Add parallel Print Page Options

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord!

Let all that I am praise the Lord.
    I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
    I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
    there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
    and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel[a] as their helper,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them.
    He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
    and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
    The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
    The Lord loves the godly.
The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
    He cares for the orphans and widows,
    but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

10 The Lord will reign forever.
    He will be your God, O Jerusalem,[b] throughout the generations.

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. 146:5 Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 44:4.
  2. 146:10 Hebrew Zion.

Put Not Your Trust in Princes

146 (A)Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord (B)as long as I live;
    (C)I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

(D)Put not your trust in princes,
    (E)in a son of man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
When (G)his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.

(H)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose (I)hope is in the Lord his God,
(J)who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
(K)who keeps faith forever;
    (L)who executes justice for the oppressed,
    (M)who gives food to the hungry.

(N)The Lord sets the prisoners free;
    (O)the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
(P)The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    (Q)the Lord loves the righteous.
(R)The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    (S)he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but (T)the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 (U)The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, to all generations.
(V)Praise the Lord!

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord.[a]

Praise the Lord,(A) my soul.

I will praise the Lord all my life;(B)
    I will sing praise(C) to my God as long as I live.(D)
Do not put your trust in princes,(E)
    in human beings,(F) who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;(G)
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.(H)
Blessed are those(I) whose help(J) is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

He is the Maker of heaven(K) and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful(L) forever.
He upholds(M) the cause of the oppressed(N)
    and gives food to the hungry.(O)
The Lord sets prisoners free,(P)
    the Lord gives sight(Q) to the blind,(R)
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,(S)
    the Lord loves the righteous.(T)
The Lord watches over the foreigner(U)
    and sustains the fatherless(V) and the widow,(W)
    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The Lord reigns(X) forever,
    your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 146:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 10

14 He will say, “I have long been silent;
    yes, I have restrained myself.
But now, like a woman in labor,
    I will cry and groan and pant.
15 I will level the mountains and hills
    and blight all their greenery.
I will turn the rivers into dry land
    and will dry up all the pools.
16 I will lead blind Israel down a new path,
    guiding them along an unfamiliar way.
I will brighten the darkness before them
    and smooth out the road ahead of them.
Yes, I will indeed do these things;
    I will not forsake them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
    who say, ‘You are our gods,’
    will be turned away in shame.

Israel’s Failure to Listen and See

18 “Listen, you who are deaf!
    Look and see, you blind!
19 Who is as blind as my own people, my servant?
    Who is as deaf as my messenger?
Who is as blind as my chosen people,
    the servant of the Lord?
20 You see and recognize what is right
    but refuse to act on it.
You hear with your ears,
    but you don’t really listen.”

21 Because he is righteous,
    the Lord has exalted his glorious law.

Read full chapter

14 For a long time I have held my peace;
    I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out (A)like a woman in labor;
    I will gasp and pant.
15 (B)I will lay waste mountains and hills,
    and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn the rivers into islands,[a]
    and dry up the pools.
16 (C)And I will lead the blind
    in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known
    I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
    (D)the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do,
    and I do not forsake them.
17 (E)They are turned back and utterly put to shame,
    who trust in carved idols,
who say to metal images,
    “You are our gods.”

Israel's Failure to Hear and See

18 Hear, you deaf,
    and look, you blind, that you may see!
19 Who is blind but my servant,
    or deaf as my messenger whom I send?
Who is blind as my dedicated one,[b]
    or blind as the servant of the Lord?
20 (F)He sees many things, but does not observe them;
    (G)his ears are open, but he does not hear.
21 The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness' sake,
    to magnify his law and make it glorious.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 42:15 Or into coastlands
  2. Isaiah 42:19 Or as the one at peace with me

14 “For a long time I have kept silent,(A)
    I have been quiet and held myself back.(B)
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
    I cry out, I gasp and pant.(C)
15 I will lay waste(D) the mountains(E) and hills
    and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
    and dry up(F) the pools.
16 I will lead(G) the blind(H) by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light(I) before them
    and make the rough places smooth.(J)
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake(K) them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
    who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’(L)
    will be turned back in utter shame.(M)

Israel Blind and Deaf

18 “Hear, you deaf;(N)
    look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind(O) but my servant,(P)
    and deaf like the messenger(Q) I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant(R) with me,
    blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
    your ears are open, but you do not listen.”(S)
21 It pleased the Lord
    for the sake(T) of his righteousness
    to make his law(U) great and glorious.

Read full chapter

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,[a] 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom[b] and forgave our sins.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1:11 Or all the patience and endurance you need with joy.
  2. 1:14 Some manuscripts add with his blood.

And so, (A)from the day we heard, (B)we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that (C)you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all (D)spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as (E)to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, (F)fully pleasing to him: (G)bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 (H)being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for (I)all endurance and patience (J)with joy; 12 (K)giving thanks[a] to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in (L)the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He (M)has delivered us from (N)the domain of darkness and transferred us to (O)the kingdom of (P)his beloved Son, 14 (Q)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Colossians 1:12 Or patience, with joy giving thanks
  2. Colossians 1:12 Some manuscripts us

For this reason, since the day we heard about you,(A) we have not stopped praying for you.(B) We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will(C) through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[a](D) 10 so that you may live a life worthy(E) of the Lord and please him(F) in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,(G) 11 being strengthened with all power(H) according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,(I) 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father,(J) who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance(K) of his holy people in the kingdom of light.(L) 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness(M) and brought us into the kingdom(N) of the Son he loves,(O) 14 in whom we have redemption,(P) the forgiveness of sins.(Q)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Colossians 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
  2. Colossians 1:12 Some manuscripts us