The Book of Psalms

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- Chapter 104 -

How many are your works

To David himself. Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are exceedingly great. You have clothed yourself with confession and beauty;

you are dressed with light like a garment, while you stretch out heaven like a tent.

You cover its heights with water. You set the clouds as your stairs. You walk upon the wings of the winds.

You make your Angels a breath of life, and your ministers a burning fire.

You founded the earth upon its stable base. It will not be bent from age to age.

The abyss, like a garment, is its clothing. The waters will remain standing above the mountains.

At your rebuke, they will flee. At the voice of your thunder, they will dread.

The mountains ascend, and the plains descend, to the place which you have founded for them.

You have set a limit that they will not cross. And they will not return to cover the earth.

You spring forth fountains in steep valleys. The waters will cross through the midst of the mountains.

All the wild beasts of the field will drink. The wild donkeys will anticipate in their thirst.

Above them, the flying things of the air will dwell. From the midst of the rocks, they will utter voices.

You irrigate the mountains from your heights. The earth will be satiated from the fruit of your works,

producing grass for cattle and herbs for the service of men. So may you draw bread from the earth,

and wine, in order to cheer the heart of man. Then he may gladden his face with oil, and bread will confirm the heart of man.

The trees of the field will be saturated, along with the cedars of Lebanon, which he planted.

There, the sparrows will make their nests. The leader of them is the house of the heron.(a)

The heights of the hills are for the deer; the rock is a refuge for the hedgehog.

He has made the moon for seasons; the sun knows its setting.

You appointed darkness, and it has become night; all the beasts of the forest will cross through it.

The young lions will roar, while searching for and seizing their meal from God.

The sun arose, and they were gathered together; and in their dens, they will lie down together.

Man will go forth to his work and to his activities, until the evening.

How great are your works, O Lord! You have made all things in wisdom. The earth has been filled with your possessions.

This sea is great and its hands are spacious. There are creeping things without number: the small animals with the great.(b)

There, the ships will pass by this sea-serpent that you have formed to mock them.

All these expect you to give them food in due time.

What you give to them, they will gather. When you open your hand, they will all be filled with goodness.

But if you turn your face away, they will be disturbed. You will take away their breath, and they will fail, and they will return to their dust.

You will send forth your Spirit, and they will be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of the Lord be for all ages. The Lord will rejoice in his works.

He considers the earth, and he makes it tremble. He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

I will sing to the Lord with my life. I will sing psalms to my God, as long as I am.(c)

May my speech be pleasing to him. Truly, I will take delight in the Lord.

Let sinners fade away from the earth, along with the unjust, so that they may not be. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Footnotes

(a)103:17 Notice that in Latin, ‘heron’ is ‘Herod,’ making this verse a spiritual reference to Herod the great, and to other evil leaders who follow in his footsteps.(Conte)

(b)103:25 Or, ‘animals great and small.’(Conte)

How many are your works

Bless the LORD, my soul. The LORD, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty.

He covers himself with light as with a garment. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain.

He lays the beams of his rooms in the waters. He makes the clouds his chariot. He walks on the wings of the wind.

He makes his messengers

(a)

winds, and his servants flames of fire.

He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever.

You covered it with the deep as with a cloak. The waters stood above the mountains.

At your rebuke they fled. At the voice of your thunder they hurried away.

The mountains rose, the valleys sank down, to the place which you had assigned to them.

You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, that they don’t turn again to cover the earth.

He sends springs into the valleys. They run among the mountains.

They give drink to every animal of the field. The wild donkeys quench their thirst.

The birds of the sky nest by them. They sing among the branches.

He waters the mountains from his rooms. The earth is filled with the fruit of your works.

He causes the grass to grow for the livestock, and plants for man to cultivate, that he may produce food out of the earth:

wine that makes the heart of man glad, oil to make his face to shine, and bread that strengthens man’s heart.

The LORD’s trees are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon, which he has planted,

where the birds make their nests. The stork makes its home in the cypress trees.

The high mountains are for the wild goats. The rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

He appointed the moon for seasons. The sun knows when to set.

You make darkness, and it is night, in which all the animals of the forest prowl.

The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God.

The sun rises, and they steal away, and lie down in their dens.

Man goes out to his work, to his labor until the evening.

LORD, how many are your works! In wisdom, you have made them all. The earth is full of your riches.

There is the sea, great and wide, in which are innumerable living things, both small and large animals.

There the ships go, and leviathan, whom you formed to play there.

These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due season.

You give to them; they gather. You open your hand; they are satisfied with good.

You hide your face; they are troubled. You take away their breath; they die and return to the dust.

You send out your Spirit and they are created. You renew the face of the ground.

Let the LORD’s glory endure forever. Let the LORD rejoice in his works.

He looks at the earth, and it trembles. He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.

Let my meditation be sweet to him. I will rejoice in the LORD.

Let sinners be consumed out of the earth. Let the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, my soul. Praise the LORD!

Footnotes

(a)104:4 or, angels