Psalm 104 Benedic, anima mea
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; *
O LORD my God, how excellent is your greatness! you are clothed with majes-ty and splen-dor.
2 You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak *
and spread out the heavens like a curt-ain.
3 You lay the beams of your chambers in the waters a-bove; *
you make the clouds your chariot; you ride on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your mes-sengers *
and flames of fire your ser-vants.
5 You have set the earth upon its foun-da-tions, *
so that it never shall move at an-y time.
6 You covered it with the Deep as with a man-tle; *
the waters stood higher than the moun-tains.
7 At your rebuke they fled; *
at the voice of your thunder they has-tened a-way.
8 They went up into the hills and down to the valleys be-neath, *
to the places you had appoin-ted for them.
9 You set the limits that they should not pass; *
they shall not again co-ver the earth.
10 You send the springs into the val-leys; *
they flow be-tween the mount-ains.
11 All the beasts of the field drink their fill from them, *
and the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 Beside them the birds of the air make their nests *
and sing a-mong the bran-ches.
13 You water the mountains from your dwelling on high; *
the earth is fully satisfied by the fruit of your works.
14 You make grass grow for flocks and herds *
and plants to serve hu-man-kind;
15 That they may bring forth food from the earth, *
and wine to glad-den our hearts,
16 Oil to make a cheer-ful coun-tenance, *
and bread to streng-then the heart.
17 The trees of the LORD are full of sap, *
the cedars of Lebanon which she plant-ed,
18 In which the birds build their nests, *
and in whose tops the stork makes her dwel-ling.
19 The high hills are a refuge for the moun-tain goats, *
and the stony cliffs for the rock bad-gers.
20 You appointed the moon to mark the sea-sons, *
and the sun knows the time of its set-ting.
21 You make darkness that it may be night, *
in which all the beasts of the for-est prowl.
22 The lions roar after their prey *
and seek their food from God.
23 The sun rises, and they slip a-way *
and lay themselves down in their dens.
24 Woman goes forth to her work *
and to her labor un-til the eve-ning.
25 O LORD, how manifold are your works! *
in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your crea-tures.
26 Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to num-ber, *
creatures both small and great.
27 There move the ships, and there is that Le-vi-athan, *
which you have made for the sport of it.
28 All of them look to you *
to give them their food in due sea-son.
29 You give it to them; they ga-ther it; *
you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
30 You hide your face, and they are ter-rified; *
you take away their breath, and they die and return to their dust.
31 You send forth your Spirit, and they are cre-a-ted; *
and so you renew the face of the earth.
32 May the glory of the LORD endure for ev-er; *
may the LORD rejoice in all her works.
33 She looks at the earth and it trem-bles; *
she touches the mountains and they smoke.
34 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; *
I will praise my God while I have my be-ing.
35 May these words of mine please her; *
I will rejoice in the LORD.
36 Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, *
and the wicked be no more.
37 Bless the LORD, O my soul. *
Hal-le-lu-jah!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Ho-ly Spir-it: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ev-er. A-men.