Psalms 104
1 [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!
[A Psalm] of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you have clothed yourself with praise and honour:
2 You [created/caused] light to be like your robe [MET]. You spread out the sky like [a man sets up] a tent.
who do robe yourself with light as with a garment; spreading out the heaven as a curtain.
3 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].
Who covers his chambers with waters; who makes the clouds his chariot; who walks on the wings of the wind.
4 You caused the winds to be [like] your messengers [MET], and flames of fire to be [like] your servants.
Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire.
5 You placed the world firmly on its foundation so that it can never be moved/shaken.
Who establishes the earth on her sure foundation: it shall not be moved for ever.
6 [Later], you covered the earth with a flood, like a blanket, with the water that covered the mountains.
The deep, as it were a garment, is his covering: the waters shall stand on the hills.
7 [But] when you rebuked the water, the oceans receded; your voice spoke like thunder, and then the waters rushed away.
At your rebuke they shall flee; at the voice of your thunder they shall be alarmed.
8 Mountains rose up [from the water], and the valleys sank down to the levels that you had determined for them.
They go up to the mountains, and down to the plains, to the place which you have founded for them.
9 [Then] you set a boundary for the oceans, a boundary that they cannot cross; their water will never again cover the [whole] earth.
You have set a bound which they shall not pass, neither shall they turn again to cover the earth.
10 You make/cause springs to pour [water] into ravines; their [water] flows down between the mountains.
He sends forth his fountains amongst the valleys: the waters shall run between the mountains.
11 Those [streams] provide water for all the animals [to drink]; the wild donkeys [drink the water and] are no longer thirsty.
They shall give drink to all the wild beasts of the field: the wild asses shall take [of them] to [quench] their thirst.
12 Birds make their nests alongside [the streams], and they sing among the branches [of the trees].
By them shall the birds of the sky lodge: they shall utter a voice out of the midst of the rocks.
13 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.
He waters the mountains from his chambers: the earth shall be satisfied with the fruit of your works.
14 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.
He makes grass to grow for the cattle, and green herb for the service of men, to bring bread out of the earth;
15 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.
and wine makes glad the heart of man, to make his face cheerful with oil: and bread strengthens man's heart.
16 Yahweh, you [send plenty of rain to] water your trees, the cedar [trees] that you planted in Lebanon.
The trees of the plain shall be full [of sap]; [even] the cedars of Libanus which he has planted.
17 Birds make their nests in those [trees]; even storks make their nests in pine/fir trees.
There the sparrows will build their nests; and the house of the heron takes the lead amongst them.
18 High up in the mountains the wild goats live, and hyraxes/badgers live in the crags/crevices in the rocks.
The high mountains are a refuge for the stags, [and] the rock for the rabbits.
19 [Yahweh], you made the moon to indicate the times for our festivals, and you made the sun that knows when to go down.
He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knows his going down.
20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night, when all the animals in the forest prowl around, [looking for food].
You did make darkness, and it was night; in it all the wild beasts of the forest will be abroad:
21 At night the young lions roar as they seek their prey, [but] they depend on you to give them food.
[even] young lions roaring for prey, and to seek meat for themselves from God.
22 At dawn, they go back to their dens and lie down.
The sun arises, and they shall be gathered together, and shall lie down in their dens.
23 And during the daytime, people go to their work; they work until it is evening.
Man shall go forth to his work, and to his labour till evening.
24 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].
How great are your works, O Lord! in wisdom have you wrought them all: the earth is filled with your creation.
25 [We see] the ocean which is very large [DOU]! It is full of many kinds of living creatures, big ones and little ones.
[So is] this great and wide sea: there are things creeping innumerable, small animals and great.
26 We see the ships which sail along! We see the huge sea monster, which you made to (splash around/play) in the sea.
There go the ships; [and] this dragon whom you have made to play in it.
27 All of those creatures depend on you to give them the food that they need.
All wait upon you, to give them [their] food in due season.
28 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.
When you have given [it] them, they will gather [it]; and when you have opened your hand, they shall all be filled with good.
29 [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.
But when you have turned away your face, they shall be troubled: you will take away their breath, and they shall fail, and return to their dust.
30 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.
You shall send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created; and you shall renew the face of the earth.
31 I want the glory of Yahweh to last forever. I want him to rejoice about [all] the things that he has created.
Let the glory of the Lord be for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works;
32 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!
who looks upon the earth, and makes it tremble; who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 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.
I will sing to the Lord while I live; I will sing praise to my God while I exist.
34 I want Yahweh to be pleased by all those things that I have thought [about him], because I rejoice about [knowing] him.
Let my meditation be sweet to him: and I will rejoice in the Lord.
35 [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)!
Let the sinners fail from off the earth, and transgressors, so that they shall be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
