Psalm 146-148

English Standard Version

Put Not Your Trust in Princes

146 ^(A)Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
²I will praise the Lord ^(B)as long as I live;
^(C)I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

³^(D)Put not your trust in princes,
^(E)in a son of man, in whom there is ^(F)no salvation.
⁴When ^(G)his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

⁵^(H)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose ^(I)hope is in the Lord his God,
⁶^(J)who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
^(K)who keeps faith forever;
⁷    ^(L)who executes justice for the oppressed,
    ^(M)who gives food to the hungry.

^(N)The Lord sets the prisoners free;
⁸    ^(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.
⁹^(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!

He Heals the Brokenhearted

147 ^(W)Praise the Lord!
For ^(X)it is good to sing praises to our God;
    for ^(Y)it is pleasant,^[a] and ^(Z)a song of praise is fitting.
²The Lord ^(AA)builds up Jerusalem;
    he ^(AB)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
³He heals ^(AC)the brokenhearted
    and ^(AD)binds up their wounds.
⁴He ^(AE)determines the number of the stars;
    he ^(AF)gives to all of them their names.
⁵^(AG)Great is our Lord, and ^(AH)abundant in power;
    ^(AI)his understanding is beyond measure.
⁶The Lord ^(AJ)lifts up the humble;^[b]
    he casts the wicked to the ground.

⁷^(AK)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
    make melody to our God on ^(AL)the lyre!
⁸He covers the heavens with clouds;
    he prepares ^(AM)rain for the earth;
    he makes ^(AN)grass grow on the hills.
⁹He ^(AO)gives to the beasts their food,
    and to ^(AP)the young ravens that cry.
¹⁰His delight is not in ^(AQ)the strength of the horse,
    nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
¹¹but the Lord ^(AR)takes pleasure in those who fear him,
    in those who ^(AS)hope in his steadfast love.

¹²Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
    Praise your God, O Zion!
¹³For he strengthens ^(AT)the bars of your gates;
    he blesses your children within you.
¹⁴He ^(AU)makes peace in your borders;
    he ^(AV)fills you with the ^(AW)finest of the wheat.
¹⁵He ^(AX)sends out his command to the earth;
    his word runs swiftly.
¹⁶He gives ^(AY)snow like wool;
    he scatters ^(AZ)frost like ashes.
¹⁷He hurls down his crystals of ^(BA)ice like crumbs;
    who can stand before his ^(BB)cold?
¹⁸He ^(BC)sends out his word, and melts them;
    he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
¹⁹He declares his word to Jacob,
    his ^(BD)statutes and rules^[c] to Israel.
²⁰He ^(BE)has not dealt thus with any other nation;
    they do not know his rules.^[d]
^(BF)Praise the Lord!

Praise the Name of the Lord

148 ^(BG)Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord ^(BH)from the heavens;
praise him ^(BI)in the heights!
²Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his ^(BJ)hosts!

³Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
⁴Praise him, you ^(BK)highest heavens,
and you ^(BL)waters above the heavens!

⁵^(BM)Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For ^(BN)he commanded and they were created.
⁶And he ^(BO)established them forever and ever;
he gave ^(BP)a decree, and it shall not ^(BQ)pass away.^[e]

⁷Praise the Lord ^(BR)from the earth,
you ^(BS)great sea creatures and all deeps,
⁸^(BT)fire and hail, ^(BU)snow and mist,
^(BV)stormy wind ^(BW)fulfilling his word!

⁹^(BX)Mountains and all hills,
^(BY)fruit trees and all ^(BZ)cedars!
¹⁰^(CA)Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and ^(CB)flying birds!

¹¹Kings of the earth and ^(CC)all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
¹²Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!

¹³^(CD)Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for ^(CE)his name alone is exalted;
    ^(CF)his majesty is above earth and heaven.
¹⁴He has ^(CG)raised up a horn for his people,
    ^(CH)praise for all his saints,
    for the people of Israel who are ^(CI)near to him.
^(CJ)Praise the Lord!