My Rock and My Fortress
Of David.
144 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who ptrains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
3 O Lord, rwhat is man that you regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a sbreath;
his days are like a passing tshadow.
5 uBow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
vTouch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
send out your warrows and rout them!
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and xdeliver me from the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp yI will play to you,
10 who gives zvictory to kings,
who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 May aour sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
13 bmay our granaries be full,
providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
14 may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;2
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
15 cBlessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
dBlessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
Great Is the Lord
1 A Song of Praise. Of David.
145 eI will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 fGreat is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is gunsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and hon your wondrous works, I will imeditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall jpour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is kgracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10 lAll your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to mmake known to the children of man your2 mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an neverlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.3]
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and oraises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you pgive them their food in due season.
16 You qopen your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is rnear to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord spreserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
Put Not Your Trust in Princes
146 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 vPut not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, win whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he xreturns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 yBlessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose zhope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes ajustice for the oppressed,
who bgives food to the hungry.
cThe Lord dsets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord elifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 fThe Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign gforever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
He Heals the Brokenhearted
147 Praise the Lord!
hFor it is good to sing praises to our God;
ifor it is pleasant,1 and a song of jpraise is fitting.
2 kThe Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he lgathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He mheals the nbrokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 oHe determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is pbeyond measure.
6 qThe Lord lifts up the humble;2
he rcasts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
smake melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
the prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 uHe gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the Lord vtakes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who whope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives xsnow like wool;
he scatters yfrost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of zice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
ahe makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 bHe declares his word to Jacob,
his cstatutes and rules3 to Israel.
20 dHe has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.4
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Name of the Lord
148 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord efrom the heavens;
praise him in the fheights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters gabove the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For hhe commanded and they were created.
6 And he established them forever and ever;
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 jfire and khail, lsnow and mist,
mstormy wind fulfilling his word!
9 nMountains and all hills,
fruit otrees and all cedars!
10 Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and pall peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
qhis majesty is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a rhorn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
