Psalm 145–147

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise. A psalm of David.

¹I will honor you, my God the King.

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

²Every day I will praise you.

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

³Lord, you are great. You are really worthy of praise.

No one can completely understand how great you are.

⁴Parents will praise your works to their children.

They will tell about your mighty acts.

⁵They will speak about your glorious majesty.

I will spend time thinking about your miracles.

⁶They will speak about the powerful and wonderful things you do.

I will talk about the great things you have done.

⁷They will celebrate your great goodness.

They will sing with joy about your holy acts.

⁸The Lord is gracious. He is kind and tender.

He is slow to get angry. He is full of love.

⁹The Lord is good to all.

He shows deep concern for everything he has made.

¹⁰Lord, every living thing you have made will praise you.

Your faithful people will praise you.

¹¹They will tell about your glorious kingdom.

They will speak about your power.

¹²Then all people will know about the mighty things you have done.

They will know about the glorious majesty of your kingdom.

¹³Your kingdom is a kingdom that will last forever.

Your rule will continue for all time to come.

The Lord is faithful and will keep all of his promises.

He is loving toward everything he has made.

¹⁴The Lord takes good care of all those who fall.

He lifts up all those who feel helpless.

¹⁵Every living thing looks to you for food.

You give it to them exactly when they need it.

¹⁶You open your hand

and satisfy the needs of every living creature.

¹⁷The Lord is right in everything he does.

He is loving toward everything he has made.

¹⁸The Lord is ready to help all those who call out to him.

He helps those who really mean it when they call out to him.

¹⁹He satisfies the needs of those who have respect for him.

He hears their cry and saves them.

²⁰The Lord watches over all those who love him.

But he will destroy all sinful people.

²¹I will praise the Lord with my mouth.

Let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever.

Psalm 146

¹Praise the Lord.

I will praise the Lord.

²I will praise the Lord all my life.

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

³Don’t put your trust in human leaders.

Don’t trust in people. They can’t save you.

⁴When they die, they return to the ground.

On that very day their plans are bound to fail.

⁵Blessed are those who depend on the God of Jacob for help.

Blessed are those who put their hope in the Lord their God.

⁶He is the Maker of heaven and earth and the ocean.

He made everything in them.

The Lord remains faithful forever.

⁷He stands up for those who are beaten down.

He gives food to hungry people.

The Lord sets prisoners free.

⁸The Lord gives sight to those who are blind.

The Lord lifts up those who feel helpless.

The Lord loves those who do what is right.

⁹The Lord watches over the outsiders who live in our land.

He takes good care of children whose fathers have died.

He also takes good care of widows.

But he causes evil people to fail

in everything they do.

¹⁰The Lord rules forever.

The God of Zion will rule for all time to come.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 147

¹Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God!

How pleasant and right it is to praise him!

²The Lord builds up Jerusalem.

He gathers the scattered people of Israel.

³He heals those who have broken hearts.

He takes care of their wounds.

⁴He decides how many stars there should be.

He gives each one of them a name.

⁵Great is our Lord. His power is mighty.

There is no limit to his understanding.

⁶The Lord gives strength to those who aren’t proud.

But he throws evil people down to the ground.

⁷Sing to the Lord and give thanks to him.

Make music to our God on the harp.

⁸He covers the sky with clouds.

He supplies the earth with rain.

He makes grass grow on the hills.

⁹He provides food for the cattle.

He provides for the young ravens when they cry out.

¹⁰He doesn’t take pleasure in the strength of horses.

He doesn’t take delight in the strong legs of men.

¹¹The Lord takes delight in those who have respect for him.

They put their hope in his faithful love.

¹²Jerusalem, praise the Lord.

Zion, praise your God.

¹³He makes the bars of your gates stronger.

He blesses the people who live inside you.

¹⁴He keeps your borders safe and secure.

He satisfies you with the finest wheat.

¹⁵He sends his command to the earth.

His word arrives there quickly.

¹⁶He spreads the snow like wool.

He scatters the frost like ashes.

¹⁷He throws down his hail like small stones.

No one can stand his icy blast.

¹⁸He gives his command, and the ice melts.

He stirs up his winds, and the waters flow.

¹⁹He has made his word known to the people of Jacob.

He has made his laws and rules known to Israel.

²⁰He hasn’t done that for any other nation.

They don’t know his laws.

Praise the Lord.