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Psalm 147-148
New English Translation

Psalm 147[a]

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!

Psalm 148[y]

148 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the sky.
Praise him in the heavens.
2 Praise him, all his angels.[z]
Praise him, all his heavenly assembly.[aa]
3 Praise him, O sun and moon.
Praise him, all you shiny stars.[ab]
4 Praise him, O highest heaven,
and you waters above the sky.[ac]
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he gave the command and they came into existence.
6 He established them so they would endure;[ad]
he issued a decree that will not be revoked.[ae]
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea creatures and all you ocean depths,
8 O fire and hail, snow and clouds,[af]
O stormy wind that carries out his orders,[ag]
9 you mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars,
10 you animals and all you cattle,
you creeping things and birds,
11 you kings of the earth and all you nations,
you princes and all you leaders[ah] on the earth,
12 you young men and young women,
you elderly, along with you children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty extends over the earth and sky.
14 He has made his people victorious,[ai]
and given all his loyal followers reason to praise—
the Israelites, the people who are close to him.[aj]
Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 147:1 sn Psalm 147. The psalmist praises the Lord for he is the sovereign ruler of the world who cares for the needs of his covenant people.
  2. Psalm 147:1 tn Or “for.”
  3. Psalm 147:3 tn Heb “the one who heals.”
  4. Psalm 147:5 tn Heb “and great of strength.”
  5. Psalm 147:5 tn Heb “to his wisdom there is no counting.”
  6. Psalm 147:6 tn Heb “brings down.”
  7. Psalm 147:7 tn Heb “sing to the Lord with thanksgiving.”
  8. Psalm 147:8 tn Heb “the one who covers.”
  9. Psalm 147:8 tn Heb “hills.”
  10. Psalm 147:9 tn Heb “which cry out.”
  11. Psalm 147:10 tn Heb “he does not desire the strength of the horse, he does not take delight in the legs of the man.” Here “the horse” refers to the war horse used by ancient Near Eastern chariot forces, and “the man” refers to the warrior whose muscular legs epitomize his strength.
  12. Psalm 147:11 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
  13. Psalm 147:13 tn Heb “your sons.”
  14. Psalm 147:14 tn Heb “the one who.”
  15. Psalm 147:14 tn Heb “he makes your boundary peace.”
  16. Psalm 147:14 tn Heb “satisfies you with.”
  17. Psalm 147:15 tn Heb “the one who.”
  18. Psalm 147:15 tn Heb “the one who sends his word, the earth.” The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (ʾerets, “earth”) is an adverbial accusative; one must supply a preposition before it (such as “through” or “to”) in the English translation.
  19. Psalm 147:15 tn Heb “swiftly his word runs.”
  20. Psalm 147:16 tn Heb “the one who gives snow like wool, frost like ashes he scatters.”
  21. Psalm 147:17 tn Heb “his ice.”
  22. Psalm 147:17 tn Heb “Before his cold, who can stand?”
  23. Psalm 147:18 tn Heb “he sends his word and melts them.”
  24. Psalm 147:18 tn Heb “he blows his breath.”
  25. Psalm 148:1 sn Psalm 148. The psalmist calls upon all creation to praise the Lord, for he is the creator and sovereign king of the world.
  26. Psalm 148:2 tn Or “heavenly messengers.”
  27. Psalm 148:2 tn Heb “all his host.”
  28. Psalm 148:3 tn Heb “stars of light.”
  29. Psalm 148:4 sn The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. See also Ps 104:3. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 47.
  30. Psalm 148:6 tn Or “forever and ever.”
  31. Psalm 148:6 tn Heb “and it will not pass away.”
  32. Psalm 148:8 tn In Ps 119:83 the noun refers to “smoke,” but here, where the elements of nature are addressed, the clouds, which resemble smoke, are probably in view.
  33. Psalm 148:8 tn Heb “[that] does his word.”
  34. Psalm 148:11 tn Or “judges.”
  35. Psalm 148:14 tn Heb “and he lifted up a horn for his people.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Another option is to take the “horn” as a symbol for the Davidic king, through whom the Lord gives his people military victory.
  36. Psalm 148:14 tn “[there is] praise for all his loyal followers, to the sons of Israel, the people near him.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the victory that prompts it.
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