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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).

Psalm 149

149 Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing God’s praise in the assembly of the faithful!
Let Israel celebrate its maker;
    let Zion’s children rejoice in their king!
Let them praise God’s name with dance;
    let them sing God’s praise with the drum and lyre!
Because the Lord is pleased with his people,
    God will beautify the poor with saving help.

Let the faithful celebrate with glory;
    let them shout for joy on their beds.[a]
Let the high praises of God be in their mouths
        and a double-edged sword in their hands,
    to get revenge against the nations
        and punishment on the peoples,
    binding their rulers in chains
        and their officials in iron shackles,
    achieving the justice
    written against them.
That will be an honor for all God’s faithful people.

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 149:5 Heb uncertain