1 Hallelujah!

Praise the name of the Lord.

Praise him, you servants of the Lord

2 who are standing in the house of the Lord,

in the courtyards of the house of our God.

3 Praise the Lord because he is good.

Make music to praise his name because his name is beautiful.

4 The Lord chose Jacob to be his own

and chose Israel to be his own special treasure.

5 I know that the Lord is great,

that our Lord is greater than all the false gods.

6 The Lord does whatever he wants in heaven or on earth,

on the seas or in all the depths of the oceans.

7 He is the one who makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth,

who makes lightning for the thunderstorms,

and who brings wind out of his storerooms.

8 He is the one who killed every firstborn male in Egypt.

He killed humans and animals alike.

9 He sent miraculous signs and amazing things into the heart of Egypt

against Pharaoh and all his officials.

10 He is the one who defeated many nations and killed mighty kings:

11 King Sihon of the Amorites,

King Og of Bashan,

and all the kingdoms in Canaan.

12 He gave their land as an inheritance,

an inheritance to his people Israel.

13 O Lord, your name endures forever.

O Lord, you will be remembered throughout every generation.

14 The Lord will provide justice for his people

and have compassion on his servants.

15 The idols of the nations are made of silver and gold.

They were made by human hands.* Verses 15–18 are virtually identical in wording to Psalm 115:4–8.

16 They have mouths, but they cannot speak.

They have eyes, but they cannot see.

17 They have ears, but they cannot hear.

They cannot breathe.

18 Those who make idols end up like them.

So does everyone who trusts them.

19 Descendants of Israel, praise the Lord.

Descendants of Aaron, praise the Lord.

20 Descendants of Levi, praise the Lord.

You people who fear the Lord, praise the Lord.

21 Thank the Lord in Zion.

Thank the one who lives in Jerusalem.

Hallelujah!