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

Psalm 148

1 Praise the Lord.a p

Praise the Lord from the heavens;q

praise him in the heights above.

2 Praise him, all his angels;r

praise him, all his heavenly hosts.s

3 Praise him, sunt and moon;

praise him, all you shining stars.

4 Praise him, you highest heavensu

and you waters above the skies.v

5 Let them praise the namew of the Lord,

for at his commandx they were created,

6 and he established them for ever and ever—

he issued a decreey that will never pass away.

7 Praise the Lordz from the earth,

you great sea creaturesa and all ocean depths,b

8 lightning and hail,c snow and clouds,

stormy winds that do his bidding,d

9 you mountains and all hills,e

fruit trees and all cedars,

10 wild animalsf and all cattle,

small creatures and flying birds,

11 kingsg of the earth and all nations,

you princes and all rulers on earth,

12 young men and women,

old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,h

for his name alone is exalted;

his splendori is above the earth and the heavens.j

14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,b k

the praisel of all his faithful servants,m

of Israel, the people close to his heart.n

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 149

1 Praise the Lord.a o

Sing to the Lord a new song,p

his praise in the assemblyq of his faithful people.

2 Let Israel rejoicer in their Maker;s

let the people of Zion be glad in their King.t

3 Let them praise his name with dancingu

and make music to him with timbrel and harp.v

4 For the Lord takes delightw in his people;

he crowns the humble with victory.x

5 Let his faithful people rejoicey in this honor

and sing for joy on their beds.z

6 May the praise of God be in their mouthsa

and a double-edgedb sword in their hands,c

7 to inflict vengeanced on the nations

and punishmente on the peoples,

8 to bind their kings with fetters,f

their nobles with shackles of iron,g

9 to carry out the sentence written against them—h

this is the glory of all his faithful people.i

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 150

1 Praise the Lord.a j

Praise God in his sanctuary;k

praise him in his mighty heavens.l

2 Praise him for his acts of power;m

praise him for his surpassing greatness.n

3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,o

praise him with the harp and lyre,p

4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,q

praise him with the stringsr and pipe,s

5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,t

praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everythingu that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.