Psalms 147

1 Praise the LORD, for it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and fitting 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 together the outcasts 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 broken in heart, 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 counts the number of the stars. He calls them all by their names.

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 is infinite.

Yahweh is great and very powerful, and no one can measure how much he understands.

6 The LORD upholds the humble. He brings the wicked down 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. Sing praises 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 grow on the mountains.

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 livestock, 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 doesn’t delight in the strength of the horse. He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.

He is not pleased with strong horses or with men who can run [MTY] fast.

11 The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his loving kindness.

Instead, what pleases him are those who revere him, those who confidently expect him to continue to faithfully love them.

12 Praise the LORD, Jerusalem! Praise your God, Zion!

[You people of] [APO] Jerusalem, praise Yahweh! Praise your God!

13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. He has blessed your children within you.

He [guards your city] by keeping its gates strong. He blesses the people who live there.

14 He makes peace in your borders. He fills you with the finest of the 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 out his commandment to the earth. His word runs very 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 gives snow like wool, and scatters 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 hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can stand before his cold?

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 out his word, and melts them. He causes his wind to blow, 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 shows his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances 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 not done this for just any nation. They don’t know his ordinances. Praise the LORD!

He has not done that for any other nation; the other nations do not know his laws. Praise Yahweh!