Verses Of Praise

Pesukei D'zimrah

פְּסוּקֵי דְּזִמְרָה

Visible layers

God will eventually punish the wicked and reward the righteous

Hebrew

מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת:
טוֹב לְהֹדוֹת לַייָ,
וּלְזַמֵּר לְשִׁמְךָ עֶלְיוֹן: לְהַגִּיד
בַּבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ, וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ
בַּלֵּילוֹת: עֲלֵי עָשׂוֹר וַעֲלֵי
נָבֶל, עֲלֵי הִגָּיוֹן בְּכִנּוֹר: כִּי
שִׂמַּחְתַּנִי יְיָ בְּפָעֳלֶךָ, בְּמַעֲשֵׂי
יָדֶיךָ אֲרַנֵּן:
מַה גָּדְלוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ יְיָ, מְאֹד
עָמְקוּ מַחְשְׁבֹתֶיךָ: אִישׁ בַּעַר
לֹא יֵדָע, וּכְסִיל לֹא יָבִין אֶת
זֹאת: בִּפְרֹחַ רְשָׁעִים כְּמוֹ עֵשֶׂב,
וַיָּצִיצוּ כָּל פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן, לְהִשָּׁמְדָם
עֲדֵי עַד: וְאַתָּה מָרוֹם לְעֹלָם
יְיָ: כִּי הִנֵּה אֹיְבֶיךָ יְיָ, כִּי הִנֵּה
אֹיְבֶיךָ יֹאבֵדוּ, יִתְפָּרְדוּ כָּל
פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן: וַתָּרֶם כִּרְאֵים קַרְנִי,
בַּלֹּתִי בְּשֶׁמֶן רַעֲנָן: וַתַּבֵּט עֵינִי
בְּשׁוּרָי, בַּקָּמִים עָלַי מְרֵעִים,
תִּשְׁמַעְנָה אָזְנָי:
צַדִּיק כַּתָּמָר יִפְרָח, כְּאֶרֶז
בַּלְּבָנוֹן יִשְׂגֶּה: שְׁתוּלִים בְּבֵית
יְיָ, בְּחַצְרוֹת אֱלֹהֵינוּ יַפְרִיחוּ:
עוֹד יְנוּבוּן בְּשֵׂיבָה, דְּשֵׁנִים
וְרַעֲנַנִּים יִהְיוּ: לְהַגִּיד כִּי יָשָׁר
יְיָ, צוּרִי וְלֹא עַוְלָתָה בּוֹ:

Sephardi

Mizmor shir l'yom haShabbat:
Tov l'hodot la-adonai,
ul'zamer leshimcha elyon: l'hagid
baboker chasdecha, ve'emunatcha
baleilot: alei asor va'alei
navel, alei higayon b'chinor: ki
simachtani Adonai b'fo'olecha, b'ma'asei
yadecha aranen:
Mah gadlu ma'asecha Adonai, me'od
amku machsh'votecha: ish ba'ar
lo yeda, uch'sil lo yavin et
zot: bifroach resha'im kemo esev,
vayatzitzu kol po'alei aven, l'hishamdam
adei ad: ve'atah marom l'olam
Adonai: ki hineh oyevecha Adonai, ki hineh
oyevecha yovedu, yitparedu kol
po'alei aven: vatarem kireim karni,
baloti b'shemen ra'anan: vatabeit eini
b'shurai, bakamim alai mere'im,
tishma'nah oznai:
Tzadik katamar yifrach, k'erez
bal'vanon yisgeh: sh'tulim beveit
Adonai, bechatzrot Eloheinu yafrihu:
Od y'nuvun b'seivah, d'sheinim
v'ra'ananim yihyu: l'hagid ki yashar
Adonai, tzuri v'lo avlatah bo:

English

מִזְמוֹר The following is a musical prayer for the Levites to sing in the Holy Temple on the day of Shabbat. It is good to praise You, Lord, and to sing to Your name, most high God. It is good to speak about Your kindness in the morning and Your trustworthiness in the nights. I will praise You with a ten-stringed instrument and with a lyre, and with singing accompanied by a harp. For You, Lord, have made me happy through Your miraculous deeds. I sing with joy when I see the great acts that Your hands do. Lord, how great are the things You do! Your thoughts are very deep. A wild man cannot know, and a foolish person cannot understand the following: the reason why the wicked sprout and grow like grass, and all those who do evil blossom, is only to be destroyed later on, forever. Lord, You are exalted forever. Indeed, Lord, Your enemies—indeed, Your enemies—will be destroyed. All those who sin will be scattered and destroyed. But the righteous will be able to say, You have increased my strength; You have made me as strong as a wild ox. You have given me many luxuries; I am even smeared with fresh oil. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies who would watch me. My ears have heard the downfall of the wicked who have risen up against me. The righteous will blossom and bear children as a palm tree bears fruits. They will grow tall like a cedar tree in Lebanon. They will be planted in the Holy Temple, the house of the Lord, and they will study Torah there. They will blossom in the Lord's courtyards in the Holy Temple. They will still be fruitful when they are old; they will remain energetic and fresh. These things will tell people that the Lord is fair. He is my strength and there is no injustice in Him.

Everyone will acknowledge God as king when the Redemption arrives

Hebrew

יְיָ מָלָךְ גֵּאוּת לָבֵשׁ, לָבֵשׁ יְיָ עֹז
הִתְאַזָּר, אַף תִּכּוֹן תֵּבֵל בַּל
תִּמּוֹט:1 נָכוֹן כִּסְאֲךָ מֵאָז, מֵעוֹלָם
אָתָּה: נָשְׂאוּ נְהָרוֹת יְיָ, נָשְׂאוּ
נְהָרוֹת קוֹלָם, יִשְׂאוּ נְהָרוֹת דָּכְיָם:
מִקֹּלוֹת מַיִם רַבִּים אַדִּירִים
מִשְׁבְּרֵי יָם, אַדִּיר בַּמָּרוֹם יְיָ:
עֵדֹתֶיךָ נֶאֶמְנוּ מְאֹד, לְבֵיתְךָ
נַאֲוָה קֹדֶשׁ, יְיָ לְאֹרֶךְ יָמִים:

Sephardi

Adonai malach ge'ut lavesh, lavesh Adonai oz
hit'azar, af tikon tevel bal
timmot: nachon kis'acha mei'az, me'olam
atah: nas'u neharot Adonai, nas'u
neharot kolam, yis'u neharot dochyam:
mikolot mayim rabim adirim
mishb'rei yam, adir bamarom Adonai:
edotekha ne'emnu me'od, l'veitecha
na'avah kodesh, Adonai l'orech yamim:

English

יְיָ When the Redemption arrives, everyone will recognize and proclaim: The Lord has been the king all along, and He has worn His majestic robes. The Lord has dressed Himself—He has dressed Himself with strength; He has also made the world a secure place that will never falter,1 because there will be no more wars or destruction. Some people will only recognize this after the final Redemption. The truth, however, is that Your throne has been standing strong since the beginning of time, and You have existed forever, even before You created the universe. Lord, during exile, the rivers—Your enemies, who rage like mighty rivers—have risen against us—the rivers have raised their voice. The rivers raise their powerful waves and threaten to destroy us. But more powerful than the roars of many waters and more powerful than the mighty waves of the sea is the Lord, Who is powerful in heaven, high above. Your testimonies regarding the final Redemption are very trustworthy. Your house, Lord, the Third Temple, will be beautiful with holiness and it will last forever.

God is King and rules over the entire universe

Hebrew

יְהִי כְבוֹד יְיָ לְעוֹלָם, יִשְׂמַח
יְיָ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו:2 יְהִי שֵׁם יְיָ
מְבֹרָךְ, מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם:
מִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ עַד מְבוֹאוֹ,
מְהֻלָּל שֵׁם יְיָ: רָם עַל כָּל
גּוֹיִם | יְיָ, עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם כְּבוֹדוֹ:
יְיָ, שִׁמְךָ לְעוֹלָם, יְיָ, זִכְרְךָ
לְדֹר וָדֹר: יְיָ בַּשָּׁמַיִם הֵכִין
כִּסְאוֹ, וּמַלְכוּתוֹ בַּכֹּל מָשָׁלָה:3

Sephardi

Yehi kevod Adonai le'olam, yismach
Adonai bema'asav: yehi shem Adonai
mevorach, me'atah ve'ad olam:
mimizrach shemesh ad m'vo'o,
m'hulal shem Adonai: ram al kol
goyim | Adonai, al hashamayim kevodo:
Adonai, shimcha le'olam, Adonai, zichr'cha
ledor vador: Adonai bashamayim hechin
kis'o, umalchuto bakol mashalah:

English

יְהִי May the Lord's glory last forever. May the Lord always be happy with His works of creation.2 May the Lord's name be blessed by all creations, now and forever. From the people who live in the east where the sun rises, to the people who live in the west where it sets—the Lord's name is praised by all of them. The Lord is exalted above all nations. God's glory is above the heavens. Lord, Your name is everlasting. Lord, Your name is remembered forever, throughout all generations. The Lord has set up His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over everything.3

Commentary

1 God has “clothed” Himself in order for the “world to be established firmly”—He has concealed His holy energy, allowing only a little to be revealed, so that the world can exist.

We mention that God has dressed Himself twice: The first time, He has dressed Himself with “majesty” (kingship); the second time, He has dressed Himself with “might.” The Midrash explains that “might” refers to the Torah. Accordingly, God has two “layers” of spiritual clothing. Kingship is His outer layer—it is the way He relates to the world in general. Torah is His inner layer—it is the way He connects to the Jewish Nation specifically.

2 The word מַעֲשָׂיו comes from the same root as the word לַעֲשׂוֹת (to make), which can be interpreted as לְתַקֵּן – to fix. God is happy with “His works of creation” when they “fix” this world and make it a dwelling place for Him.

3 God rules over everything, even things that are evil and rebel against Him. His rulership over them is called מָשְׁלָה, which can be translated as “dictatorship,” because it is forced upon them against their will.