Psalms 104

1 My soule, prayse thou the Lord: O Lord my God, thou art exceeding great, thou art clothed with glorie and honour.

[I tell] myself that I should praise Yahweh. Yahweh, my God, you are very great! Like a king has on his royal robes [MET], you have honor and majesty/greatness all around you!

2 Which couereth himselfe with light as with a garment, and spreadeth the heauens like a curtaine.

You [created/caused] light to be like your robe [MET]. You spread out the sky like [a man sets up] a tent.

3 Which layeth the beames of his chambers in the waters, and maketh the cloudes his chariot, and walketh vpon the wings of the winde.

You made/put your home [in heaven], above the rain clouds in the sky, [like a man puts the] rafters of his house in place [MET]. You made/caused the clouds to be like chariots [to carry you].

4 Which maketh his spirits his messengers, and a flaming fire his ministers.

You caused the winds to be [like] your messengers [MET], and flames of fire to be [like] your servants.

5 He set the earth vpon her foundations, so that it shall neuer moue.

You placed the world firmly on its foundation so that it can never be moved/shaken.

6 Thou coueredst it with the deepe as with a garment: the waters woulde stand aboue the mountaines.

[Later], you covered the earth with a flood, like a blanket, with the water that covered the mountains.

7 But at thy rebuke they flee: at the voyce of thy thunder they haste away.

[But] when you rebuked the water, the oceans receded; your voice spoke like thunder, and then the waters rushed away.

8 And the mountaines ascend, and the valleis descend to the place which thou hast established for them.

Mountains rose up [from the water], and the valleys sank down to the levels that you had determined for them.

9 But thou hast set them a bounde, which they shall not passe: they shall not returne to couer the earth.

[Then] you set a boundary for the oceans, a boundary that they cannot cross; their water will never again cover the [whole] earth.

10 He sendeth the springs into the valleis, which runne betweene the mountaines.

You make/cause springs to pour [water] into ravines; their [water] flows down between the mountains.

11 They shall giue drinke to all the beasts of the fielde, and the wilde asses shall quench their thirst.

Those [streams] provide water for all the animals [to drink]; the wild donkeys [drink the water and] are no longer thirsty.

12 By these springs shall the foules of the heauen dwell, and sing among the branches.

Birds make their nests alongside [the streams], and they sing among the branches [of the trees].

13 He watereth the mountaines from his chambers, and the earth is filled with the fruite of thy workes.

From (your home in heaven/the sky) you send rain down on the mountains, and you fill the earth with many good things that you create.

14 He causeth grasse to growe for the cattell, and herbe for the vse of man, that he may bring forth bread out of the earth,

You make/cause grass to grow for the cattle [to eat], and you make/cause plants to grow for people. In that way [animals and people] get their food from [what grows in] the soil.

15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oyle to make the face to shine, and bread that strengtheneth mans heart.

We get [grapes to make] [MTY] wine to [drink and] make us cheerful, and we get [olives to make] [MTY] olive oil to [put on our] skin and cause it to shine, and we get [grain to make] [MTY] bread to give us strength.

16 The high trees are satisfied, euen the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted,

Yahweh, you [send plenty of rain to] water your trees, the cedar [trees] that you planted in Lebanon.

17 That ye birdes may make their nestes there: the storke dwelleth in the firre trees.

Birds make their nests in those [trees]; even storks make their nests in pine/fir trees.

18 The high mountaines are for the goates: the rockes are a refuge for the conies.

High up in the mountains the wild goats live, and hyraxes/badgers live in the crags/crevices in the rocks.

19 He appoynted the moone for certaine seasons: the sunne knoweth his going downe.

[Yahweh], you made the moon to indicate the times for our festivals, and you made the sun that knows when to go down.

20 Thou makest darkenesse, and it is night, wherein all the beastes of the forest creepe forth.

You bring darkness, and it becomes night, when all the animals in the forest prowl around, [looking for food].

21 The lions roare after their praye, and seeke their meate at God.

At night the young lions roar as they seek their prey, [but] they depend on you to give them food.

22 When the sunne riseth, they retire, and couche in their dennes.

At dawn, they go back to their dens and lie down.

23 Then goeth man forth to his worke, and to his labour vntill the euening.

And during the daytime, people go to their work; they work until it is evening.

24 O Lord, howe manifolde are thy workes! in wisdome hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Yahweh, you have made so many different kinds of things! You were [very] wise as you made them all. The earth is full of the creatures that you [made].

25 So is this sea great and wide: for therein are things creeping innumerable, both small beastes and great.

[We see] the ocean which is very large [DOU]! It is full of many kinds of living creatures, big ones and little ones.

26 There goe the shippes, yea, that Liuiathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

We see the ships which sail along! We see the huge sea monster, which you made to (splash around/play) in the sea.

27 All these waite vpon thee, that thou maiest giue them foode in due season.

All of those creatures depend on you to give them the food that they need.

28 Thou giuest it to them, and they gather it: thou openest thine hand, and they are filled with good things.

When you give them the food that they need, they gather it. You give them what you have in your hand, and they [eat it and] are satisfied.

29 But if thou hide thy face, they are troubled: if thou take away their breath, they dye and returne to their dust.

[But] if you refuse to give food to them, they become terrified. And when you cause them to stop breathing, they die; their bodies [decay and] become soil again.

30 Againe if thou send forth thy spirit, they are created, and thou renuest the face of the earth.

When you cause newborn creatures to begin to breathe, they start to live; you give new life to all the living creatures on the earth.

31 Glory be to the Lord for euer: let the Lord reioyce in his workes.

I want the glory of Yahweh to last forever. I want him to rejoice about [all] the things that he has created.

32 He looketh on the earth and it trembleth: he toucheth the mountaines, and they smoke.

He causes the earth to shake [just] by looking at it! By [merely] touching the mountains he makes/causes them to pour out fire and smoke!

33 I will sing vnto the Lord all my life: I will prayse my God, while I liue.

I will sing to Yahweh (as long as I live/throughout my entire life). I will praise my God until the day that I die.

34 Let my wordes be acceptable vnto him: I will reioyce in the Lord.

I want Yahweh to be pleased by all those things that I have thought [about him], because I rejoice about [knowing] him.

35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and the wicked till there be no more: O my soule, prayse thou the Lord. Prayse ye the Lord.

[But] I desire that sinners will disappear from the earth, so that there will be no more wicked [people]! [But as for] me, I will praise Yahweh! (Praise him/Hallelujah)!