Praise for the Lord’s Mercies

A Psalm of David.

103 Bless (A)the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
(B)Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who (C)heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
(D)Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that (E)your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
(F)He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
(G)The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
(H)He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 (I)He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He (J)removed our transgressions from us.
13 (K)As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14 For He [a]knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, (L)his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 (M)For the wind passes over it, and it is [b]gone,
And (N)its place remembers it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 (O)To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And (P)His kingdom rules over all.

20 (Q)Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who (R)do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
(S)You [c]ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 103:14 Understands our constitution
  2. Psalm 103:16 not
  3. Psalm 103:21 servants

Psalm 103

The Forgiving God

Of David.

My soul, bless the Lord,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.(A)
My soul, bless the Lord,
and do not forget all his benefits.(B)

He forgives all your iniquity;(C)
he heals all your diseases.(D)
He redeems your life from the Pit;(E)
he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.(F)
He satisfies you[a] with good things;(G)
your youth is renewed like the eagle.(H)

The Lord executes acts of righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.(I)
He revealed his ways to Moses,(J)
his deeds to the people of Israel.(K)
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.(L)
He will not always accuse us
or be angry forever.(M)
10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve
or repaid us according to our iniquities.(N)

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his faithful love
toward those who fear him.(O)
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed
our transgressions from us.(P)
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.(Q)
14 For he knows what we are made of,
remembering that we are dust.(R)

15 As for man, his days are like grass—
he blooms like a flower of the field;(S)
16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes,
and its place is no longer known.[b](T)
17 But from eternity to eternity
the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him,
and his righteousness toward the grandchildren(U)
18 of those who keep his covenant,
who remember to observe his precepts.(V)
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.(W)

20 Bless the Lord,
all his angels of great strength,
who do his word,
obedient to his command.(X)
21 Bless the Lord, all his armies,
his servants who do his will.(Y)
22 Bless the Lord, all his works
in all the places where he rules.(Z)
My soul, bless the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. 103:5 Lit satisfies your ornament; Hb obscure
  2. 103:16 Lit place no longer knows it

Psalm 103

Of David.

Praise the Lord,(A) my soul;(B)
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.(C)
Praise the Lord,(D) my soul,
    and forget not(E) all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins(F)
    and heals(G) all your diseases,
who redeems your life(H) from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,(I)
who satisfies(J) your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed(K) like the eagle’s.(L)

The Lord works righteousness(M)
    and justice for all the oppressed.(N)

He made known(O) his ways(P) to Moses,
    his deeds(Q) to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,(R)
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;(S)
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve(T)
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love(U) for those who fear him;(V)
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions(W) from us.

13 As a father has compassion(X) on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,(Y)
    he remembers that we are dust.(Z)
15 The life of mortals is like grass,(AA)
    they flourish like a flower(AB) of the field;
16 the wind blows(AC) over it and it is gone,
    and its place(AD) remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children(AE)
18 with those who keep his covenant(AF)
    and remember(AG) to obey his precepts.(AH)

19 The Lord has established his throne(AI) in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules(AJ) over all.

20 Praise the Lord,(AK) you his angels,(AL)
    you mighty ones(AM) who do his bidding,(AN)
    who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,(AO)
    you his servants(AP) who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works(AQ)
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.(AR)

Psalm 103

A song of David.

O my soul, come, praise the Eternal
    with all that is in me—body, emotions, mind, and will—every part of who I am—
    praise His holy name.
O my soul, come, praise the Eternal;
    sing a song from a grateful heart;
    sing and never forget all the good He has done.
Despite all your many offenses, He forgives and releases you.
    More than any doctor, He heals your diseases.
He reaches deep into the pit to deliver you from death.
    He crowns you with unfailing love and compassion like a king.
When your soul is famished and withering,
    He fills you with good and beautiful things, satisfying you as long as you live.
    He makes you strong like an eagle, restoring your youth.

When people are crushed, wronged, enslaved, raped, murdered,
    the Eternal is just;
    He makes the wrongs right.
He showed Moses His ways;
    He allowed His people Israel to see His wonders and acts of power.
The Eternal is compassionate and merciful.
    When we cross all the lines, He is patient with us.
    When we struggle against Him, He lovingly stays with us—changing, convicting, prodding;
He will not constantly criticize,
    nor will He hold a grudge forever.
10 Thankfully, God does not punish us for our sins and depravity as we deserve.
    In His mercy, He tempers justice with peace.
11 Measure how high heaven is above the earth;
    God’s wide, loving, kind heart is greater for those who revere Him.
12 You see, God takes all our crimes—our seemingly inexhaustible sins—and removes them.
    As far as east is from the west, He removes them from us.
13 An earthly father expresses love for his children;
    it is no different with our heavenly Father;
The Eternal shows His love for those who revere Him.
14 For He knows what we are made of;
    He knows our frame is frail, and He remembers we came from dust.

15 The children of Adam are like grass;
    their days are few;
    they flourish for a time like flowers in a meadow.
16 As the wind blows over the field and the bloom is gone,
    it doesn’t take much to blow us out of the memory of that place.
17 But the unfailing love of the Eternal is always and eternal
    for those who reverently run after Him.
    He extends His justice on and on to future generations,
18 To those who will keep His bond of love
    and remember to walk in the guidance of His commands.

19 The Eternal has established His throne up in the heavens.
    He rules over every seen and unseen realm and creature.
20 Adore Him! Give Him praise, you heavenly messengers,
    you powerful creatures who listen to
    and act on His every word.
21 Give praise to the Eternal, all armies of heaven
    you servants who stand ready to do His will.
22 Give praise to the Eternal, all that He has made
    in all corners of His creation.
O my soul, come, praise the Eternal!