Psalm 103–104

Praise to the Lord of Love

Of David.

103All that I am, praise the Lord;

everything in me, praise his holy name.

²My whole being, praise the Lord

and do not forget all his kindnesses.

³He forgives all my sins

and heals all my diseases.

⁴He saves my life from the grave

and loads me with love and mercy.

⁵He satisfies me with good things

and makes me young again, like the eagle.

⁶The Lord does what is right and fair

for all who are wronged by others.

⁷He showed his ways to Moses

and his deeds to the people of Israel.

⁸The Lord shows mercy and is kind.

He does not become angry quickly, and he has great love.

⁹He will not always accuse us,

and he will not be angry forever.

¹⁰He has not punished us as our sins should be punished;

he has not repaid us for the evil we have done.

¹¹As high as the sky is above the earth,

so great is his love for those who respect him.

¹²He has taken our sins away from us

as far as the east is from west.

¹³The Lord has mercy on those who respect him,

as a father has mercy on his children.

¹⁴He knows how we were made;

he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵Human life is like grass;

we grow like a flower in the field.

¹⁶After the wind blows, the flower is gone,

and there is no sign of where it was.

¹⁷But the Lord’s love for those who respect him

continues forever and ever,

and his goodness continues to their grandchildren

¹⁸and to those who keep his agreement

and who remember to obey his orders.

¹⁹The Lord has set his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over everything.

²⁰You who are his angels, praise the Lord.

You are the mighty warriors who do what he says

and who obey his voice.

²¹You, his armies, praise the Lord;

you are his servants who do what he wants.

²²Everything the Lord has made

should praise him in all the places he rules.

My whole being, praise the Lord.

Praise to God Who Made the World

104My whole being, praise the Lord.

Lord my God, you are very great.

You are clothed with glory and majesty;

²you wear light like a robe.

You stretch out the skies like a tent.

³You build your room above the clouds.

You make the clouds your chariot,

and you ride on the wings of the wind.

⁴You make the winds your messengers,

and flames of fire are your servants.

⁵You built the earth on its foundations

so it can never be moved.

⁶You covered the earth with oceans;

the water was above the mountains.

⁷But at your command, the water rushed away.

When you thundered your orders, it hurried away.

⁸The mountains rose; the valleys sank.

The water went to the places you made for it.

⁹You set borders for the seas that they cannot cross,

so water will never cover the earth again.

¹⁰You make springs pour into the ravines;

they flow between the mountains.

¹¹They water all the wild animals;

the wild donkeys come there to drink.

¹²Wild birds make nests by the water;

they sing among the tree branches.

¹³You water the mountains from above.

The earth is full of the things you made.

¹⁴You make the grass for cattle

and vegetables for the people.

You make food grow from the earth.

¹⁵You give us wine that makes happy hearts

and olive oil that makes our faces shine.

You give us bread that gives us strength.

¹⁶The Lord’s trees have plenty of water;

they are the cedars of Lebanon, which he planted.

¹⁷The birds make their nests there;

the stork’s home is in the fir trees.

¹⁸The high mountains belong to the wild goats.

The rocks are hiding places for the badgers.

¹⁹You made the moon to mark the seasons,

and the sun always knows when to set.

²⁰You make it dark, and it becomes night.

Then all the wild animals creep around.

²¹The lions roar as they attack.

They look to God for food.

²²When the sun rises, they leave

and go back to their dens to lie down.

²³Then people go to work

and work until evening.

²⁴Lord, you have made many things;

with your wisdom you made them all.

The earth is full of your riches.

²⁵Look at the sea, so big and wide,

with creatures large and small that cannot be counted.

²⁶Ships travel over the ocean,

and there is the sea monster Leviathan,

which you made to play there.

²⁷All these things depend on you

to give them their food at the right time.

²⁸When you give it to them,

they gather it up.

When you open your hand,

they are filled with good food.

²⁹When you turn away from them,

they become frightened.

When you take away their breath,

they die and turn to dust.

³⁰When you breathe on them,

they are created,

and you make the land new again.

³¹May the glory of the Lord be forever.

May the Lord enjoy what he has made.

³²He just looks at the earth, and it shakes.

He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

³³I will sing to the Lord all my life;

I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.

³⁴May my thoughts please him;

I am happy in the Lord.

³⁵Let sinners be destroyed from the earth,

and let the wicked live no longer.

My whole being, praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.