God Heals the Brokenhearted
Study note
Praise the Lord — it is good to sing praise to our God. He builds up Jerusalem and gathers the scattered exiles. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them each by name. His understanding has no limit.
1 Praise the LORD! How wonderful it is to sing praises to our God! How sweet and fitting it is to praise him! Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
2 The LORD is rebuilding Jerusalem. He is gathering his scattered people from everywhere. The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the people whose hearts are shattered into pieces. He carefully bandages every wound they carry. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
4 He counts every star and gives each one its own name. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Our Lord is mighty beyond measure. His understanding goes deeper than anyone could ever explore. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
6 The LORD reaches down and lifts up those who are humble, but he throws the wicked face-down to the ground. The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
God Sustains the Humble
Study note
Sing to the Lord with grateful praise. He covers the sky with clouds, sends rain, and makes grass grow. He feeds the animals and the young ravens when they cry. He does not delight in the strength of horses or warriors but in those who fear him and hope in his faithful love.
7 Sing thankful songs to the LORD! Play beautiful music on the harp for our God! Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
8 He is the one who covers the sky with clouds, sends rain down to water the earth, and makes green grass grow on the hillsides. Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
9 He gives food to the animals and to baby ravens when they cry out in hunger. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
10 He is not impressed by how strong a horse is. Powerful human legs do not excite him. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 What the LORD takes pleasure in is people who honor him and people who put their hope in his loyal love. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
God's Word to Israel
Study note
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. He strengthens your gates, blesses your children, and grants peace to your borders. He sends his word to the earth and it runs swiftly. He sends snow, frost, and hail. He reveals his word to Israel. He has not done this for any other nation. Praise the Lord!
12 Jerusalem, celebrate the LORD! Zion, give praise to your God! Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
13 He has made the bars on your gates extra strong and has blessed the children growing up inside your walls. For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.
14 He brings peace to your borders and fills you up with the very best wheat. He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends his word racing across the earth, and it runs faster than anything. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
16 He blankets the ground with snow as soft as wool and scatters frost like powdery ashes. He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.
17 He throws down hailstones like tiny pebbles. When he sends his freezing cold, who can stand it? He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
18 Then he speaks a word and everything melts. He blows his wind, and the waters start flowing again. He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 He shared his word with Jacob and gave his rules and decisions to Israel. He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.
20 He has not done this for any other nation. They do not know his rules the way Israel does. Praise the LORD! He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.