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, 1
and given all his loyal followers reason to praise –
the Israelites, the people who are close to him. 2
Praise the Lord!
149:1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song!
Praise him in the assembly of the godly! 4
149:2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator!
Let the people 5 of Zion delight in their king! 6
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. 7
149:5 Let the godly rejoice because of their vindication! 8
Let them shout for joy upon their beds! 9
149:6 May they praise God
while they hold a two-edged sword in their hand, 10
149:7 in order to take 11 revenge on the nations,
and punish foreigners.
149:8 They bind 12 their kings in chains,
and their nobles in iron shackles,
149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies 13 have been sentenced. 14
All his loyal followers will be vindicated. 15
Praise the Lord!
150:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary!
Praise him in the sky, which testifies to his strength! 17
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!
1 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
2 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.
3 sn Psalm 149. The psalmist calls upon God’s people to praise him because he is just and avenges them.
4 tn Heb “his praise in the assembly of the godly ones.”
5 tn Heb “sons.”
6 sn The
7 tn Heb “he honors the oppressed [with] deliverance.”
8 tn Heb “in glory.” Here “glory” probably refers to the “honor” that belongs to the
9 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.
10 tn Heb “[May] praises of God [be] in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”
11 tn Heb “to do.”
12 tn Heb “to bind.”
13 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”
15 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).
16 sn Psalm 150. The Psalter concludes with a resounding call for praise from everything that has breath.
17 tn Heb “the sky of his strength.”