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, Jehovah! Jehovah, my God, Thou hast been very great, Honour and majesty Thou hast put on.
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 hath founded earth on its bases, It is not moved to the age and for ever.
6 [Later], you covered the earth with a flood, like a blanket, with the water that covered the mountains.
The abyss! as with clothing Thou hast covered it, Above hills do waters stand.
7 [But] when you rebuked the water, the oceans receded; your voice spoke like thunder, and then the waters rushed away.
From Thy rebuke they flee, From the voice of Thy thunder haste away.
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, Unto a place Thou hast 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.
A border Thou hast set, they pass not over, They turn not back to cover the earth.
10 You make/cause springs to pour [water] into ravines; their [water] flows down between the mountains.
Who is sending forth fountains in valleys, Between hills they go on.
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 asses break their thirst.
12 Birds make their nests alongside [the streams], and they sing among the branches [of the trees].
By them the fowl of the heavens doth dwell, 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, From the fruit of Thy works is the earth satisfied.
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 cattle, 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 rejoiceth the heart of man, To cause the face to shine from oil, And bread — the heart of man it supporteth.
16 Yahweh, you [send plenty of rain to] water your trees, the cedar [trees] that you planted in Lebanon.
Satisfied [are] the trees of Jehovah, Cedars of Lebanon that He hath planted,
17 Birds make their nests in those [trees]; even storks make their nests in pine/fir trees.
Where birds do 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 conies,
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 hath 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].
Thou settest darkness, and it is night, In it doth every beast of the forest creep.
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 from God their food.
22 At dawn, they go back to their dens and lie down.
The sun riseth, they are gathered, And in their dens they crouch.
23 And during the daytime, people go to their work; they work until it is evening.
Man goeth forth to his work, And to his service — 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 many have been Thy works, O Jehovah, All of them in wisdom Thou hast made, Full is the earth of thy 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 do ships go: leviathan, That Thou hast formed to play in it.
27 All of those creatures depend on you to give them the food that they need.
All of them unto Thee do look, 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.
Thou dost give to them — they gather, Thou dost open Thy 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.
Thou hidest Thy face — they are troubled, Thou gatherest their spirit — they expire, And unto their dust they turn back.
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.
Thou sendest out Thy Spirit, they are created, And Thou renewest 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 honour of Jehovah is to the age, Jehovah rejoiceth 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 trembleth, He cometh 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 Jehovah 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.
Sweet is my meditation on Him, I — I do rejoice in Jehovah.
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)!
Consumed are sinners from the earth, And the wicked are no more. Bless, O my soul, Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah!
