148 1-5 Hallelujah!
Praise God from heaven,
    praise him from the mountaintops;
Praise him, all you his angels,
    praise him, all you his warriors,
Praise him, sun and moon,
    praise him, you morning stars;
Praise him, high heaven,
    praise him, heavenly rain clouds;
Praise, oh let them praise the name of God
    he spoke the word, and there they were!

He set them in place
    from all time to eternity;
He gave his orders,
    and that’s it!

7-12 Praise God from earth,
    you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;
Fire and hail, snow and ice,
    hurricanes obeying his orders;
Mountains and all hills,
    apple orchards and cedar forests;
Wild beasts and herds of cattle,
    snakes, and birds in flight;
Earth’s kings and all races,
    leaders and important people,
Robust men and women in their prime,
    and yes, graybeards and little children.

13-14 Let them praise the name of God
    it’s the only Name worth praising.
His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
    he’s built a monument—his very own people!

Praise from all who love God!
    Israel’s children, intimate friends of God.
Hallelujah!
149 1-4 Hallelujah!
Sing to God a brand-new song,
    praise him in the company of all who love him.
Let all Israel celebrate their Sovereign Creator,
    Zion’s children exult in their King.
Let them praise his name in dance;
    strike up the band and make great music!
And why? Because God delights in his people,
    adorns plain folk with salvation garlands!

5-9 Let true lovers break out in praise,
    sing out from wherever they’re sitting,
Shout the high praises of God,
    brandish their swords in the wild sword-dance—
A portent of vengeance on the God-defying nations,
    a signal that punishment’s coming,
Their kings chained and hauled off to jail,
    their leaders behind bars for good,
The judgment on them carried out to the letter
    —and all who love God in the seat of honor!
Hallelujah!
150 1-6 Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy house of worship,
    praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
    praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
    praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
    praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
    praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
    Hallelujah!

Psalm 148

Praise the Lord.[a](A)

Praise the Lord from the heavens;(B)
    praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels;(C)
    praise him, all his heavenly hosts.(D)
Praise him, sun(E) and moon;
    praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens(F)
    and you waters above the skies.(G)

Let them praise the name(H) of the Lord,
    for at his command(I) they were created,
and he established them for ever and ever—
    he issued a decree(J) that will never pass away.

Praise the Lord(K) from the earth,
    you great sea creatures(L) and all ocean depths,(M)
lightning and hail,(N) snow and clouds,
    stormy winds that do his bidding,(O)
you mountains and all hills,(P)
    fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals(Q) and all cattle,
    small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings(R) of the earth and all nations,
    you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
    old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,(S)
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his splendor(T) is above the earth and the heavens.(U)
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,[b](V)
    the praise(W) of all his faithful servants,(X)
    of Israel, the people close to his heart.(Y)

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 149

Praise the Lord.[c](Z)

Sing to the Lord a new song,(AA)
    his praise in the assembly(AB) of his faithful people.

Let Israel rejoice(AC) in their Maker;(AD)
    let the people of Zion be glad in their King.(AE)
Let them praise his name with dancing(AF)
    and make music to him with timbrel and harp.(AG)
For the Lord takes delight(AH) in his people;
    he crowns the humble with victory.(AI)
Let his faithful people rejoice(AJ) in this honor
    and sing for joy on their beds.(AK)

May the praise of God be in their mouths(AL)
    and a double-edged(AM) sword in their hands,(AN)
to inflict vengeance(AO) on the nations
    and punishment(AP) on the peoples,
to bind their kings with fetters,(AQ)
    their nobles with shackles of iron,(AR)
to carry out the sentence written against them—(AS)
    this is the glory of all his faithful people.(AT)

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord.[d](AU)

Praise God in his sanctuary;(AV)
    praise him in his mighty heavens.(AW)
Praise him for his acts of power;(AX)
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.(AY)
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,(AZ)
    praise him with the harp and lyre,(BA)
praise him with timbrel and dancing,(BB)
    praise him with the strings(BC) and pipe,(BD)
praise him with the clash of cymbals,(BE)
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything(BF) that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 148:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 14
  2. Psalm 148:14 Horn here symbolizes strength.
  3. Psalm 149:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 9
  4. Psalm 150:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 6