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146 Praise the Lord!
    My soul, praise the Lord!
I will praise the Lord all my life.
    I will sing praises to him as long as I live.
Don’t depend on your leaders for help.
    Don’t depend on people, because they cannot save you.
People die and are buried.
    Then all their plans to help are gone.
It is a great blessing for people to have the God of Jacob to help them.
    They depend on the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth.
    He made the sea and everything in it.
He can be trusted to do what he says.
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.
    The Lord makes the blind see again.
The Lord helps those who are in trouble.
    The Lord loves those who do right.
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.
The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem.
    He brings back the Israelites who were taken as prisoners.
He heals their broken hearts
    and bandages their wounds.
He counts the stars
    and knows each of them by name.
Our Lord is great and powerful.
    There is no limit to what he knows.
The Lord supports the humble,
    but he shames the wicked.
Give thanks to the Lord.
    Praise our God with harps.
He fills the sky with clouds.
    He sends rain to the earth.
    He makes the grass grow on the mountains.
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!

148 Praise the Lord!
Angels above,
    praise the Lord from heaven!
Praise him, all you angels!
    Praise him, all his army[a]!
Sun and moon, praise him!
    Stars and lights in the sky, praise him!
Praise him, highest heaven!
    Waters above the sky, praise him!
Let them praise the Lord’s name,
    because he gave the command and created them all!
He made all these continue forever.
    He made the laws that will never end.
Everything on earth, praise him!
    Great sea animals and all the oceans, praise the Lord!
Praise him, fire and hail, snow and clouds,
    and the stormy winds that obey him.
Praise him, mountains and hills,
    fruit trees and cedar trees.
10 Praise him, wild animals and cattle, reptiles and birds.
11 Praise him, kings of the earth and all nations,
    princes and all rulers on earth.
12 Praise him, young men and women,
    old people and children.
13 Praise the Lord’s name!
    Honor his name forever!
His name is greater than any other.
    He is more glorious than heaven and earth.
14 He made his people strong.
    His loyal followers praise him.
Israel, his precious people, praise the Lord!

149 Praise the Lord!
Sing a new song[b] to the Lord!
    Sing his praise in the assembly of his followers.
Let Israel be happy with their Maker.
    Let the people of Zion rejoice with their King.
Let them praise him by dancing
    and playing their tambourines and harps.
The Lord is happy with his people.
    He did a wonderful thing for his humble people.
    He saved them!
Let his followers rejoice in this victory!
    Let them sing for joy, even in their beds!

Let the people shout praise to God.
    And with a sharp sword in their hand,
let them take revenge on the other nations.
    Let them go punish those people.
They will put their kings in chains
    and their leaders in chains of iron.
They will punish those nations as God commanded.
    This is an honor for all his followers.

Praise the Lord!

150 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his Temple!
    Praise him in heaven, his strong fortress!
Praise him for the great things he does!
    Praise him for all his greatness!
Praise him with trumpets and horns!
    Praise him with harps and lyres!
Praise him with tambourines and dancing!
    Praise him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise him with loud cymbals!
    Praise him with crashing cymbals!

Everything that breathes, praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 148:2 his army This can mean “angels,” “stars and planets,” or “soldiers in an army.”
  2. Psalm 149:1 new song Whenever God did a new and wonderful thing for his people, they would write a new song about it.

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord.[a]

Praise the Lord,(A) my soul.

I will praise the Lord all my life;(B)
    I will sing praise(C) to my God as long as I live.(D)
Do not put your trust in princes,(E)
    in human beings,(F) who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;(G)
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.(H)
Blessed are those(I) whose help(J) is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

He is the Maker of heaven(K) and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful(L) forever.
He upholds(M) the cause of the oppressed(N)
    and gives food to the hungry.(O)
The Lord sets prisoners free,(P)
    the Lord gives sight(Q) to the blind,(R)
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,(S)
    the Lord loves the righteous.(T)
The Lord watches over the foreigner(U)
    and sustains the fatherless(V) and the widow,(W)
    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The Lord reigns(X) forever,
    your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 147

Praise the Lord.[b]

How good it is to sing praises to our God,
    how pleasant(Y) and fitting to praise him!(Z)

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;(AA)
    he gathers the exiles(AB) of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted(AC)
    and binds up their wounds.(AD)
He determines the number of the stars(AE)
    and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord(AF) and mighty in power;(AG)
    his understanding has no limit.(AH)
The Lord sustains the humble(AI)
    but casts the wicked(AJ) to the ground.

Sing to the Lord(AK) with grateful praise;(AL)
    make music(AM) to our God on the harp.(AN)

He covers the sky with clouds;(AO)
    he supplies the earth with rain(AP)
    and makes grass grow(AQ) on the hills.
He provides food(AR) for the cattle
    and for the young ravens(AS) when they call.

10 His pleasure is not in the strength(AT) of the horse,(AU)
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights(AV) in those who fear him,(AW)
    who put their hope(AX) in his unfailing love.(AY)

12 Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;(AZ)
    praise your God, Zion.

13 He strengthens the bars of your gates(BA)
    and blesses your people(BB) within you.
14 He grants peace(BC) to your borders
    and satisfies you(BD) with the finest of wheat.(BE)

15 He sends his command(BF) to the earth;
    his word runs(BG) swiftly.
16 He spreads the snow(BH) like wool
    and scatters the frost(BI) like ashes.
17 He hurls down his hail(BJ) like pebbles.
    Who can withstand his icy blast?
18 He sends his word(BK) and melts them;
    he stirs up his breezes,(BL) and the waters flow.

19 He has revealed his word(BM) to Jacob,(BN)
    his laws and decrees(BO) to Israel.
20 He has done this for no other nation;(BP)
    they do not know(BQ) his laws.[c]

Praise the Lord.(BR)

Psalm 148

Praise the Lord.[d](BS)

Praise the Lord from the heavens;(BT)
    praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels;(BU)
    praise him, all his heavenly hosts.(BV)
Praise him, sun(BW) and moon;
    praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens(BX)
    and you waters above the skies.(BY)

Let them praise the name(BZ) of the Lord,
    for at his command(CA) they were created,
and he established them for ever and ever—
    he issued a decree(CB) that will never pass away.

Praise the Lord(CC) from the earth,
    you great sea creatures(CD) and all ocean depths,(CE)
lightning and hail,(CF) snow and clouds,
    stormy winds that do his bidding,(CG)
you mountains and all hills,(CH)
    fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals(CI) and all cattle,
    small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings(CJ) of the earth and all nations,
    you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
    old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,(CK)
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his splendor(CL) is above the earth and the heavens.(CM)
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,[e](CN)
    the praise(CO) of all his faithful servants,(CP)
    of Israel, the people close to his heart.(CQ)

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 149

Praise the Lord.[f](CR)

Sing to the Lord a new song,(CS)
    his praise in the assembly(CT) of his faithful people.

Let Israel rejoice(CU) in their Maker;(CV)
    let the people of Zion be glad in their King.(CW)
Let them praise his name with dancing(CX)
    and make music to him with timbrel and harp.(CY)
For the Lord takes delight(CZ) in his people;
    he crowns the humble with victory.(DA)
Let his faithful people rejoice(DB) in this honor
    and sing for joy on their beds.(DC)

May the praise of God be in their mouths(DD)
    and a double-edged(DE) sword in their hands,(DF)
to inflict vengeance(DG) on the nations
    and punishment(DH) on the peoples,
to bind their kings with fetters,(DI)
    their nobles with shackles of iron,(DJ)
to carry out the sentence written against them—(DK)
    this is the glory of all his faithful people.(DL)

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord.[g](DM)

Praise God in his sanctuary;(DN)
    praise him in his mighty heavens.(DO)
Praise him for his acts of power;(DP)
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.(DQ)
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,(DR)
    praise him with the harp and lyre,(DS)
praise him with timbrel and dancing,(DT)
    praise him with the strings(DU) and pipe,(DV)
praise him with the clash of cymbals,(DW)
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything(DX) that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 146:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 10
  2. Psalm 147:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 20
  3. Psalm 147:20 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint nation; / he has not made his laws known to them
  4. Psalm 148:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 14
  5. Psalm 148:14 Horn here symbolizes strength.
  6. Psalm 149:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 9
  7. Psalm 150:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 6