Psalm 146

1 Praise the Lord.a

Praise the Lord,x my soul.

2 I will praise the Lord all my life;y

I will sing praisez to my God as long as I live.a

3 Do not put your trust in princes,b

in human beings,c who cannot save.

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

on that very day their plans come to nothing.e

5 Blessed are thosef whose helpg is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6 He is the Maker of heavenh and earth,

the sea, and everything in them—

he remains faithfuli forever.

7 He upholdsj the cause of the oppressedk

and gives food to the hungry.l

The Lord sets prisoners free,m

8 the Lord gives sightn to the blind,o

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,p

the Lord loves the righteous.q

9 The Lord watches over the foreignerr

and sustains the fatherlesss and the widow,t

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The Lord reignsu forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 147

1 Praise the Lord.a

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

how pleasantv and fitting to praise him!w

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;x

he gathers the exilesy of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenheartedz

and binds up their wounds.a

4 He determines the number of the starsb

and calls them each by name.

5 Great is our Lordc and mighty in power;d

his understanding has no limit.e

6 The Lord sustains the humblef

but casts the wickedg to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lordh with grateful praise;i

make musicj to our God on the harp.k

8 He covers the sky with clouds;l

he supplies the earth with rainm

and makes grass grown on the hills.

9 He provides foodo for the cattle

and for the young ravensp when they call.

10 His pleasure is not in the strengthq of the horse,r

nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;

11 the Lord delightss in those who fear him,t

who put their hopeu in his unfailing love.v

12 Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;w

praise your God, Zion.

13 He strengthens the bars of your gatesx

and blesses your peopley within you.

14 He grants peacez to your borders

and satisfies youa with the finest of wheat.b

15 He sends his commandc to the earth;

his word runsd swiftly.

16 He spreads the snowe like wool

and scatters the frostf like ashes.

17 He hurls down his hailg like pebbles.

Who can withstand his icy blast?

18 He sends his wordh and melts them;

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

19 He has revealed his wordj to Jacob,k

his laws and decreesl to Israel.

20 He has done this for no other nation;m

they do not known his laws.b

Praise the Lord.o