Psalms

Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

1Praise the LORD! It is good to sing praises to our God. It is a happy thing to do, and praise fits him well.

2The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

2The LORD builds Jerusalem up again. He gathers the people of Israel who were driven away from home.

3He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

3He heals people whose hearts are broken. He wraps up their wounds so they can mend.

4He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

4He counts the stars and knows how many there are. He calls every one of them by name.

5Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

5Our Lord is great, and his power is great. There is no limit to what he understands.

6The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.

6The LORD lifts up people who are humble. He throws the wicked down to the ground.

NoteThe KJV says God "lifteth up the meek." Here "meek" does not mean shy or weak. It means humble, someone who is not proud.

7Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

7Sing to the LORD and thank him. Play music on the harp to our God.

8Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

8He covers the sky with clouds. He gets rain ready for the earth. He makes grass grow on the hills.

9He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

9He gives food to the animals. He feeds the young ravens when they cry out.

10He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

10He is not impressed by how strong a horse is. He takes no pleasure in a man's strong legs.

11The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

11The LORD is pleased with those who honor him. He is pleased with those who trust his faithful love.

12Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.

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

13For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

13He has made the bars across your gates strong. He has blessed the children inside your walls.

14He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

14He brings peace to your borders. He fills you with the best wheat there is.

15He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

15He sends his command out over the earth. His word runs very fast.

16He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

16He lays down snow like a blanket of wool. He scatters frost like ashes.

17He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

17He throws down his ice like little stones. Nobody can stand up to his cold.

Note"Morsels" means small bits or crumbs. The picture is hail falling like little pebbles.

18He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

18Then he sends out his word and melts it all. He makes his wind blow, and the water flows again.

19He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

19He tells his word to Jacob. He gives his rules and his decisions to Israel.

NoteJacob is another name for the nation of Israel, since the people came from a man named Jacob.

20He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.

20He has not done this for any other nation. They do not know his rules. Praise the LORD!