Psalms 147
1 Hallelujah! How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and lovely to praise Him!
Praise Yahweh! It is good to sing to praise our God. It is a delightful thing to do and the right thing to do.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the exiles of Israel.
[Jerusalem was destroyed, but] Yahweh is [enabling us to] build Jerusalem again. He is bringing back the people who were taken [to Babylonia].
3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
He enables those who were very discouraged to be encouraged again; [it is as though] they have wounds and he bandages them.
4 He determines the number of the stars; He calls them each by name.
He has determined how many stars there will be, and he gives names to all of them.
5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.
Yahweh is great and very powerful, and no one can measure how much he understands.
6 The LORD sustains the humble, but casts the wicked to the ground.
Yahweh lifts up those who have been oppressed, and he throws the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music on the harp to our God,
Thank Yahweh while you are singing to him to praise him; on the harps, play music to our God.
8 who covers the sky with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow on the hills.
He covers the sky with clouds, [and then] he sends rain to the earth and causes grass to grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call.
He gives to animals the food that they [need], and gives food to young crows/birds when they cry out [because they are hungry].
10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legpower of the man.
He is not pleased with strong horses or with men who can run [MTY] fast.
11 The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him, who hope in His loving devotion.
Instead, what pleases him are those who revere him, those who confidently expect him to continue to faithfully love them.
12 Exalt the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion!
[You people of] [APO] Jerusalem, praise Yahweh! Praise your God!
13 For He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses the children within you.
He [guards your city] by keeping its gates strong. He blesses the people who live there.
14 He makes peace at your borders; He fills you with the finest wheat.
He protects the borders [of your country, so that enemies from other countries cannot attack you]. He gives you plenty of very good wheat/grain to eat.
15 He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.
He commands what he wants to be done on the earth, and his words quickly come to the place to which he sends them.
16 He spreads the snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes;
He sends snow which [covers the ground] like a white wool blanket [SIM], and he scatters frost [on the ground] like [wind scatters] ashes [SIM].
17 He casts forth His hail like pebbles. Who can withstand His icy blast?
He sends hail down like (pebbles/tiny stones); [when that happens], (it is very difficult to endure because the air becomes very cold./who can endure because the air becomes very cold?) [RHQ]
18 He sends forth His word and melts them; He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.
[But] he commands the wind to blow, and it blows. [Then the hail] melts and [the water] flows [into the streams].
19 He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and judgments to Israel.
He sent his message to [the descendants of] Jacob; [he tells to his] Israeli people the laws and regulations that he had decreed.
20 He has done this for no other nation; they do not know His judgments. Hallelujah!
He has not done that for any other nation; the other nations do not know his laws. Praise Yahweh!
