Psalms 104
1 To David himself. Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are exceedingly great. You have clothed yourself with confession and beauty;
Give praise to the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are robed with honour and power.
2 you are dressed with light like a garment, while you stretch out heaven like a tent.
You are clothed with light as with a robe; stretching out the heavens like a curtain:
3 You cover its heights with water. You set the clouds as your stairs. You walk upon the wings of the winds.
The arch of your house is based on the waters; you make the clouds your carriage; you go on the wings of the wind:
4 You make your Angels a breath of life, and your ministers a burning fire.
He makes winds his angels, and flames of fire his servants.
5 You founded the earth upon its stable base. It will not be bent from age to age.
He has made the earth strong on its bases, so that it may not be moved for ever and ever;
6 The abyss, like a garment, is its clothing. The waters will remain standing above the mountains.
Covering it with the sea as with a robe: the waters were high over the mountains;
7 At your rebuke, they will flee. At the voice of your thunder, they will dread.
At the voice of your word they went in flight; at the sound of your thunder they went away in fear;
8 The mountains ascend, and the plains descend, to the place which you have founded for them.
The mountains came up and the valleys went down into the place which you had made ready for them.
9 You have set a limit that they will not cross. And they will not return to cover the earth.
You made a limit over which they might not go, so that the earth would never again be covered by them.
10 You spring forth fountains in steep valleys. The waters will cross through the midst of the mountains.
You sent the springs into the valleys; they are flowing between the hills.
11 All the wild beasts of the field will drink. The wild donkeys will anticipate in their thirst.
They give drink to every beast of the field; the mountain asses come to them for water.
12 Above them, the flying things of the air will dwell. From the midst of the rocks, they will utter voices.
The birds of the air have their resting-places by them, and make their song among the branches.
13 You irrigate the mountains from your heights. The earth will be satiated from the fruit of your works,
He sends down rain from his store-houses on the hills: the earth is full of the fruit of his works.
14 producing grass for cattle and herbs for the service of men. So may you draw bread from the earth,
He makes the grass come up for the cattle, and plants for the use of man; so that bread may come out of the earth;
15 and wine, in order to cheer the heart of man. Then he may gladden his face with oil, and bread will confirm the heart of man.
And wine to make glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face shining, and bread giving strength to his heart.
16 The trees of the field will be saturated, along with the cedars of Lebanon, which he planted.
The trees of the Lord are full of growth, the cedars of Lebanon of his planting;
17 There, the sparrows will make their nests. The leader of them is the house of the heron.
Where the birds have their resting-places; as for the stork, the tall trees are her house.
18 The heights of the hills are for the deer; the rock is a refuge for the hedgehog.
The high hills are a safe place for the mountain goats, and the rocks for the small beasts.
19 He has made the moon for seasons; the sun knows its setting.
He made the moon for a sign of the divisions of the year; teaching the sun the time of its going down.
20 You appointed darkness, and it has become night; all the beasts of the forest will cross through it.
When you make it dark, it is night, when all the beasts of the woods come quietly out of their secret places.
21 The young lions will roar, while searching for and seizing their meal from God.
The young lions go thundering after their food; searching for their meat from God.
22 The sun arose, and they were gathered together; and in their dens, they will lie down together.
The sun comes up, and they come together, and go back to their secret places to take their rest.
23 Man will go forth to his work and to his activities, until the evening.
Man goes out to his work, and to his business, till the evening.
24 How great are your works, O Lord! You have made all things in wisdom. The earth has been filled with your possessions.
O Lord, how great is the number of your works! in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of the things you have made.
25 This sea is great and its hands are spacious. There are creeping things without number: the small animals with the great.
There is the great, wide sea, where there are living things, great and small, more than may be numbered.
26 There, the ships will pass by this sea-serpent that you have formed to mock them.
There go the ships; there is that great beast, which you have made as a plaything.
27 All these expect you to give them food in due time.
All of them are waiting for you, to give them their food in its time.
28 What you give to them, they will gather. When you open your hand, they will all be filled with goodness.
They take what you give them; they are full of the good things which come from your open hand.
29 But if you turn your face away, they will be disturbed. You will take away their breath, and they will fail, and they will return to their dust.
If your face is veiled, they are troubled; when you take away their breath, they come to an end, and go back to the dust.
30 You will send forth your Spirit, and they will be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.
If you send out your spirit, they are given life; you make new the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of the Lord be for all ages. The Lord will rejoice in his works.
Let the glory of the Lord be for ever; let the Lord have joy in his works:
32 He considers the earth, and he makes it tremble. He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
At whose look the earth is shaking; at whose touch the mountains send out smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord with my life. I will sing psalms to my God, as long as I am.
I will make songs to the Lord all my life; I will make melody to my God while I have my being.
34 May my speech be pleasing to him. Truly, I will take delight in the Lord.
Let my thoughts be sweet to him: I will be glad in the Lord.
35 Let sinners fade away from the earth, along with the unjust, so that they may not be. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Let sinners be cut off from the earth, and let all evil-doers come to an end. Give praise to the Lord, O my soul. Give praise to the Lord.
