Psalms 147
1 Alleluia. Praise the Lord, because the psalm is good. Delightful and beautiful praise shall be for our God.
Give praise to the Lord; for it is good to make melody to our God; praise is pleasing and beautiful.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem. He will gather together the dispersed of Israel.
The Lord is building up Jerusalem; he makes all the outlaws of Israel come together.
3 He heals the contrite of heart, and he binds up their sorrows.
He makes the broken-hearted well, and puts oil on their wounds.
4 He numbers the multitude of the stars, and he calls them all by their names.
He sees the number of the stars; he gives them all their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and great is his virtue. And of his wisdom, there is no number.
Great is our Lord, and great his power; there is no limit to his wisdom.
6 The Lord lifts up the meek, but he brings down the sinner, even to the ground.
The Lord gives help to the poor in spirit; but he sends sinners down in shame.
7 Sing before the Lord with confession. Play psalms to our God on a stringed instrument.
Make songs of praise to the Lord; make melody to our God with instruments of music.
8 He covers heaven with clouds, and he prepares rain for the earth. He produces grass on the mountains and herbs for the service of men.
By his hand the heaven is covered with clouds and rain is stored up for the earth; he makes the grass tall on the mountains.
9 He gives their food to beasts of burden and to young ravens that call upon him.
He gives food to every beast, and to the young ravens in answer to their cry.
10 He will not have good will for the strength of the horse, nor will he be well pleased with the legs of a man.
He has no delight in the strength of a horse; he takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord is well pleased with those who fear him and with those who hope in his mercy.
The Lord takes pleasure in his worshippers, and in those whose hope is in his mercy.
12 Alleluia. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem. Praise your God, O Zion.
Give praise to the Lord, O Jerusalem; give praise to your God, O Zion.
13 For he has reinforced the bars of your gates. He has blessed your sons within you.
He has made strong the iron bands of your doors; he has sent blessings on your children inside your walls.
14 He has stationed peace at your borders, and he has satisfied you with the fat of the grain.
He gives peace in all your land, making your stores full of fat grain.
15 He sends forth his eloquence to the earth. His word runs swiftly.
He sends out his orders to the earth; his word goes out quickly.
16 He provides snow like wool. He strews clouds like ashes.
He gives snow like wool; he sends out ice-drops like dust.
17 He sends his ice crystals like morsels. Who can stand firm before the face of his cold?
He sends down ice like raindrops: water is made hard by his cold.
18 He will send forth his word, and it will melt them. His Spirit will breathe out, and the waters will flow.
At the outgoing of his word, the ice is turned to water; when he sends out his wind, there is a flowing of waters.
19 He announces his word to Jacob, his justices and his judgments to Israel.
He makes his word clear to Jacob, teaching Israel his laws and his decisions.
20 He has not done so much for every nation, and he has not made his judgments manifest to them. Alleluia.
He has not done these things for any other nation: and as for his laws, they have no knowledge of them. Let the Lord be praised.
