In Praise of the Creator
1Praise the Lord, my soul!
O Lord, my God, how great you are!
You are clothed with majesty and glory;
2you cover yourself with light.
You have spread out the heavens like a tent
3and built your home on the waters above.
You use the clouds as your chariot
and ride on the wings of the wind.
4 You use the winds as your messengers
and flashes of lightning as your servants.
5You have set the earth firmly on its foundations,
and it will never be moved.
6You placed the ocean over it like a robe,
and the water covered the mountains.
7When you rebuked the waters, they fled;
they rushed away when they heard your shout of command.
8They flowed over the mountains and into the valleys,
to the place you had made for them.
9You set a boundary they can never pass,
to keep them from covering the earth again.
10You make springs flow in the valleys,
and rivers run between the hills.
11They provide water for the wild animals;
there the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12In the trees near by,
the birds make their nests and sing.
13From the sky you send rain on the hills,
and the earth is filled with your blessings.
14You make grass grow for the cattle
and plants for us to use,
so that we can grow our crops
15and produce wine to make us happy,
olive oil to make us cheerful,
and bread to give us strength.
16The cedars of Lebanon get plenty of rain—
the Lord's own trees, which he planted.
17There the birds build their nests;
the storks nest in the fir trees.
18The wild goats live in the high mountains,
and the rock badgers hide in the cliffs.
19You created the moon to mark the months;
the sun knows the time to set.
20You made the night, and in the darkness
all the wild animals come out.
21The young lions roar while they hunt,
looking for the food that God provides.
22When the sun rises, they go back
and lie down in their dens.
23Then people go out to do their work
and keep working until evening.
24Lord, you have made so many things!
How wisely you made them all!
The earth is filled with your creatures.
25There is the ocean, large and wide,
where countless creatures live,
large and small alike.
26 The ships sail on it, and in it plays Leviathan,
that sea monster which you made.
27All of them depend on you
to give them food when they need it.
28You give it to them, and they eat it;
you provide food, and they are satisfied.
29When you turn away, they are afraid;
when you take away your breath, they die
and go back to the dust from which they came.
30But when you give them breath, they are created;
you give new life to the earth.
31May the glory of the Lord last forever!
May the Lord be happy with what he has made!
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;
as long as I live I will sing praises to my God.
34May he be pleased with my song,
for my gladness comes from him.
35May sinners be destroyed from the earth;
may the wicked be no more.
Praise the Lord, my soul!
Praise the Lord!