Psalms 135
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Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.
2 Ye that 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 praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
4 For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
5 For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
7 He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.
8 Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
9 Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.
10 Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings;
11 Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:
12 And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people.
13 Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations.
14 For the Lord will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants.
15 The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
16 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;
17 They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.
18 They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.
19 Bless the Lord, O house of Israel: bless the Lord, O house of Aaron:
20 Bless the Lord, O house of Levi: ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord.
21 Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 135:1-21
Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever
1Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God!
3Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for it is pleasant!
4For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.
5For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
6Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7He 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.
8He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both of man and of beast;
9who in your midst, O Egypt,
sent signs and wonders
against Pharaoh and all his servants;
10who struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings,
11Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.
13Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.
14For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
17they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18Those who make them become like them,
so do all who trust in them.
19O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who dwells in Jerusalem!
Praise the Lord!
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 135:1-21
Psalm 135
1Praise the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2you who minister in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
4For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.
5I know that the Lord is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
6The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
7He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
9He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—
11Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan—
12and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13Your name, Lord, endures forever,
your renown, Lord, through all generations.
14For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
16They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
17They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
18Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
19All you Israelites, praise the Lord;
house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
20house of Levi, praise the Lord;
you who fear him, praise the Lord.
21Praise be to the Lord from Zion,
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
While serving as a missionary I stumbled across modern-day graven images around the world: A mute plastic Jesus wrapped in Christmas lights beside a mountain path. A blind plaster Mary crumbling under the kisses of fervent pensioners. A deaf Buddha apparently chuckling at the sorrows of faithful worshipers. We might dismiss such primitive faith, except that we too bow down—quite willingly—to our own idols: a hard-earned car, a secret addiction, a glowing screen.
Psalm 135 entreats all worshipers, whether ancient or modern: Come, let’s worship the God who made us instead of the gods we make ourselves.
Try looking up all the cross references for Psalm 135. You’ll find that the author fashioned an inspired patchwork of images and phrases from other parts of Scripture (see Psalm 115, for example). The result is a poetic list of convincing reasons to worship only our Creator God. He is good (verse 3). He treasures us (4). He reigns above all gods (5). He rules over nature (6, 7). He is the God of victory (8-12). He saves us (13, 14). And unlike feeble idols, He is alive (15-18). His eyes see us, His ears hear us, and His mouth speaks directly to our hearts. Praise Him!
Becky Scoggins
Freelance editor, Hutchinson, Minnesota (as of this writing)
