Psalm 145-146

Common English Bible

Psalm 145^[a]

Praise. Of David.

145 I will lift you up high, my God, the true king.
    I will bless your name forever and always.
²I will bless you every day.
    I will praise your name forever and always.
³The Lord is great and so worthy of praise!
    God’s greatness can’t be grasped.
⁴One generation will praise your works to the next one,
    proclaiming your mighty acts.
⁵They will talk all about^[b] the glorious splendor of your majesty;
    I will contemplate your wondrous works.
⁶They will speak of the power of your awesome deeds;
    I will declare your great accomplishments.
⁷They will rave in celebration of your abundant goodness;
    they will shout joyfully about your righteousness:
⁸    “The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
    very patient, and full of faithful love.
⁹    The Lord is good to everyone and everything;
    God’s compassion extends to all his handiwork!”
¹⁰All that you have made gives thanks to you, Lord;
    all your faithful ones bless you!
¹¹They speak of the glory of your kingdom;
    they talk all about your power,
¹²    to inform all human beings about God’s power
    and the majestic glory of God’s kingdom.
¹³Your kingdom is a kingship that lasts forever;
    your rule endures for all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all that he says,
    faithful in all that he does.^[c]
¹⁴The Lord supports all who fall down,
    straightens up all who are bent low.
¹⁵All eyes look to you, hoping,
    and you give them their food right on time,
¹⁶    opening your hand
    and satisfying the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷The Lord is righteous in all his ways,
    faithful in all his deeds.
¹⁸The Lord is close to everyone who calls out to him,
    to all who call out to him sincerely.
¹⁹God shows favor to those who honor him,
    listening to their cries for help and saving them.
²⁰The Lord protects all who love him,
    but he destroys every wicked person.
²¹My mouth will proclaim the Lord’s praise,
    and every living thing will bless God’s holy name
        forever and always.

Psalm 146

146 Praise the Lord!

Let my whole being^[d] praise the Lord!
²I will praise the Lord with all my life;
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.

³Don’t trust leaders;
    don’t trust any human beings—
    there’s no saving help with them!
⁴Their breath leaves them,
    then they go back to the ground.
    On that very same day, their plans die too.

⁵The person whose help is the God of Jacob—
    the person whose hope rests on the Lord their God—
    is truly happy!
⁶God: the maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
God: who is faithful forever,
⁷    who gives justice to people who are oppressed,
    who gives bread to people who are starving!
The Lord: who frees prisoners.
⁸    The Lord: who makes the blind see.
    The Lord: who straightens up those who are bent low.
    The Lord: who loves the righteous.
⁹    The Lord: who protects immigrants,
        who helps orphans and widows,
        but who makes the way of the wicked twist and turn!

¹⁰The Lord will rule forever!
Zion, your God will rule from one generation to the next!

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

Psalm 145:1 Ps 145 is an alphabetic acrostic poem; see the note at Pss 9–10.
Psalm 145:5 LXX, Syr, DSS (11QPs^a); MT and words of
Psalm 145:13 LXX, DSS (11QPs^a), Syr; MT lacks these lines, but they correspond to the nun line in the alphabetic acrostic poem.
Psalm 146:1 Or soul