Psalm 147
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 147
Praise for God’s Care for Jerusalem
1 Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.(A)
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.(B)
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.(C)
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.(D)
5 Great is our Lord and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.(E)
6 The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.(F)
9 He gives to the animals their food
and to the young ravens when they cry.(G)
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner,[a](H)
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He grants peace[b] within your borders;
he fills you with the finest of wheat.(I)
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.(J)
16 He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.(K)
17 He hurls down hail like crumbs—
who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word and melts them;
he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.(L)
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and ordinances to Israel.(M)
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord!(N)
Psalm 147
Contemporary English Version
Sing and Praise the Lord
1 Shout praises to the Lord!
Our God is kind,
and it is right and good
to sing praises to him.
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem
and brings the people of Israel
back home again.
3 He renews our hopes
and heals our bodies.
4 He decided how many stars
there would be in the sky
and gave each one a name.
5 Our Lord is great and powerful!
He understands everything.
6 The Lord helps the oppressed,
but he smears the wicked
in the dirt.
7 Celebrate and sing!
Play your harps
for the Lord our God.
8 He fills the sky with clouds
and sends rain to the earth,
so that the hills
will be green with grass.
9 He provides food for cattle
and for the young ravens,
when they cry out.
10 The Lord doesn't care about
the strength of horses
or powerful armies.
11 The Lord is pleased only
with those who worship him
and trust his love.
12 Everyone in Jerusalem,
come and praise
the Lord your God!
13 He makes your city gates strong
and blesses your people.
14 God lets you live in peace,
and he gives you
the very best wheat.
15 As soon as God speaks,
the earth obeys.
16 He covers the ground with snow
like a blanket of wool,
and he scatters frost
like ashes on the ground.
17 God sends down hailstones
like chips of rocks.
Who can stand the cold?
18 At his command the ice melts,
the wind blows,
and streams begin to flow.
19 God gave his laws and teachings
to the descendants of Jacob,
the nation of Israel.
20 But he has not given his laws
to any other nation.
Shout praises to the Lord!
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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