Psalm 146–147

Psalm 146

¹Praise the Lord.^a

Praise the Lord,^x my soul.

²I will praise the Lord all my life;^y

I will sing praise^z to my God as long as I live.^a

³Do not put your trust in princes,^b

in human beings,^c who cannot save.

⁴When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;^d

on that very day their plans come to nothing.^e

⁵Blessed are those^f whose help^g is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord their God.

⁶He is the Maker of heaven^h and earth,

the sea, and everything in them—

he remains faithfulⁱ forever.

⁷He upholds^j the cause of the oppressed^k

and gives food to the hungry.^l

The Lord sets prisoners free,^m

⁸the Lord gives sightⁿ to the blind,^o

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,^p

the Lord loves the righteous.^q

⁹The Lord watches over the foreigner^r

and sustains the fatherless^s and the widow,^t

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

¹⁰The Lord reigns^u forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 147

¹Praise the Lord.^a

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

how pleasant^v and fitting to praise him!^w

²The Lord builds up Jerusalem;^x

he gathers the exiles^y of Israel.

³He heals the brokenhearted^z

and binds up their wounds.^a

⁴He determines the number of the stars^b

and calls them each by name.

⁵Great is our Lord^c and mighty in power;^d

his understanding has no limit.^e

⁶The Lord sustains the humble^f

but casts the wicked^g to the ground.

⁷Sing to the Lord^h with grateful praise;ⁱ

make music^j to our God on the harp.^k

⁸He covers the sky with clouds;^l

he supplies the earth with rain^m

and makes grass growⁿ on the hills.

⁹He provides food^o for the cattle

and for the young ravens^p when they call.

¹⁰His pleasure is not in the strength^q of the horse,^r

nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;

¹¹the Lord delights^s in those who fear him,^t

who put their hope^u in his unfailing love.^v

¹²Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;^w

praise your God, Zion.

¹³He strengthens the bars of your gates^x

and blesses your people^y within you.

¹⁴He grants peace^z to your borders

and satisfies you^a with the finest of wheat.^b

¹⁵He sends his command^c to the earth;

his word runs^d swiftly.

¹⁶He spreads the snow^e like wool

and scatters the frost^f like ashes.

¹⁷He hurls down his hail^g like pebbles.

Who can withstand his icy blast?

¹⁸He sends his word^h and melts them;

he stirs up his breezes,ⁱ and the waters flow.

¹⁹He has revealed his word^j to Jacob,^k

his laws and decrees^l to Israel.

²⁰He has done this for no other nation;^m

they do not knowⁿ his laws.^b

Praise the Lord.^o