Praise to the Creator and Preserver.
1 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones;
Praise is becomingandappropriate for those who are upright [in heart–those with moral integrity and godly character].
2 Give thanks to the Lordwith the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with the harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully [on the strings] with a loudandjoyful sound.
4 For the word of the Lordis right;
And all His work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lordwere the heavens made,
And all their host by the breath of His mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as in a wineskin;
He puts the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fearandworship the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The Lordnullifies the counsel of the nations;
He makes the thoughtsandplans of the people ineffective.
11 The counsel of the Lordstands forever,
The thoughtsandplans of His heart through all generations.
12 Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance.
13 The Lordlooks [down] from heaven;
He sees all the sons of man;
14 From His dwelling place He looks closely
Upon all the inhabitants of the earth–
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all,
Who considersandunderstands all that they do.
16 The king is not saved by the great size of his army;
A warrior is not rescued by his great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lordis upon those who fear Him [and worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and obedience],
On those who hope [confidently] in His compassionandlovingkindness,
19 To rescue their lives from death
And keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait [expectantly] for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For in Him our heart rejoices,
Because we trust [lean on, rely on, and are confident] in His holy name.
22 Let Your [steadfast] lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
In proportion as we havehoped in You.