1 Praise the LORD , O my soul. |
2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent |
3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind. |
4 He makes winds his messengers,1 104:4 Or angels
flames of fire his servants. |
5 He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved. |
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains. |
7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; |
8 they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them. |
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth. |
10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains. |
11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst. |
12 The birds of the air nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches. |
13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. |
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate-
bringing forth food from the earth: |
15 wine that gladdens the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread that sustains his heart. |
16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. |
17 There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the pine trees. |
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the coneys.2 104:18 That is, the hyrax or rock badger |
19 The moon marks off the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down. |
20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl. |
21 The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God. |
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens. |
23 Then man goes out to his work,
to his labor until evening. |
24 How many are your works, O LORD !
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures. |
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number-
living things both large and small. |
26 There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. |
27 These all look to you
to give them their food at the proper time. |
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things. |
29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust. |
30 When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth. |
31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works- |
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke. |
33 I will sing 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 in the LORD. |
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more. |
