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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.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
    his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall laud your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
    and I will declare your greatness.
They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

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

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

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

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 145:12 Gk Jerome Syr: Heb his
  2. Psalm 145:12 Heb his
  3. Psalm 145:13 These two lines supplied by Q Ms Gk Syr

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)

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]

Praise of the Divine Majesty

[b]Praise. Of David.

I will extol you, my God and King;
    I will bless your name[c] forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.[d]
[e]Great is the Lord and worthy of the highest praise;
    no one can even begin to comprehend his greatness.[f]
Each generation will praise your works[g] to the next
    and proclaim your mighty deeds.
People will proclaim the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They will speak of the power of your awesome deeds,
    and I will relate your greatness.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness
    and sing joyfully of your saving justice.
[h]The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in kindness.[i]
The Lord is good to all,
    showing compassion to every creature.
10 All your creatures praise you,[j]Lord,
    and all your saints bless you.
11 They relate the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of all your power.[k]
12 They make known to all people your mighty deeds
    and the glorious majesty of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom will last forever,
    and your dominion will endure throughout all generations.[l]
[m]The Lord is faithful in all his promises
    and kind[n] in all his deeds.
14 The Lord supports all those who are falling
    and raises up all who are bowed down.[o]
15 The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
    and you give them their food at the right time.
16 You open your hand
    and satisfy the needs of every living creature.[p]
17 [q]The Lord is righteous in all his ways
    and merciful in everything he does.[r]
18 The Lord is near to all who call out to him,
    to all who call out to him sincerely.[s]
19 He satisfies the desires of all who fear him;
    he hears their cry and saves them.[t]
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
    but he will completely destroy all the wicked.[u]
21 May my mouth declare the praise of the Lord,
    and may every creature[v] bless his holy name
    forever and ever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 145:1 This psalm is a hymn to God, the Great King. It is not original, for the psalmist strings together his verses in the order of the alphabet and takes the passages from several other psalms. The cantors of Israel were not reluctant to dip into the common treasury of sacred chant to celebrate God’s praise with the same words and phrases. But the repetition of certain terms also enables one to express the ardor of a conviction. By means of the words kingdom, power, majesty, name, works, mighty deeds, righteousness, faithfulness, compassion, love, and truth, the psalm exalts above all the God of the covenant. It then proclaims his benevolence that is manifested in the help, subsistence, and salvation accorded in some manner to all who invoke him. Thus, the cantor acknowledges God’s presence in the world, in history, and in life.
    We can pray this psalm to bless, praise, and extol the heavenly Father in his perfections and prodigious works. But we can also recite it in honor of Christ, who shares fully in the perfections (see Col 1:15, 19; Heb 1:3) and works of his Father (see Jn 5:19).
  2. Psalm 145:1 The psalmist calls for praise of God, the Great King. This praise is to be given unceasingly and forever.
  3. Psalm 145:1 See Pss 30:2; 44:5; 71:14. Bless your name: see note on Ps 5:12.
  4. Psalm 145:2 See Pss 34:2; 68:20; 71:14; 146:2. This verse has been incorporated into the Te Deum, the great prayer of Christian praise to the Trinity.
  5. Psalm 145:3 The psalmist specifies the reason for praising God: his mighty deeds, which reveal his greatness and goodness. The same two themes are combined in Pss 86:10, 17; 135:3, 5.
  6. Psalm 145:3 See Pss 48:2; 96:3f; Job 36:26.
  7. Psalm 145:4 See Pss 71:17; 78:4; Isa 38:19. Salvation history is transmitted from generation to generation by the proclamation of God’s mighty deeds and wonderful works (see Ps 22:31f). Your works: of creation, providence, and redemption.
  8. Psalm 145:8 Now the psalmist moves to praise God because of his divine attributes, e.g., compassion and love. These attributes lead all his works, including the saints, to give him thanks for the expressions of his glory, power, and kingdom.
  9. Psalm 145:8 See Pss 86:15; 103:8, 13; Ex 34:6f; Num 14:18; Wis 1:13f; Isa 63:7.
  10. Psalm 145:10 All your creatures praise you: see note on Ps 65:14. Saints: see notes on Pss 4:4; 34:10.
  11. Psalm 145:11 See 93:1; 1 Chr 29:11.
  12. Psalm 145:13 Text cited in Dan 3:100; 4:31, and applied to Christ the King. See Ps 102:13; Tob 13:6ff; Dan 7:14; 1 Tim 1:17; Rev 11:15.
  13. Psalm 145:13 The psalmist calls for praise of God because of the Lord’s faithfulness to the covenant. The first two lines (v. 13c) are not in the Hebrew; they are in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint.
  14. Psalm 145:13 Kind: see note on Ps 6:5.
  15. Psalm 145:14 See Pss 94:18; 146:8.
  16. Psalm 145:16 See Ps 104:27f; Mt 6:25-34.
  17. Psalm 145:17 The psalmist calls upon all creatures to praise God for his righteous acts—acts of restoration, redemption, and vindication.
  18. Psalm 145:17 See Deut 32:4.
  19. Psalm 145:18 See Deut 4:7; Isa 55:6; 58:9; Jer 29:13.
  20. Psalm 145:19 See Pss 20:4; 34:18; 85:10.
  21. Psalm 145:20 See Pss 34:18; 91:14; 104:35; 139:19; Jdg 5:31.
  22. Psalm 145:21 Every creature: literally, “all flesh.”

145 Alleluia, of Aggeus and Zacharias.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, in my life I will praise the Lord: I will sing to my God as long as I shall be. Put not your trust in princes:

In the children of men, in whom there is no salvation.

His spirit shall go forth, and he shall return into his earth: in that day all their thoughts shall perish.

Blessed is he who hath the God of Jacob for his helper, whose hope is in the Lord his God:

Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all things that are in them.

Who keepeth truth for ever: who executeth judgment for them that suffer wrong: who giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth them that are fettered:

The Lord enlighteneth the blind. The Lord lifteth up them that are cast down: the Lord loveth the just.

The Lord keepeth the strangers, he will support the fatherless and the widow: and the ways of sinners he will destroy.

10 The Lord shall reign for ever: thy God, O Sion, unto generation and generation.