Bible Reading July 11 
Psalms 148:1--150:6
Context148:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the sky!
Praise him in the heavens!
148:2 Praise him, all his angels! 2
Praise him, all his heavenly assembly! 3
148:3 Praise him, O sun and moon!
Praise him, all you shiny stars! 4
148:4 Praise him, O highest heaven,
and you waters above the sky! 5
148:5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he gave the command and they came into existence.
148:6 He established them so they would endure; 6
he issued a decree that will not be revoked. 7
148:7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea creatures and all you ocean depths,
148:8 O fire and hail, snow and clouds, 8
O stormy wind that carries out his orders, 9
148:9 you mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars,
148:10 you animals and all you cattle,
you creeping things and birds,
148:11 you kings of the earth and all you nations,
you princes and all you leaders 10 on the earth,
148:12 you young men and young women,
you elderly, along with you children!
148:13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty extends over the earth and sky.
148:14 He has made his people victorious, 11
and given all his loyal followers reason to praise –
the Israelites, the people who are close to him. 12
Praise the Lord!
149:1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song!
Praise him in the assembly of the godly! 14
149:2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator!
Let the people 15 of Zion delight in their king! 16
149:3 Let them praise his name with dancing!
Let them sing praises to him to the accompaniment of the tambourine and harp!
149:4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he exalts the oppressed by delivering them. 17
149:5 Let the godly rejoice because of their vindication! 18
Let them shout for joy upon their beds! 19
149:6 May they praise God
while they hold a two-edged sword in their hand, 20
149:7 in order to take 21 revenge on the nations,
and punish foreigners.
149:8 They bind 22 their kings in chains,
and their nobles in iron shackles,
149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies 23 have been sentenced. 24
All his loyal followers will be vindicated. 25
Praise the Lord!
150:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary!
Praise him in the sky, which testifies to his strength! 27
150:2 Praise him for his mighty acts!
Praise him for his surpassing greatness!
150:3 Praise him with the blast of the horn!
Praise him with the lyre and the harp!
150:4 Praise him with the tambourine and with dancing!
Praise him with stringed instruments and the flute!
150:5 Praise him with loud cymbals!
Praise him with clanging cymbals!
150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
[148:1] 1 sn Psalm 148. The psalmist calls upon all creation to praise the Lord, for he is the creator and sovereign king of the world.
[148:2] 2 tn Or “heavenly messengers.”
[148:2] 3 tn Heb “all his host.”
[148:3] 4 tn Heb “stars of light.”
[148:4] 5 sn The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. See also Ps 104:3. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 47.
[148:6] 6 tn Or “forever and ever.”
[148:6] 7 tn Heb “and it will not pass away.”
[148:8] 8 tn In Ps 119:83 the noun refers to “smoke,” but here, where the elements of nature are addressed, the clouds, which resemble smoke, are probably in view.
[148:8] 9 tn Heb “[that] does his word.”
[148:14] 11 tn Heb “and he lifted up a horn for his people.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Another option is to take the “horn” as a symbol for the Davidic king, through whom the
[148:14] 12 tn “[there is] praise for all his loyal followers, to the sons of Israel, the people near him.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the victory that prompts it.
[149:1] 13 sn Psalm 149. The psalmist calls upon God’s people to praise him because he is just and avenges them.
[149:1] 14 tn Heb “his praise in the assembly of the godly ones.”
[149:2] 16 sn The
[149:4] 17 tn Heb “he honors the oppressed [with] deliverance.”
[149:5] 18 tn Heb “in glory.” Here “glory” probably refers to the “honor” that belongs to the
[149:5] 19 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.
[149:6] 20 tn Heb “[May] praises of God [be] in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”
[149:9] 23 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[149:9] 24 tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”
[149:9] 25 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).
[150:1] 26 sn Psalm 150. The Psalter concludes with a resounding call for praise from everything that has breath.
