Psalm 103

The Lord’s Wonderful Love

1 [ By David. ] 1 With all my heart
I praise the Lord, and with all that I am
I praise his holy name!

2 With all my heart I praise the Lord! I will never forget
how kind he has been.

3 The Lord forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick,

4 and protects us from death. His kindness and love
are a crown on our heads.

5 Each day that we live, t he provides for our needs
and gives us the strength
of a young eagle.

6 For all who are mistreated, the Lord brings justice.

7 He taught his Law to Moses and showed all Israel
what he could do.

8 t8 The Lord is merciful! He is kind and patient,
and his love never fails.

9 The Lord won’t always be angry and point out our sins;

10 he doesn’t punish us as our sins deserve.

11 How great is God’s love for all who worship him?
Greater than the distance
between heaven and earth!

12 How far has the Lord taken our sins from us?
Farther than the distance
from east to west!

13 Just as parents are kind to their children,
the Lord is kind to all who worship him,

14 because he knows we are made of dust.

15 We humans are like grass or wild flowers
that quickly bloom.

16 But a scorching wind blows, and they quickly wither
to be forever forgotten.

17 The Lord is always kind to those who worship him,
and he keeps his promises
to their descendants

18 who faithfully obey him.

19 God has set up his kingdom in heaven, and he rules
the whole creation.

20 All of you mighty angels, who obey God’s commands,
come and praise your Lord!

21 All of you thousands who serve and obey God,
come and praise your Lord!
22 All of God’s creation and all that he rules,
come and praise your Lord! With all my heart
I praise the Lord!

Psalm 104

The Lord Takes Care of His Creation

1 1 I praise you, Lord God, with all my heart.
You are glorious and majestic,
dressed in royal robes

2 and surrounded by light. You spread out the sky
like a tent,

3 and you built your home over the mighty ocean.
The clouds are your chariot
with the wind as its wings.

4 t4 The winds are your messengers, and flames of fire
are your servants.

5 You built foundations for the earth, and it
will never be shaken.

6 You covered the earth with the ocean that rose
above the mountains.

7 Then your voice thundered! And the water flowed

8 down the mountains and through the valleys
to the place you prepared.

9 Now you have set boundaries, so that the water will never
flood the earth again.

10 You provide streams of water in the hills and valleys,

11 so that the donkeys and other wild animals
can satisfy their thirst.

12 Birds build their nests nearby and sing in the trees.

13 From your home above you send rain on the hills
and water the earth.

14 You let the earth produce grass for cattle,
plants for our food,

15 wine to cheer us up, olive oil for our skin,
and grain for our health.

16 Our Lord, your trees always have water,
and so do the cedars
you planted in Lebanon.

17 Birds nest in those trees, and storks make their home
in the fir trees.

18 Wild goats find a home in the tall mountains,
and small animals can hide
between the rocks.

19 You created the moon to tell us the seasons.
The sun knows when to set,

20 and you made the darkness, so the animals in the forest
could come out at night.

21 Lions roar as they hunt for the food you provide.

22 But when morning comes, they return to their dens,

23 then we go out to work until the end of day.

24 Our Lord, by your wisdom you made so many things;
the whole earth is covered
with your living creatures.

25 But what about the ocean so big and wide?
It is alive with creatures,
large and small.

26 t26 And there are the ships, as well as Leviathan, t the monster you created
to splash in the sea.

27 All of these depend on you to provide them with food,

28 and you feed each one with your own hand,
until they are full.

29 But when you turn away, they are terrified;
when you end their life,
they die and rot.

30 You created all of them by your Spirit,
and you give new life
to the earth.

31 Our Lord, we pray that your glory
will last forever
and that you will be pleased
with what you have done.

32 You look at the earth, and it trembles.
You touch the mountains,
and smoke goes up.

33 As long as I live, I will sing and praise you,
the Lord God.

34 I hope my thoughts will please you,
because you are the one
who makes me glad.

35 Destroy all wicked sinners from the earth
once and for all.
With all my heart
I praise you, Lord! I praise you!

Psalm 105

The Lord Can Be Trusted

1 1 Praise the Lord and pray in his name!
Tell everyone
what he has done.

2 Sing praises to the Lord! Tell about his miracles.

3 Celebrate and worship his holy name
with all your heart.

4 Trust the Lord and his mighty power.

5 Remember his miracles and all his wonders
and his fair decisions.

6 You belong to the family of Abraham, his servant;
you are his chosen ones,
the descendants of Jacob.

7 The Lord is our God, bringing justice
everywhere on earth.

8 He will never forget his agreement or his promises,
not in thousands of years.

9 tt9 God made an eternal promise

10 t10to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

11 when he said, “I’ll give you the land of Canaan.”

12 At the time there were only a few of us,
and we were homeless.

13 We wandered from nation to nation, from one country
to another.

14 t14 God did not let anyone mistreat our people.
Instead he protected us
by punishing rulers

15 and telling them, “Don’t touch my chosen leaders
or harm my prophets!”

16 t16 God kept crops from growing until food was scarce
everywhere in the land.

17 t17 But he had already sent Joseph, sold as a slave into Egypt,

18 t18 with chains of iron around his legs and neck.

19 Joseph remained a slave until his own words
had come true,
and the Lord had finished testing him.

20 t20 Then the king of Egypt set Joseph free

21 t21 and put him in charge of everything he owned.

22 Joseph was in command of the officials,
and he taught the leaders
how to use wisdom.

23 t23 Jacob and his family came and settled in Egypt
as foreigners.

24 t24 They were the Lord’s people, so he let them grow stronger
than their enemies.

25 They served the Lord, and he made the Egyptians plan
hateful things against them.

26 t26 God sent his servant Moses. He also chose and sent Aaron

27 to his people in Egypt, and they worked miracles
and wonders there.

28 t28 Moses and Aaron obeyed God, and he sent darkness
to cover Egypt.

29 t29 God turned their rivers into streams of blood,
and the fish all died.

30 t30 Frogs were everywhere, even in the royal palace.

31 t31 When God gave the command, flies and gnats
swarmed all around.

32 t32 In place of rain, God sent hailstones
and flashes of lightning.

33 He destroyed their grapevines and their fig trees,
and he made splinters
of all the other trees.

34 t34 God gave the command, and more grasshoppers came
than could be counted.

35 They ate every green plant and all the crops that grew
in the land of Egypt.

36 t36 Then God took the life of every first-born son.

37 t37 When God led Israel from Egypt, they took silver and gold,
and no one was left behind.

38 The Egyptians were afraid and gladly let them go.

39 t39 God hid them under a cloud and guided them by fire
during the night.

40 t40 When they asked for food, he sent more birds
than they could eat.

41 t41 God even split open a rock, and streams of water
gushed into the desert.

42 God never forgot his sacred promise
to his servant Abraham.

43 When the Lord rescued his chosen people from Egypt,
they celebrated with songs.

44 t44 The Lord gave them the land and everything else
the nations had worked for.

45 He did this so that his people would obey all of his laws.
Shout praises to the Lord!