[1] Praise the Eternal! It is good to sing praises to our God, for praise is beautiful and pleasant. [2] The Eternal, Architect of earth, is building Jerusalem, finding the lost, gathering Israel's outcasts. [3] He binds their wounds, heals the sorrows of their hearts. [4] He counts all the stars within His hands, carefully fixing their number and giving them names. [5] Our Lord is great. Nothing is impossible with His overwhelming power. He is loving, compassionate, and wise beyond all measure. [6] The Eternal will lift up the lowly but throw down the wicked to the earth. [7] Open your mouths with thanks! Sing praises to the Eternal! Strum the harp in unending praise to our God [8] Who blankets the heavens with clouds, sends rain to water the thirsty earth, and pulls up each blade of grass upon the mountainside. [9] He opens His hands to feed all the animals and scatters seed to nestlings when they cry. [10] He takes no pleasure in the raw strength of horses; He finds no joy in the speed of the sprinter. [11] But the Eternal does take pleasure in those who worship Him, those who invest hope in His unfailing love. [12] O Jerusalem, praise the Eternal! O Zion, praise your God! [13] For His divine power reinforces your city gates, blesses your children in the womb. [14] He establishes peace within your borders, fills your markets with hearty golden wheat. [15] His command ripples across the earth; His word runs out on swift feet. [16] He blankets the earth in wooly snow, scattering frost like ashes over the land. [17] He throws down hail like stones falling from a mountain. Can any withstand His wintry blast? [18] But He dispatches His word, and the thaw begins; at His command, the spring winds blow, gently stirring the waters back to life. [19] He brings Jacob in on His plan, declaring His word- His statutes and His teachings to Israel. [20] He has not treated any other nation in such a way; they live unaware of His commands. Praise the Eternal!
