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!
Bless, O my soul, YHWH! YHWH, my God, You have been very great, You have put on splendor and majesty.
2 You [created/caused] light to be like your robe [MET]. You spread out the sky like [a man sets up] a tent.
Covering Himself [with] light as a garment, Stretching out the heavens 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 is laying the beam of His upper chambers in the waters, Who is making thick clouds His chariot, Who is walking on wings of wind,
4 You caused the winds to be [like] your messengers [MET], and flames of fire to be [like] your servants.
Making His messengers—the winds, His ministers—the flaming fire.
5 You placed the world firmly on its foundation so that it can never be moved/shaken.
He has founded earth on its bases, It is not moved for all time and forever.
6 [Later], you covered the earth with a flood, like a blanket, with the water that covered the mountains.
The abyss! You have covered it as with clothing, Waters stand above hills.
7 [But] when you rebuked the water, the oceans receded; your voice spoke like thunder, and then the waters rushed away.
They flee from Your rebuke, They hurry away from the voice of Your thunder.
8 Mountains rose up [from the water], and the valleys sank down to the levels that you had determined for them.
They go up hills—they go down valleys, To a place 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 border, they do not pass over, They do not turn back to cover the earth.
10 You make/cause springs to pour [water] into ravines; their [water] flows down between the mountains.
He is sending forth fountains in valleys, They go on between hills.
11 Those [streams] provide water for all the animals [to drink]; the wild donkeys [drink the water and] are no longer thirsty.
They water every beast of the field, Wild donkeys break their thirst.
12 Birds make their nests alongside [the streams], and they sing among the branches [of the trees].
The bird of the heavens dwells by them, From between the branches They give forth the voice.
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.
Watering hills from His upper chambers, The earth is satisfied from 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.
Causing grass to spring up for livestock, And herb for the service of man, To bring forth bread from 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—it makes the heart of man glad, To cause the face to shine from oil, And bread—it supports the heart of man.
16 Yahweh, you [send plenty of rain to] water your trees, the cedar [trees] that you planted in Lebanon.
The trees of YHWH [are] satisfied, Cedars of Lebanon that He has planted,
17 Birds make their nests in those [trees]; even storks make their nests in pine/fir trees.
Where birds make nests, The stork—the firs [are] her house.
18 High up in the mountains the wild goats live, and hyraxes/badgers live in the crags/crevices in the rocks.
The high hills [are] for wild goats, rocks [are] a refuge for hyraxes,
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 made the moon for seasons, The sun has known his place of entrance.
20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night, when all the animals in the forest prowl around, [looking for food].
You set darkness, and it is night, Every beast of the forest creeps in it.
21 At night the young lions roar as they seek their prey, [but] they depend on you to give them food.
The young lions are roaring for prey, And to seek their food from God.
22 At dawn, they go back to their dens and lie down.
The sun rises, they are gathered, And they crouch in their dens.
23 And during the daytime, people go to their work; they work until it is evening.
Man goes forth to his work, And to his service—until 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 many have been Your works, O YHWH, You have made all of them in wisdom, The earth is full of your possessions.
25 [We see] the ocean which is very large [DOU]! It is full of many kinds of living creatures, big ones and little ones.
This, the sea, great and broad of sides, There [are] moving things—innumerable, Living creatures—small with 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 ships go—[and] leviathan, That You have formed to play in it.
27 All of those creatures depend on you to give them the food that they need.
All of them look to You, To give their food in its 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.
You give to them—they gather, You open Your hand—they [are] satisfied [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.
You hide Your face—they are troubled, You gather their spirit—they expire, And they 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 send out Your Spirit, they are created, And You renew the face of the ground.
31 I want the glory of Yahweh to last forever. I want him to rejoice about [all] the things that he has created.
The glory of YHWH is for all time, YHWH rejoices 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 is looking to earth, and it trembles, He comes against hills, 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 sing to YHWH during my life, I 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.
My meditation on Him is sweet, I rejoice in YHWH.
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)!
Sinners are consumed from the earth, And the wicked are no more. Bless, O my soul, YHWH. Praise YAH!
