104:1 BLESS (AFFECTIONATELY, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great! You are clothed with honor and majesty-- |
104:2 [You are the One] Who covers Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain {or} a tent, |
104:3 Who lays the beams of the upper room of His abode in the waters [above the firmament], Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, |
104:4 Who makes winds His messengers, flames of fire His ministers. |
104:5 You laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever. |
104:6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. |
104:7 At Your rebuke they fled; at the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. |
104:8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place which You appointed for them. |
104:9 You have set a boundary [for the waters] which they may not pass over, that they turn not again to deluge the earth. |
104:10 He sends forth springs into the valleys; their waters run among the mountains. |
104:11 They give drink to every [wild] beast of the field; the wild asses quench their thirst there. |
104:12 Beside them the birds of the heavens have their nests; they sing among the branches. |
104:13 He waters the mountains from His upper rooms; the earth is satisfied {and} abounds with the fruit of His works. |
104:14 He causes vegetation to grow for the cattle, and all that the earth produces for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food out of the earth-- |
104:15 And wine that gladdens the heart of man, to make his face shine more than oil, and bread to support, refresh, {and} strengthen man's heart. |
104:16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly {and} are filled with sap, the cedars of Lebanon which He has planted, |
104:17 Where the birds make their nests; as for the stork, the fir trees are her house. |
104:18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the conies {and} badgers. |
104:19 [The Lord] appointed the moon for the seasons; the sun knows [the exact time of] its setting. |
104:20 You [O Lord] make darkness and it becomes night, in which creeps forth every wild beast of the forest. |
104:21 The young lions roar after their prey and seek their food from God. |
104:22 When the sun arises, they withdraw themselves and lie down in their dens. |
104:23 Man goes forth to his work and remains at his task until evening. |
104:24 O Lord, how many {and} varied are Your works! In wisdom have You made them all; the earth is full of Your riches {and} Your creatures. |
104:25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, in which are swarms of innumerable creeping things, creatures both small and great. |
104:26 There go the ships of the sea, and Leviathan (the sea monster), which You have formed to sport in it. |
104:27 These all wait {and} are dependent upon You, that You may give them their food in due season. |
104:28 When You give it to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, and they are filled with good things. |
104:29 When You hide Your face, they are troubled {and} dismayed; when You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. |
104:30 When You send forth Your Spirit {and} give them breath, they are created, and You replenish the face of the ground. |
104:31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works-- |
104:32 Who looks on the earth, and it quakes {and} trembles, Who touches the mountains, and they smoke! |
104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have any being. |
104:34 May my meditation be sweet to Him; as for me, I will rejoice in the Lord. |
104:35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) |