Christ Crucified

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the testimony[a] of God to you with superior speech or wisdom.(A) For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were made not with persuasive words of wisdom[b] but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,(B) so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

The True Wisdom of God

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are being destroyed.(C) But we speak God’s wisdom, a hidden mystery, which God decreed before the ages for our glory and which none of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—(D)

10 God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.(E) 11 For what human knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God.(F) 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.[c](G)

14 Those who are unspiritual[d] do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.(H) 15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.

16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord
    so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.(I)

Footnotes

  1. 2.1 Other ancient authorities read mystery
  2. 2.4 Other ancient authorities read the persuasiveness of wisdom
  3. 2.13 Or interpreting spiritual things spiritually or comparing spiritual things with spiritual
  4. 2.14 Or natural

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom(A) as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.(B) I came to you(C) in weakness(D) with great fear and trembling.(E) My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,(F) but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,(G) so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.(H)

God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature,(I) but not the wisdom of this age(J) or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.(K) No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery(L) that has been hidden(M) and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age(N) understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.(O) However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”[b]
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—(P)

10 these are the things God has revealed(Q) to us by his Spirit.(R)

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts(S) except their own spirit(T) within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit(U) of the world,(V) but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom(W) but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[c] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God(X) but considers them foolishness,(Y) and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit(Z) makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord
    so as to instruct him?”[d](AA)

But we have the mind of Christ.(AB)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 2:1 Some manuscripts proclaimed to you God’s mystery
  2. 1 Corinthians 2:9 Isaiah 64:4
  3. 1 Corinthians 2:13 Or Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual
  4. 1 Corinthians 2:16 Isaiah 40:13