Psalm 146:1–147:11

^1–2146Hallelujah!

O my soul, praise God!

All my life long I’ll praise God,

singing songs to my God as long as I live.

^3–9Don’t put your life in the hands of experts

who know nothing of life, of salvation life.

Mere humans don’t have what it takes;

when they die, their projects die with them.

Instead, get help from the God of Jacob,

put your hope in God and know real blessing!

God made sky and soil,

sea and all the fish in it.

He always does what he says—

he defends the wronged,

he feeds the hungry.

God frees prisoners—

he gives sight to the blind,

he lifts up the fallen.

God loves good people, protects strangers,

takes the side of orphans and widows,

but makes short work of the wicked.

¹⁰God’s in charge—always.

Zion’s God is God for good!

Hallelujah!

¹147Hallelujah!

It’s a good thing to sing praise to our God;

praise is beautiful, praise is fitting.

^2–6God’s the one who rebuilds Jerusalem,

who regathers Israel’s scattered exiles.

He heals the heartbroken

and bandages their wounds.

He counts the stars

and assigns each a name.

Our Lord is great, with limitless strength;

we’ll never comprehend what he knows and does.

God puts the fallen on their feet again

and pushes the wicked into the ditch.

^7–11Sing to God a thanksgiving hymn,

play music on your instruments to God,

Who fills the sky with clouds,

preparing rain for the earth,

Then turning the mountains green with grass,

feeding both cattle and crows.

He’s not impressed with horsepower;

the size of our muscles means little to him.

Those who fear God get God’s attention;

they can depend on his strength.