Psalms 104
104
PSALM 104
Common Meter: 8,6,8,6
1Bless God, my soul. O Lord my God,
thou art exceeding great;
With honour and with majesty
thou clothed art in state.
2With light, as with a robe, thyself
thou coverest about;
And, like unto a curtain, thou
the heavens stretchest out.
3Who of his chambers doth the beams
within the waters lay;
Who doth the clouds his chariot make,
on wings of wind make way.
4Who flaming fire his ministers,
his angels sp'rits, doth make:
5Who earth's foundations did lay,
that it should never shake.
6Thou didst it cover with the deep,
as with a garment spread:
The waters stood above the hills,
when thou the word but said.
7But at the voice of thy rebuke
they fled, and would not stay;
They at thy thunder's dreadful voice
did haste them fast away.
8They by the mountains do ascend,
and by the valley-ground
Descend, unto that very place
which thou for them didst found.
9Thou hast a bound unto them set,
that they may not pass over,
That they do not return again
the face of earth to cover.
10He to the valleys sends the springs,
which run among the hills:
11They to all beasts of field give drink,
wild asses drink their fills.
12By them the fowls of heav'n shall have
their habitation,
Which do among the branches sing
with delectation.
13He from his chambers watereth
the hills, when they are dry'd:
With fruit and increase of thy works
the earth is satisfy'd.
14For cattle he makes grass to grow,
he makes the herb to spring
For th' use of man, that food to him
he from the earth may bring;
15And wine, that to the heart of man
doth cheerfulness impart,
Oil that his face makes shine,
and bread that strengtheneth his heart.
16The trees of God are full of sap;
the cedars that do stand
In Lebanon, which planted were
by his almighty hand.
17Birds of the air upon their boughs
do chuse their nests to make;
As for the stork, the fir-tree she
doth for her dwelling take.
18The lofty mountains for wild goats
a place of refuge be;
The conies also to the rocks
do for their safety flee.
19He sets the moon in heav'n, thereby
the seasons to discern:
From him the sun his certain time
of going down doth learn.
20Thou darkness mak'st, 'tis night, then beasts
of forests creep abroad.
21The lions young roar for their prey,
and seek their meat from God.
22The sun doth rise, and home they flock,
down in their dens they lie.
23Man goes to work, his labour he
doth to the ev'ning ply.
24How manifold, Lord, are thy works!
in wisdom wonderful
Thou ev'ry one of them hast made;
earth's of thy riches full:
25So is this great and spacious sea,
wherein things creeping are,
Which number'd cannot be; and beasts
both great and small are there.
26There ships go; there thou mak'st to play
that leviathan great.
27These all wait on thee, that thou may'st
in due time give them meat.
28That which thou givest unto them
they gather for their food;
Thine hand thou open'st lib'rally,
they filled are with good.
29Thou hid'st thy face; they troubled are,
their breath thou tak'st away;
Then do they die, and to their dust
return again do they.
30Thy quick'ning spirit thou send'st forth,
then they created be;
And then the earth's decayed face
renewed is by thee.
31The glory of the mighty Lord
continue shall for ever:
The Lord JEHOVAH shall rejoice
in all his works together.
32Earth, as affrighted, trembleth all,
if he on it but look;
And if the mountains he but touch,
they presently do smoke.
33I will sing to the Lord most high,
so long as I shall live;
And while I being have I shall
to my God praises give.
34Of him my meditation shall
sweet thoughts to me afford;
And as for me, I will rejoice
in God, my only Lord.
35From earth let sinners be consum'd,
let ill men no more be.
O thou my soul, bless thou the Lord.
Praise to the Lord give ye.
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Psalms 104: MP1650
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Psalms 104
104
1My soul, praise the Lord!
Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with glory and honor.
2You wear light like a robe.
You spread out the skies like a curtain.
3You built your home above them.#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.
You use the thick clouds like a chariot
and ride across the sky on the wings of the wind.
4You make the winds your messengers
and flames of fire your servants.#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.
5You built the earth on its foundations,
so it can never be moved.
6You covered it with water like a blanket.
The water covered even the mountains.
7But you gave the command, and the water turned back.
You shouted at the water, and it rushed away.
8The water flowed down from the mountains into the valleys,
to the places you made for it.
9You set the limits for the seas,
and the water will never again rise to cover the earth.
10Lord, you cause water to flow from springs into the streams
that flow down between the mountains.
11The streams provide water for all the wild animals.
Even the wild donkeys come there to drink.
12Wild birds come to live by the pools;
they sing in the branches of nearby trees.
13You send rain down on the mountains.
The earth gets everything it needs from what you have made.
14You 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.
15You give us the wine that makes us happy,
the oil that makes our skin soft,#104:15 makes our skin soft Literally, “makes our face shine.” This can also mean “makes us happy.”
and the food that makes us strong.
16The great cedar trees of Lebanon belong to the Lord.
He planted them and gives them the water they need.
17That’s where the birds make their nests,
and the storks live in the fir trees.
18The high mountains are a home for wild goats.
The large rocks are hiding places for rock badgers.
19Lord, you made the moon to show us when the festivals begin.
And the sun always knows when to set.
20You made darkness to be the night—
the time when wild animals come out and roam around.
21Lions roar as they attack,
as if they are asking God for the food he gives them.
22When the sun rises, they leave
and go back to their dens to rest.
23Then people go out to do their work,
and they work until evening.
24Lord, you created so many things!
With your wisdom you made them all.
The earth is full of the living things you made.
25Look 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!
26Ships sail over the ocean,
and playing there is Leviathan,#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.
the great sea creature you made.
27Lord, all living things depend on you.
You give them food at the right time.
28You give it, and they eat it.
They are filled with good food from your open hands.
29When you turn away from them,
they become frightened.
When you take away their breath,#104:29 breath Or “spirit.”
they die, and their bodies return to the dust.
30But when you send out your life-giving breath,#104:30 life-giving breath Or “Spirit.”
things come alive, and the world is like new again!
31May the Lord’s glory continue forever!
May the Lord enjoy what he made.
32He just looks at the earth, and it trembles.
He just touches the mountains, and smoke rises from them.
33I will sing to the Lord for the rest of my life.
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
34May my words be pleasing to him.
The Lord is the one who makes me happy.
35I wish sinners would disappear from the earth.
I wish the wicked would be gone forever.
My soul, praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
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