Psalm 147

EasyEnglish Bible

147 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
It is good to sing to praise our God!
    Yes, it is right to praise him and it makes us happy.
² The Lord is building Jerusalem again.
    He is bringing home the Israelite exiles.
³ He makes people who are very sad well again.^[a]
    He helps their wounds to get better.
⁴ He decided how many stars there should be in the sky.
    He has given a name to each of them.
⁵ Our Lord is great and very powerful.
    He understands everything!
⁶ The Lord gives help to poor people,
    but he knocks down wicked people to the ground.
⁷ Offer a song to the Lord,
    to thank him for what he has done.
Make music with a harp
    to praise our God.
⁸ He fills the sky with clouds.
    He sends rain to make the earth wet.
    He causes grass to grow on the hills.
⁹ He gives food for the animals to eat.
    He feeds the young ravens when they cry.^[b]
10 If a horse is very strong,
    that does not please him.
If a soldier is brave,
    that does not make him happy.
¹¹ Who does make the Lord happy?
    People who respect him and serve him well.
    People who trust him because they know he loves them.
¹² Jerusalem's people, praise the Lord!
    Yes, Zion's people, praise your God!^[c]
13 Praise him because he makes your city's gates strong.
    He blesses the people who live there.
¹⁴ He causes your borders to be safe from your enemies.
    He gives you lots of the best wheat to eat.
¹⁵ He sends his commands to reach all the earth.
    Very soon the whole world knows what he wants.
¹⁶ He covers the earth with snow,
    like a white blanket.
He puts white frost everywhere,
    like ashes that the wind blows.
¹⁷ He throws hail from the sky,
    like small stones.
When he sends a cold wind,
    nobody can continue to stand.
¹⁸ Then he commands it all to melt.
He makes the warm wind blow,
    and the ice becomes streams of water.
¹⁹ He sends his message to Jacob's descendants.
He gives his rules and laws to Israel's people.^[d]
20 He has not done that for any other nation.
    They do not know his laws.^[e]
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!