Verses 1-18
NRSV
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.
Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"
Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; they make no sound in their throats.
Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them.
O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
The Lord has been mindful of us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;
he will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great.
May the Lord give you increase, both you and your children.
May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth he has given to human beings.
The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any that go down into silence.
But we will bless the Lord from this time on and forevermore. Praise the Lord!
KJV
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.
Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.
Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.
The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great.
The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
Ye are blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth.
The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.
But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord.
- Nothing new here: the Israelites are supposed to remain faithful to God. This time, though, we get some direct comparisons between their God and the others'.
- Everyone around the Israelites has idols that they say are their gods, and the Israelites have nothing. Nothing physical, that is.
- Why not? Because God is up in heaven.
- Check out how the writer talks about the idols. They can't even do what humans can—walk, talk, smell, see, hear—let alone do what gods can. Weather, anyone?
- One more cool thing: according to this psalm, earth is man's territory, and heaven is God's. We'll take it.