Psalm 121-150
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 121
Assurance of God’s Protection
A Song of Ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.(A)
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.(B)
4 He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.(C)
6 The sun shall not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.(D)
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.(E)
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.(F)
Psalm 122
Song of Praise and Prayer for Jerusalem
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”(G)
2 Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together.(H)
4 To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.(I)
5 For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.(J)
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.(K)
7 Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers.”
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.(L)
Psalm 123
Supplication for Mercy
A Song of Ascents.
1 To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!(M)
2 As the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until he has mercy upon us.(N)
3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.(O)
4 Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.(P)
Psalm 124
Thanksgiving for Israel’s Deliverance
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say—(Q)
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;(R)
4 then the flood would have swept us away;
the torrent would have gone over us;(S)
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.(T)
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the hunters;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.(U)
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.(V)
Psalm 125
The Security of God’s People
A Song of Ascents.
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved but abides forever.(W)
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
from this time on and forevermore.(X)
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous might not stretch out
their hands to do wrong.(Y)
4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good
and to those who are upright in their hearts.(Z)
5 But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways,
the Lord will lead away with evildoers.
Peace be upon Israel!(AA)
Psalm 126
A Harvest of Joy
A Song of Ascents.
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[a]
we were like those who dream.(AB)
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”(AC)
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.(AD)
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.(AE)
5 May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.(AF)
6 Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
Psalm 127
God’s Blessings in the Home
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.(AG)
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil,
for he gives sleep to his beloved.[b](AH)
3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.(AI)
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has
his quiver full of them.
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.(AJ)
Psalm 128
The Happy Home of the Faithful
A Song of Ascents.
1 Happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways.(AK)
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.(AL)
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.(AM)
4 Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 The Lord bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.(AN)
6 May you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!(AO)
Psalm 129
Prayer for the Downfall of Israel’s Enemies
A Song of Ascents.
1 Often have they attacked me from my youth
—let Israel now say—(AP)
2 often have they attacked me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.(AQ)
3 The plowers plowed on my back;
they made their furrows long.
4 The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.(AR)
5 May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward.(AS)
6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops
that withers before it grows up,(AT)
7 with which reapers do not fill their hands
or binders of sheaves their arms,
8 while those who pass by do not say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”(AU)
Psalm 130
Waiting for Divine Redemption
A Song of Ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.(AV)
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!(AW)
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?(AX)
4 But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.(AY)
5 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;(AZ)
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.(BA)
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.(BB)
8 It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.(BC)
Psalm 131
Song of Quiet Trust
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.(BD)
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.[c](BE)
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time on and forevermore.(BF)
Psalm 132
The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion
A Song of Ascents.
1 O Lord, remember in David’s favor
all the hardships he endured;
2 how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,(BG)
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”(BH)
6 We heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.(BI)
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool.”(BJ)
8 Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.(BK)
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your faithful shout for joy.(BL)
10 For your servant David’s sake
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.(BM)
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my decrees that I shall teach them,
their sons also, forevermore,
shall sit on your throne.”(BN)
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his habitation:(BO)
14 “This is my resting place forever;
here I will reside, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless its provisions;
I will satisfy its poor with bread.(BP)
16 Its priests I will clothe with salvation,
and its faithful will shout for joy.
17 There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.(BQ)
18 His enemies I will clothe with disgrace,
but on him, his crown will gleam.”(BR)
Psalm 133
The Blessedness of Unity
A Song of Ascents.
1 How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!(BS)
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.(BT)
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
life forevermore.(BU)
Psalm 134
Praise in the Night
A Song of Ascents.
1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!(BV)
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place,
and bless the Lord.(BW)
3 May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.
Psalm 135
Praise for God’s Goodness and Might
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2 you who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.(BX)
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for he is gracious.(BY)
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.(BZ)
5 For I know that the Lord is great;
our Lord is above all gods.(CA)
6 Whatever the Lord pleases he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.(CB)
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth;
he makes lightnings for the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(CC)
8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both humans and animals;(CD)
9 he sent signs and wonders
into your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.(CE)
10 He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—(CF)
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan—(CG)
12 and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.(CH)
13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.(CI)
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.(CJ)
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.(CK)
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but they do not see;
17 they have ears, but they do not hear,
a nose, but there is no breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them
and all who trust them
shall become like them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!(CL)
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!(CM)
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who resides in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!(CN)
Psalm 136
God’s Work in Creation and in History
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.(CO)
2 O give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.(CP)
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(CQ)
5 who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(CR)
6 who spread out the earth on the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(CS)
7 who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(CT)
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(CU)
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 who struck Egypt through their firstborn,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(CV)
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(CW)
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(CX)
13 who divided the Red Sea[d] in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(CY)
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(CZ)
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,[e]
for his steadfast love endures forever;(DA)
16 who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(DB)
who made water flow from the rock,
for his steadfast love endures forever;[f]
17 who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(DC)
18 and killed famous kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(DD)
22 a heritage to his servant Israel,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(DE)
24 and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(DF)
25 who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.(DG)
26 O give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 137
Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem
1 By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down, and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.(DH)
2 On the willows[g] there
we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(DI)
4 How could we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy.(DJ)
7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem’s fall,
how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down!
Down to its foundations!”(DK)
8 O daughter Babylon, you devastator![h]
Happy shall they be who pay you back
what you have done to us!(DL)
9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones
and dash them against the rock!(DM)
Psalm 138
Thanksgiving and Praise
Of David.
1 I give you thanks, O Lord,[i] with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;(DN)
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.[j](DO)
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength of soul.[k](DP)
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.(DQ)
5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he perceives from far away.(DR)
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.(DS)
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.(DT)
Psalm 139
The Inescapable God
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.(DU)
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.(DV)
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.(DW)
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.(DX)
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.(DY)
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.(DZ)
7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?(EA)
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.(EB)
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.(EC)
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and night wraps itself around me,”[l](ED)
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.(EE)
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.(EF)
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.(EG)
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.(EH)
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.[m]
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!(EI)
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end[n]—I am still with you.
19 O that you would kill the wicked, O God,
and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—(EJ)
20 those who speak of you maliciously
and lift themselves up against you for evil
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?(EL)
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.(EM)
24 See if there is any wicked[p] way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.[q](EN)
Psalm 140
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from those who are violent,(EO)
2 who plan evil things in their minds
and stir up wars continually.(EP)
3 They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s,
and under their lips is the venom of vipers. Selah(EQ)
4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent
who have planned my downfall.(ER)
5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread a net,[r]
along the road they have set snares for me. Selah(ES)
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God;
give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.”(ET)
7 O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.(EU)
8 Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their evil plot.[s] Selah(EV)
9 Those who surround me lift up their heads;[t]
let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!(EW)
10 Let burning coals fall on them!
Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise!(EX)
11 Do not let the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil speedily hunt down the violent!(EY)
12 I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy
and executes justice for the poor.(EZ)
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall live in your presence.(FA)
Psalm 141
Prayer for Preservation from Evil
A Psalm of David.
1 I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me;
give ear to my voice when I call to you.(FB)
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you
and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.(FC)
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not turn my heart to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with those who work iniquity;
do not let me eat of their delicacies.(FD)
5 Let the righteous strike me;
let the faithful correct me.
Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head,[u]
for my prayer is continually[v] against their wicked deeds.(FE)
6 When they are given over to those who shall condemn them,
then they shall learn that my words were pleasant.
7 Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land,
so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.[w](FF)
8 But my eyes are turned toward you, O God, my Lord;
in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless.(FG)
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
and from the snares of evildoers.(FH)
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I alone escape.(FI)
Psalm 142
Prayer for Deliverance from Persecutors
A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A Prayer.
1 With my voice I cry to the Lord;
with my voice I make supplication to the Lord.(FJ)
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.(FK)
3 When my spirit is faint,
you know my way.
In the path where I walk,
they have hidden a trap for me.(FL)
4 Look on my right hand and see:
there is no one who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for me.(FM)
5 I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”(FN)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am brought very low.
Save me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me.(FO)
7 Bring me out of prison,
so that I may give thanks to your name.
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me.(FP)
Psalm 143
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
A Psalm of David.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;
answer me in your righteousness.(FQ)
2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous before you.(FR)
3 For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing my life to the ground,
making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.(FS)
5 I remember the days of old;
I think about all your deeds;
I meditate on the works of your hands.(FT)
6 I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah(FU)
7 Answer me quickly, O Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.(FV)
8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.(FW)
9 Save me, O Lord, from my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.[x](FX)
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
on a level path.(FY)
11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life.
In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.(FZ)
12 In your steadfast love cut off my enemies,
and destroy all my adversaries,
for I am your servant.(GA)
Psalm 144
Prayer for National Deliverance and Security
Of David.
1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle,(GB)
2 my rock[y] and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues the peoples[z] under me.(GC)
3 O Lord, what are humans that you regard them,
or mortals that you think of them?(GD)
4 They are like a breath;
their days are like a passing shadow.(GE)
5 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
touch the mountains so that they smoke.(GF)
6 Make the lightning flash and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout them.(GG)
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
set me free and rescue me from the mighty waters,
from the hand of foreigners,(GH)
8 whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hands are false.(GI)
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,(GJ)
10 the one who gives victory to kings,
who rescues his servant David.(GK)
11 Rescue me from the cruel sword,
and deliver me from the hand of aliens,
whose mouths speak lies,
and whose right hands are false.(GL)
12 May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars,
cut for the building of a palace.(GM)
13 May our barns be filled
with produce of every kind;
may our sheep increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields,
14 and may our cattle be heavy with young.
May there be no breach in the walls,[aa] no exile,
and no cry of distress in our streets.
15 Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall;
happy are the people whose God is the Lord.(GN)
Psalm 145
The Greatness and the Goodness of God
Praise. Of David.
1 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.(GO)
3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.(GP)
4 One generation shall extol your works to another
and shall declare your mighty acts.(GQ)
5 They will recount the glorious[ab] splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works I will meditate.(GR)
6 They will proclaim the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.(GS)
7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.(GT)
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.(GU)
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.(GV)
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your faithful shall bless you.(GW)
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to all people your[ac] mighty deeds
and the glorious splendor of your[ad] kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and gracious in all his deeds.[ae](GX)
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.(GY)
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.(GZ)
16 You open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is just in all his ways
and kind in all his doings.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.(HA)
19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.(HB)
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.(HC)
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.
Psalm 146
Praise for God’s Help
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!(HD)
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.(HE)
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.(HF)
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.(HG)
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,(HH)
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;(HI)
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;(HJ)
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.(HK)
9 The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.(HL)
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!(HM)
Psalm 147
Praise for God’s Care for Jerusalem
1 Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.(HN)
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.(HO)
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.(HP)
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.(HQ)
5 Great is our Lord and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.(HR)
6 The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.(HS)
9 He gives to the animals their food
and to the young ravens when they cry.(HT)
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner,[af](HU)
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He grants peace[ag] within your borders;
he fills you with the finest of wheat.(HV)
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.(HW)
16 He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.(HX)
17 He hurls down hail like crumbs—
who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word and melts them;
he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.(HY)
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and ordinances to Israel.(HZ)
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord!(IA)
Psalm 148
Praise for God’s Universal Glory
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!(IB)
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the heavens!(IC)
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.(ID)
6 He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.[ah](IE)
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,(IF)
8 fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!(IG)
9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!(IH)
10 Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.(II)
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!(IJ)
Psalm 149
Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel
1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.(IK)
2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.(IL)
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.(IM)
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with victory.(IN)
5 Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their couches.(IO)
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,(IP)
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters
and their nobles with chains of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment decreed.
This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the Lord!(IQ)
Psalm 150
Praise for God’s Surpassing Greatness
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing greatness!(IS)
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!(IT)
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!(IU)
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!(IV)
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Footnotes
- 126.1 Or brought back those who returned to Zion
- 127.2 Or for he provides for his beloved during sleep
- 131.2 Or my soul within me is like a weaned child
- 136.13 Or Sea of Reeds
- 136.15 Or Sea of Reeds
- 136.16 Gk: Heb lacks who made water . . . forever
- 137.2 Or poplars
- 137.8 Or you who are devastated
- 138.1 Q mss Gk: MT lacks O Lord
- 138.2 Cn: Heb you have exalted your word above all your name
- 138.3 Syr Compare Gk Tg: Heb you made me arrogant in my soul with strength
- 139.11 Q ms: MT and the light around me become night
- 139.16 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 139.18 Or I awake
- 139.20 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 139.24 Heb hurtful
- 139.24 Or the ancient way
- 140.5 Or they have spread cords as a net
- 140.8 Heb adds they are exalted
- 140.9 Cn: Heb those who surround me are uplifted in head
- 141.5 Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 141.5 Cn: Heb for continually and my prayer
- 141.7 Meaning of Heb of 141.5–7 is uncertain
- 143.9 Heb ms Gk: MT to you I have hidden
- 144.2 Cn: Heb my steadfast love
- 144.2 Q ms Heb mss Syr Aquila Jerome: MT my people
- 144.14 Heb lacks in the walls
- 145.5 Q ms Gk Vg: MT On the glorious
- 145.12 Gk Jerome Syr: Heb his
- 145.12 Heb his
- 145.13 Q ms Gk Syr: MT lacks The Lord . . . his deeds
- 147.10 Heb legs of a person
- 147.14 Or prosperity
- 148.6 Or he set a law that cannot pass away
- 150.1 Or dome
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.