New Century Version NCV
English Standard Version ESV
1 Praise the Lord! It is good to sing praises to our God; it is good and pleasant to praise him.
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Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; he brings back the captured Israelites.
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The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
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He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
4 He counts the stars and names each one.
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He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
5 Our Lord is great and very powerful. There is no limit to what he knows.
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Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord defends the humble, but he throws the wicked to the ground.
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The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing praises to the Lord; praise our God with harps.
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Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He fills the sky with clouds and sends rain to the earth and makes grass grow on the hills.
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He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives food to cattle and to the little birds that call.
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He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.
10 He does not enjoy the strength of a horse or the strength of a man.
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His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 The Lord is pleased with those who respect him, with those who trust his love.
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but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Jerusalem, praise the Lord; Jerusalem, praise your God.
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Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
13 He makes your city gates strong and blesses your children inside.
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For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.
14 He brings peace to your country and fills you with the finest grain.
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He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He gives a command to the earth, and it quickly obeys him.
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He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
16 He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.
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He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He throws down hail like rocks. No one can stand the cold he sends.
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He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold?
18 Then he gives a command, and it melts. He sends the breezes, and the waters flow.
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He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He gave his word to Jacob, his laws and demands to Israel.
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He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel.
20 He didn't do this for any other nation. They don't know his laws.
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He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the Lord!