1Praise the LORD!
         For it is good to sing praises to our God;
         For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.

2The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
         He gathers the outcasts of Israel.

3He heals the brokenhearted
         And binds up their wounds.

4He counts the number of the stars;
         He gives names to all of them.

5Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
         His understanding is infinite.

6The LORD supports the afflicted;
         He brings down the wicked to the ground.

7Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
         Sing praises to our God on the lyre,

8Who covers the heavens with clouds,
         Who provides rain for the earth,
         Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.

9He gives to the beast its food,
         And to the young ravens which cry.

10He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
         He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.

11The LORD favors those who fear Him,
         Those who wait for His lovingkindness.

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

13For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
         He has blessed your sons within you.

14He makes peace in your borders;
         He satisfies you with the finest of the wheat.

15He sends forth His command to the earth;
         His word runs very swiftly.

16He gives snow like wool;
         He scatters the frost like ashes.

17He casts forth His ice as fragments;
         Who can stand before His cold?

18He sends forth His word and melts them;
         He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.

19He declares His words to Jacob,
         His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.

20He has not dealt thus with any nation;
         And as for His ordinances, they have not known them.
         Praise the LORD!

NASB ©1995