1  ^rPraise the Lord!

Praise the Lord ^sfrom the heavens;

praise him ^tin the heights!

2  Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his ^uhosts!

3  Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, all you shining stars!

4  Praise him, you ^vhighest heavens,

and you ^wwaters above the heavens!

5  ^xLet them praise the name of the Lord!

For ^yhe commanded and they were created.

6  And he ^zestablished them forever and ever;

he gave ^aa decree, and it shall not ^bpass away.¹

7  Praise the Lord ^cfrom the earth,

you ^dgreat sea creatures and all deeps,

8  ^efire and hail, ^fsnow and mist,

^gstormy wind ^hfulfilling his word!

9  ⁱMountains and all hills,

^jfruit trees and all ^kcedars!

10  ^lBeasts and all livestock,

creeping things and ^mflying birds!

11  Kings of the earth and ⁿall peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth!

12  Young men and maidens together,

old men and children!

13  ^oLet them praise the name of the Lord,

for ^phis name alone is exalted;

^qhis majesty is above earth and heaven.

14  He has ^rraised up a horn for his people,

^spraise for all his saints,

for the people of Israel who are ^tnear to him.

^uPraise the Lord!

2  “How long will you say these things,

and the words of your mouth be a ^dgreat wind?

3  ^eDoes God pervert justice?

Or does the Almighty pervert the right?

4  If your ^fchildren have sinned against him,

he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.

5  If you will seek God

and ^gplead with the Almighty for mercy,

6  if you are pure and upright,

surely then he will ^hrouse himself for you

and ⁱrestore your rightful habitation.

7  And though your beginning was small,

^jyour latter days will be very great.

8  “For ^kinquire, please, of bygone ages,

and consider what ^lthe fathers have searched out.

9  For we are but of yesterday and know nothing,

for our days on earth are ^ma shadow.

10  Will they not teach you and tell you

and utter words out of their understanding?

11  “Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?

Can reeds flourish where there is no water?

12  While yet in flower and not cut down,

they ⁿwither before any other plant.

13  Such are the paths of all who ^oforget God;

^pthe hope of ^qthe godless shall perish.

14  His confidence is severed,

and his trust is ^ra spider’s web.¹

15  He leans against his ^shouse, but it does not stand;

he lays hold of it, but it does not endure.

16  He is a lush plant before the sun,

and his ^tshoots spread over his garden.

17  His roots entwine the stone heap;

he looks upon a house of stones.

18  If he is destroyed from his ^uplace,

then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have never ^vseen you.’

19  Behold, this is the joy of his way,

and out of ^wthe soil others will spring.

20  “Behold, God will not reject a blameless man,

nor take the hand of evildoers.

21  He will yet ^xfill your mouth with laughter,

and your lips with shouting.

22  Those who hate you will be ^yclothed with shame,

and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”