Psalms  ◦   Chapter 104

1Praise the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my Creator God, your greatness is beyond measure;
you are clothed in the brilliance of infinite truth and the majesty of pure love.

2You wear light like a robe;
you have spread out the heavens like a starry curtain

3and built the upper stratosphere out of water.
You make the clouds your chariot
and travel throughout space and time via your Spirit.

4You make angels your messengers;
your servants — fiery channels of heavenly light.

5You established the earth in its orbit;
it will never be removed.

6You covered it with deep water like a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.

7At your command the waters withdrew;
when your voice thundered the waters fled,

8they flowed over the rising mountains,
and through the valleys
to the places you prepared for them.

9You set a boundary the waters cannot cross;
never again will they cover the entire earth.

10You made springs to flow down valleys
forming rivers to course through the hills.

11They provide water for all the animals,
the wild donkeys drink their fill.

12The birds make their nests by the streams
and sing their songs among the branches of the trees.

13You send rain from above to water the hills;
the earth is filled with the fruit you cause to grow.

14You make the grass grow to feed the cattle,
and crops for people to cultivate
and produce food from the earth;

15wine for people to celebrate,
olive oil to give vitality
and food that sustains health.

16The trees of the Lord have plenty of water —
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted;

17the birds nest in their branches,
the heron makes its home in the evergreens.

18Wild goats live in the high mountains
and badgers make their home in the rocks.

19You made the moon to mark the months,
and the sun knows when to set.

20You made the night, and in the darkness
the wild animals of the forest roam about.

21The lions roar for their prey
but seek their food from God;

22when the sun rises, they withdraw
and return to their dens to rest.

23Then people go out to their work
and labor until evening.

24O Lord, how incredible is the number of living things you have made!
With your wisdom you fashioned them all;
the earth is filled with your creatures.

25The vast and spacious ocean
is teeming with creatures too numerous to count —
living things both large and small;

26on its surface, ships sail to and fro,
and the whale you created frolics in it.

27All of your creatures depend upon you
to provide them with food when they need it.

28When you supply their food,
they gather it in;
when you open your hand to feed them,
they are filled with good things.

29When your presence is hidden,
they are afraid;
when your life-giving presence — the breath of life — is withdrawn,
they die and return to dust.

30When your Spirit returns, bringing the breath of life,
creation happens and your creatures live,
and the face of the earth is renewed.

31May the glorious character of our Creator God endure forever;
may the Lord find joy and love in his creatures.

32He looks at the earth and it trembles;
when he touches the mountains, they smoke.

33I will sing praises to the Lord as long as I live;
I will worship my Creator God of love for all of my days.

34May all of my thoughts be pleasing to him,
for I will rejoice in the Lord.

35May all selfishness and every deviation from God’s design
vanish from the earth and wickedness be no more.
Praise the Lord, O my soul;
Praise the Lord!