Verses of Song

p'sukei d'zimra

פסוקי דזמרא

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Israeli: ' marks a reduced vowel that Israeli speech drops (b'rachah); when the vowel is pronounced it is written e (lefanecha). - separates syllables that would otherwise run together.

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Custom is to remain standing through the bottom of page 144.

DAVID’S FINAL PRAYER

1 Chronicles 29:10–13

Hebrew

וַיְבָרֶךְ דָּוִיד אֶת־יְהוָה לְעֵינֵי כָּל־הַקָּהָל וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד׃
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָבִינוּ, מֵעוֹלָם וְעַד
עוֹלָם. לְךָ יְהוָה הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהַנֵּצַח
וְהַהוֹד, כִּי כֹל בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ, לְךָ יְהוָה הַמַּמְלָכָה
וְהַמִּתְנַשֵּׂא לְכֹל לְרֹאשׁ. וְהָעֹשֶׁר וְהַכָּבוֹד מִלְּפָנֶיךָ,
וְאַתָּה מוֹשֵׁל בַּכֹּל, וּבְיָדְךָ כֹּחַ וּגְבוּרָה, וּבְיָדְךָ לְגַדֵּל
וּלְחַזֵּק לַכֹּל. וְעַתָּה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ,
וּמְהַלְלִים לְשֵׁם תִּפְאַרְתֶּךָ׃

Israeli

vayvarech David et-adonai le-einei kol-hakahal vayomer David.
baruch atah Adonai Elohei Yisra-el avinu, me-olam ve-ad
olam. lecha Adonai hagdulah vehagvurah vehatiferet vehanetzach
vehahod, ki chol bashamayim uva-aretz, lecha Adonai hamamlachah
vehamitnasei lechol lerosh. veha-osher vehakavod milefanecha,
ve-atah moshel bakol, uvyadcha koach ugvurah, uvyadcha legadel
ulechazek lakol. ve-atah Eloheinu modim anachnu lach,
umehalelim leshem tifartecha.

English

David offered praise to Adonai before all who were gathered, declaring: From eternity's start to eternity's end, blessed are You Adonai, God of our ancestor Israel. To You, Adonai, belong greatness, might and glory, victory and majesty—for all that is in the heavens and upon the earth belongs to You. Kingship is Yours; You are exalted above all. Riches and honor issue from You; You govern all. Strength and deliverance rest in Your hands; to endow all with vigor and to cause all things to thrive lies in Your power. Now we give thanks to You, our God, and acclaim Your glorious name.

Nehemiah 9:6–11

Hebrew

אַתָּה הוּא יְהוָה לְבַדֶּךָ, אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם,
שְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וְכָל־צְבָאָם, הָאָרֶץ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר עָלֶיהָ,
הַיַּמִּים וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר בָּהֶם, וְאַתָּה מְחַיֶּה אֶת־כֻּלָּם,
וּצְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם לְךָ מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים. אַתָּה הוּא יְהוָה
הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר בָּחַרְתָּ בְּאַבְרָם, וְהוֹצֵאתוֹ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים,
וְשַׂמְתָּ שְׁמוֹ אַבְרָהָם, וּמָצָאתָ אֶת־לְבָבוֹ נֶאֱמָן לְפָנֶיךָ׃
וְכָרוֹת עִמּוֹ הַבְּרִית לָתֵת אֶת־אֶרֶץ הַכְּנַעֲנִי הַחִתִּי הָאֱמֹרִי
וְהַפְּרִזִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי וְהַגִּרְגָּשִׁי לָתֵת לְזַרְעוֹ, וַתָּקֶם אֶת־דְּבָרֶיךָ
כִּי צַדִּיק אָתָּה. וַתֵּרֶא אֶת־עֳנִי אֲבֹתֵינוּ בְּמִצְרָיִם,
וְאֶת־זַעֲקָתָם שָׁמַעְתָּ עַל־יַם סוּף. וַתִּתֵּן אֹתֹת
וּמֹפְתִים בְּפַרְעֹה, וּבְכָל־עֲבָדָיו וּבְכָל־עַם אַרְצוֹ,
כִּי יָדַעְתָּ כִּי הֵזִידוּ עֲלֵיהֶם, וַתַּעַשׂ לְךָ שֵׁם כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה.
וְהַיָּם בָּקַעְתָּ לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיַּעַבְרוּ בְתוֹךְ הַיָּם בַּיַּבָּשָׁה,
וְאֶת־רֹדְפֵיהֶם הִשְׁלַכְתָּ בִמְצוֹלֹת, כְּמוֹ אֶבֶן בְּמַיִם עַזִּים.

Israeli

atah hu Adonai levadecha, atah asita et-hashamayim,
sh'mei hashamayim vechol-tz'va-am, ha-aretz vechol-asher aleha,
hayamim vechol-asher bahem, ve-atah mechayeh et-kulam,
utzva hashamayim lecha mishtachavim. atah hu Adonai
ha-Elohim asher bacharta be-avram, vehotzeito meur Kasdim,
vesamta sh'mo Avraham, umatzata et-levavo ne-eman lefanecha.
vecharot imo habrit latet et-eretz hakna-ani hachiti ha-emori
vehaprizi vehayvusi vehagirgashi latet lezaro, vatakem et-d'varecha
ki tzadik atah. vatere et-oni avoteinu b'Mitzrayim,
ve-et-za-akatam shamata al-yam suf. vatiten otot
umoftim b'faroh, uvchol-avadav uvchol-am artzo,
ki yadata ki hezidu aleihem, vata-as lecha shem kehayom hazeh.
vehayam bakata lifneihem vaya-avru v'toch hayam bayabashah,
ve-et-rodfeihem hishlachta vimtzolot, k'mo even b'mayim azim.

English

Adonai, You alone are the God who fashioned the sky, the heavens on high and all their hosts, the earth and all that is upon it, the seas and all they contain. You bestow being upon all things; even heaven's hosts must bow to You. You, Adonai, are God; You are the one who chose Abram, brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, altered his name to Abraham, and deemed him faithful. You formed a covenant with him, granting him the territory of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizites, Jebusites, and Girgashites, to hand on to his descendants. You upheld Your word, for righteous are You. You beheld our ancestors' affliction in Egypt and heard their cry at the Sea of Reeds. You faced Pharaoh, his court, and the whole Egyptian nation with signs and wonders—for You knew the oppression they laid on Your people, and by this You are known unto this day. You divided the sea before our ancestors: they crossed on dry ground, yet their pursuers sank in the depths like stones within a storming sea.

Commentary

DAVID’S FINAL PRAYER. Originally, P’sukei D’zimra consisted only of selections from the Book of Psalms; later, a series of biblical prayers, beginning here and culminating with the Song at the Sea, was added. In these additions we re-experience our collective history: Abram’s leaving his home and setting out for an unknown destination, the exodus from Egypt, and the nation’s arrival in the promised land.

DAVID PRAISED וַיְבָרֶךְ דָּוִיד. This passage from 1 Chronicles forms part of David’s last speech—his will and testament—as he hands his kingdom over to his son Solomon. Having just read selections from the psalms of David, we begin the closing section of P’sukei D’zimra, Verses of Song, with David’s own concluding words.

BLESSED ARE YOU ADONAI בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה. This is one of only two times that this phrase, which became the formula for all Jewish b’rakhot, is found in the Bible. (The other is Psalm 119:12.) …

WE THANK YOU מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ. These became the first words of the second-to-last b’rakhah of the Amidah, in which we thank God for the gifts of life.

YOU, ADONAI ALONE אַתָּה הוּא יְהוָה לְבַדֶּךָ. This prayer was recited in the Second Temple when the people, returning from exile, rededicated themselves under the guidance of Ezra and Nehemiah. With its recitation, each morning’s prayer is an act of rededication.

CHANGED HIS NAME וְשַׂמְתָּ שְׁמוֹ. In Genesis 17:5 Abram’s name is changed to Abraham, meaning the “father of many nations,” as a sign of God’s promise that Sarah will bear a child, Isaac. The original name “Abram” may mean “the father [meaning Terah] is exalted.” A name change in the ancient world represented a change in status. (E. A. Speiser) …

THE CANAANITES הַכְּנַעֲנִי. Listed here are six of the seven biblical nations that occupied the Land of Israel before the Israelite settlement.

From Individual to Community Awakening to a new day, we began by reciting modeh/modah ani, “I thank You,” in the singular. Now, at the conclusion of P’sukei D’zimra, our collective awareness and connection to each other has been truly “awakened” and so we can say modim anaḥnu lakh, “we thank You,” in the plural. We are thus ready for the formal call to prayer, Bar’khu (page 149), to which we respond as a community.

Changed His Name to Abraham According to the Babylonian Talmud (Berakhot 13a), Abraham’s name was changed because “in the beginning, he was a leader of Aram [i.e., av ram], and at the end, he was a leader of the whole world [avraham = av hamon, father of multitudes, Genesis 17:5].” The ancient rabbis taught that except when directly quoting Scripture, it is expressly forbidden to refer to Abraham by his former name. This is the import of God’s directive to change “Abram,” which signifies leadership of the single nation of Aram, to “Abraham,” father of a multitude of nations. God was saying to Abraham, “I have raised you beyond this norm of nationalism, which is but a convention and not true justice. Your heart should not be devoted exclusively to the benefit of Aram, but rather seek the peace of all God’s creations. Seek out the well-being of all.” Thus, “one who calls Abraham, ‘Abram,’ transgresses.” By doing so, one causes Israel to regress to a state of nationalism, which is no more than a collective form of egoism, and thus a transgression. —ABRAHAM ISAAC KOOK …