Psalms 149 (NET)

Psalm 1491

149

1 Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Praise him in the assembly of the godly!2

2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator!

Let the people3 of Zion delight in their king!4

3 Let them praise his name with dancing!

Let them sing praises to him to the accompaniment of the tambourine and harp!

4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;

he exalts the oppressed by delivering them.5

5 Let the godly rejoice because of their vindication!6

Let them shout for joy upon their beds!7

6 May they praise God

while they hold a two-edged sword in their hand,8

7 in order to take9 revenge on the nations,

and punish foreigners.

8 They bind10 their kings in chains,

and their nobles in iron shackles,

9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies11 have been sentenced.12

All his loyal followers will be vindicated.13

Praise the Lord!

1sn Psalm 149. The psalmist calls upon God’s people to praise him because he is just and avenges them. 2tn Heb “his praise in the assembly of the godly ones.” 3tn Heb “sons.” 4sn The Lord is the king here, as the parallelism in the previous line (“their creator”) indicates. 5tn Heb “he honors the oppressed [with] deliverance.” 6tn 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). 7tn 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. 8tn Heb “[May] praises of God [be] in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand.” 9tn Heb “to do.” 10tn Heb “to bind.” 11tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 12tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.” 13tn 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).