Great Is the Lord

[a] A Song of Praise. Of David.

145 (A)I will extol you, my God and (B)King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
    (C)and praise your name forever and ever.
(D)Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his (E)greatness is unsearchable.

(F)One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
On (G)the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
They shall speak of (H)the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
They shall pour forth the fame of your (I)abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The Lord is (J)gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is (K)good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10 (L)All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your (M)saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
12 to (N)make known to the children of man your[b] (O)mighty deeds,
    and (P)the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 (Q)Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words
    and kind in all his works.[c]]
14 The Lord (R)upholds all who are falling
    and (S)raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all (T)look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.
16 You (U)open your hand;
    you (V)satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is (W)righteous in all his ways
    and (X)kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is (Y)near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him (Z)in truth.
19 He (AA)fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also (AB)hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord (AC)preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
    and (AD)let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
  2. Psalm 145:12 Hebrew his; also next line
  3. Psalm 145:13 These two lines are supplied by one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac (compare Dead Sea Scroll)

Psalm 145[a]

The Greatness and Goodness of God

Praise. Of David.

I will extol you, my God and king;
    I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you;
    I will praise your name forever and ever.(A)
Great is the Lord and worthy of much praise,(B)
    whose grandeur is beyond understanding.
One generation praises your deeds to the next
    and proclaims your mighty works.(C)
They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory,
    tell of your wonderful deeds.(D)
They speak of the power of your awesome acts
    and recount your great deeds.(E)
They celebrate your abounding goodness
    and joyfully sing of your justice.
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in mercy.(F)
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.

Footnotes

  1. 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.