22The universe praises its Creator. In contemplating the universe, the believer feels full of admiration and optimism. All comes from God, and this universe is also for humankind. God is now completing his creation through the work of humans and the radiant light of his witnesses: Send your Spirit to renew the face of the earth.
1 Bless the Lord, my soul!
1 Clothed in majesty and splendor
1 O Lord, my God, how great you are!
2 You are wrapped in light as with a garment
2 you stretch out the heavens like a tent,
3 you build your upperrooms above the waters.
3 You make the clouds your chariot
3 and ride on the wings of the wind
4 you make the winds your messengers,
4 and fire and flame your ministers.
5 You set the earth on its foundations,
5 and never will it be shaken.
6 You covered it with the ocean like a garment,
6 and waters spread over the mountains.
7 But at your rebuke the waters flee,
7 at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
8 Brought to the mountains, they flow down again
8 to settle in the valleys.
9 You set a limit they could not cross,
9 never again to flood the earth.
10 You make springs gush forth in valleys
10 winding among mountains and hills,
11 giving drink to the beasts of the field,
11 quenching the thirst of wild donkeys.
12 Birds build their nests close by
12 and sing among the branches of trees.
13 You water the mountains from your abode
13 and fill the earth with the fruit of your work.
14 You make grass grow for cattle
14 and plants for man to cultivate,
14 that he may bring forth food from the earth:
15 wine to gladden his heart,
15 oil to make his face shine,
15 and bread to make him strong.
16 The Lord waters his trees to their fill,
16 the cedars of Lebanon which he planted.
17 The birds build their nests,
17 the stork has its home in the pine trees.
18 High mountains are for wild goats,
18 the cliffs a refuge for badgers.
19 You made the moon to mark the seasons,
19 and the sun that knows when to set
20 when you bring the darkness of the night,
20 all the beasts of the forest begin to prowl:
21 the young lions roaring for their prey
21 claiming their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, the beasts steal away,
22 returning to rest in their dens.
23 Man then goes out to his work,
23 and toils till evening comes.
24 How varied O Lord, are your works!
24 In wisdom you have made them all
24 the earth full of your creatures.
25 Behold the sea, wide and vast,
25 teeming with countless creatures,
25 living things both great and small,
26 a strange world reserved for the ships,
26 for Leviathan, the dragon you made to play with.