Praise to the Creator and Preserver.
1 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming and appropriate for those who are upright [in heart—those with moral integrity and godly character].
2 Give thanks to the Lord with 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 loud and joyful sound.
4 For the word of the Lord is 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 Lord were the heavens made,
And all their host by the breath of His mouth. [Gen 1:1-3; Job 38:4-11; Heb 11:3; 2 Pet 3:5]
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as in a wineskin;
He puts the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear and worship 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 Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He makes the thoughts and plans of the people ineffective.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The thoughts and plans 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. [Deut 32:8, 9]
13 The Lord looks [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 considers and understands 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 Lord is upon those who fear Him [and worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and obedience],
On those who hope [confidently] in His compassion and lovingkindness,
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 have 33:22 I.e. placed our confidence.hoped in You.