Psalms 146
146
Psalm 146#sn Psalm 146. The psalmist urges his audience not to trust in men, but in the Lord, the just king of the world who cares for the needy.
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live!
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist!
3 Do not trust in princes,
or in human beings, who cannot deliver!#tn Heb “in a son of man, to whom there is no deliverance.”
4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground;
on that day their plans die.#tn Heb “his spirit goes out, it returns to his ground; in that day his plans die.” The singular refers to the representative man mentioned in v. 3b.
5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 the one who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who remains forever faithful,#tn Heb “the one who guards faithfulness forever.”
7 vindicates the oppressed,#tn Heb “executes justice for the oppressed.”
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord releases the imprisoned.
8 The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord lifts up all who are bent over.#tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).
The Lord loves the godly.
9 The Lord protects those residing outside their native land;
he lifts up the fatherless and the widow,#sn God is depicted here as a just ruler. In the ancient Near Eastern world a king was responsible for promoting justice, including caring for the weak and vulnerable, epitomized by resident aliens, the fatherless, and widows.
but he opposes the wicked.#tn Heb “he makes the way of the wicked twisted.” The “way of the wicked” probably refers to their course of life (see Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1). God makes their path tortuous in the sense that he makes them pay the harmful consequences of their actions.
10 The Lord rules forever,
your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come!#tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.”
Praise the Lord!
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Psalms 146: NET
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