Print Page Options

Psalm 145[a]

A psalm of praise; by David.

145 I will extol you, my God, O King.
I will praise your name continually.[b]
Every day I will praise you.
I will praise your name continually.[c]
The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise.
No one can fathom his greatness.[d]
One generation will praise your deeds to another,
and tell about your mighty acts.[e]
I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor,
and your amazing deeds.[f]
They will proclaim[g] the power of your awesome acts.
I will declare your great deeds.
They will talk about the fame of your great kindness,[h]
and sing about your justice.[i]
The Lord is merciful and compassionate;
he is patient[j] and demonstrates great loyal love.[k]
The Lord is good to all,
and has compassion on all he has made.[l]
10 All your works will give thanks to you, Lord.
Your loyal followers will praise you.
11 They will proclaim the splendor of your kingdom;
they will tell about your power,
12 so that mankind[m] might acknowledge your mighty acts,
and the majestic splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an eternal kingdom,[n]
and your dominion endures through all generations.
14 [o] The Lord supports all who fall,
and lifts up all who are bent over.[p]
15 Everything looks to you in anticipation,[q]
and you provide them with food on a regular basis.[r]
16 You open your hand,
and fill every living thing with the food it desires.[s]
17 The Lord is just in all his actions,[t]
and exhibits love in all he does.[u]
18 The Lord is near all who cry out to him,
all who cry out to him sincerely.[v]
19 He satisfies the desire[w] of his loyal followers;[x]
he hears their cry for help and delivers them.
20 The Lord protects all those who love him,
but he destroys all the wicked.
21 My mouth will praise the Lord.[y]
Let all who live[z] praise his holy name forever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 145:1 sn Psalm 145. The psalmist praises God because he is a just and merciful king who cares for his people.
  2. Psalm 145:1 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
  3. Psalm 145:2 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
  4. Psalm 145:3 tn Heb “and concerning his greatness there is no searching.”
  5. Psalm 145:4 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may one generation praise…and tell about.”
  6. Psalm 145:5 tn Heb “the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and the matters of your amazing deeds I will ponder.”
  7. Psalm 145:6 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as an imperfect, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they proclaim.”
  8. Psalm 145:7 tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”
  9. Psalm 145:7 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk…and sing.”
  10. Psalm 145:8 tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
  11. Psalm 145:8 tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
  12. Psalm 145:9 tn Heb “and his compassion is over all his works.”
  13. Psalm 145:12 tn Heb “the sons of man.”
  14. Psalm 145:13 tn Heb “a kingdom of all ages.”
  15. Psalm 145:14 tc Psalm 145 is an acrostic psalm, with each successive verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. However, in the traditional Hebrew (Masoretic) text of Psalm 145 there is no verse beginning with the letter nun. One would expect such a verse to appear as the fourteenth verse, between the (מ) (mem) and (ס) (samek) verses. Several ancient witnesses, including one medieval Hebrew manuscript, the Qumran scroll from cave 11, the LXX, and the Syriac, supply the missing (נ) (nun) verse, which reads as follows: “The Lord is reliable in all his words, and faithful in all his deeds.” One might paraphrase this as follows: “The Lord’s words are always reliable; his actions are always faithful.” Scholars are divided as to the originality of this verse. L. C. Allen argues for its inclusion on the basis of structural considerations (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 294-95), but there is no apparent explanation for why, if original, it would have been accidentally omitted. The psalm may be a partial acrostic, as in Pss 25 and 34 (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 3:335). The glaring omission of the nun line would have invited a later redactor to add such a line.
  16. Psalm 145:14 tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).
  17. Psalm 145:15 tn Heb “the eyes of all wait for you.”
  18. Psalm 145:15 tn Heb “and you give to them their food in its season” (see Ps 104:27).
  19. Psalm 145:16 tn Heb “[with what they] desire.”
  20. Psalm 145:17 tn Heb “in all his ways.”
  21. Psalm 145:17 tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”
  22. Psalm 145:18 tn Heb “in truth.”
  23. Psalm 145:19 tn In this context “desire” refers to the followers’ desire to be delivered from wicked enemies.
  24. Psalm 145:19 tn Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.”
  25. Psalm 145:21 tn Heb “the praise of the Lord my mouth will speak.”
  26. Psalm 145:21 tn Heb “all flesh.”

The Lord Exalted for His Goodness.

A Psalm of Praise, of David.

145 I will (A)exalt You, (B)my God, the King,
And I will (C)bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will (D)praise Your name forever and ever.
(E)Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
And His (F)greatness is unsearchable.
One (G)generation will praise Your works to another,
And will declare Your mighty acts.
On the (H)glorious [a]splendor of Your majesty
And (I)on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
People will speak of the [b]power of Your (J)awesome acts,
And I will (K)tell of Your greatness.
They will burst forth [c]in speaking of Your (L)abundant goodness,
And will (M)shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

The Lord is (N)gracious and compassionate;
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
The Lord is (O)good to all,
And His (P)mercies are over all His works.
10 (Q)All Your works will give thanks to You, Lord,
And Your (R)godly ones will bless You.
11 They will speak of the (S)glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your might,
12 To (T)make known to the sons of mankind [d]Your mighty acts,
And the (U)glory of the majesty of [e]Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is [f]an (V)everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[g]The Lord is faithful in His words,
And holy in all His works.

14 The Lord (W)supports all who fall,
And (X)raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all [h]look to You,
And You (Y)give them their food in due time.
16 You (Z)open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The Lord is (AA)righteous in all His ways,
And kind in all His works.
18 The Lord is (AB)near to all who call on Him,
To all who call on Him (AC)in truth.
19 He will (AD)fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also (AE)hear their cry for help and save them.
20 The Lord (AF)watches over all who love Him,
But He will destroy all the (AG)wicked.
21 My (AH)mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
And (AI)all flesh will (AJ)bless His holy name forever and ever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 145:5 Or majesty of Your splendor
  2. Psalm 145:6 Or strength
  3. Psalm 145:7 Lit the mention of
  4. Psalm 145:12 Lit His
  5. Psalm 145:12 Lit His
  6. Psalm 145:13 Lit a kingdom of all ages
  7. Psalm 145:13 The Lord...His works in LXX (cf. DSS); not found in MT
  8. Psalm 145:15 Lit wait; or hope for

Psalm 145[a]

A psalm of praise. Of David.

I will exalt you,(A) my God the King;(B)
    I will praise your name(C) for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise(D) you
    and extol your name(E) for ever and ever.

Great(F) is the Lord and most worthy of praise;(G)
    his greatness no one can fathom.(H)
One generation(I) commends your works to another;
    they tell(J) of your mighty acts.(K)
They speak of the glorious splendor(L) of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b](M)
They tell(N) of the power of your awesome works—(O)
    and I will proclaim(P) your great deeds.(Q)
They celebrate your abundant goodness(R)
    and joyfully sing(S) of your righteousness.(T)

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,(U)
    slow to anger and rich in love.(V)

The Lord is good(W) to all;
    he has compassion(X) on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you,(Y) Lord;
    your faithful people extol(Z) you.(AA)
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom(AB)
    and speak of your might,(AC)
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts(AD)
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.(AE)
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,(AF)
    and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy(AG) in all he promises(AH)
    and faithful in all he does.[c]
14 The Lord upholds(AI) all who fall
    and lifts up all(AJ) who are bowed down.(AK)
15 The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food(AL) at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
    and satisfy the desires(AM) of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous(AN) in all his ways
    and faithful in all he does.(AO)
18 The Lord is near(AP) to all who call on him,(AQ)
    to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires(AR) of those who fear him;(AS)
    he hears their cry(AT) and saves them.(AU)
20 The Lord watches over(AV) all who love him,(AW)
    but all the wicked he will destroy.(AX)

21 My mouth will speak(AY) in praise of the Lord.
    Let every creature(AZ) praise his holy name(BA)
    for ever and ever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which (including verse 13b) begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  2. Psalm 145:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text On the glorious splendor of your majesty / and on your wonderful works I will meditate
  3. Psalm 145:13 One manuscript of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text do not have the last two lines of verse 13.

Psalm 145

The Greatness and the Goodness of God

Praise. Of David.

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

One generation shall extol your works to another
    and shall declare your mighty acts.(C)
They will recount the glorious[a] splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works I will meditate.(D)
They will proclaim the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.(E)
They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.(F)

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

10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your faithful shall bless you.(I)
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
12 to make known to all people your[b] mighty deeds
    and the glorious splendor of your[c] 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.[d](J)
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
    and raises up all who are bowed down.(K)
15 The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.(L)
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.(M)
19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them.(N)
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.(O)

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

Footnotes

  1. 145.5 Q ms Gk Vg: MT On the glorious
  2. 145.12 Gk Jerome Syr: Heb his
  3. 145.12 Heb his
  4. 145.13 Q ms Gk Syr: MT lacks The Lord . . . his deeds

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)