Psalm 104 | Understand Your Bible

Praise God for his great power in creating and sustaining our world.

Verses

¹Bless the LORD, my soul.
The LORD, my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honour and majesty.

²He covers himself with light as with a garment.
He stretches out the heavens like a curtain.

³He lays the beams of his rooms in the waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot.
He walks on the wings of the wind.

⁴He makes his messengers winds,
and his servants flames of fire.

⁵He laid the foundations of the earth,
that it should not be moved forever.

⁶You covered it with the deep as with a cloak.
The waters stood above the mountains.

⁷At your rebuke they fled.
At the voice of your thunder they hurried away.

⁸The mountains rose,
the valleys sank down,
to the place which you had assigned to them.

⁹You have set a boundary that they may not pass over,
that they don’t turn again to cover the earth.

¹⁰He sends springs into the valleys.
They run amongst the mountains.

¹¹They give drink to every animal of the field.
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.

¹²The birds of the sky nest by them.
They sing amongst the branches.

¹³He waters the mountains from his rooms.
The earth is filled with the fruit of your works.

¹⁴He causes the grass to grow for the livestock,
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may produce food out of the earth:

¹⁵wine that makes the heart of man glad,
oil to make his face to shine,
and bread that strengthens man’s heart.

¹⁶The LORD’s trees are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon, which he has planted;

¹⁷where the birds make their nests.
The stork makes its home in the cypress trees.

¹⁸The high mountains are for the wild goats.
The rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

¹⁹He appointed the moon for seasons.
The sun knows when to set.

²⁰You make darkness, and it is night,
in which all the animals of the forest prowl.

²¹The young lions roar after their prey,
and seek their food from God.

²²The sun rises, and they steal away,
and lie down in their dens.

²³Man goes out to his work,
to his labour until the evening.

²⁴The LORD, how many are your works!
In wisdom, you have made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.

²⁵There is the sea, great and wide,
in which are innumerable living things,
both small and large animals.

²⁶There the ships go,
and leviathan, whom you formed to play there.

²⁷These all wait for you,
that you may give them their food in due season.

²⁸You give to them; they gather.
You open your hand; they are satisfied with good.

²⁹You hide your face; they are troubled.
You take away their breath; they die and return to the dust.

³⁰You send out your Spirit and they are created.
You renew the face of the ground.

³¹Let the LORD’s glory endure forever.
Let 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 as long as I live.
I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.

³⁴Let my meditation be sweet to him.
I will rejoice in the LORD.

³⁵Let sinners be consumed out of the earth.
Let the wicked be no more.
Bless the LORD, my soul.
Praise the LORD!

v 2 ... He stretches out the heavens like a curtain.

v 14 He causes the grass to grow for the livestock,
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may produce food out of the earth:

v 29 and 30 ... You take away their breath; they die and return to the dust. You send out your Spirit and they are created ...

v 1 to 4 God is great, the creator of the heavens
v 5 to 9 God created the earth and the seas
v 10 to 18 God provides water, food and care for man, the animals and the birds
v 19 to 23 The seasons are appointed by God
v 24 to 32 All land and sea creatures depend on the God who creates them and lets them die
v 33 to 35 The psalmist wants to praise God all his life, but realises that God will destroy the wicked

Timeline 1050 to 850 BC

The audio version uses Yahweh instead of LORD. This reflects the original Hebrew language.

Audio