Bless
Yahweh, my soul.
Yahweh,
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 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.
Yahweh’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.
Yahweh,
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
Yahweh’s glory endure forever.
Let
Yahweh rejoice in his works.
He
looks at the earth, and it trembles.
He
touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I
will sing to Yahweh 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 Yahweh.
Bless
Yahweh, my soul.
Praise
Yah!
Psalm
104
Image: Autumn Leaves, Kristen Sassano Gill
