For the Leader. a Psalm of David. a Song. To

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 65

1 For the leader. A psalm of David. A song.

2 To you we owe our hymn of praise,

O God on Zion;

To you our vows* must be fulfilled,

3 *you who hear our prayers.

To you all flesh must comea

4 with its burden of wicked deeds.

We are overcome by our sins;

only you can pardon them.b

5 Blessed the one whom you will choose and bring

to dwell in your courts.

May we be filled with the good things of your house,

your holy temple!

6 6 You answer us with awesome deeds* of justice,

O God our savior,

The hope of all the ends of the earth

and of those far off across the sea.c

7 You are robed in power,

you set up the mountains by your might.

8 You still the roaring of the seas,d

the roaring of their waves,

the tumult of the peoples.e

9 Distant peoples stand in awe of your marvels;

the places of morning and evening you make resound with joy.

10 *You visit the earth and water it,

make it abundantly fertile.f

God’s stream* is filled with water;

you supply their grain.

Thus do you prepare it:

11 you drench its plowed furrows,

and level its ridges.

With showers you keep it soft,

blessing its young sprouts.

12 You adorn the year with your bounty; your paths* drip with fruitful rain.

13 The meadows of the wilderness also drip;

the hills are robed with joy.

14 The pastures are clothed with flocks,

the valleys blanketed with grain;

they cheer and sing for joy.g * [Psalm 65] The community, aware of its unworthiness (Ps 65:3–4), gives thanks for divine bounty (Ps 65:5), a bounty resulting from God’s creation victory (Ps 65:6–9). At God’s touch the earth comes alive with vegetation and flocks (Ps 65:10–13). * [65:2] Vows: the Israelites were accustomed to promising sacrifices in the Temple if their prayers were heard. * [65:3] To you all flesh must come: all must have recourse to God’s mercy. * [65:6] Awesome deeds: the acts of creating—installing mountains, taming seas, restraining nations (Ps 65:7–8)—that are visible worldwide (Ps 65:6, 9). * [65:10–14] Apparently a description of the agricultural year, beginning with the first fall rains that soften the hard sun-baked soil (Ps 65:9–10). * [65:10] God’s stream: the fertile waters of the earth derive from God’s fertile waters in the heavenly world. * [65:12] Paths: probably the tracks of God’s storm chariot dropping rain upon earth. a. [65:3] Is 66:23. b. [65:4] Ps 32:1–2; 78:38; Is 1:18. c. [65:6] Is 66:19. d. [65:8] Ps 89:10; 107:29; Jb 38:11; Mt 8:26. e. [65:8] Is 17:12. f. [65:10] Lv 26:4; Is 30:23, 25; Jl 2:22–23. g. [65:14] Is 44:23.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 66

1 For the leader. A song; a psalm.

2 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;

sing of his glorious name;

give him glorious praise.a

3 Say to God: “How awesome your deeds!

Before your great strength your enemies cringe.

4 All the earth falls in worship before you;b

they sing of you, sing of your name!”

Selah

5 *Come and see the works of God,

awesome in deeds before the children of Adam.

6 He changed the sea to dry land;

through the river they passed on foot.c There we rejoiced in him,

7 who rules by his might forever,

His eyes are fixed upon the nations.

Let no rebel rise to challenge!

Selah

8 Bless our God, you peoples;

loudly sound his praise,

9 Who has kept us alive

and not allowed our feet to slip.d

10 You tested us, O God,

tried us as silver tried by fire.e

11 You led us into a snare;

you bound us at the waist as captives.

12 *You let captors set foot on our neck;

we went through fire and water;

then you led us out to freedom.f

III

13 I will bring burnt offerings* to your house;

to you I will fulfill my vows,

14 Which my lips pronounced and my mouth spoke in my distress.

15 Burnt offerings of fatlings I will offer you

and sacrificial smoke of rams;

I will sacrifice oxen and goats.

Selah

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,

while I recount what has been done for me.

17 I called to him with my mouth;

praise was upon my tongue.

18 Had I cherished evil in my heart,

the Lord would not have heard.

19 But God did hear

and listened to my voice in prayer.

20 Blessed be God, who did not reject my prayer

and refuse his mercy. * [Psalm 66] In the first part (Ps 66:1–12), the community praises God for powerful acts for Israel, both in the past (the exodus from Egypt and the entry into the land [Ps 66:6]) and in the present (deliverance from a recent but unspecified calamity [Ps 66:8–12]). In the second part (Ps 66:13–20), an individual from the rescued community fulfills a vow to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. As often in thanksgivings, the rescued person steps forward to teach the community what God has done (Ps 66:16–20). * [66:5–6] cf. the events described in Ex 14:1–15, 21; Jos 3:11–4:24 and Ps 114. * [66:12] You let captors set foot on our neck: lit., “you let men mount our heads.” Conquerors placed their feet on the neck of their enemies as a sign of complete defeat, cf. Jos 10:24. A ceremonial footstool of the Egyptian king Tutankhamen portrays bound and prostrate bodies of enemies ready for the king’s feet on their heads, and one of Tutankhamen’s ceremonial chariots depicts the king as a sphinx standing with paw atop the neck of an enemy. * [66:13] Burnt offerings: cf. Lv 1:3–13; 6:1–4; 22:17–20. a. [66:2] Ps 65:14; Is 44:23. b. [66:3–4] Ps 18:45; Mi 7:17. c. [66:6] Ps 74:15; 114:3; Ex 14:21f; Jos 3:14ff; Is 44:27; 50:2. d. [66:9] Ps 91:12; 121:3; 1 Sm 2:9; Prv 3:23. e. [66:10] Is 48:10. f. [66:12] Is 43:2.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 67

1 For the leader; with stringed instruments. A psalm; a song.

2 May God be gracious to us* and bless us;

may his face shine upon us.a

Selah

3 So shall your way be known upon the earth,

your victory among all the nations.b

4 May the peoples praise you, God;

may all the peoples praise you!

5 May the nations be glad and rejoice;

for you judge the peoples with fairness,

you guide the nations upon the earth.c

Selah

6 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you!

III

7 The earth has yielded its harvest;

God, our God, blesses us.d

8 May God bless us still;

that the ends of the earth may revere him. * [Psalm 67] A petition for a bountiful harvest (Ps 67:7), made in the awareness that Israel’s prosperity will persuade the nations to worship its God. * [67:2] May God be gracious to us: the people’s petition echoes the blessing pronounced upon them by the priests, cf. Nm 6:22–27. a. [67:2] Ps 4:7; 31:17; 44:4; 80:4; Dn 9:17. b. [67:3] Jer 33:9. c. [67:5] Ps 98:9. d. [67:7] Ps 85:13; Lv 26:4; Ez 34:27; Hos 2:23–24.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 95

1 Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;

cry out to the rock of our salvation.a

2 Let us come before him with a song of praise,

joyfully sing out our psalms.

3 For the LORD is the great God,

the great king over all gods,b

4 Whose hand holds the depths of the earth;

who owns the tops of the mountains.

5 The sea and dry land belong to God,

who made them, formed them by hand.c

6 Enter, let us bow down in worship;

let us kneel before the LORD who made us.

7 For he is our God,

we are the people he shepherds,

the sheep in his hands.d

III

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:e

8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,

as on the day of Massah in the desert.*

9 There your ancestors tested me;

they tried me though they had seen my works.f

10 Forty years I loathed that generation;

I said: “This people’s heart goes astray;

they do not know my ways.”g

11 Therefore I swore in my anger:

“They shall never enter my rest.”* * [Psalm 95] Twice the Psalm calls the people to praise and worship God (Ps 95:1–2, 6), the king of all creatures (Ps 95:3–5) and shepherd of the flock (Ps 95:7a, 7b). The last strophe warns the people to be more faithful than were their ancestors in the journey to the promised land (Ps 95:7c–11). This invitation to praise God regularly opens the Church’s official prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours. * [95:8] Meribah: lit., “contention”; the place where the Israelites quarreled with God. Massah: “testing,” the place where they put God to the trial, cf. Ex 17:7; Nm 20:13. * [95:11] My rest: the promised land as in Dt 12:9. Heb 4 applies the verse to the eternal rest of heaven. a. [95:1] Dt 32:15. b. [95:3] Ps 47:2; 135:5. c. [95:5] Ps 24:1–2. d. [95:7–11] Ps 81:8; 106:32; Heb 3:7–11, 15; 4:3, 5, 7. e. [95:7] Ps 23:1–3; 100:3; Mi 7:14. f. [95:9] Nm 14:22; 20:2–13; Dt 6:16; 33:8. g. [95:10] Ps 78:8; Nm 14:34; Dt 32:5.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 96

1 Sing to the LORD a new song;a

sing to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

3 Tell his glory among the nations;

among all peoples, his marvelous deeds.b

4 *For great is the LORD and highly to be praised,

to be feared above all gods.c

5 For the gods of the nations are idols,

but the LORD made the heavens.d

6 Splendor and power go before him;

power and grandeur are in his holy place. III

7 Give to the LORD, you families of nations,

give to the LORD glory and might;

8 give to the LORD the glory due his name!e

Bring gifts and enter his courts;

9 bow down to the LORD, splendid in holiness.

Tremble before him, all the earth;

10 fdeclare among the nations: The LORD is king.

The world will surely stand fast, never to be shaken.

He rules the peoples with fairness.

11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

let the sea and what fills it resound;g

12 let the plains be joyful and all that is in them.

Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice

13 before the LORD who comes,

who comes to govern the earth,h

To govern the world with justice

and the peoples with faithfulness. * [Psalm 96] A hymn inviting all humanity to praise the glories of Israel’s God (Ps 96:1–3), who is the sole God (Ps 96:4–6). To the just ruler of all belongs worship (Ps 96:7–10); even inanimate creation is to offer praise (Ps 96:11–13). This Psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Is 40–55, as does Ps 98. Another version of the Psalm is 1 Chr 16:23–33. * [96:4] For references to other gods, see comments on Ps 58 and 82. a. [96:1] Ps 98:1; Is 42:10. b. [96:3] Ps 98:4; 105:1. c. [96:4] Ps 48:2; 95:3; 145:3. d. [96:5] Ps 97:7; 115:4–8; Is 40:17; 1 Cor 8:4. e. [96:8] Ps 29:2. f. [96:10] Ps 75:4; 93:1. g. [96:11] Ps 98:7. h. [96:13] Ps 98:9.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 98

1 A psalm.

Sing a new song to the LORD,

for he has done marvelous deeds.a

His right hand and holy arm

have won the victory.* b

2 The LORD has made his victory known;

has revealed his triumph in the sight of the nations,

3 He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness

toward the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the victory of our God.

4 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth;

break into song; sing praise.

5 Sing praise to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and melodious song.

6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn

shout with joy to the King, the LORD.c

III

7 Let the sea and what fills it resound,d

the world and those who dwell there.

8 Let the rivers clap their hands,

the mountains shout with them for joy,e

9 fBefore the LORD who comes,

who comes to govern the earth,g

To govern the world with justice

and the peoples with fairness. * [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9). * [98:1] Marvelous deedsâ€¦victory: the conquest of all threats to the peaceful existence of Israel, depicted in the Psalms variously as a cosmic force such as sea, or nations bent on Israel’s destruction, or evildoers seemingly triumphant. His right hand and holy arm: God is pictured as a powerful warrior. a. [98:1] Ps 96:1; Is 42:10. b. [98:1] Is 59:16; 63:5. c. [98:6] Ps 47:6–7. d. [98:7] Ps 96:11. e. [98:8] Is 44:23; 55:12. f. [98:9] Ps 96:13. g. [98:9] Ps 67:5.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 100

1 A psalm of thanksgiving.

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;

2 serve the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful song.

3 *Know that the LORD is God,

he made us, we belong to him,

we are his people, the flock he shepherds.a

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him, bless his name;b

5 good indeed is the LORD,

His mercy endures forever,

his faithfulness lasts through every generation. * [Psalm 100] A hymn inviting the people to enter the Temple courts with thank offerings for the God who created them. * [100:3] Although the people call on all the nations of the world to join in their hymn, they are conscious of being the chosen people of God. a. [100:3] Ps 23:1; 95:7; Mi 7:14; Is 64:7. b. [100:4–5] Ps 106:1; 107:1; 118:1; 136:1; 138:8; Jer 33:11.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 103

1 Of David.

Bless the LORD, my soul;

all my being, bless his holy name!

2 Bless the LORD, my soul;

and do not forget all his gifts,

3 Who pardons all your sins,

and heals all your ills,

4 Who redeems your life from the pit,a

and crowns you with mercy and compassion,

5 Who fills your days with good things,

so your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.*

6 The LORD does righteous deeds,

brings justice to all the oppressed.b USCCB > Bible

PSALMS, CHAPTER 138

1 Of David.

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart;a

in the presence of the angels* to you I sing.

2 I bow low toward your holy temple;

I praise your name for your mercy and faithfulness.

For you have exalted over all

your name and your promise.

3 On the day I cried out, you answered;

you strengthened my spirit.

4 All the kings of earth will praise you, LORD,

when they hear the words of your mouth.

5 They will sing of the ways of the LORD:

“How great is the glory of the LORD!”

6 6 The LORD is on high, but cares for the lowlyb

and knows the proud from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of dangers,

you guard my life when my enemies rage.

You stretch out your hand;

your right hand saves me.

8 The LORD is with me to the end.

LORD, your mercy endures forever.

Never forsake the work of your hands! * [Psalm 138] A thanksgiving to God, who came to the rescue of the psalmist. Divine rescue was not the result of the psalmist’s virtues but of God’s loving fidelity (Ps 138:1–3). The act is not a private transaction but a public act that stirs the surrounding nations to praise God’s greatness and care for the people (Ps 138:4–6). The psalmist, having experienced salvation, trusts that God will always be there in moments of danger (Ps 138:7–8). * [138:1] In the presence of the angels: heavenly beings who were completely subordinate to Israel’s God. The earthly Temple represents the heavenly palace of God. a. [138:1] Ps 9:1. b. [138:6] Lk 1:51–52.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 145

1 Praise. Of David.

I will extol you, my God and king;

I will bless your name forever and ever.

2 Every day I will bless you;

I will praise your name forever and ever.a

3 Great is the LORD and worthy of much praise,b

whose grandeur is beyond understanding.

4 One generation praises your deeds to the next

and proclaims your mighty works.c

5 They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory,

tell of your wonderful deeds.d

6 They speak of the power of your awesome acts

and recount your great deeds.e

7 They celebrate your abounding goodness

and joyfully sing of your justice.

8 8 The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in mercy.f

9 The LORD is good to all,

compassionate toward all your works.g

10 All your works give you thanks, LORD

and your faithful bless you.h

11 They speak of the glory of your reign

and tell of your mighty works,

12 Making known to the sons of men your mighty acts,

the majestic glory of your rule.

13 Your reign is a reign for all ages,

your dominion for all generations.i

The LORD is trustworthy in all his words,

and loving in all his works.

14 The LORD supports all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down.j

15 The eyes of all look hopefully to you;

you give them their food in due season.k

16 You open wide your hand

and satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 The LORD is just in all his ways,

merciful in all his works.l

18 The LORD is near to all who call upon him,

to all who call upon him in truth.m

19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.n

20 The LORD watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he destroys.o

21 My mouth will speak the praises of the LORD;

all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever. * [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity. a. [145:2] Ps 34:2. b. [145:3] Ps 48:2; 95:3; 96:4; Jb 36:26. c. [145:4] Ps 22:31–32; 48:14–15; 71:18; 78:4; Ex 10:2; Dt 4:9. d. [145:5] Ps 96:3; 105:2. e. [145:6] Ps 66:3. f. [145:8] Ps 86:5, 15; 103:8; Ex 34:6; Sir 2:11. g. [145:9] Ps 103:13; Wis 11:24. h. [145:10] Dn 3:57. i. [145:13] Ps 10:16; 102:13; 146:10; Lam 5:19; Dn 3:33; Rev 11:15. j. [145:14] Ps 94:18; 146:8. k. [145:15] Ps 136:25; 104:27–28; Mt 6:25–26. l. [145:17] Dt 32:4. m. [145:18] Dt 4:7; Is 55:6; 58:9. n. [145:19] Ps 34:18. o. [145:20] Jgs 5:31.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 146

1 Hallelujah!

2 Praise the LORD, my soul;

I will praise the LORD all my life,

sing praise to my God while I live.a

3 Put no trust in princes,

in children of Adam powerless to save.b

4 Who breathing his last, returns to the earth;

that day all his planning comes to nothing.c

5 Blessed the one whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD, his God,

6 The maker of heaven and earth,

the seas and all that is in them,d

Who keeps faith forever, 7 secures justice for the oppressed,e

who gives bread to the hungry.

The LORD sets prisoners free;f

8 the LORD gives sight to the blind.

The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;g

the LORD loves the righteous.

9 The LORD protects the resident alien,

comes to the aid of the orphan and the widow,h

but thwarts the way of the wicked.

10 The LORD shall reign forever,

your God, Zion, through all generations!i

Hallelujah!

* [Psalm 146] A hymn of someone who has learned there is no other source of strength except the merciful God. Only God, not mortal human beings (Ps 146:3–4), can help vulnerable and oppressed people (Ps 146:5–9). The first of the five hymns that conclude the Psalter. a. [146:2] Ps 103:1; 104:33. b. [146:3] Ps 118:8–9. c. [146:4] Ps 90:3; 104:29; 1 Mc 2:63; Jb 34:14–15; Eccl 3:20; 12:7; Sir 40:11; Is 2:22. d. [146:6] Ps 121:2; 124:8; Ex 20:11; Acts 14:15; Rev 14:7. e. [146:7] Ps 103:6. f. [146:7] Ps 68:7; Is 49:9; 61:1. g. [146:8] Ps 145:14. h. [146:9] Ps 68:6; Dt 10:18. i. [146:10] Ps 145:13; Lam 5:19.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 147

1 Hallelujah!

How good to sing praise to our God;

how pleasant to give fitting praise.a

2 The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem,

and gathers the dispersed of Israel,b

3 Healing the brokenhearted,

and binding up their wounds.c

4 He numbers the stars,

and gives to all of them their names.d

5 Great is our Lord, vast in power,

with wisdom beyond measure.e

6 The LORD gives aid to the poor,

but casts the wicked to the ground.f

II 7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;

with the lyre make music to our God,g

8 *Who covers the heavens with clouds,

provides rain for the earth,

makes grass sprout on the mountains,h

9 Who gives animals their food

and young ravens what they cry for.i

10 *He takes no delight in the strength of horses,

no pleasure in the runner’s stride.j

11 Rather the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,

those who put their hope in his mercy.

III

12 Glorify the LORD, Jerusalem;

Zion, offer praise to your God,

13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates,

blessed your children within you.k

14 He brings peace to your borders,

and satisfies you with finest wheat.l

15 *He sends his command to earth; his word runs swiftly!m

16 Thus he makes the snow like wool,

and spreads the frost like ash;n

17 He disperses hail like crumbs.

Who can withstand his cold?

18 Yet when again he issues his command, it melts them;

he raises his winds and the waters flow.

19 He proclaims his word to Jacob,

his statutes and laws to Israel.o

20 He has not done this for any other nation;

of such laws they know nothing.

Hallelujah!

* [Psalm 147] The hymn is divided into three sections by the calls to praise in Ps 147:1, 7, 12. The first section praises the powerful creator who restores exiled Judah (Ps 147:1–6); the second section, the creator who provides food to animals and human beings; the third and climactic section exhorts the holy city to recognize it has been re- created and made the place of disclosure for God’s word, a word as life-giving as water. * [147:8–9] God clothes the fields and feeds the birds, cf. Mt 6:26, 30. * [147:10–11] Acknowledging one’s dependence upon God rather than claiming self-sufficiency pleases God, cf. Ps 20:8; 33:16–19. * [147:15–19] God speaks through the thunder of nature and the word of revealed law, cf. Is 55:10–11. The weather phenomena are well known in Jerusalem: a blizzard of snow and hail followed by a thunderstorm that melts the ice. a. [147:1] Ps 33:1; 92:2. b. [147:2] Is 11:12; 56:8; Jer 31:10. c. [147:3] Jb 5:18; Is 30:26; 61:1; Jer 33:6. d. [147:4] Is 40:26. e. [147:5] Jdt 16:13; Jer 51:15. f. [147:6] Ps 146:9; 1 Sm 2:7–8. g. [147:7] Ps 71:22. h. [147:8] Ps 104:13f; Jb 5:10; Jer 14:22; Jl 2:23. i. [147:9] Jb 38:41; Mt 6:26. j. [147:10] Ps 20:8; 33:16–18. k. [147:13] Ps 48:14. l. [147:14] Ps 81:17. m. [147:15] Ps 33:9. n. [147:16] Jb 6:16; 37:10; 38:22. o. [147:19] Ps 78:5; Bar 3:37; Dt 4:7–8.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 148

1 Hallelujah!

Praise the LORD from the heavens;

praise him in the heights.

2 Praise him, all you his angels;

give praise, all you his hosts.a

3 Praise him, sun and moon;

praise him, all shining stars.

4 Praise him, highest heavens,*

you waters above the heavens.

5 Let them all praise the LORD’s name;

for he commanded and they were created,b

6 Assigned them their station forever,

set an order that will never change.

II 7 Praise the LORD from the earth,

you sea monsters and all the deeps of the sea;c

8 Lightning and hail, snow and thick clouds,

storm wind that fulfills his command;

9 Mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars;d

10 Animals wild and tame,

creatures that crawl and birds that fly;e

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,

princes and all who govern on earth;

12 Young men and women too,

old and young alike.

13 Let them all praise the LORD’s name,

for his name alone is exalted,

His majesty above earth and heaven.f

14 *He has lifted high the horn of his people;

to the praise of all his faithful,

the Israelites, the people near to him.

Hallelujah! * [Psalm 148] A hymn inviting the beings of heaven (Ps 148:1–6) and of earth (Ps 148:7–14) to praise God. The hymn does not distinguish between inanimate and animate (and rational) nature. * [148:4] Highest heavens: lit., “the heavens of the heavens,” i.e., the space above the firmament, where the “upper waters” are stored, cf. Gn 1:6–7; Dt 10:14; 1 Kgs 8:27; Ps 104:3, 13. * [148:14] Has lifted high the horn of his people: the horn symbolizes strength, the concrete noun for the abstract. Of all peoples, God has chosen Israel to return praise and thanks in a special way. a. [148:2] Ps 103:20f; Dn 3:58–63. b. [148:5] Ps 33:9; Gn 1:3f; Jdt 16:14. c. [148:7] Ps 135:6; Gn 1:21. d. [148:9] Is 44:23. e. [148:10] Ps 30:5; Gn 1:21, 24f; Dt 4:7. f. [148:13] Ps 30:5; Dt 4:7.

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PSALMS, CHAPTER 149

1 Hallelujah!

Sing to the LORD a new song,

his praise in the assembly of the faithful.a

2 Let Israel be glad in its maker,

the people of Zion rejoice in their king.

3 Let them praise his name in dance,

make music with tambourine and lyre.* b

4 For the LORD takes delight in his people,

honors the poor with victory.

5 Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,

cry out for joy on their couches,*

6 With the praise of God in their mouths,

and a two-edged sword in their hands,c

7 To bring retribution on the nations,

punishment on the peoples,d

8 8 To bind their kings in shackles,

their nobles in chains of iron,

9 To execute the judgments decreed for them—

such is the glory* of all God’s faithful.

Hallelujah!

* [Psalm 149] A hymn inviting the people of Israel to celebrate their God in song and festive dance (Ps 149:1–3, 5) because God has chosen them and given them victory (Ps 149:4). The exodus and conquest are the defining acts of Israel; the people must be ready to do again those acts in the future at the divine command (Ps 149:6–9). * [149:3] Make music with tambourine and lyre: the verse recalls the great exodus hymn of Ex 15:20. * [149:5] On their couches: the people reclined to banquet. * [149:9] The glory: what brings honor to the people is their readiness to carry out the divine will, here conceived as punishing injustice done by the nations. a. [149:1] Ps 22:23; 26:12; 35:18; 40:10; Jdt 16:1. b. [149:3] Ps 68:26; 81:2–3; 87:7; 150:3–4. c. [149:6] Neh 4:10–12; 2 Mc 15:27. d. [149:7] Wis 3:8.

PSALMS, CHAPTER 150

1 Hallelujah!

Praise God in his holy sanctuary;* a

give praise in the mighty dome of heaven.

2 Give praise for his mighty deeds,b

praise him for his great majesty.

3 Give praise with blasts upon the horn,c

praise him with harp and lyre.

4 Give praise with tambourines and dance,

praise him with strings and pipes.d

5 Give praise with crashing cymbals,

praise him with sounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath

give praise to the LORD!e

Hallelujah! * [Psalm 150] The Psalm is a closing doxology both for the fifth book of the Psalms (Ps 107–149) and for the Psalter as a whole. Temple musicians and dancers are called to lead all beings on earth and in heaven in praise of God. The Psalm proclaims to whom praise shall be given, and where (Ps 150:1); what praise shall be given, and why (Ps 150:2); how praise shall be given (Ps 150:3–5), and by whom (Ps 150:6). * [150:1] His holy sanctuary: God’s Temple on earth. The mighty dome of heaven: lit., “[God’s] strong vault”; heaven is here imagined as a giant plate separating the inhabited world from the waters of the heavens. a. [150:1] Dn 3:53. b. [150:2] Dt 3:24. c. [150:3ff] Ps 81:3–4; 149:3; 2 Sm 6:5; 1 Chr 13:8; 16:5, 42; 2 Chr 5:12–13; 7:6. d. [150:4] Ps 68:26; Ex 15:20. e. [150:6] Rev 5:13.

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