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Psalm 147

Praise the Lord!

How good to sing praises to our God!
    How delightful and how fitting!
The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem
    and bringing the exiles back to Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
    and bandages their wounds.
He counts the stars
    and calls them all by name.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
    His understanding is beyond comprehension!
The Lord supports the humble,
    but he brings the wicked down into the dust.

Sing out your thanks to the Lord;
    sing praises to our God with a harp.
He covers the heavens with clouds,
    provides rain for the earth,
    and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures.
He gives food to the wild animals
    and feeds the young ravens when they cry.
10 He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse
    or in human might.
11 No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him,
    those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

12 Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem!
    Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates
    and blessed your children within your walls.
14 He sends peace across your nation
    and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat.
15 He sends his orders to the world—
    how swiftly his word flies!
16 He sends the snow like white wool;
    he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.
17 He hurls the hail like stones.[a]
    Who can stand against his freezing cold?
18 Then, at his command, it all melts.
    He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.
19 He has revealed his words to Jacob,
    his decrees and regulations to Israel.
20 He has not done this for any other nation;
    they do not know his regulations.

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. 147:17 Hebrew like bread crumbs.

Praise for God’s Provision

147 Hallelujah!
    It is good to sing praise to our God,
        and it is fitting to sing glorious praise.

The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;
    he gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted,
    binding up their injuries.
He keeps track of the number of stars,
    assigning names to all of them.
Our Lord is great,
    and rich in power;
        his understanding has no limitation.

The Lord supports the afflicted
    while he casts the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving,
    and compose music to our God with the lyre.
He shields the heavens with clouds,
    preparing rain for the earth
        and making grass grow on the hills.
He gives wild animals their food,
    including the young ravens when they cry.
10 He takes no delight in the strength of a horse,
    and gains no pleasure in the runner’s swiftness.[a]
11 But the Lord is pleased with those who fear him,
    with those who depend on his gracious love.

12 Glorify the Lord, Jerusalem!
    Praise your God, Zion!
13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates,
    blessing your children within you.
14 He grants peace within your borders,
    satisfying[b] you with the finest of wheat.

15 He sends out his command to the earth,
    making[c] his word go forth quickly.
16 He supplies snow like wool,
    scattering frost like ashes.
17 He casts down his ice crystals like bread[d] fragments.
    Who can endure his freezing cold?
18 He sends out his word
    and melts them.
He makes his wind blow
    and the water flows.

19 He declares his words to Jacob,
    his statutes and decrees to Israel.
20 He has not dealt with any other nation like this;
    they never knew[e] his decrees.

Hallelujah!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 147:10 Lit. the legs of a man
  2. Psalm 147:14 So MT; LXX DSS 4QPsd read borders, and satisfies
  3. Psalm 147:15 The Heb. lacks making
  4. Psalm 147:17 The Heb. lacks bread
  5. Psalm 147:20 So MT; LXX reads he did not explain to them; Syr Targ DSS 11QPsa read he has not revealed to them