Psalms 104
104
1Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, thou art very great!
Thou art clothed with honor and majesty,
2who coverest thyself with light as with a garment,
who hast stretched out the heavens like a tent,
3who hast laid the beams of thy chambers on the waters,
who makest the clouds thy chariot,
who ridest on the wings of the wind,
4 #
Heb 1.7. who makest the winds thy messengers,
fire and flame thy ministers.
5Thou didst set the earth on its foundations,
so that it should never be shaken.
6Thou didst cover it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7At thy rebuke they fled;
at the sound of thy thunder they took to flight.
8The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
to the place which thou didst appoint for them.
9Thou didst set a bound which they should not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.
10Thou makest springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills,
11they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 #
Mt 13.32; Mk 4.32; Lk 13.19. By them the birds of the air have their habitation;
they sing among the branches.
13From thy lofty abode thou waterest the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy work.
14Thou dost cause the grass to grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate,#104.14 Or fodder for the animals that serve man
that he may bring forth food from the earth,
15and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread to strengthen man's heart.
16The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon which he planted.
17In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has her home in the fir trees.
18The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the badgers.
19Thou hast made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting.
20Thou makest darkness, and it is night,
when all the beasts of the forest creep forth.
21The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
22When the sun rises, they get them away
and lie down in their dens.
23Man goes forth to his work
and to his labor until the evening.
24O Lord, how manifold are thy works!
In wisdom hast thou made them all;
the earth is full of thy creatures.
25Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
which teems with things innumerable,
living things both small and great.
26There go the ships,
and Leviathan which thou didst form to sport in it.
27These all look to thee,
to give them their food in due season.
28When thou givest to them, they gather it up;
when thou openest thy hand, they are filled with good things.
29When thou hidest thy face, they are dismayed;
when thou takest away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
30When thou sendest forth thy Spirit,#104.30 Or breath they are created;
and thou renewest the face of the ground.
31May the glory of the Lord endure for ever,
may the Lord rejoice in his works,
32who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
33I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
35Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
Psalms 104
104
Praise of God the Creator
I
1Bless the Lord, my soul!
Lord, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and splendor,
2robed in light as with a cloak.
You spread out the heavens like a tent;#Prv 8:27–28; Jb 9:8; Is 40:22; Gn 1:6–7; Am 9:6.
3setting the beams of your chambers upon the waters.#Your chambers upon the waters: God’s heavenly dwelling above the upper waters of the sky, cf. Gn 1:6–7; Ps 29:10.
You make the clouds your chariot;
traveling on the wings of the wind.
4You make the winds your messengers;
flaming fire, your ministers.#Heb 1:7.
II
5#God places the gigantic disk of the earth securely on its foundation and then, as a warrior, chases away the enveloping waters and confines them under, above, and around the earth.You fixed the earth on its foundation,
so it can never be shaken.
6The deeps covered it like a garment;
above the mountains stood the waters.
7At your rebuke they took flight;
at the sound of your thunder they fled.#Ps 29:3.
8They rushed up the mountains, down the valleys
to the place you had fixed for them.
9You set a limit they cannot pass;
never again will they cover the earth.#Jer 5:22; Gn 9:11–15.
III
10You made springs flow in wadies
that wind among the mountains.
11They give drink to every beast of the field;#Ps 147:8–9.
here wild asses quench their thirst.
12Beside them the birds of heaven nest;
among the branches they sing.
13You water the mountains from your chambers;
from the fruit of your labor the earth abounds.
14You make the grass grow for the cattle
and plants for people’s work
to bring forth food from the earth,
15wine to gladden their hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread to sustain the human heart.
16#Even the exotic flora and fauna of the high mountains of the Lebanon range receive adequate water.The trees of the Lord drink their fill,
the cedars of Lebanon, which you planted.
17There the birds build their nests;
the stork in the junipers, its home.#Ez 31:6.
18The high mountains are for wild goats;
the rocky cliffs, a refuge for badgers.
IV
19You made the moon to mark the seasons,#Sir 43:6.
the sun that knows the hour of its setting.
20You bring darkness and night falls,
then all the animals of the forest wander about.
21Young lions roar for prey;
they seek their food from God.#Jb 38:39.
22When the sun rises, they steal away
and settle down in their dens.
23People go out to their work,
to their labor till evening falls.
V
24How varied are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.#Ps 92:6; Sir 39:16.
25There is the sea, great and wide!
It teems with countless beings,
living things both large and small.#Sir 43:26.
26There ships ply their course
and Leviathan,#Leviathan: a sea monster symbolizing primeval chaos, cf. Ps 74:14; Is 27:1; Jb 40:25. God does not destroy chaos but makes it part of the created order. whom you formed to play with.#Jb 3:8; 40:25, 29.
VI
27All of these look to you
to give them food in due time.#Ps 136:25; 145:15–16.
28When you give it to them, they gather;
when you open your hand, they are well filled.
29#On one level, the spirit (or wind) of God is the fall and winter rains that provide food for all creatures. On another, it is the breath (or spirit) of God that makes beings live.When you hide your face, they panic.
Take away their breath, they perish
and return to the dust.#Ps 90:3; Jb 34:14–15; Eccl 3:20.
30Send forth your spirit, they are created
and you renew the face of the earth.
VII
31May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord be glad in his works!
32Who looks at the earth and it trembles,
touches the mountains and they smoke!#Ps 144:5.
33I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.#Ps 146:2.
34May my meditation be pleasing to him;
I will rejoice in the Lord.
35May sinners vanish from the earth,
and the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, my soul! Hallelujah!#Hallelujah: a frequent word in the last third of the Psalter. The word combines the plural imperative of praise (hallelu) with an abbreviated form of the divine name Yah(weh).
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc