Psalms 104
1 For David himself. Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art exceedingly great. Thou hast put on praise and beauty:
Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great, clad in awful splendour,
2 And art clothed with light as with a garment. Who stretchest out the heaven like a pavilion:
covered with robe of light. You stretch out the heavens like the cloth of a tent.
3 Who coverest the higher rooms thereof with water. Who makest the clouds thy chariot: who walkest upon the wings of the winds.
He lays the beams of his chambers on water. He takes dark clouds for his chariot, and rides on the wings of the wind.
4 Who makest thy angels spirits: and thy ministers a burning fire.
He takes the winds for his messengers, the fire and the flame for his servants.
5 Who hast founded the earth upon its own bases: it shall not be moved for ever and ever.
He founded the earth upon pillars, to sustain it unshaken forever.
6 The deep like a garment is its clothing: above the mountains shall the waters stand.
With the garment of ocean he covered it, waters towered over the mountains.
7 At thy rebuke they shall flee: at the voice of thy thunder they shall fear.
But at your rebuke they fled, scared by the roar of your thunder,
8 The mountains ascend, and the plains descend into the place which thou hast founded for them.
mountains rose, valleys sank down to the place appointed for them.
9 Thou hast set a bound which they shall not pass over; neither shall they return to cover the earth.
They dared not pass the bounds set for them, or cover the earth any more.
10 Thou sendest forth springs in the vales: between the midst of the hills the waters shall pass.
He sent brooks into the valleys, they meander between the mountains.
11 All the beasts of the field shall drink: the wild asses shall expect in their thirst.
The wild beasts all drink from them, and the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 Over them the birds of the air shall dwell: from the midst of the rocks they shall give forth their voices.
The birds have their home by the banks, and sing in the branches.
13 Thou waterest the hills from thy upper rooms: the earth shall be filled with the fruit of thy works:
From his chambers above he gives drink to the mountains, and satisfies earth with the vials of heaven.
14 Bringing forth grass for cattle, and herb for the service of men. That thou mayst bring bread out of the earth:
He makes grass grow for the cattle, and herbs for people. He brings bread out of the earth;
15 And that wine may cheer the heart of man. That he may make the face cheerful with oil: and that bread may strengthen man’s heart.
wine, to gladden hearts; oil, to make faces shine; bread, to strengthen hearts.
16 The trees of the field shall be filled, and the cedars of Libanus which he hath planted:
The trees of the Lord drink their fill the cedars he planted on Lebanon,
17 There the sparrows shall make their nests. The highest of them is the house of the heron.
where the little birds build their nest, and the stork whose home is the cypress.
18 The high hills are a refuge for the harts, the rock for the irchins.
The high hills are for the wild goats, and the rocks are for coneys to hide in.
19 He hath made the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
He created the moon to mark seasons, and told the sun when to set.
20 Thou hast appointed darkness, and it is night: in it shall all the beasts of the woods go about:
You make it dark: night comes, when all the wild beasts creep out.
21 The young lions roaring after their prey, and seeking their meat from God.
Young lions that roar for their prey, seeking their meat from God.
22 The sun ariseth, and they are gathered together: and they shall lie down in their dens.
At sunrise they slink away, and lie down in their dens.
23 Man shall go forth to his work, and to his labour until the evening.
Then people go forth to their work, and toil till evening.
24 How great are thy works, O Lord? thou hast made all things in wisdom: the earth is filled with thy riches.
How many, O Lord, are your works, all of them made in wisdom! The earth is filled with your creatures.
25 So is this great sea, which stretcheth wide its arms: there are creeping things without number: Creatures little and great.
And there is the great broad sea, where are countless things in motion, living creatures, both great and small.
26 There the ships shall go. This sea dragon which thou hast formed to play therein.
There go the ships, and the Leviathan you made to play there.
27 All expect of thee that thou give them food in season.
They all look in hope to you, to give them their food in due season.
28 What thou givest to them they shall gather up: when thou openest thy hand, they shall all be filled with good.
And you give with open hand; they gather and eat to their heart’s desire.
29 But if thou turnest away thy face, they shall be troubled: thou shalt take away their breath, and they shall fail, and shall return to their dust.
When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take their breath away, they die and go back to their dust.
30 Thou shalt send forth thy spirit, and they shall be created: and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
But a breath from your lips creates them, and renews the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.
May the glory of the Lord be forever, may the Lord rejoice in his works.
32 He looketh upon the earth, and maketh it tremble: he toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.
A glance of his makes the earth tremble, a touch of his makes the hills smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
I will sing to the Lord while I live, I will play to my God while I am.
34 Let my speech be acceptable to him: but I will take delight in the Lord.
May my musing be sweet to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, and the unjust, so that they be no more: O my soul, bless thou the Lord.
But may sinners be swept from the earth, and the wicked vanish forever. O my soul, bless the Lord. Hallelujah.
