Psalm 145-147

Easy-to-Read Version

⁸ The Lord is kind and merciful,
    patient and full of love.
⁹ The Lord is good to everyone.
    He shows his mercy to everything he made.
¹⁰ Lord, all you have made will give thanks to you.
    Your loyal followers will praise you.
¹¹ They will tell how great your kingdom is.
    They will tell how great you are.
¹² So others will learn about the mighty things you do,
    about the glory of your kingdom—how marvelous it is!
¹³ Your kingdom will never end,
    and you will rule forever.

The Lord can be trusted in all that he says.
    He is loyal in all that he does.^[a]
14 The Lord lifts up people who have fallen.
    He helps those who are in trouble.
¹⁵ All living things look to you for their food,
    and you give them their food at the right time.
¹⁶ You open your hands
    and give every living thing all that it needs.
¹⁷ Everything the Lord does is good.
    Everything he does shows how loyal he is.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to everyone
    who sincerely calls to him for help.
¹⁹ He listens to his followers and does what they want.
    He answers their prayers and saves them.
²⁰ The Lord protects everyone who loves him,
    but he destroys all who do evil.
²¹ I will praise the Lord!
    Let everyone praise his holy name forever and ever!

146 Praise the Lord!
    My soul, praise the Lord!
² I will praise the Lord all my life.
    I will sing praises to him as long as I live.
³ Don’t depend on your leaders for help.
    Don’t depend on people, because they cannot save you.
⁴ People die and are buried.
    Then all their plans to help are gone.
⁵ It is a great blessing for people to have the God of Jacob to help them.
    They depend on the Lord their God.
⁶ He made heaven and earth.
    He made the sea and everything in it.
He can be trusted to do what he says.
⁷ He does what is right for those who have been hurt.
    He gives food to the hungry.
The Lord frees people locked up in prison.
⁸     The Lord makes the blind see again.
The Lord helps those who are in trouble.
    The Lord loves those who do right.
⁹ The Lord protects strangers in our country.
    He cares for widows and orphans,
    but he destroys the wicked.
¹⁰ The Lord will rule forever!
    Zion, your God will rule forever and ever!

Praise the Lord!

147 Praise the Lord because he is good.
    Sing praises to our God.
    It is good and pleasant to praise him.
² The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem.
    He brings back the Israelites who were taken as prisoners.
³ He heals their broken hearts
    and bandages their wounds.
⁴ He counts the stars
    and knows each of them by name.
⁵ Our Lord is great and powerful.
    There is no limit to what he knows.
⁶ The Lord supports the humble,
    but he shames the wicked.
⁷ Give thanks to the Lord.
    Praise our God with harps.
⁸ He fills the sky with clouds.
    He sends rain to the earth.
    He makes the grass grow on the mountains.
⁹ He gives food to the animals.
    He feeds the young birds that cry out.
¹⁰ War horses and powerful soldiers
    are not what he cares about.
¹¹ The Lord enjoys people who worship him
    and trust in his faithful love.
¹² Jerusalem, praise the Lord!
    Zion, praise your God!
¹³ He makes your gates strong,
    and he blesses the people in your city.
¹⁴ He brought peace to your country,
    so you have plenty of grain for food.
¹⁵ He gives a command to the earth,
    and it quickly obeys.
¹⁶ He makes the snow fall until the ground is as white as wool.
    He makes sleet blow through the air like dust.
¹⁷ He makes hail fall like rocks from the sky.
    No one can stand the cold he sends.
¹⁸ Then he gives another command, and warm air begins to blow.
    The ice melts, and water begins to flow.

¹⁹ He gave his commands to Jacob.
    He gave his laws and rules to Israel.
²⁰ He did not do this for any other nation.
    He did not teach his laws to other people.

Praise the Lord!