Psalm 104
Bless the Lord, Who Creates Wonders
Introduction
1Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with splendor and majesty.
Day One—Light
2He wears light like a robe.
Day Two—the Sky
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy.
3He lays beams on the waters to support his upper chambers.
He makes clouds his chariot.
He travels on the wings of the wind.
4He makes his messengers[] winds. His ministers are blazing fire.
Day Three—the Waters and Plants
5He placed the earth firmly on its foundations.
It cannot be moved forever and ever.
6You covered it with the deep as a garment.
The waters stood above the mountains.
7At your rebuke they fled.
At the sound of your thunder they hurried away.
8The waters surged up the mountains.
They went down into the valleys,[] to the place that you prepared for them.
9You set a boundary that they cannot cross.
They will not return to cover the earth.
10He makes springs flow into streams
that run between the mountains.
11They give water to every wild animal.
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12The birds of the sky live by the streams.
From among the branches they send out their song.
13He waters the mountains from his upper chambers.
The earth is filled with the fruit he produces.
14He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants that people use[] to produce food from the earth. 15Also wine that makes people's hearts glad,
olive oil to make their face shine,
and bread that sustains their lives.[] 16The trees of the Lord have everything they need.
He planted the cedars of Lebanon,
17where birds make their nests.
The stork has its home in the fir trees.
18The high mountains are for the wild goats.
The crags are a refuge for the rock badgers.
Day Four—the Lights
19The moon marks off the months and seasons.
The sun knows when to go down.
20You bring darkness, and it becomes night.
During it, all the animals in the forest move about.
21The young lions roar for their prey.
They are seeking their food from God.
22The sun rises, and they gather together.
They return to their dens and lie down.
23Man goes out to his work.
He continues his labor until evening.
Days Five and Six—Animals and Man
24How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
25Here is the sea, great and very wide.
In it creatures swarm beyond number,
living things, the small with the large.
26There the ships go back and forth,
and the leviathan[] that you formed to play in it. 27All of them wait hopefully for you to give them their food in its time.
28You give it to them. They gather it up.
You open your hand. They are satisfied with good things.
29You hide your face. They are terrified.
You take away their breath.
They breathe their last and return to their dust.
30You send your Spirit; they are created.
You renew the face of the earth.
Closing Benediction and Prayer
31May the glory of the Lord endure forever.
May the Lord rejoice in his works.
32He looks at the earth and it trembles.
He touches the mountains and they smoke.
33I will sing to the Lord throughout my life.
I will make music to my God as long as I last.
34May my meditation be pleasing to him.
I will rejoice in the Lord.
35May sinners come to an end on the earth,
and the wicked—may they be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.