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2 Chronicles 29:3-31:1
New English Translation

3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the east side. 5 He said to them: “Listen to me, you Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, so you can consecrate the temple of the Lord God of your ancestors.[a] Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean. 6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of[b] the Lord our God and abandoned him. They turned away[c] from the Lord’s dwelling place and rejected him.[d] 7 They closed the doors of the temple porch and put out the lamps; they did not offer incense or burnt sacrifices in the sanctuary of the God of Israel. 8 The Lord was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of horror at which people hiss out their scorn,[e] as you can see with your own eyes. 9 Look, our fathers died violently[f] and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off[g] because of this. 10 Now I intend[h] to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger.[i] 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him,[j] to be his ministers,[k] and offer sacrifices.”[l]

12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders:[m]

From the Kohathites: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;

from the Merarites: Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;

from the Gershonites: Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;

13 from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel;

from the descendants of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14 from the descendants of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei;

from the descendants of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 They assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves. Then they went in to purify the Lord’s temple, just as the king had ordered, in accordance with the word[n] of the Lord. 16 The priests then entered the Lord’s temple to purify it; they brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple every ceremonially unclean thing they discovered inside.[o] The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley. 17 On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the Lord’s temple.[p] For eight more days they consecrated the Lord’s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished. 18 They went to King Hezekiah and said: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, including the altar of burnt sacrifice and all its equipment, and the table for the Bread of the Presence and all its equipment. 19 We have prepared and consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed during his reign when he acted unfaithfully. They are in front of the altar of the Lord.”

20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah assembled the city officials and went up to the Lord’s temple. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah.[q] The king[r] told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the Lord. 22 They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar; next they slaughtered the lambs and splashed the blood on the altar. 23 Finally they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they placed their hands on them. 24 Then the priests slaughtered them. They offered their blood as a sin offering on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had decreed[s] that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.

25 Hezekiah[t] stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments just as David, Gad the king’s prophet,[u] and Nathan the prophet had ordered. (The Lord had actually given these orders through his prophets.) 26 The Levites had[v] David’s musical instruments and the priests had trumpets. 27 Hezekiah ordered the burnt sacrifice to be offered on the altar. As they began to offer the sacrifice, they also began to sing to the Lord, accompanied by the trumpets and the musical instruments of King David of Israel. 28 The entire assembly worshiped, as the singers sang and the trumpeters played. They continued until the burnt sacrifice was completed.

29 When the sacrifices were completed, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord, using the psalms[w] of David and Asaph the prophet.[x] So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped. 31 Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves[y] to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings[z] to the Lord’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so[aa] brought burnt sacrifices.

32 The assembly brought a total of 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt sacrifices to the Lord,[ab] 33 and 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep[ac] were consecrated. 34 But there were not enough priests to skin all the animals,[ad] so their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was finished and the priests could consecrate themselves. (The Levites had been more conscientious about consecrating themselves than the priests.)[ae] 35 There was a large number of burnt sacrifices, as well as fat from the peace offerings and drink offerings that accompanied the burnt sacrifices. So the service of the Lord’s temple was reinstituted.[af] 36 Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had done[ag] for them,[ah] for it had been done quickly.[ai]

Hezekiah Observes the Passover

30 Hezekiah sent messages throughout Israel and Judah; he even wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, summoning them to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem and observe a Passover celebration for the Lord God of Israel. 2 The king, his officials, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover in the second month. 3 They were unable to observe it at the regular[aj] time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. 4 The proposal seemed appropriate to[ak] the king and the entire assembly. 5 So they sent an edict[al] throughout Israel from Beer Sheba to Dan, summoning the people[am] to come and observe a Passover for the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they had not observed it on a nationwide scale as prescribed in the law.[an] 6 Messengers[ao] delivered the letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah.

This royal edict read:[ap] “O Israelites, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return[aq] to you who have been spared from the kings of Assyria.[ar] 7 Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their ancestors,[as] provoking him to destroy them,[at] as you can see. 8 Now, don’t be stubborn[au] like your fathers. Submit[av] to the Lord and come to his sanctuary which he has permanently consecrated. Serve the Lord your God so that he might relent from his raging anger.[aw] 9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and sons will be shown mercy by their captors and return to this land. The Lord your God is merciful and compassionate; he will not reject you[ax] if you return to him.”

10 The messengers journeyed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but people mocked and ridiculed them.[ay] 11 But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 In Judah God moved the people to unite[az] and carry out the edict of the king and the officers in keeping with the Lord’s message. 13 A huge crowd assembled in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month.[ba] 14 They removed the altars in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.[bb]

15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt sacrifices to the Lord’s temple. 16 They stood at their posts according to the regulations outlined in the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests were splashing the blood as the Levites handed it to them.[bc] 17 Because many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, the Levites slaughtered[bd] the Passover lambs of all who were ceremonially unclean and could not consecrate their sacrifice to the Lord.[be] 18 The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is prescribed in the law.[bf] For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “May the Lord, who is good, forgive[bg] 19 everyone who has determined to follow God,[bh] the Lord God of his ancestors, even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the temple.”[bi] 20 The Lord responded favorably[bj] to Hezekiah and forgave[bk] the people.

21 The Israelites who were in Jerusalem observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. The Levites and priests were praising the Lord every day with all their might.[bl] 22 Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites,[bm] who demonstrated great skill in serving the Lord.[bn] They feasted for the seven days of the festival,[bo] and were making peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord God of their ancestors.

23 The entire assembly then decided to celebrate for seven more days; so they joyfully celebrated for seven more days. 24 King Hezekiah of Judah supplied 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep[bp] for the assembly, while the officials supplied them[bq] with 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. Many priests consecrated themselves. 25 The celebration included[br] the entire assembly of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the entire assembly of those who came from Israel, the resident foreigners[bs] who came from the land of Israel, and those who were residents of Judah. 26 There was a great celebration in Jerusalem, unlike anything that had occurred in Jerusalem since the time of King Solomon son of David of Israel.[bt] 27 The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The Lord responded favorably to them[bu] as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.

31 When all this was over, the Israelites[bv] who were in the cities of Judah went out and smashed the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and demolished[bw] all the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh.[bx] Then all the Israelites returned to their own homes in their cities.[by]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 29:5 tn Heb “fathers.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 29:6 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 29:6 tn Heb “turned their faces.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 29:6 tn Heb “and turned the back.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 29:8 tn Heb “and he made them [an object] of dread and devastation and hissing.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 29:9 tn Heb “fell by the sword.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 29:9 tn Heb “are in captivity.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 29:10 tn Heb “now it is with my heart.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 29:10 tn Heb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from us.” The jussive with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding statement of intention.
  10. 2 Chronicles 29:11 tn That is, to conduct the religious rituals directed to the Lord.
  11. 2 Chronicles 29:11 tn That is, to be his ministers for the nation.
  12. 2 Chronicles 29:11 tn Heb “ones who cause [sacrifices] to go up in smoke.” The Hiphil form of קָטַר (qatar) can refer specifically to offering incense (e.g. 2 Chr 26:19; 32:12), but it may also be a general word for making sacrifices (e.g. 1 Chr 6:49). If it refers to burning incense, then the altar of incense in the Holy place of the tabernacle may be in view. Otherwise it is more general (they sacrifice animals later in this chapter, 2 Chr 29:21-24) and includes making sacrifices as well as offering incense.
  13. 2 Chronicles 29:12 tn Heb “and the Levites arose.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 29:15 tn Heb “words” (plural).
  15. 2 Chronicles 29:16 tn Heb “in the temple of the Lord.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 29:17 tn Heb “porch of the Lord.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 29:21 sn Perhaps these terms refer metonymically to the royal court, the priests and Levites, and the people, respectively.
  18. 2 Chronicles 29:21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  19. 2 Chronicles 29:24 tn Heb “said.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 29:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  21. 2 Chronicles 29:25 tn Or “seer.”
  22. 2 Chronicles 29:26 tn Heb “stood with” (i.e., stood holding).
  23. 2 Chronicles 29:30 tn Heb “with the words.”
  24. 2 Chronicles 29:30 tn Or “seer.”
  25. 2 Chronicles 29:31 tn Heb “filled your hand.”
  26. 2 Chronicles 29:31 tn Or “tokens of thanks.”
  27. 2 Chronicles 29:31 tn Heb “and all who were willing of heart.”
  28. 2 Chronicles 29:32 tn Heb “and the number of burnt sacrifices which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs; for a burnt sacrifice to the Lord were all these.”
  29. 2 Chronicles 29:33 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (tsoʾn) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but there is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
  30. 2 Chronicles 29:34 tn Heb “the burnt sacrifices.”
  31. 2 Chronicles 29:34 tn Heb “for the Levites were more pure of heart to consecrate themselves than the priests.”
  32. 2 Chronicles 29:35 tn Or “established.”
  33. 2 Chronicles 29:36 tn Heb “prepared.”
  34. 2 Chronicles 29:36 tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun “them” has been used here for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  35. 2 Chronicles 29:36 tn Heb “for quickly was the matter.”
  36. 2 Chronicles 30:3 tn Heb “at that time.”
  37. 2 Chronicles 30:4 tn Heb “and the thing was proper in the eyes of.”
  38. 2 Chronicles 30:5 tn Heb “and they caused to stand a word to cause a voice to pass through.”
  39. 2 Chronicles 30:5 tn The words “summoning the people” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons, with the summons being the "voice" that passed throughout Israel.
  40. 2 Chronicles 30:5 tn Heb “because not for abundance had they done as written.”
  41. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn Heb “the runners.”
  42. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn Heb “and according to the command of the king, saying.”
  43. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
  44. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn Heb “to the survivors who are left to you from the palm of the kings of Assyria.”
  45. 2 Chronicles 30:7 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 19, 22).
  46. 2 Chronicles 30:7 tn Heb “and he made them a devastation” (or, perhaps, “an object of horror”).
  47. 2 Chronicles 30:8 tn Heb “don’t stiffen your neck” (a Hebrew idiom for being stubborn).
  48. 2 Chronicles 30:8 tn Heb “give a hand.” On the meaning of the idiom here, see HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד 2.
  49. 2 Chronicles 30:8 tn Heb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from you.” The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
  50. 2 Chronicles 30:9 tn Heb “turn [his] face from you.”
  51. 2 Chronicles 30:10 tn Heb “and they were mocking them and ridiculing them.”
  52. 2 Chronicles 30:12 tn Heb “the hand of God was [such as] to give them one heart.”
  53. 2 Chronicles 30:13 tn The Hebrew text adds here, “a very large assembly.” This has not been translated to avoid redundancy with the expression “a huge crowd” at the beginning of the verse.
  54. 2 Chronicles 30:14 tn Heb “and they arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars they removed and threw into the Kidron Valley.”
  55. 2 Chronicles 30:16 tn Heb “from the hand of the Levites.”
  56. 2 Chronicles 30:17 tn Heb “were over the slaughter of.”
  57. 2 Chronicles 30:17 tn Heb “of everyone not pure to consecrate to the Lord.”
  58. 2 Chronicles 30:18 tn Heb “without what is written.”
  59. 2 Chronicles 30:18 tn Heb “make atonement for.”
  60. 2 Chronicles 30:19 tn Heb “everyone [who] has prepared his heart to seek God.”
  61. 2 Chronicles 30:19 tn Heb “and not according to the purification of the holy place.”
  62. 2 Chronicles 30:20 tn Heb “listened.”
  63. 2 Chronicles 30:20 tn Heb “healed.”
  64. 2 Chronicles 30:21 tn Heb “and they were praising the Lord day by day, the Levites and the priests with instruments of strength to the Lord.” The phrase בִּכְלֵי־עֹז (bikhle ʿoz, “with instruments of strength”) might refer to loud sounding musical instruments (NASB “with loud instruments”; NEB “with unrestrained fervour”). The present translation assumes an emendation to בְּכָל־עֹז (bekhol ʿoz, “with all strength”); see 1 Chr 13:8, as well as HALOT 805 s.v. I עֹז and BDB 739 s.v. עֹז).
  65. 2 Chronicles 30:22 tn Heb “and Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites.” On the meaning of the idiom “speak to the heart of” here, see HALOT 210 s.v. II דבר 8.d.
  66. 2 Chronicles 30:22 tn Heb “who demonstrated skill [with] good skill for the Lord.”
  67. 2 Chronicles 30:22 tn Heb “and they ate [during] the appointed time [for] seven days.” מוֹעֵד (moʿed, “appointed time”) is probably an adverbial accusative of time referring to the festival. However, some understand it as metonymically referring to the food eaten during the festival. See BDB 417 s.v.
  68. 2 Chronicles 30:24 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (tsoʾn, translated “sheep” twice in this verse) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but there is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
  69. 2 Chronicles 30:24 tn Heb “the assembly.” The pronoun “them” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  70. 2 Chronicles 30:25 tn Heb “they rejoiced.”
  71. 2 Chronicles 30:25 sn The term גֵּר (ger) refers to a foreign resident, but with different social implications in different settings. In Mosaic Law the resident foreigner was essentially a naturalized citizen and convert to worshiping the God of Israel (see Exod 12:19, 48; Deut 29:10-13). Here the term refers to those who had immigrated (or fled as refugees) from the conquered northern kingdom as well as those already residents of the southern kingdom of Judah.
  72. 2 Chronicles 30:26 tn Heb “and there was great joy in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there was nothing like this in Jerusalem.”
  73. 2 Chronicles 30:27 tn Heb “and it was heard with their voice.” BDB 1034 s.v. שָׁמַע Niph.4 interprets this to mean “hearing was granted to their voice.” It is possible that the name יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”) has been accidentally omitted.
  74. 2 Chronicles 31:1 tn Heb “all Israel.”
  75. 2 Chronicles 31:1 tn Or “tore down.”
  76. 2 Chronicles 31:1 tn Heb “the high places and the altars from all Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and in Manasseh until finished.”
  77. 2 Chronicles 31:1 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel returned, each to his possession to their cities.”
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2 Chronicles 32
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Psalm 66
New English Translation

Psalm 66[a]

For the music director, a song, a psalm.

66 Shout out praise to God, all the earth!
2 Sing praises about the majesty of his reputation.[b]
Give him the honor he deserves![c]
3 Say to God:
“How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power your enemies cower in fear[d] before you.
4 All the earth worships[e] you
and sings praises to you.
They sing praises to your name.” (Selah)
5 Come and witness[f] God’s exploits![g]
His acts on behalf of people are awesome.[h]
6 He turned the sea into dry land;[i]
they passed through the river on foot.[j]
Let us rejoice in him there.[k]
7 He rules[l] by his power forever;
he watches[m] the nations.
Stubborn rebels should not exalt[n] themselves. (Selah)
8 Praise[o] our God, you nations.
Loudly proclaim his praise.[p]
9 He preserves our lives[q]
and does not allow our feet to slip.
10 For[r] you, O God, tested us;
you purified us like refined silver.
11 You led us into a trap;[s]
you caused us to suffer.[t]
12 You allowed men to ride over our heads;
we passed through fire and water,
but you brought us out into a wide open place.[u]
13 I will enter[v] your temple with burnt sacrifices;
I will fulfill the vows I made to you,
14 which my lips uttered
and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer up to you fattened animals as burnt sacrifices,
along with the smell of sacrificial rams.
I will offer cattle and goats. (Selah)
16 Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God.[w]
I will declare what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him for help[x]
and praised him with my tongue.[y]
18 If I had harbored sin in my heart,[z]
the Lord would not have listened.
19 However, God heard;
he listened to my prayer.
20 God deserves praise,[aa]
for[ab] he did not reject my prayer
or abandon his love for me.[ac]

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 66:1 sn Psalm 66. The psalmist praises God because he has delivered his people from a crisis.
  2. Psalm 66:2 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
  3. Psalm 66:2 tn Heb “make honorable his praise.”
  4. Psalm 66:3 tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 81:15 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “be weak, powerless” (see also Ps 109:24).
  5. Psalm 66:4 tn Or “bows down to.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are taken (1) as imperfects expressing what is typical. Another option (2) is to interpret them as anticipatory (“all the earth will worship you”) or (3) take them as jussives, expressing a prayer or wish (“may all the earth worship you”).
  6. Psalm 66:5 tn Or “see.”
  7. Psalm 66:5 tn Or “acts” (see Ps 46:8).
  8. Psalm 66:5 tn Heb “awesome [is] an act toward the sons of man.” It is unclear how the prepositional phrase relates to what precedes. If collocated with “act,” it may mean “on behalf of” or “toward.” If taken with “awesome” (see 1 Chr 16:25; Pss 89:7; 96:4; Zeph 2:11), one might translate “his awesome acts are beyond human comprehension” or “his awesome acts are superior to anything men can do.”
  9. Psalm 66:6 sn He turned the sea into dry land. The psalmist alludes to Israel’s crossing the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).
  10. Psalm 66:6 tn Because of the reference to “the river,” some understand this as an allusion to Israel’s crossing the Jordan River. However, the Hebrew term נָהָר (nahad) does not always refer to a “river” in the technical sense; it can be used of sea currents (see Jonah 2:4). So this line may also refer to the Red Sea crossing (cf. NEB).
  11. Psalm 66:6 tn The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here, as often in poetic texts, to point “to a spot in which a scene is localized vividly in the imagination” (BDB 1027 s.v.).
  12. Psalm 66:7 tn Heb “[the] one who rules.”
  13. Psalm 66:7 tn Heb “his eyes watch.” “Eyes” are an anthropomorphism, attributed to God here to emphasize his awareness of all that happens on earth.
  14. Psalm 66:7 tn The verb form is jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ʾal). The Kethib (consonantal text) has a Hiphil form of the verb, apparently to be understood in an exhibitive sense (“demonstrate stubborn rebellion”; see BDB 927 s.v. רוּם Hiph), while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Qal form, to be understood in an intransitive sense. The preposition ל (lamed) with pronominal suffix should be understood in a reflexive sense (“for themselves”) and indicates that the action is performed with the interest of the subject in mind.
  15. Psalm 66:8 tn Heb “bless,” in the sense of declaring “God to be the source of…special power” (see HALOT 160 s.v. II ברך pi).
  16. Psalm 66:8 tn Heb “cause the voice of his praise to be heard.”
  17. Psalm 66:9 tn Heb “the one who places our soul in life.”
  18. Psalm 66:10 tn Or “indeed.”
  19. Psalm 66:11 tn Heb “you brought us into a net.” This rare word for “net” also occurs in Ezek 12:13; 13:21; 17:20.
  20. Psalm 66:11 tn Heb “you placed suffering on our hips.” The noun מוּעָקָה (muʿaqah, “suffering”) occurs only here in the OT.
  21. Psalm 66:12 tc The MT reads רְוָיָה (revayah, “saturation”) but this should be emended to רְוָחָה (revakhah, “wide open place”; i.e., “relief”), a reading supported by several ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Jerome, Targum).
  22. Psalm 66:13 sn Here the psalmist switches to the singular; he speaks as the representative of the nation.
  23. Psalm 66:16 tn Heb “all of the fearers of God.”
  24. Psalm 66:17 tn Heb “to him [with] my mouth I called.”
  25. Psalm 66:17 tn Heb “and he was extolled under my tongue.” The form רוֹמַם (romam) appears to be a Polal (passive) participle from רוּם (rum, “be exalted”), but many prefer to read רוֹמָם, “high praise [was under my tongue]” (cf. NEB). See BDB 928 s.v. רוֹמָם.
  26. Psalm 66:18 tn Heb “sin if I had seen in my heart.”
  27. Psalm 66:20 tn Heb “blessed [be] God.”
  28. Psalm 66:20 tn Or “who.” In a blessing formula after בָּרוּךְ (barukh, “blessed be”) the form אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher), whether taken as a relative pronoun or causal particle, introduces the basis for the blessing/praise.
  29. Psalm 66:20 tn Heb “did not turn aside my prayer, or his loyal love from with me.”
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Psalm 65
Psalm 67
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Psalm 67
New English Translation

Psalm 67[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm, a song.

67 May God show us his favor[b] and bless us.[c]
May he smile on us.[d] (Selah)
2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like;
all nations will know how you deliver your people.[e]
3 Let the nations thank you, O God.
Let all the nations thank you.[f]
4 Let foreigners[g] rejoice and celebrate.
For you execute justice among the nations,
and govern the people living on earth.[h] (Selah)
5 Let the nations thank you, O God.
Let all the nations thank you.[i]
6 The earth yields its crops.
May God, our God, bless us.
7 May God bless us.[j]
Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he deserves.[k]

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 67:1 sn Psalm 67. The psalmist prays for God’s blessing upon his people and urges the nations to praise him for he is the just ruler of the world.
  2. Psalm 67:1 tn Or “have mercy on us.”
  3. Psalm 67:1 tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. Note the jussive form יָאֵר (yaʾer) in the next line.
  4. Psalm 67:1 tn Heb “may he cause his face to shine with us.”
  5. Psalm 67:2 tn Heb “to know in the earth your way, among all nations your deliverance.” The infinitive with ל (lamed) expresses purpose/result. When God demonstrates his favor to his people, all nations will recognize his character as a God who delivers. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) refers here to God’s characteristic behavior, more specifically, to the way he typically saves his people.
  6. Psalm 67:3 tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in vv. 3-4a are understood as jussives in this call to praise.
  7. Psalm 67:4 tn Or “peoples.”
  8. Psalm 67:4 tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and [as for the] peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule…and govern”).
  9. Psalm 67:5 tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 5 are understood as jussives in this call to praise.
  10. Psalm 67:7 tn The prefixed verb forms in vv. 6b-7a are understood as jussives.
  11. Psalm 67:7 tn Heb “will fear him.” After the jussive of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive is understood as indicating purpose/result. (Note how v. 3 anticipates the universal impact of God showing his people blessing.) Another option is to take the verb as a jussive and translate, “Let all the ends of the earth fear him.”
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Psalm 66
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