Psalm 104 | New International Reader’s Version

New International Reader’s Version

1 I will praise the LORD. LORD my God, you are very great. You are dressed in glory and majesty. 2 The LORD wraps himself in light as if it were a robe. He spreads out the heavens like a tent. 3 He builds his palace high in the heavens. He makes the clouds serve as his chariot. He rides on the wings of the wind. 4 He makes the winds serve as his messengers. He makes flashes of lightning serve him. 5 He placed the earth on its foundations. It can never be moved. 6 You, LORD, covered it with the oceans like a blanket. The waters covered the mountains. 7 But you commanded the waters, and they ran away. At the sound of your thunder they rushed off. 8 They flowed down the mountains. They went into the valleys. They went to the place you appointed for them. 9 You drew a line they can’t cross. They will never cover the earth again. 10 The LORD makes springs pour water into the valleys. It flows between the mountains. 11 The springs give water to all the wild animals. The wild donkeys satisfy their thirst. 12 The birds in the sky build nests by the waters. They sing among the branches. 13 The LORD waters the mountains from his palace high in the clouds. The earth is filled with the things he has made. 14 He makes grass grow for the cattle and plants for people to take care of. That’s how they get food from the earth. 15 There is wine to make people glad. There is olive oil to make their skin glow. And there is bread to make them strong. 16 The cedar trees of Lebanon belong to the LORD. He planted them and gave them plenty of water. 17 There the birds make their nests. The stork has its home in the juniper trees. 18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats. The cliffs are a safe place for the rock badgers. 19 The LORD made the moon to mark off the seasons. The sun knows when to go down. 20 You, LORD, bring darkness, and it becomes night. Then all the animals of the forest prowl around. 21 The lions roar while they hunt. All their food comes from God. 22 The sun rises, and they slip away. They return to their dens and lie down. 23 Then people get up and go to work. They keep working until evening. 24 LORD, you have made so many things! How wise you were when you made all of them! The earth is full of your creatures. 25 Look at the ocean, so big and wide! It is filled with more creatures than people can count. It is filled with living things, from the largest to the smallest. 26 Ships sail to and fro on it. Leviathan, the sea monster you made, plays in it. 27 All creatures depend on you to give them their food when they need it. 28 When you give it to them, they eat it. When you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. 29 When you turn your face away from them, they are terrified. When you take away their breath, they die and turn back into dust. 30 When you send your Spirit, you create them. You give new life to the ground. 31 May the glory of the LORD continue for ever. May the LORD be happy with what he has made. 32 When he looks at the earth, it trembles. When he touches the mountains, they pour out smoke. 33 I will sing to the LORD all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 34 May these thoughts of mine please him. I find my joy in the LORD. 35 But may sinners be gone from the earth. May evil people disappear. I will praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.