Psalm 66
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Psalm 66[a]
Praise of God, Israel’s Deliverer
1 For the leader. A song; a psalm.
I
2 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing of his glorious name;
give him glorious praise.(A)
3 Say to God: “How awesome your deeds!
Before your great strength your enemies cringe.
4 All the earth falls in worship before you;(B)
they sing of you, sing of your name!”
Selah
II
5 [b]Come and see the works of God,
awesome in deeds before the children of Adam.
6 He changed the sea to dry land;
through the river they passed on foot.(C)
There we rejoiced in him,
7 who rules by his might forever,
His eyes are fixed upon the nations.
Let no rebel rise to challenge!
Selah
8 Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise,
9 Who has kept us alive
and not allowed our feet to slip.(D)
10 You tested us, O God,
tried us as silver tried by fire.(E)
11 You led us into a snare;
you bound us at the waist as captives.
12 [c]You let captors set foot on our neck;
we went through fire and water;
then you led us out to freedom.(F)
III
13 I will bring burnt offerings[d] to your house;
to you I will fulfill my vows,
14 Which my lips pronounced
and my mouth spoke in my distress.
15 Burnt offerings of fatlings I will offer you
and sacrificial smoke of rams;
I will sacrifice oxen and goats.
Selah
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
while I recount what has been done for me.
17 I called to him with my mouth;
praise was upon my tongue.
18 Had I cherished evil in my heart,
the Lord would not have heard.
19 But God did hear
and listened to my voice in prayer.
20 Blessed be God, who did not reject my prayer
and refuse his mercy.
Footnotes
- Psalm 66 In the first part (Ps 66:1–12), the community praises God for powerful acts for Israel, both in the past (the exodus from Egypt and the entry into the land [Ps 66:6]) and in the present (deliverance from a recent but unspecified calamity [Ps 66:8–12]). In the second part (Ps 66:13–20), an individual from the rescued community fulfills a vow to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. As often in thanksgivings, the rescued person steps forward to teach the community what God has done (Ps 66:16–20).
- 66:5–6 cf. the events described in Ex 14:1–15, 21; Jos 3:11–4:24 and Ps 114.
- 66:12 You let captors set foot on our neck: lit., “you let men mount our heads.” Conquerors placed their feet on the neck of their enemies as a sign of complete defeat, cf. Jos 10:24. A ceremonial footstool of the Egyptian king Tutankhamen portrays bound and prostrate bodies of enemies ready for the king’s feet on their heads, and one of Tutankhamen’s ceremonial chariots depicts the king as a sphinx standing with paw atop the neck of an enemy.
- 66:13 Burnt offerings: cf. Lv 1:3–13; 6:1–4; 22:17–20.
Psalmen 66
Schlachter 2000
Psalm 66
1 Dem Vorsänger. Ein Lied, ein Psalm.
Jauchzt Gott, alle Welt![a]
2 Besingt die Herrlichkeit seines Namens,
macht herrlich sein Lob!
3 Sprecht zu Gott: Wie furchtgebietend sind deine Werke!
Wegen der Größe deiner Macht schmeicheln dir deine Feinde.
4 Alle Welt wird dich anbeten und dir lobsingen,
sie wird deinem Namen lobsingen! (Sela.)
5 Kommt her und schaut die Großtaten Gottes,
dessen Tun an den Menschenkindern so furchtgebietend ist!
6 Er verwandelte das Meer in trockenes Land,
durch den Strom gingen sie zu Fuß;
dort freuten wir uns in ihm.
7 Er herrscht ewiglich in seiner Macht;
seine Augen haben acht auf die Heiden.
Die Widerspenstigen sollen sich ja nicht [gegen ihn] erheben! (Sela.)
8 Preist unseren Gott, ihr Völker,
lasst laut sein Lob erschallen,
9 der unsere Seelen am Leben erhielt
und unsere Füße nicht wanken ließ!
10 Denn du hast uns geprüft, o Gott,
und hast uns geläutert, wie man Silber läutert.
11 Du hast uns ins Gefängnis geführt,
hast unseren Lenden eine schwere Last auferlegt;
12 du hast Menschen über unser Haupt fahren lassen;
wir sind in Feuer und Wasser gekommen,
aber du hast uns herausgeführt in die Fülle.
13 Ich will mit Brandopfern in dein Haus kommen,
will dir meine Gelübde erfüllen,
14 zu denen sich meine Lippen aufgetan hatten,
und die mein Mund geredet hatte in meiner Not.
15 Brandopfer von fetten [Schafen] will ich dir darbringen
samt dem Rauch von Widdern;
Rinder samt Böcken will ich zurichten. (Sela.)
16 Kommt her, hört zu, ihr alle, die ihr Gott fürchtet;
ich will erzählen, was er an meiner Seele getan hat!
17 Zu ihm rief ich mit meinem Mund,
und [sein] Ruhm war auf meiner Zunge.
18 Hätte ich Unrecht vorgehabt in meinem Herzen,
so hätte der Herr nicht erhört;
19 doch wahrlich, Gott hat erhört,
er hat geachtet auf die Stimme meines Flehens.
20 Gelobt sei Gott, der mein Gebet nicht abgewiesen
noch seine Gnade von mir gewendet hat!
Footnotes
- (66,1) w. ganze Erde (ebenso V. 4).
Psalm 66
King James Version
66 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
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