Psalms 104

¹ Bless Yahweh, my soul. Yahweh my God, how great you are! Clothed in majesty and glory,

² wrapped in a robe of light! You stretch the heavens out like a tent,

³ you build your palace on the waters above; using the clouds as your chariot, you advance on the wings of the wind;

⁴ you use the winds as messengers and fiery flames as servants.

⁵ You fixed the earth on its foundations, unshakeable for ever and ever;

⁶ you wrapped it with the deep as with a robe, the waters overtopping the mountains.

⁷ At your reproof the waters took to flight, they fled at the sound of your thunder,

⁸ cascading over the mountains, into the valleys, down to the reservoir you made for them;

⁹ you imposed the limits they must never cross again, or they would once more flood the land.

¹⁰ You set springs gushing in ravines, running down between the mountains,

¹¹ supplying water for wild animals, attracting the thirsty wild donkeys;

¹² near there the birds of the air make their nests and sing among the branches.

¹³ From your palace you water the uplands until the ground has had all that your heavens have to offer;

¹⁴ you make fresh grass grow for cattle and those plants made use of by man, for them to get food from the soil:

¹⁵ wine to make them cheerful, oil to make them happy and bread to make them strong.

¹⁶ The trees of Yahweh get rain enough, those cedars of Lebanon he planted;

¹⁷ here the little birds build their nest and, on the highest branches, the stork has its home.

¹⁸ For the wild goats there are the mountains, in the crags rock-badgers hide.

¹⁹ You made the moon to tell the seasons, the sun knows when to set:

²⁰ you bring darkness on, night falls, all the forest animals come out:

²¹ savage lions roaring for their prey, claiming their food from God.

²² The sun rises, they retire, going back to lie down in their lairs,

²³ and man goes out to work, and to labour until dusk.

²⁴ Yahweh, what variety you have created, arranging everything so wisely! Earth is completely full of things you have made:

²⁵ among them vast expanse of ocean, teeming with countless creatures, creatures large and small,

²⁶ with the ships going to and fro and Leviathan whom you made to amuse you.

²⁷ All creatures depend on you to feed them throughout the year;

²⁸ you provide the food they eat, with generous hand you satisfy their hunger.

²⁹ You turn your face away, they suffer, you stop their breath, they die and revert to dust.

³⁰ You give breath, fresh life begins, you keep renewing the world.

³¹ Glory for ever to Yahweh! May Yahweh find joy in what he creates,

³² at whose glance the earth trembles, at whose touch the mountains smoke!

³³ I mean to sing to Yahweh all my life, I mean to play for my God as long as I live.

³⁴ May these reflections of mine give him pleasure, as much as Yahweh gives me!

³⁵ May sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked exist no more! Bless Yahweh, my soul.