Psalm 135
The full text of Psalm 135 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
A Hallelujah Collection. (No superscription in the Masoretic Text.)
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the name of the LORD,
give praise, O servants of the LORD,
2 who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing to his name, for it is pleasant!
4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.
5 For I know that the LORD is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both of man and of beast;
9 who in your midst, O Egypt,
sent signs and wonders
against Pharaoh and all his servants;
10 who struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12 and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to Israel his people.
13 Your name, O LORD, endures forever,
your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages.
14 For the LORD will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
17 they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them,
so do all who trust in them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the LORD!
O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!
20 O house of Levi, bless the LORD!
You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
21 Blessed be the LORD from Zion,
he who dwells in Jerusalem!
Praise the LORD!
Translation notes (4)
- Psalm 135:4a Segullah (סְגֻלָּה), 'treasured possession', originally denoted a king's private treasure, as in 1 Chronicles 29:3 and Ecclesiastes 2:8. Applied to Israel here and in Exodus 19:5 and Deuteronomy 7:6, the word marks the nation as the LORD's personal treasure, distinct from all he otherwise owns.
- Psalm 135:7a The Hebrew otsarot (אוֹצָרוֹת), 'storehouses', pictures the wind as kept in heavenly treasuries until released, an image shared with Job 38:22, where snow and hail are likewise stored. This verse recurs almost verbatim in Jeremiah 10:13 and 51:16, suggesting a fixed hymnic formula celebrating the LORD's command over the weather.
- Psalm 135:14a This verse reproduces Deuteronomy 32:36 almost word for word, quoting the Song of Moses. The verb din, 'to judge', here carries the positive sense of judging in someone's favor, hence 'vindicate'. The second verb, nacham, can mean 'to relent' or 'to have compassion', both pointing to God's turning toward his servants in mercy.
- Psalm 135:18a This verse reproduces Psalm 115:8 almost word for word, as Psalm 135:15-18 as a whole reprises the idol polemic of Psalm 115:4-8. The Hebrew yihyu, 'become', frames the polemic's climax: worshipers take on the lifelessness of what they venerate, in pointed contrast to the living God who gives breath.
About this translation
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