Psalms

I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

1I will lift you high, my God and King. I will bless your name forever and ever.

2Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

2Every single day I will bless you. I will praise your name forever and ever.

3Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

3The LORD is great, and he deserves great praise. No one can measure how great he is.

4One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

4Each generation will tell the next one about the things you have done. They will speak of your powerful acts.

5I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.

5I will speak about your shining glory as king, and about the wonderful things you have done.

6And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.

6People will talk about the power of your awesome deeds, and I will tell how great you are.

Note"Terrible" in the King James Version means awe-inspiring or overwhelming, not bad or poorly done.

7They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

7They will pour out the story of how very good you are. They will sing that you always do what is right.

8The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

8The LORD is kind and full of care for people. He is slow to get angry, and his love never runs out.

9The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

9The LORD is good to everyone. He shows care for everything he has made.

10All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.

10Everything you have made will thank you, LORD, and your faithful people will bless you.

11They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;

11They will speak of how glorious your kingdom is, and they will talk about your power.

12To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

12In this way people everywhere will learn about your mighty acts and the shining glory of your kingdom.

13Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

13Your kingdom lasts forever. Your rule goes on and on, through every generation.

14The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

14The LORD holds up everyone who is falling. He lifts up everyone who is bent low.

15The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.

15Every creature looks to you with hope, and you give them their food at the right time.

Note"Meat" in 1611 English meant food of any kind, not just animal meat.

16Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

16You open your hand, and you give every living thing what it needs.

17The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

17The LORD does what is right in everything he does. He is holy in all his work.

18The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

18The LORD is close to everyone who calls to him, to everyone who calls to him honestly.

19He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

19He gives those who honor him what they long for. He hears them cry out, and he saves them.

NoteTo "fear" God here means deep respect and awe, not being scared of him.

20The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

20The LORD keeps safe everyone who loves him, but he will destroy all the wicked.

21My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

21My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD. Let every living thing bless his holy name forever and ever.