16:7 That day David first gave to Asaph and his colleagues this song of thanks to the Lord:
16:8 Give thanks to the Lord!
Call on his name!
Make known his accomplishments among the nations!
16:9 Sing to him! Make music to him!
Tell about all his miraculous deeds!
16:10 Boast about his holy name!
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
16:11 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!
Seek his presence 1 continually!
16:12 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed,
his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed, 2
16:13 O children 3 of Israel, God’s 4 servant,
you descendants of Jacob, God’s 5 chosen ones!
16:14 He is the Lord our God;
he carries out judgment throughout the earth. 6
16:15 Remember 7 continually his covenantal decree,
the promise he made 8 to a thousand generations –
16:16 the promise 9 he made to Abraham,
the promise he made by oath to Isaac! 10
16:17 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as a lasting promise, 11
16:18 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.”
16:19 When they were few in number,
just a very few, and foreign residents within it,
16:20 they wandered from nation to nation,
and from one kingdom to another. 12
16:21 He let no one oppress them,
he disciplined kings for their sake,
16:22 saying, 13 “Don’t touch my anointed ones!
Don’t harm my prophets!”
1 tn Heb “face.”
2 tn Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”
3 tn Heb “seed.”
4 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Heb “in all the earth [are] his judgments.”
7 tn The Hebrew text has a masculine plural imperative, addressed to the people. Some LXX
8 tn Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 16-18 make clear.
9 tn Heb “which.”
10 tn Heb “his oath to Isaac.”
11 tn Or “eternal covenant.”
12 tn Heb “and from a kingdom to another nation.”
13 tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.