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104 My soul, praise the Lord!
    Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with glory and honor.
    You wear light like a robe.
You spread out the skies like a curtain.
    You built your home above them.[a]
You use the thick clouds like a chariot
    and ride across the sky on the wings of the wind.
You make the winds your messengers
    and flames of fire your servants.[b]
You built the earth on its foundations,
    so it can never be moved.
You covered it with water like a blanket.
    The water covered even the mountains.
But you gave the command, and the water turned back.
    You shouted at the water, and it rushed away.
The water flowed down from the mountains into the valleys,
    to the places you made for it.
You set the limits for the seas,
    and the water will never again rise to cover the earth.

10 Lord, you cause water to flow from springs into the streams
    that flow down between the mountains.
11 The streams provide water for all the wild animals.
    Even the wild donkeys come there to drink.
12 Wild birds come to live by the pools;
    they sing in the branches of nearby trees.
13 You send rain down on the mountains.
    The earth gets everything it needs from what you have made.
14 You make the grass grow to feed the animals.
    You provide plants for the crops we grow—
    the plants that give us food from the earth.
15 You give us the wine that makes us happy,
    the oil that makes our skin soft,[c]
    and the food that makes us strong.

16 The great cedar trees of Lebanon belong to the Lord.
    He planted them and gives them the water they need.
17 That’s where the birds make their nests,
    and the storks live in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are a home for wild goats.
    The large rocks are hiding places for rock badgers.

19 Lord, you made the moon to show us when the festivals begin.
    And the sun always knows when to set.
20 You made darkness to be the night—
    the time when wild animals come out and roam around.
21 Lions roar as they attack,
    as if they are asking God for the food he gives them.
22 When the sun rises, they leave
    and go back to their dens to rest.
23 Then people go out to do their work,
    and they work until evening.

24 Lord, you created so many things!
    With your wisdom you made them all.
    The earth is full of the living things you made.
25 Look at the ocean, so big and wide!
    It is filled with all kinds of sea life.
    There are creatures large and small—too many to count!
26 Ships sail over the ocean,
    and playing there is Leviathan,[d]
    the great sea creature you made.

27 Lord, all living things depend on you.
    You give them food at the right time.
28 You give it, and they eat it.
    They are filled with good food from your open hands.
29 When you turn away from them,
    they become frightened.
When you take away their breath,[e]
    they die, and their bodies return to the dust.
30 But when you send out your life-giving breath,[f]
    things come alive, and the world is like new again!

31 May the Lord’s glory continue forever!
    May the Lord enjoy what he made.
32 He just looks at the earth, and it trembles.
    He just touches the mountains, and smoke rises from them.

33 I will sing to the Lord for the rest of my life.
    I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
34 May my words be pleasing to him.
    The Lord is the one who makes me happy.
35 I wish sinners would disappear from the earth.
    I wish the wicked would be gone forever.

My soul, praise the Lord!
    Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 104:3 above them Literally, “on the water above.” This is like the picture of the world in Gen. 1. There the sky was like a bowl turned upside down on the earth. There was water below the bowl and water above it.
  2. Psalm 104:4 Or “You make your angels spirits and your servants flames of fire.” This may be a wordplay referring to the Cherub and Seraph angels.
  3. Psalm 104:15 makes our skin soft Literally, “makes our face shine.” This can also mean “makes us happy.”
  4. Psalm 104:26 Leviathan This might mean any large sea animal, like a whale. But it probably means “the sea monster,” the “Dragon,” or “Rahab.” This creature represents the great power of the ocean, the power that God controls.
  5. Psalm 104:29 breath Or “spirit.”
  6. Psalm 104:30 life-giving breath Or “Spirit.”

Psalm 104

Praise the Lord, my soul.(A)

Lord my God, you are very great;
    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.(B)

The Lord wraps(C) himself in light(D) as with a garment;
    he stretches(E) out the heavens(F) like a tent(G)
    and lays the beams(H) of his upper chambers on their waters.(I)
He makes the clouds(J) his chariot(K)
    and rides on the wings of the wind.(L)
He makes winds his messengers,[a](M)
    flames of fire(N) his servants.

He set the earth(O) on its foundations;(P)
    it can never be moved.
You covered it(Q) with the watery depths(R) as with a garment;
    the waters stood(S) above the mountains.
But at your rebuke(T) the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder(U) they took to flight;
they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned(V) for them.
You set a boundary(W) they cannot cross;
    never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs(X) pour water into the ravines;
    it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water(Y) to all the beasts of the field;
    the wild donkeys(Z) quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky(AA) nest by the waters;
    they sing among the branches.(AB)
13 He waters the mountains(AC) from his upper chambers;(AD)
    the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.(AE)
14 He makes grass grow(AF) for the cattle,
    and plants for people to cultivate—
    bringing forth food(AG) from the earth:
15 wine(AH) that gladdens human hearts,
    oil(AI) to make their faces shine,
    and bread that sustains(AJ) their hearts.
16 The trees of the Lord(AK) are well watered,
    the cedars of Lebanon(AL) that he planted.
17 There the birds(AM) make their nests;
    the stork has its home in the junipers.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;(AN)
    the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.(AO)

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,(AP)
    and the sun(AQ) knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness,(AR) it becomes night,(AS)
    and all the beasts of the forest(AT) prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey(AU)
    and seek their food from God.(AV)
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
    they return and lie down in their dens.(AW)
23 Then people go out to their work,(AX)
    to their labor until evening.(AY)

24 How many are your works,(AZ) Lord!
    In wisdom you made(BA) them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.(BB)
25 There is the sea,(BC) vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.(BD)
26 There the ships(BE) go to and fro,
    and Leviathan,(BF) which you formed to frolic(BG) there.(BH)

27 All creatures look to you
    to give them their food(BI) at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied(BJ) with good things.
29 When you hide your face,(BK)
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.(BL)
30 When you send your Spirit,(BM)
    they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the Lord(BN) endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works(BO)
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,(BP)
    who touches the mountains,(BQ) and they smoke.(BR)

33 I will sing(BS) to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice(BT) in the Lord.
35 But may sinners vanish(BU) from the earth
    and the wicked be no more.(BV)

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Praise the Lord.[b](BW)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 104:4 Or angels
  2. Psalm 104:35 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105.