1 Praise the Lord, for it's good to sing praises to our God! Praise is wonderful and beautiful! 2 The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem, gathering together the people of Israel who have been scattered. 3 He heals the broken-hearted, and bandages the wounded. 4 He knows how many stars he made, and commands all of them by name. 5 Our Lord is great! His power is immense! There's no limit to what he understands! 6 The Lord helps those who are bowed down to get up; but he grinds the wicked into the ground. 7 Sing thanks to the Lord! Sing praises to our God with a harp! 8 He covers the sky with clouds to bring rain to the earth, and makes the grass grow on the hills. 9 He gives food to the animals, and to the baby ravens when they call. 10 The Lord doesn't appreciate the strength of war-horses or value human power. 11 What the Lord values are those who follow him, those who put their confidence in his trustworthy love. 12 Jerusalem, praise the Lord! Zion, praise your God! 13 He makes the bars on your city gates strong, and blesses your children around you. 14 He keeps the borders of your land safe from attack; he provides you with plenty of the finest wheat. 15 He sends his commands around the world—they're quickly implemented. 16 He sends snow as white as wool, and scatters frost like ashes. 17 He throws hail like stones. Who can stand the cold he sends? 18 Then he sends out his command and it melts; he blows on it and the water flows. 19 He proclaims his word to Jacob; his rules and laws to Israel. 20 He has not done this for any other nation—they don't know his laws. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 147 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Greek and Latin Bibles number most Psalms one lower than Hebrew and English Bibles.
Cross references (20)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Psalm 135:3; Psalm 92:1; Psalm 33:1; Psalm 42:4; Psalm 63:3–5
- 2 Isaiah 56:8; Deuteronomy 30:3; Psalm 51:18; Psalm 102:20–22; Isaiah 62:7
- 3 Psalm 34:18; Job 5:18; Jeremiah 33:6; Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18
- 4 Isaiah 40:26; Psalm 148:3; Psalm 8:3; Genesis 15:5
- 5 Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 139:17–18; Psalm 96:4; Romans 11:33; Nahum 1:3
- 6 Psalm 25:9; 1 Peter 5:6; Psalm 146:8–9; James 4:10; Zephaniah 2:3
- 7 Psalm 95:1–2; Psalm 47:6–7; Psalm 68:32; Psalm 107:21–22; Psalm 92:1–3
- 8 Job 5:10; Psalm 65:9–13; Genesis 9:14; Job 26:8–9; Acts 14:17
- 9 Psalm 104:27–28; Job 38:41; Matthew 6:26; Psalm 136:25; Luke 12:24
- 10 1 Samuel 16:7; Isaiah 31:1; Psalm 20:7; Psalm 33:16–18; Proverbs 21:31
- 11 Psalm 33:18; Malachi 3:16–17; Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 149:4; Isaiah 62:4
- 12 Joel 2:23; Isaiah 12:6; Isaiah 52:7; Psalm 146:10; Psalm 135:19–21
- 13 Psalm 128:3–6; Isaiah 44:3–5; Psalm 115:14–15; Jeremiah 30:19–20; Psalm 144:12
- 14 Psalm 29:11; Isaiah 60:17–18; Psalm 81:16; Psalm 132:15; Deuteronomy 32:14
- 15 Job 37:12; Psalm 107:20; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Matthew 8:8–9; Matthew 8:13
- 16 Job 37:6; Job 38:29; Psalm 148:8; Isaiah 55:10; Job 37:9–10
- 17 Job 38:29–30; Job 38:22–23; Psalm 78:47–48; Job 37:9–10; Exodus 9:23–25
- 18 Psalm 147:15; Psalm 33:9; Job 37:10; Job 6:16–17; Psalm 107:20
- 19 Malachi 4:4; Psalm 78:5; Deuteronomy 33:2–4; Romans 9:4; Deuteronomy 5:22
- 20 Deuteronomy 4:32–34; Deuteronomy 4:7–8; Romans 3:1–2; Ephesians 2:12; 1 Peter 2:9–10
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Behold the Psalm soundeth; it is the voice of some one (and that some one are ye, if ye will), of some one encouraging his soul to praise God, and saying to himself, "Praise the Lord, O my soul" (ver. 1).
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
… bringeth out their host by number." And the Saviour says in the Gospel, "The very hairs of your head are all numbered." Far be it, then, from us to doubt that all number is known to Him "whose understanding," according to the Psalmist, "is infinite." The infinity of number, though there be no numbering of infinite numbers, is yet not …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
… lesson David also lays the foundation from old time, saying enigmatically on this wise, "Thou openest Thine hand, and fillest every living thing with bounty;" and again, "To Him that giveth to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that call upon Him." "Who then," it may be said, "have not taken thought"?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
Thou beholdest the stars, but their Maker thou beholdest not: count these which are visible, and then describe Him who is invisible, Who telleth the number of the stars, and calleth them all by their names.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
Know you the bond of Pleiades, or the fence of Orion as He who counteth the number of the stars and calleth them all by their names? Know you the differences of the glory of each, and the order of their movement, that I should trust you, when by them you weave the web of human concerns, and arm the …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)