147:12 Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
147:13 For he makes the bars of your gates strong.
He blesses your children 1 within you.
147:14 He 2 brings peace to your territory. 3
He abundantly provides for you 4 the best grain.
147:15 He 5 sends his command through the earth; 6
swiftly his order reaches its destination. 7
147:16 He sends the snow that is white like wool;
he spreads the frost that is white like ashes. 8
147:17 He throws his hailstones 9 like crumbs.
Who can withstand the cold wind he sends? 10
147:18 He then orders it all to melt; 11
he breathes on it, 12 and the water flows.
147:19 He proclaims his word to Jacob,
his statutes and regulations to Israel.
147:20 He has not done so with any other nation;
they are not aware of his regulations.
Praise the Lord!
1 tn Heb “your sons.”
2 tn Heb “the one who.”
3 tn Heb “he makes your boundary peace.”
4 tn Heb “satisfies you with.”
5 tn Heb “the one who.”
6 tn Heb “the one who sends his word, the earth.” The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) is an adverbial accusative; one must supply a preposition before it (such as “through” or “to”) in the English translation.
7 tn Heb “swiftly his word runs.”
8 tn Heb “the one who gives snow like wool, frost like ashes he scatters.”
9 tn Heb “his ice.”
10 tn Heb “Before his cold, who can stand?”
11 tn Heb “he sends his word and melts them.”
12 tn Heb “he blows his breath.”