Greetings of Night Watchers.

A Song of Ascents.

134 Behold, (A)bless the Lord, all you (B)servants of the Lord,
Who [a](C)serve (D)by night in the house of the Lord!
(E)Lift up your hands to the (F)sanctuary
And bless the Lord.
May the Lord (G)bless you from Zion,
He who (H)made heaven and earth.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 134:1 Lit stand

Psalm 134

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
    you who serve at night in the house of the Lord.
Lift your hands toward the sanctuary,
    and praise the Lord.

May the Lord, who made heaven and earth,
    bless you from Jerusalem.[a]

Footnotes

  1. 134:3 Hebrew Zion.

The Lord, an Abundant Helper.

146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, my soul!
I will praise the Lord (B)while I live;
I will (C)sing praises to my God while I [c]have my being.
(D)Do not trust in noblemen,
In [d]mortal (E)man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
His (G)spirit departs, he (H)returns to [e]the earth;
On that very day his (I)plans perish.
(J)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (K)hope is in the Lord his God,
Who (L)made heaven and earth,
The (M)sea and everything that is in them;
Who (N)keeps [f]faith forever;
Who (O)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (P)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (Q)frees the prisoners.

The Lord (R)opens the eyes of those who are blind;
The Lord (S)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (T)loves the righteous.
The Lord (U)watches over strangers;
He [g](V)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [h]thwarts (W)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (X)reign forever,
Your God, Zion, to all generations.
[i]Praise [j]the Lord!

Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.

147 [k]Praise [l]the Lord!
For (Y)it is good to sing praises to our God;
For [m]it is pleasant and praise is [n](Z)beautiful.
The Lord (AA)builds up Jerusalem;
He (AB)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the (AC)brokenhearted
And (AD)binds up their [o]wounds.
He (AE)counts the number of the stars;
He [p](AF)gives names to all of them.
(AG)Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His (AH)understanding is [q]infinite.
The Lord [r](AI)supports the afflicted;
He brings the wicked down to the ground.

(AJ)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre;
It is He who (AK)covers the heavens with clouds,
Who (AL)provides rain for the earth,
Who (AM)makes grass sprout on the mountains.
It is He who (AN)gives an animal its food,
And feeds (AO)young ravens that cry.
10 He does not delight in [s]the strength of the (AP)horse;
He (AQ)does not take pleasure in the [t]legs of a man.
11 The Lord (AR)favors those who fear Him,
(AS)Those who wait for His [u]faithfulness.

12 Praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Praise your God, Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the (AT)bars of your gates;
He has (AU)blessed your sons among you.
14 He (AV)makes [v]peace in your borders;
He (AW)satisfies you with (AX)the [w]finest of the wheat.
15 He sends His (AY)command to the earth;
His (AZ)word runs very swiftly.
16 He [x]showers (BA)snow like wool;
He scatters the (BB)frost like ashes.
17 He hurls His (BC)ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His (BD)cold?
18 He (BE)sends His word and makes them melt;
He (BF)makes His wind blow, and the waters flow.
19 He (BG)declares His words to Jacob,
His (BH)statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 He (BI)has not dealt this way with any other nation;
And as for His judgments, [y]they have (BJ)not known them.
[z]Praise [aa]the Lord!

The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.

148 [ab]Praise [ac]the Lord!
Praise the Lord (BK)from the heavens;
Praise Him (BL)in the heights!
Praise Him, (BM)all His angels;
Praise Him, (BN)all His heavenly armies!
Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
Praise Him, [ad](BO)highest heavens,
And the (BP)waters that are above the heavens!
They are to praise the name of the Lord,
For (BQ)He commanded and they were created.
He has also (BR)established them forever and ever;
He has made a (BS)decree, and it will not pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
(BT)Sea monsters, and all the ocean (BU)depths;
(BV)Fire and hail, (BW)snow and (BX)clouds;
(BY)Stormy wind, (BZ)fulfilling His word;
(CA)Mountains and all hills;
Fruit (CB)trees and all cedars;
10 (CC)Animals and all cattle;
(CD)Crawling things and winged fowl;
11 (CE)Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Rulers and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.

13 They are to praise the name of the Lord,
For His (CF)name alone is exalted;
His (CG)majesty is above earth and heaven.
14 And He has (CH)lifted up a horn for His people,
(CI)Praise for all His godly ones,
For the sons of Israel, a people (CJ)near to Him.
[ae]Praise [af]the Lord!

Israel Invoked to Praise the Lord.

149 [ag]Praise [ah]the Lord!
Sing a (CK)new song to the Lord,
And His praise (CL)in the congregation of the godly ones.
Israel shall be joyful in (CM)his Maker;
The sons of Zion shall rejoice in their (CN)King.
They shall praise His name with (CO)dancing;
They shall sing praises to Him with (CP)tambourine and lyre.
For the Lord (CQ)takes pleasure in His people;
He will (CR)glorify the lowly with salvation.

The (CS)godly ones shall be jubilant in glory;
They shall (CT)sing for joy on their beds.
The (CU)high praises of God shall be in their [ai]mouths,
And a (CV)two-edged (CW)sword in their hands,
To (CX)execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishment on the peoples,
To bind their kings (CY)with chains,
And their (CZ)dignitaries with shackles of iron,
To (DA)execute against them the judgment written.
This is an (DB)honor for all His godly ones.
[aj]Praise [ak]the Lord!

A Psalm of Praise.

150 [al]Praise [am]the Lord!
Praise God in His (DC)sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty [an](DD)expanse.
Praise Him for His (DE)mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent (DF)greatness.

Praise Him with (DG)trumpet sound;
Praise Him with (DH)harp and lyre.
Praise Him with (DI)tambourine and dancing;
Praise Him with (DJ)stringed instruments and (DK)flute.
Praise Him with loud (DL)cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
(DM)Everything that has breath shall praise [ao]the Lord.
[ap]Praise [aq]the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 146:1 Or Hallelujah!
  2. Psalm 146:1 Heb Yah
  3. Psalm 146:2 Lit still am
  4. Psalm 146:3 Lit a son of man
  5. Psalm 146:4 Lit his earth
  6. Psalm 146:6 Or truth
  7. Psalm 146:9 Or relieves
  8. Psalm 146:9 Lit bends
  9. Psalm 146:10 Or Hallelujah!
  10. Psalm 146:10 Heb Yah
  11. Psalm 147:1 Or Hallelujah!
  12. Psalm 147:1 Heb Yah
  13. Psalm 147:1 Or He is delightful
  14. Psalm 147:1 Or fitting
  15. Psalm 147:3 Lit pains
  16. Psalm 147:4 Or calls them all by their names
  17. Psalm 147:5 Lit innumerable
  18. Psalm 147:6 Or relieves
  19. Psalm 147:10 I.e., as a military asset
  20. Psalm 147:10 I.e., as a military asset
  21. Psalm 147:11 Or mercy
  22. Psalm 147:14 Lit your borders peace
  23. Psalm 147:14 Lit fat
  24. Psalm 147:16 Lit gives
  25. Psalm 147:20 I.e., the other nations
  26. Psalm 147:20 Or Hallelujah!
  27. Psalm 147:20 Heb Yah
  28. Psalm 148:1 Or Hallelujah!
  29. Psalm 148:1 Heb Yah
  30. Psalm 148:4 Lit heavens of heavens
  31. Psalm 148:14 Or Hallelujah!
  32. Psalm 148:14 Heb Yah
  33. Psalm 149:1 Or Hallelujah!
  34. Psalm 149:1 Heb Yah
  35. Psalm 149:6 Lit throat
  36. Psalm 149:9 Or Hallelujah!
  37. Psalm 149:9 Heb Yah
  38. Psalm 150:1 Or Hallelujah!
  39. Psalm 150:1 Heb Yah
  40. Psalm 150:1 Or firmament; i.e., atmosphere and space
  41. Psalm 150:6 Heb Yah
  42. Psalm 150:6 Or Hallelujah!
  43. Psalm 150:6 Heb Yah

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord!

Let all that I am praise the Lord.
    I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
    I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
    there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
    and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel[a] as their helper,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them.
    He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
    and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
    The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
    The Lord loves the godly.
The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
    He cares for the orphans and widows,
    but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

10 The Lord will reign forever.
    He will be your God, O Jerusalem,[b] throughout the generations.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 147

Praise the Lord!

How good to sing praises to our God!
    How delightful and how fitting!
The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem
    and bringing the exiles back to Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
    and bandages their wounds.
He counts the stars
    and calls them all by name.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
    His understanding is beyond comprehension!
The Lord supports the humble,
    but he brings the wicked down into the dust.

Sing out your thanks to the Lord;
    sing praises to our God with a harp.
He covers the heavens with clouds,
    provides rain for the earth,
    and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures.
He gives food to the wild animals
    and feeds the young ravens when they cry.
10 He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse
    or in human might.
11 No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him,
    those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

12 Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem!
    Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates
    and blessed your children within your walls.
14 He sends peace across your nation
    and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat.
15 He sends his orders to the world—
    how swiftly his word flies!
16 He sends the snow like white wool;
    he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.
17 He hurls the hail like stones.[c]
    Who can stand against his freezing cold?
18 Then, at his command, it all melts.
    He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.
19 He has revealed his words to Jacob,
    his decrees and regulations to Israel.
20 He has not done this for any other nation;
    they do not know his regulations.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 148

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens!
    Praise him from the skies!
Praise him, all his angels!
    Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
Praise him, sun and moon!
    Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
Praise him, skies above!
    Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
    for he issued his command, and they came into being.
He set them in place forever and ever.
    His decree will never be revoked.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you creatures of the ocean depths,
fire and hail, snow and clouds,[d]
    wind and weather that obey him,
mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all livestock,
    small scurrying animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all people,
    rulers and judges of the earth,
12 young men and young women,
    old men and children.

13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
    For his name is very great;
    his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
14 He has made his people strong,
    honoring his faithful ones—
    the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 149

Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song.
    Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.

O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.
    O people of Jerusalem,[e] exult in your King.
Praise his name with dancing,
    accompanied by tambourine and harp.
For the Lord delights in his people;
    he crowns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.
    Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.

Let the praises of God be in their mouths,
    and a sharp sword in their hands—
to execute vengeance on the nations
    and punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings with shackles
    and their leaders with iron chains,
to execute the judgment written against them.
    This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heaven!
Praise him for his mighty works;
    praise his unequaled greatness!
Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
    praise him with the lyre and harp!
Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
    praise him with strings and flutes!
Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
    praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. 146:5 Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 44:4.
  2. 146:10 Hebrew Zion.
  3. 147:17 Hebrew like bread crumbs.
  4. 148:8 Or mist, or smoke.
  5. 149:2 Hebrew Zion.