Psalm 104:24-34
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
V
24 How varied are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.(A)
25 There is the sea, great and wide!
It teems with countless beings,
living things both large and small.(B)
26 There ships ply their course
and Leviathan,[a] whom you formed to play with.(C)
VI
27 All of these look to you
to give them food in due time.(D)
28 When you give it to them, they gather;
when you open your hand, they are well filled.
29 [b]When you hide your face, they panic.
Take away their breath, they perish
and return to the dust.(E)
30 Send forth your spirit, they are created
and you renew the face of the earth.
VII
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord be glad in his works!
32 Who looks at the earth and it trembles,
touches the mountains and they smoke!(F)
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.(G)
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him;
I will rejoice in the Lord.
Footnotes
- 104:26 Leviathan: a sea monster symbolizing primeval chaos, cf. Ps 74:14; Is 27:1; Jb 40:25. God does not destroy chaos but makes it part of the created order.
- 104:29–30 On one level, the spirit (or wind) of God is the fall and winter rains that provide food for all creatures. On another, it is the breath (or spirit) of God that makes beings live.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.