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!
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.
2 tn Or “heavenly messengers.”
3 tn Heb “all his host.”
4 tn Heb “stars of light.”
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.
6 tn Or “forever and ever.”
7 tn Heb “and it will not pass away.”
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.
9 tn Heb “[that] does his word.”
10 tn Or “judges.”
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
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.
13 sn Psalm 149. The psalmist calls upon God’s people to praise him because he is just and avenges them.
14 tn Heb “his praise in the assembly of the godly ones.”
15 tn Heb “sons.”
16 sn The
17 tn Heb “he honors the oppressed [with] deliverance.”
18 tn Heb “in glory.” Here “glory” probably refers to the “honor” that belongs to the
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.
20 tn Heb “[May] praises of God [be] in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”
21 tn Heb “to do.”
22 tn Heb “to bind.”
23 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”
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).
26 sn Psalm 150. The Psalter concludes with a resounding call for praise from everything that has breath.
27 tn Heb “the sky of his strength.”
