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God is great![a]

104 I say to myself, ‘Praise the Lord!’
Lord, my God, you are very great!
    You rule with authority as a great king.
Light is all round you,
    like the clothes that you wear.
You have put the skies as a roof over the earth.
You have built the beams of your home
    on the clouds of rain.
The clouds carry you as you travel,
    and you ride on the wind.
You use the winds to carry your messages.
    Flames of fire are your servants.
You, Lord, built the earth
    on its strong foundations.
Nothing will ever shake it from its place.
You covered the earth with deep water,
    like a coat.
The water covered the tops of the mountains.
But when you shouted,
    the water went back.
It ran away,
    when you shouted like thunder.
The water poured down from the mountains,
    and it went down into the valleys.
It went to stay in the place that you had chosen for it.
You made a border for the water
    so that it could not cross.
Never again will the water cover the earth.[b]

10 You cause springs of water
    to pour along the valleys.
Streams of water run between the hills.
11 They give water to all the wild animals.
    Wild donkeys drink from them.
12 The birds make their homes beside the streams.
    They sing from the branches of the trees.
13 You pour down rain on the mountains
    from your home above the sky.
You cause many fruits to grow on the earth.
14 You give grass for farm animals to eat.
    You give crops for people to plant.
In that way, people get food from the ground.
15 They grow grapes for wine,
    which makes them happy.
They grow olive trees for oil,
    which makes their faces shine.
They grow grain for bread,
    which makes them strong.
16 The Lord's own trees receive plenty of rain.
They are the cedar trees
    that he planted in Lebanon.
17 The birds make their nests there.
    Storks live there in the fir trees.
18 The wild goats live high up in the mountains.
    Rock badgers hide among the rocks.
19 You made the moon
    to tell us the months and seasons.
The sun also knows the right time for sunset.
20 At night you make it dark,
    so that the forest animals come out.
21 The lions roar
    while they look for animals to kill.
They look for the food that God gives to them.
22 At sunrise, they go back to their homes,
    and they lie down to rest.
23 During the day, people go out to work.
    They work at their jobs until it is evening.

24 Lord, you have made very many different things!
You were very wise in the way that you have made them all.
The earth is full of the living things
    that you have made.[c]
25 Look at the sea, which is deep and wide!
It is full of living things,
    that are both large and small.
They are more than anyone can count.
26 Ships travel on the sea.
You made the monster, Leviathan,
    to swim and to play in the sea.
27 All these living things wait for you
    to give them their food when they need it.
28 When you give it to them, they take it.
You open your hand to feed them,
    and they have plenty of good things.
29 When you turn away from them,
    they become very afraid.
When you take away their breath,
    they die and they return to the dust.
30 But when you breathe into anything,
    it receives life.
In that way, you bring new life to the earth.

31 I pray that the glory of the Lord
    will continue for ever!
I pray that the Lord will be happy
    with everything that he has made!
32 When he looks down at the earth,
    it shakes!
When he touches the mountains,
    they pour out smoke!
33 All my life, I will sing to praise the Lord.
I will always sing songs to praise my God,
    for as long as I live.
34 I want my song to make him happy.
I will be happy,
    because of what the Lord has done.
35 I pray that wicked people will disappear from the earth.
    May they disappear for ever!

I say to myself, ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!’

Footnotes

  1. 104:1 The writer of this psalm praises God. God is the one who has made the whole universe, and he is the one who takes care of it. It is because of God that everything has life.
  2. 104:9 See Genesis 1:9-10.
  3. 104:24 God knows how to make everything so that it is good. He is very wise. That is why we need to trust him and obey him. Then we will have good lives in the way that he has made us to be.

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.