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Psalm chapter 104

English Standard Version

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. 3He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; 4he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. 5He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. 6You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight. 8The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. 9You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. 10You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; 11they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. 13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. 14You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth 15and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man 's heart. 16The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees. 18The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers. 19He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. 20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about. 21 The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. 22When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens. 23 Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. 24O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. 26There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. 27These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. 28When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 29When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. 31May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works, 32who looks on the earth and it trembles, who 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 being. 34May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. 35Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!
New International Version

1Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. 2The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent 3and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.
4He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. 5He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. 6You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; 8they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.
9You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth. 10He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. 11They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. 13He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. 14He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: 15wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts. 16The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the junipers.
18The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the hyrax. 19He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. 20You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. 21The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. 22The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens.
23Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening. 24How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.
26There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. 27All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. 28When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. 29When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
30When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. 31May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke. 33I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 34May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.
35But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Praise the Lord, my soul. Praise the Lord.
New American Standard Bible

1Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks on the wings of the wind; 4 He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers. 5He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever. 6You covered it with the deep sea as with a garment; The waters were standing above the mountains. 7They fled from Your rebuke, At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away. 8The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which You established for them. 9You set a boundary so that they will not pass over, So that they will not return to cover the earth. 10 He sends forth springs in the valleys; They flow between the mountains; 11They give drink to every animal of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12The birds of the sky dwell beside them; They lift up their voices from among the branches. 13 He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works. 14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of mankind, So that they may produce food from the earth, 15And wine, which makes a human heart cheerful, So that he makes his face gleam with oil, And food, which sustains a human heart. 16The trees of the Lord drink their fill, The cedars of Lebanon which He planted, 17Where the birds build their nests, And the stork, whose home is the juniper trees. 18The high mountains are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock hyrax. 19He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting. 20You appoint darkness and it becomes night, In which all the animals of the forest prowl about. 21The young lions roar for their prey And seek their food from God. 22 When the sun rises they withdraw, And they lie down in their dens. 23A person goes out to his work And to his labor until evening. 24Lord, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions. 25 There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great. 26The ships move along there, And Leviathan, which You have formed to have fun in it. 27They all wait for You To give them their food in due season. 28You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good. 29You hide Your face, they are terrified; You take away their breath, they perish And return to their dust. 30You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the ground. 31May the glory of the Lord endure forever; May the Lord rejoice in His works; 32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. 34May my praise be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall rejoice in the Lord. 35May sinners be removed from the earth And may the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, my soul. Praise the Lord!
Christian Standard Bible

1My soul, bless the Lord! Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with majesty and splendor. 2He wraps himself in light as if it were a robe, spreading out the sky like a canopy, 3laying the beams of his palace on the waters above, making the clouds his chariot, walking on the wings of the wind,
4and making the winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. 5He established the earth on its foundations; it will never be shaken. 6You covered it with the deep as if it were a garment; the water stood above the mountains. 7At your rebuke the water fled; at the sound of your thunder they hurried away — 8mountains rose and valleys sank — to the place you established for them.
9You set a boundary they cannot cross; they will never cover the earth again. 10He causes the springs to gush into the valleys; they flow between the mountains. 11They supply water for every wild beast; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12The birds of the sky live beside the springs; they make their voices heard among the foliage.
13He waters the mountains from his palace; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of your labor. 14He causes grass to grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, producing food from the earth,
15wine that makes human hearts glad— making his face shine with oil— and bread that sustains human hearts. 16The trees of the Lord flourish, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17There the birds make their nests; storks make their homes in the pine trees.
18The high mountains are for the wild goats; the cliffs are a refuge for hyraxes. 19He made the moon to mark the festivals; the sun knows when to set. 20You bring darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals stir. 21The young lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. 22The sun rises; they go back and lie down in their dens.
23Man goes out to his work and to his labor until evening. 24How countless are your works, Lord! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.
26There the ships move about, and Leviathan, which you formed to play there. 27All of them wait for you to give them their food at the right time. 28When you give it to them, they gather it; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. 29When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
30When you send your breath, they are created, and you renew the surface of the ground. 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 pour out smoke. 33I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live. 34May my meditation be pleasing to him; I will rejoice in the Lord. 35May sinners vanish from the earth and wicked people be no more. My soul, bless the Lord! Hallelujah!
New Living Translation

1Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty. 2You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; 3you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind. 4The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants.
5You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved. 6You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains. 7At your command, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away. 8Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. 9Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth.
10You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains. 11They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. 13You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. 14You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth — 15wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength. 16The trees of the Lord are well cared for — the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the cypresses. 18High in the mountains live the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes.
19You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. 20You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about. 21Then the young lions roar for their prey, stalking the food provided by God. 22At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest. 23Then people go off to their work, where they labor until evening.
24O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. 25Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small. 26See the ships sailing along, and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.
27They all depend on you to give them food as they need it. 28When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied. 29But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. 30When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth.
31May the glory of the Lord continue forever! The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made! 32The earth trembles at his glance; the mountains smoke at his touch.
33I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! 34May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
35Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth; let the wicked disappear forever. Let all that I am praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
King James Version

1Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
2Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
3Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
4Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
5Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
6Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
7At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
8They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
9Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
10He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
11They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
12By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
13He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
14He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
15And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.
16The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
17Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
18The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
19He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
20Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
21The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.
22The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
23Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
24O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
25So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
26There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
27These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
28That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
29Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
30Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
31The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.
32He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
33I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.
35Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.
New King James Version

1Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, 2Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, 4Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. 5 You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever, 6You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters stood above the mountains. 7At Your rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. 8They went up over the mountains; They went down into the valleys, To the place which You founded for them. 9You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, That they may not return to cover the earth. 10He sends the springs into the valleys; They flow among the hills. 11They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. 13 He waters the hills from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works. 14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the service of man, That he may bring forth food from the earth, 15And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, And bread which strengthens man’s heart. 16The trees of the Lord are full of sap, The cedars of Lebanon which He planted, 17Where the birds make their nests; The stork has her home in the fir trees. 18The high hills are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers. 19 He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down. 20 You make darkness, and it is night, In which all the beasts of the forest creep about. 21 The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God. 22 When the sun rises, they gather together And lie down in their dens. 23Man goes out to his work And to his labor until the evening. 24 O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions— 25This great and wide sea, In which are innumerable teeming things, Living things both small and great. 26There the ships sail about; There is that Leviathan Which You have made to play there. 27 These all wait for You, That You may give them their food in due season. 28 What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good. 29You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth. 31May the glory of the Lord endure forever; May the Lord rejoice in His works. 32He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the hills, and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. 34May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord. 35May sinners be consumed from the earth, And the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!

What does Psalm chapter 104 mean?

Several psalms mention God's creative work (Psalm 8; 19; 24; 95; 102; 121; 147). Psalm 104 is the most direct and detailed in its celebration of the Lord as the Creator. An early reference to God's messengers is cited in Hebrews 1:7. This psalm is also the first occurrence of the Hebrew word hallelujah. The term is actually two words, joined into a dedicated expression of praise. Some Bible translations interpret it as "praise the LORD," others transliterate it. The word is seen only in the last third of the book of Psalms and Revelation chapter 19.

God is mighty, majestic, and wonderful. These traits are so obvious that the psalmist says the Lord is "clothed" in them: they are immediately clear. All that exists in creation is under the Lord's control. That includes the water, winds, and heavens. It also applies to His "messengers." This uses the Hebrew term mal'āk, translated into Greek as angelos, which in English becomes "angel." The book of Hebrews (Hebrews 1:7) cites this phrase (Psalm 104:1–4).

Part of God's role in creation was establishing boundaries. The Lord chose to place mountains, valleys, and seas in certain places. None of these can be moved apart from His will. The psalmist echoes concepts seen in Genesis chapter 1 but does not repeat the exact creation account (Psalm 104:5–9).

The Lord also provides water to maintain life on earth. He enables the growth of plants. These feed animals and allow men to grow food. Some, like trees, provide shelter for animals. Other creatures find homes in rocks and mountains, or the deep seas. Animals of all sizes and types are sustained by God's creation. The sun and moon move according to His will. This creates the cycle of day and night (Psalm 104:10–26).

Everything in creation depends on God. Without His provision, all life would die. Only He provides the breath of life; this comes from the Hebrew word ru'ach. As with the Greek term pneuma, this can mean "life," "breath," "spirit," or even a reference to the Holy Spirit. When the breath of life is gone, living things once again become dirt (Psalm 104:27–30).

The psalm ends with another statement of the Lord's absolute power. The psalmist is committed to seeking the Lord with their praise as well as their thoughts. In that mindset, the psalmist prays that God would remove evil people from the world (Psalm 104:31–35).
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