GOD THE CREATOR

1 My soul, bless the Lord!

Lord my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with majesty and splendor.aa

2 He wraps himself in light as if it were a robe,

spreading out the sky like a canopy,ab

3 laying the beams of his palace

on the waters above,ac

making the clouds his chariot,ad

walking on the wings of the wind,ae

4 and making the winds his messengers,C

flames of fire his servants.af

5 He established the earth on its foundations;

it will never be shaken.ag

6 You covered it with the deep

as if it were a garment;

the water stood above the mountains.ah

7 At your rebuke the water fled;

at the sound of your thunder they hurried awayai—

8 mountains rose and valleys sankD—

to the place you established for them.aj

9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;

they will never cover the earth again.a

10 He causes the springs to gush into the valleys;

they flow between the mountains.b

11 They supply water for every wild beast;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.c

12 The birds of the sky live beside the springs;

they make their voices heard among the foliage.d

13 He waters the mountains from his palace;

the earth is satisfied by the fruit of your labor.e

14 He causes grass to grow for the livestock

and provides crops for man to cultivate,

producing food from the earth,f

15 wine that makes human hearts glad—

making his face shine with oil—

and bread that sustains human hearts.g

16 The trees of the Lord flourish,A

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.h

17 There the birds make their nests;

storks make their homes in the pine trees.i

18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;

the cliffs are a refuge for hyraxes.j

19 He made the moon to mark theB festivals;C

the sun knows when to set.k

20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night,

when all the forest animals stir.l

21 The young lions roar for their prey

and seek their food from God.m

22 The sun rises; they go back

and lie down in their dens.n

23 Man goes out to his work

and to his labor until evening.o

24 How countless are your works, Lord!

In wisdom you have made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.D,p