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Psalm 104

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

O Lord my God, how great you are!
    You are robed with honor and majesty.
    You are dressed in a robe of light.
You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
    you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot;
    you ride upon the wings of the wind.
The winds are your messengers;
    flames of fire are your servants.[a]

You placed the world on its foundation
    so it would never be moved.
You clothed the earth with floods of water,
    water that covered even the mountains.
At your command, the water fled;
    at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.
Mountains rose and valleys sank
    to the levels you decreed.
Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,
    so they would never again cover the earth.

10 You make springs pour water into the ravines,
    so streams gush down from the mountains.
11 They provide water for all the animals,
    and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds nest beside the streams
    and sing among the branches of the trees.
13 You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,
    and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
14 You cause grass to grow for the livestock
    and plants for people to use.
You allow them to produce food from the earth—
15     wine to make them glad,
olive oil to soothe their skin,
    and bread to give them strength.
16 The trees of the Lord are well cared for—
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests,
    and the storks make their homes in the cypresses.
18 High in the mountains live the wild goats,
    and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes.[b]

19 You made the moon to mark the seasons,
    and the sun knows when to set.
20 You send the darkness, and it becomes night,
    when all the forest animals prowl about.
21 Then the young lions roar for their prey,
    stalking the food provided by God.
22 At dawn they slink back
    into their dens to rest.
23 Then people go off to their work,
    where they labor until evening.

24 O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
    In wisdom you have made them all.
    The earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
    teeming with life of every kind,
    both large and small.
26 See the ships sailing along,
    and Leviathan,[c] which you made to play in the sea.

27 They all depend on you
    to give them food as they need it.
28 When you supply it, they gather it.
    You open your hand to feed them,
    and they are richly satisfied.
29 But if you turn away from them, they panic.
    When you take away their breath,
    they die and turn again to dust.
30 When you give them your breath,[d] life is created,
    and you renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord continue forever!
    The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!
32 The earth trembles at his glance;
    the mountains smoke at his touch.

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
    I will praise my God to my last breath!
34 May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;
    let the wicked disappear forever.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. 104:4 Greek version reads He sends his angels like the winds, / his servants like flames of fire. Compare Heb 1:7.
  2. 104:18 Or coneys, or rock badgers.
  3. 104:26 The identification of Leviathan is disputed, ranging from an earthly creature to a mythical sea monster in ancient literature.
  4. 104:30 Or When you send your Spirit.

Davidic[a]

Praise God, who Creates

104 Bless the Lord, my soul;
    Lord, my God, you are very great.
You are clothed in splendor and majesty;
you are wrapped in light like a garment,
        stretching out the sky like a curtain.

He lays the beams of his roof loft on the water above,[b]
    making clouds his chariot,
        walking on the wings of the wind.
He makes the winds his messengers,
    blazing fires his servants.
He established the earth on its foundations,
    so that it never falters.

You covered the primeval ocean like a garment;
    the water stood above the mountains.
They flee at your rebuke;
    they rush away at the sound of your thunders.
Mountains rise up and valleys sink
    to the place you have ordained for them.
You have set a boundary they cannot cross;
    they will never again cover the earth.

10 He causes springs to gush forth into rivers
    that flow between the[c] mountains.
11 They give water[d] for animals of the field to drink;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 Birds of the sky live beside them
    and chirp a song[e] among the foliage.

13 He waters the mountains from his heavenly rooms;
    the earth is satisfied from the fruit of your work.
14 He causes grass to sprout for the cattle
    and plants for people to cultivate,
        to produce food from the land,
15 like wine that makes the heart of people[f] happy,
    oil that makes the face glow,
        and food[g] that sustains people.[h]

16 The loftiest trees[i] are satisfied,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted,
17 the birds build their nests there,
    and the heron builds[j] its nest among the evergreen.
18 The high mountains are for wild goats;
    the cliffs are a refuge for the rock badger.

19 He made the moon to mark time;[k]
    the sun knows its setting time.
20 You bring darkness and it becomes night;
    when every beast of the forest prowls.
21 Young lions roar for prey,
    seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they[l] gather
    and lie down in their dens.
23 People go out to their work
    and labor until evening.

24 How numerous are your works, Lord!
    You have made them all wisely;
        the earth is filled with your creations.[m]
25 There is the deep and wide sea,
    teeming with numberless creatures,
        living things small and great.
26 There, the ships pass through;
    Leviathan, which you created, frolics in it.

27 All of them look to you
    to provide them[n] their food at the proper time.
28 They receive what you give them;
    when you open your hand,
        they are filled with good things.
29 When you withdraw your favor,[o]
    they are disappointed;
Take away their breath,
    and[p] they die[q] and return to dust.
30 When you send your spirit,[r] they are[s] created,
    and you replenish the surface of the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord last forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works!
32 He looks at the earth and it shakes;
    he touches the mountains and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord with my whole being;[t]
    I will sing to my God continually!
34 May my thoughts be pleasing to him;
    indeed, I will rejoice in the Lord!
35 May sinners disappear from the land
    and the wicked live no longer.

Bless the Lord, my soul! Hallelujah!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 104:1 So LXX DSS 4QPsa 11QPsa; MT DSS 4QPsd lack this line
  2. Psalm 104:3 The Heb. lacks above
  3. Psalm 104:10 So LXX DSS 4QPsd; the Heb. lacks the
  4. Psalm 104:11 The Heb. lacks water
  5. Psalm 104:12 Lit. and they give a voice
  6. Psalm 104:15 Lit. man
  7. Psalm 104:15 Or bread
  8. Psalm 104:15 Lit. heart of man
  9. Psalm 104:16 Lit. trees of the Lord
  10. Psalm 104:17 The Heb. lacks builds
  11. Psalm 104:19 Lit. for an appointed time
  12. Psalm 104:22 So MT; LXX DSS 4QPsd 11QPsa read and they
  13. Psalm 104:24 Lit. acquisitions
  14. Psalm 104:27 So LXX DSS 11QPsa; the Heb. lacks them
  15. Psalm 104:29 Lit. you conceal your face
  16. Psalm 104:29 So MT; LXX DSS 11QPsa read then
  17. Psalm 104:29 So MT DSS 11QPsa; LXX reads they will fail
  18. Psalm 104:30 Or breath
  19. Psalm 104:30 So MT; LXX reads they will be; DSS 11QPsa reads then they are
  20. Psalm 104:33 Lit. with my life