136 1 A most earnest exhortation to give thanks unto God for the creation and governance of all things, which standeth in confessing that he giveth us all of his mere liberality.
1 Praise ye the Lord, because he is good: for his [a]mercy endureth forever.
2 Praise ye the God of gods: for his mercy endureth forever:
3 Praise ye the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth forever:
4 Which only doeth great wonders; for his mercy endureth forever:
5 Which by his wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth forever:
6 Which hath stretched out the earth upon the waters: for his [b]mercy endureth forever:
7 Which made great lights: for his mercy endureth forever:
8 As the Sun to rule the day; for his mercy endureth forever:
9 The Moon and the stars to govern the night: for his mercy endureth forever:
10 Which smote Egypt with their firstborn, (for his mercy endureth forever)
11 And [c]brought out Israel from among them; for his mercy endureth forever:
12 With a mighty hand and [d]stretched out arm; for his mercy endureth forever:
13 Which divideth the Sea into two parts; for his mercy endureth forever:
14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it; for his mercy endureth forever:
15 And overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the red Sea; for his mercy endureth forever:
16 Which led his people through the [e]wilderness; for his mercy endureth forever:
17 Which smote great Kings: for his mercy endureth forever:
18 And slew [f]mighty Kings: for his mercy endureth forever:
19 As Sihon King of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth forever:
20 And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth forever:
21 And gave their land for an heritage; for his mercy endureth forever:
22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant; for his mercy endureth forever:
23 Which remembered us in our [g]base estate; for his mercy endureth forever:
24 And hath rescued us from our oppressors; for his mercy endureth forever:
25 Which giveth food to all [h]flesh; for his mercy endureth forever:
26 [i]Praise ye the God of heaven; for his mercy endureth forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 136:1 By this repetition he showeth that the least of God’s benefits bind us to thanksgiving: but chiefly his mercy, which is principally declared towards his Church.
- Psalm 136:6 This was a common kind of thanksgiving, which the whole people used, when they had received any benefit of God, as 2 Chron. 7:6 and 20:21, meaning, that God was not only merciful to their fathers, but also continued the same to their posterity.
- Psalm 136:11 God’s merciful providence toward man appeareth in all his creatures, but chiefly in that that he delivered his Church from the thraldom of their enemies.
- Psalm 136:12 In doing such a work as was never done before, nor that any other could do.
- Psalm 136:16 Where for the space of forty years he showed infinite and most strange wonders.
- Psalm 136:18 Declaring thereby that no power nor authority was so dear unto him, as the love of his Church.
- Psalm 136:23 In our greatest affliction and slavery, when we looked for nothing less than to have had any succor.
- Psalm 136:25 Seeing that God provideth even for the beasts, much more hath he care over his.
- Psalm 136:26 Seeing that all ages have had most plain testimonies of God’s benefits.