David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving

On that day David decreed for the first time that thanks be given to the Lord by Asaph and his relatives:

Give thanks(A) to the Lord; call on his name;
proclaim his deeds among the peoples.(B)
Sing to him; sing praise to him;
tell about all his wondrous works!
10 Boast in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
11 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.(C)
12 Remember the wondrous works he has done,(D)
his wonders, and the judgments he has pronounced,[a](E)
13 you offspring of Israel his servant,
Jacob’s descendants—his chosen ones.

14 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments govern the whole earth.(F)
15 Remember his covenant forever—
the promise he ordained for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant he made with Abraham,
swore[b] to Isaac,(G)
17 and confirmed to Jacob as a decree,
and to Israel as a permanent covenant:(H)
18 “I will give the land of Canaan to you
as your inherited portion.”(I)

19 When they[c] were few in number,
very few indeed,(J) and resident aliens in Canaan
20 wandering from nation to nation
and from one kingdom to another,
21 he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their behalf:(K)
22 “Do not touch my anointed ones
or harm my prophets.”(L)

23 Let the whole earth sing(M) to the Lord.
Proclaim his salvation from day to day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
his wondrous works among all peoples.

25 For the Lord is great and highly praised;(N)
he is feared above all gods.(O)
26 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,(P)
but the Lord made the heavens.(Q)
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his place.
28 Ascribe to the Lord, families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
bring an offering and come before him.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;(R)
30 let the whole earth tremble(S) before him.
The world is firmly established;
it cannot be shaken.
31 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice,(T)
and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
32 Let the sea and all that fills it resound;
let the fields and everything in them exult.(U)
33 Then the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the Lord,
for he is coming to judge the earth.

34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.(V)
35 And say,(W) “Save us, God of our salvation;
gather us and rescue us from the nations
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and rejoice in your praise.
36 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel(X)
from everlasting to everlasting.”

Then all the people said, “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.”

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Footnotes

  1. 16:12 Lit judgments of his mouth
  2. 16:16 Lit and his oath
  3. 16:19 One Hb ms, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read you

David Thanks God

That day David first gave to Asaph and his colleagues this song of thanks to the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord!
Call on his name!
Make known his accomplishments among the nations.
Sing to him! Make music to him!
Tell about all his miraculous deeds.
10 Boast about his holy name.
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
11 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives.
Seek his presence[a] continually!
12 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed,
his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed,[b]
13 O children[c] of Israel, God’s[d] servant,
you descendants of Jacob, God’s[e] chosen ones!
14 He is the Lord our God;
he carries out judgment throughout the earth.[f]
15 Remember[g] continually his covenantal decree,
the promise he made[h] to a thousand generations—
16 the promise[i] he made to Abraham,
the promise he made by oath to Isaac![j]
17 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as a lasting promise,[k]
18 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.”
19 When they were few in number,
just a very few, and foreign residents within it,
20 they wandered from nation to nation,
and from one kingdom to another.[l]
21 He let no one oppress them;
he disciplined kings for their sake,
22 saying,[m] “Don’t touch my anointed ones!
Don’t harm my prophets!”
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Announce every day[n] how he delivers.
24 Tell the nations about his splendor,
tell[o] all the nations about his miraculous deeds.
25 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise,
he is more awesome than[p] all gods.
26 For all the gods of the nations are worthless,[q]
but the Lord made the heavens.[r]
27 Majestic splendor emanates from him,[s]
he is the source of strength and joy.[t]
28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!
29 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves![u]
Bring an offering and enter his presence!
Worship the Lord in holy attire![v]
30 Tremble before him, all the earth!
The world is established, it cannot be moved.
31 Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be happy!
Let the nations say,[w] “The Lord reigns!”
32 Let the sea and everything in it shout!
Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!
33 Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth!
34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his loyal love endures.[x]
35 Say this prayer:[y] “Deliver us, O God who delivers us!
Gather us! Rescue us from the nations!
Then we will give thanks[z] to your holy name,
and boast about your praiseworthy deeds.”[aa]
36 May the Lord God of Israel be praised,
in the future and forevermore.[ab]
Then all the people said, “We agree![ac] Praise the Lord.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 16:11 tn Heb “face.”
  2. 1 Chronicles 16:12 tn Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”
  3. 1 Chronicles 16:13 tn Heb “seed.”
  4. 1 Chronicles 16:13 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. 1 Chronicles 16:13 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  6. 1 Chronicles 16:14 tn Heb “in all the earth [are] his judgments.”
  7. 1 Chronicles 16:15 tn The Hebrew text has a masculine plural imperative, addressed to the people. Some LXX mss harmonize the wording here to Ps 105:8, which has זָכַר (zakhar), the perfect third masculine singular form of the verb, “He (the Lord) remembers” (so NIV; NEB reads “He called to mind his covenant”).
  8. 1 Chronicles 16:15 tn Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 16-18 make clear.
  9. 1 Chronicles 16:16 tn Heb “which.”
  10. 1 Chronicles 16:16 tn Heb “his oath to Isaac.”
  11. 1 Chronicles 16:17 tn Or “eternal covenant.”
  12. 1 Chronicles 16:20 tn Heb “and from a kingdom to another people.”
  13. 1 Chronicles 16:22 tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  14. 1 Chronicles 16:23 tn Heb “from day to day.”
  15. 1 Chronicles 16:24 tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
  16. 1 Chronicles 16:25 tn Or “feared above.”
  17. 1 Chronicles 16:26 tn The Hebrew word אֱלִילִים (ʾelilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement. Many modern English translations render this term as “idols” here.
  18. 1 Chronicles 16:26 tn Or “the sky” (also in v. 31). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
  19. 1 Chronicles 16:27 tn Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”
  20. 1 Chronicles 16:27 tn Heb “strength and joy [are] in his place.”
  21. 1 Chronicles 16:29 tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., due] his name.”
  22. 1 Chronicles 16:29 tn Or “in holy splendor.”
  23. 1 Chronicles 16:31 tn Heb “let them say among the nations.”
  24. 1 Chronicles 16:34 tn Or “is eternal.”
  25. 1 Chronicles 16:35 tn The words “this prayer” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  26. 1 Chronicles 16:35 tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.
  27. 1 Chronicles 16:35 tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”
  28. 1 Chronicles 16:36 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
  29. 1 Chronicles 16:36 tn This is the Hebrew term אָמֵן (ʾamen, “surely”), traditionally transliterated “amen.”