| Psalm 66 | |
| Subtitle: | "Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands" |
| Image Upright: | 1.2 |
| Language: | Hebrew (original) |
Psalm 66 is the 66th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands". In the slightly different numbering system of the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 65. In Latin, it is known as "Iubilate Deo omnis terra".[1] [2] It is a psalm of thanksgiving probably intended for use at the Passover.[3] [4] The psalm is divided into two parts: in verses 1-12 the community praises God and invites the whole world to join in praise; in verses 13–20, "an individual from the rescued community fulfils a vow to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving".[5]
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[6] [7] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | For the Leader. A Song, a Psalm. Shout unto God, all the earth; | |
| 2 | Sing praises unto the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious. | |
| 3 | Say unto God: 'How tremendous is Thy work! Through the greatness of Thy power shall Thine enemies dwindle away before Thee. | |
| 4 | All the earth shall worship Thee, And shall sing praises unto Thee; They shall sing praises to Thy name.' Selah | |
| 5 | Come, and see the works of God; He is terrible in His doing toward the children of men. | |
| 6 | He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot; There let us rejoice in Him! | |
| 7 | Who ruleth by His might for ever; His eyes keep watch upon the nations; Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah | |
| 8 | Bless our God, ye peoples, And make the voice of His praise to be heard; | |
| 9 | Who hath set our soul in life, And suffered not our foot to be moved, | |
| 10 | For Thou, O God, hast tried us; Thou hast refined us, as silver is refined. | |
| 11 | Thou didst bring us into the hold; Thou didst lay constraint upon our loins. | |
| 12 | Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But Thou didst bring us out unto abundance. | |
| 13 | I will come into Thy house with burnt-offerings, I will perform unto Thee my vows, | |
| 14 | Which my lips have uttered, And my mouth hath spoken, when I was in distress. | |
| 15 | I will offer unto Thee burnt-offerings of fatlings, With the sweet smoke of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah | |
| 16 | Come, and hearken, all ye that fear God, And I will declare what He hath done for my soul. | |
| 17 | I cried unto Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. | |
| 18 | If I had regarded iniquity in my heart, The Lord would not hear; | |
| 19 | But verily God hath heard; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. | |
| 20 | Blessed be God, Who hath not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me. | |
In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the 12th day of the month.[9]
[Come and see] "what God hath wrought" was the first message sent by telegraph in 1844. The verse was suggested by Annie Ellsworth and inspired by Psalm 66:5 and Psalm 66:16. Standing in the chamber of the Supreme Court, Samuel B. Morse sent a 19-letter message to his assistant Albert Vail in Baltimore, who transmitted the message back.[10] Psalm 66:5 was sent as "come and see what God has done" while Psalm 66:16 was the reply: "Come and see what God has done for me".
Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 66 in a metred version in German, "Jauchzet Gott, alle Lande sehr", SWV 163, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628.