147 Praise the Lord ,
for it is good to sing praises to our God.
Yes, [ b ] praise is pleasant and appropriate.
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem,
and gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals [ c ] the brokenhearted,
and bandages their wounds.
4 He counts the number of
the stars;
he names all of them.
5 Our Lord is great and
has awesome power; [ d ]
there is no limit to his wisdom. [ e ]
6 The Lord lifts up the oppressed,
but knocks [ f ] the wicked to the ground.
7 Offer to the Lord a song of thanks. [ g ]
Sing praises to our God to the accompaniment of a
harp.
8 He covers [ h ] the sky with clouds,
provides the earth with rain,
and causes grass to grow on the hillsides. [ i ]
9 He gives food to the
animals,
and to the young ravens when they chirp. [ j ]
10 He is not enamored with
the strength of a horse,
nor is he impressed by the warrior’s strong legs. [ k ]
11 The Lord takes delight in his faithful followers, [ l ]
and in those who wait for his loyal love.
12 Extol the Lord , O Jerusalem.
Praise your God, O Zion.
13 For he makes the bars
of your gates strong.
He blesses your children [ m ] within you.
14 He [ n ] brings peace to your territory. [ o ]
He abundantly provides for you [ p ] the best grain.
15 He [ q ] sends his command through the earth; [ r ]
swiftly his order reaches its destination. [ s ]
16 He sends the snow that
is white like wool;
he spreads the frost that is white like ashes. [ t ]
17 He throws his
hailstones [ u ] like crumbs.
Who can withstand the cold wind he sends? [ v ]
18 He then orders it all
to melt; [ w ]
he breathes on it, [ x ] and the water flows.
19 He proclaims his word
to Jacob,
his statutes and regulations to Israel.
20 He has not done so with
any other nation;
they are not aware of his regulations.
Praise the Lord !