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Psalm 149[a]

149 Praise the Lord.
Sing to the Lord a new song.
Praise him in the assembly of the godly.[b]
Let Israel rejoice in their Creator.
Let the people[c] of Zion delight in their King.[d]
Let them praise his name with dancing.
Let them sing praises to him to the accompaniment of the tambourine and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he exalts the oppressed by delivering them.[e]
Let the godly rejoice because of their vindication.[f]
Let them shout for joy upon their beds.[g]
May the praises of God be in their mouths
and a two-edged sword in their hands,
in order to take[h] revenge on the nations,
and punish foreigners.
The godly bind[i] their enemies’ kings in chains,
and their nobles in iron shackles,
and execute the judgment to which their enemies[j] have been sentenced.[k]
All his loyal followers will be vindicated.[l]
Praise the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 149:1 sn Psalm 149. The psalmist calls upon God’s people to praise him because he is just and avenges them.
  2. Psalm 149:1 tn Heb “his praise in the assembly of the godly ones.”
  3. Psalm 149:2 tn Heb “sons.”
  4. Psalm 149:2 sn The Lord is the King here, as the parallelism in the previous line (“their creator”) indicates.
  5. Psalm 149:4 tn Heb “he honors the oppressed [with] deliverance.”
  6. Psalm 149:5 tn Heb “in glory.” Here “glory” probably refers to the “honor” that belongs to the Lord’s people as a result of their deliverance (see v. 4).
  7. Psalm 149:5 tn The significance of the reference to “beds” is unclear. Perhaps the point is that they should rejoice at all times, even when falling asleep or awaking.
  8. Psalm 149:7 tn Heb “to do.”
  9. Psalm 149:8 tn Heb “to bind.”
  10. Psalm 149:9 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  11. Psalm 149:9 tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”
  12. Psalm 149:9 tn Heb “it is honor for all his godly ones.” The judgment of the oppressive kings will bring vindication and honor to God’s people (see vv. 4-5).

Sing to the Lord a New Song

149 (A)Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord (B)a new song,
    his praise in (C)the assembly of the godly!
Let Israel (D)be glad in (E)his Maker;
    let the children of Zion rejoice in their (F)King!
Let them praise his name with (G)dancing,
    making melody to him with (H)tambourine and (I)lyre!
For the Lord (J)takes pleasure in his people;
    he (K)adorns the humble with salvation.
Let the godly exult in glory;
    let them (L)sing for joy on their (M)beds.
Let (N)the high praises of God be in their throats
    and (O)two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations
    and punishments on the peoples,
to bind their kings with (P)chains
    and their nobles with fetters of iron,
to execute on them the judgment (Q)written!
    (R)This is honor for all his godly ones.
(S)Praise the Lord!