CORPUS-PSALTERIUMVol. III
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Corpus Psalterium · Vol. III

Psalm LXVI (66)

Cantillated — Communal Thanksgiving

Paul Whitehorn

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Study the Word

Psalm 66 in Hebrew and English, and the words as they are sung.

For the Chief Musician. A song. A Psalm.

1

Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!

לַ֭מְנַצֵּחַ שִׁ֣יר מִזְמ֑וֹר הָרִ֥יעוּ לֵ֝אלֹהִים כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

2

Sing to the glory of his name! Offer glory and praise!

זַמְּר֥וּ כְבֽוֹד־שְׁמ֑וֹ שִׂ֥ימוּ כָ֝ב֗וֹד תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ׃

3

Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds! Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you.

אִמְר֣וּ לֵ֭אלֹהִים מַה־נּוֹרָ֣א מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ בְּרֹ֥ב עֻ֝זְּךָ֗ יְֽכַחֲשׁ֖וּ לְךָ֣ אֹיְבֶֽיךָ׃

4

All the earth will worship you, and will sing to you; they will sing to your name.” Selah.

כָּל־הָאָ֤רֶץ ׀ יִשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ לְ֭ךָ וִֽיזַמְּרוּ־לָ֑ךְ יְזַמְּר֖וּ שִׁמְךָ֣ סֶֽלָה׃

5

Come, and see God’s deeds— awesome work on behalf of the children of men.

לְכ֣וּ וּ֭רְאוּ מִפְעֲל֣וֹת אֱלֹהִ֑ים נוֹרָ֥א עֲ֝לִילָ֗ה עַל־בְּנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃

6

He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot. There, we rejoiced in him.

הָ֤פַךְ יָ֨ם ׀ לְֽיַבָּשָׁ֗ה בַּ֭נָּהָר יַֽעַבְר֣וּ בְרָ֑גֶל שָׁ֝֗ם נִשְׂמְחָה־בּֽוֹ׃

7

He rules by his might forever. His eyes watch the nations. Don’t let the rebellious rise up against him. Selah.

מֹ֘שֵׁ֤ל בִּגְבוּרָת֨וֹ ׀ עוֹלָ֗ם עֵ֭ינָיו בַּגּוֹיִ֣ם תִּצְפֶּ֑ינָה הַסּוֹרְרִ֓ים ׀ אַל־ירימו לָ֣מוֹ סֶֽלָה׃

8

Praise our God, you peoples! Make the sound of his praise heard,

בָּרְכ֖וּ עַמִּ֥ים ׀ אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְ֝הַשְׁמִ֗יעוּ ק֣וֹל תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ׃

9

who preserves our life among the living, and doesn’t allow our feet to be moved.

הַשָּׂ֣ם נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ בַּֽחַיִּ֑ים וְלֹֽא־נָתַ֖ן לַמּ֣וֹט רַגְלֵֽנוּ׃

10

For you, God, have tested us. You have refined us, as silver is refined.

כִּֽי־בְחַנְתָּ֥נוּ אֱלֹהִ֑ים צְ֝רַפְתָּ֗נוּ כִּצְרָף־כָּֽסֶף׃

11

You brought us into prison. You laid a burden on our backs.

הֲבֵאתָ֥נוּ בַמְּצוּדָ֑ה שַׂ֖מְתָּ מוּעָקָ֣ה בְמָתְנֵֽינוּ׃

12

You allowed men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water, but you brought us to the place of abundance.

הִרְכַּ֥בְתָּ אֱנ֗וֹשׁ לְרֹ֫אשֵׁ֥נוּ בָּֽאנוּ־בָאֵ֥שׁ וּבַמַּ֑יִם וַ֝תּוֹצִיאֵ֗נוּ לָֽרְוָיָֽה׃

13

I will come into your temple with burnt offerings. I will pay my vows to you,

אָב֣וֹא בֵיתְךָ֣ בְעוֹל֑וֹת אֲשַׁלֵּ֖ם לְךָ֣ נְדָרָֽי׃

14

which my lips promised, and my mouth spoke, when I was in distress.

אֲשֶׁר־פָּצ֥וּ שְׂפָתָ֑י וְדִבֶּר־פִּ֝֗י בַּצַּר־לִֽי׃

15

I will offer to you burnt offerings of fat animals, with the offering of rams, I will offer bulls with goats. Selah.

עֹ֘ל֤וֹת מֵחִ֣ים אַעֲלֶה־לָּ֭ךְ עִם־קְטֹ֣רֶת אֵילִ֑ים אֶ֥עֱשֶֽׂה בָקָ֖ר עִם־עַתּוּדִ֣ים סֶֽלָה׃

16

Come and hear, all you who fear God. I will declare what he has done for my soul.

לְכֽוּ־שִׁמְע֣וּ וַ֭אֲסַפְּרָה כָּל־יִרְאֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר עָשָׂ֣ה לְנַפְשִֽׁי׃

17

I cried to him with my mouth. He was extolled with my tongue.

אֵלָ֥יו פִּֽי־קָרָ֑אתִי וְ֝רוֹמַ֗ם תַּ֣חַת לְשׁוֹנִֽי׃

18

If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened.

אָ֭וֶן אִם־רָאִ֣יתִי בְלִבִּ֑י לֹ֖א יִשְׁמַ֣ע ׀ אֲדֹנָֽי׃

19

But most certainly, God has listened. He has heard the voice of my prayer.

אָ֭כֵן שָׁמַ֣ע אֱלֹהִ֑ים הִ֝קְשִׁ֗יב בְּק֣וֹל תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃

20

Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor his loving kindness from me.

בָּר֥וּךְ אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־הֵסִ֘יר תְּפִלָּתִ֥י וְ֝חַסְדּ֗וֹ מֵאִתִּֽי׃

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain), from the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. English: World English Bible (public domain). Verse numbers follow the English Bible; the Hebrew numbering is shown beneath where it differs.

Shout to God

all the earth

Sing the glory

of His name

Give to Him

glorious praise

How awesome

are Your works

All the earth

will worship You

All the earth

will sing to You

They will sing

Your name

Come

and see

The works of God

He turned the sea

to dry land

Through the river

they passed on foot

There

we rejoiced

He rules forever

by His power

His eyes

watch the nations

Let not the rebellious

rise

Bless our God

O peoples

Let the sound

of His praise be heard

He kept us

in life

He did not let

our feet slip

You tested us

O God

You refined us

like silver

You brought us

into the net

You laid affliction

on our backs

We went through fire

and water

You brought us out

to abundance

I will come

to Your house

I will pay

my vows

What was spoken

in distress

I will bring

burnt offerings

Come and hear

all who fear God

I will tell

what He has done

for my soul

For my soul

I cried to Him

with my mouth

Praise

was under my tongue

He heard

He heard

If I had cherished

sin in my heart

The Lord

would not hear

But truly

God has heard

He has listened

to the voice

of my prayer

Blessed be God

He has not turned away

my prayer

He has not removed

His steadfast love

from me

Blessed be God

Lyrics by Paul Whitehorn: a singable English rendering of the Hebrew, as sung on this recording.

Corpus Psalterium sets each psalm to music by its Hebrew grammar. Didactic psalms teach; Cantillated psalms are spoken, sung or performed before God. Hear all 150 psalms free.

About these songs. They are a summary and a commentary on the Psalms, not a word-for-word translation. Read what these songs are →

What These Songs Are, and What They Are Not

These songs are not a word-for-word translation of the Psalms. They were never meant to be. Nor do they try to capture every idea in every psalm. In a song, that would be impossible.

What we have done is capture the essence of each psalm: what matters most in it. Think of each song as a summary. Think of it as a cheat sheet. The purpose of the psalm is still being met. God's word to mankind is still being heard.

Behind many of these lines is word research: deep study of the meaning of the Hebrew. So where a line sounds different from your translation, and you think it is wrong, study it. We believe you will find that the essence of what we sing is true.

The truth is that no one can set the Psalms to music without also becoming a commentator. That is what this is. It is a modern commentary on the Psalms: not only the Psalms themselves, and not only the Psalms being sung. So do not think that every word of the psalm is here. It is not. Read the psalm itself, in full.

Why do this at all? Because we believe God intended humanity to be surrounded by His word. This was always the entertainment He wanted us to have: not hours of television, not a day lost in a phone looking at nonsense. The blessed man of Psalm 1 meditates on God's word day and night. How can we meditate on His word if we do not surround ourselves with it?

As ministers, our first responsibility is to share God's word with people. That is what these songs are for.

Paul Whitehorn