104

Praise the Lord, my soul
Lord my God, You are very great
You are clothed with splendor and majesty
You are the one that everything created

The Lord wraps Himself in light as with a garment
He stretches out the heavens like a tent
And lays the beams of His upper chambers on their waters
He makes the clouds His chariot and rides on the wings of the wind He sends

He makes winds His messengers
Flames of fire His servants
He set the earth on its foundations
It can never be moved despite of any performance

You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment
The waters stood above the mountains in their might
But at Your rebuke the waters fled
At the sound of Your thunder they took to flight

They flowed over the mountains
They went down into the valleys
To the place you assigned for them
And You did it at ease

You set a boundary they cannot cross
Never again will they cover the earth
You set a boundary they cannot cross
And allowed the earth for the mirth

He makes springs pour water into the ravines
Between the mountains it flows
They give water to all the beasts of the field
The wild donkeys quench their thirst afraiding no foes

The birds of the sky nest by the waters
They sing among the branches
They sing their songs in the mornings
First ray of the sun catching

He waters the mountains from His upper chambers
The land is satisfied by the fruit of His work
He makes grass grow for the cattle
And plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth

Food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts
Oil to make their faces shine
And bread that sustains their hearts
These are the gifts divine

The trees of the Lord are well watered
The cedars of Lebanon that He planted
There the birds make their nests
The stork has its home in the junipers

The high mountains belong to the wild goats
The crags are the hyrax’s refuge
Everything goes as it goes
And there is nothing to be refused

He made the moon to mark the seasons
And the sun knows when to go down
You bring darkness, it becomes night
And all the beasts of the forest prowl

The lions roar for their prey
And seek their food from God
The sun rises, and they steal away
They return and lie down in their dens per Your word

Then people go out to their work
To their labor until evening
How many are Your works, Lord!
How many they are which we can’t see in the beginning!

In wisdom You made them all
The earth is full of Your creatures
And even more than that
There is the sea, vast and spacious

Teeming with creatures beyond number—
Living things both large and small
There the ships go to and from and sometimes under
And Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there, larger them all

All creatures look to You
To give them their food at the proper time
When you give it to them
They gather it up and feel fine

When You open Your hand
They are satisfied with good things
When you hide Your face
They are terrified not knowing what future will bring

When You take away their breath
They die and return to the dust and can not be found
When You send Your Spirit
They are created, and You renew the face of the ground

May the glory of the Lord endure forever
May the Lord rejoice in His works—
He who looks at the earth, and it trembles
Who touches the mountains, and they smoke

I will sing to the Lord all my life
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live
May my meditation be pleasing to Him
As I rejoice in the Lord who will forever be

But may sinners vanish from the earth
And the wicked be no more by Your word
Praise the Lord, my soul
Praise the Lord