[1] Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our [gracious and majestic] God; Praise is becoming and appropriate. [2] The LORD is building up Jerusalem; He is gathering [together] the exiles of Israel. [3] He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow]. [4] He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names. [5] Great is our [majestic and mighty] Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is inexhaustible [infinite, boundless]. [6] The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground. [7] Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises to our God with the lyre, [8] Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass grow on the mountains. [9] He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that for which they cry. [10] He does not delight in the strength (military power) of the horse, Nor does He take pleasure in the legs (strength) of a man. [11] The LORD favors those who fear and worship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience], Those who wait for His mercy and lovingkindness. [12] Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! [13] For He has strengthened the bars of your gates, He has blessed your children within you. [14] He makes peace in your borders; He satisfies you with the finest of the wheat. [15] He sends His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. [16] He gives [to the earth] snow like [a blanket of] wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. [17] He casts out His ice like fragments; Who can stand before His cold? [18] He sends out His word and melts the ice; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow. [19] He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. [20] He has not dealt this way with any [other] nation; They have not known [understood, appreciated, heeded, or cherished] His ordinances. Praise the LORD! (Hallelujah!)
