Chapter 136

1Give thanks to the Lord because He is good, for His kindness is eternal.   אהוֹד֣וּ לַֽיהֹוָ֣ה כִּי־ט֑וֹב כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
2Give thanks to the God of the angels, for His kindness is eternal.   בהוֹדוּ לֵֽאלֹהֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
3Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His kindness is eternal.   גהוֹדוּ לַֽאֲדֹנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדֹנִ֑ים כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
4To Him Who performs great wonders alone, for His kindness is eternal.   דלְעֹ֘שֵׂ֚ה נִפְלָא֣וֹת גְּדֹל֣וֹת לְבַדּ֑וֹ כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
To Him Who performs great wonders alone. In the beginning, no angel was created when He made the wonders: the heaven, the earth, the sun and the moon.   לעשה נפלאות גדולות לבדו.  בראשונה לא נברא מלאך כשעשאן לנפלאות הללו השמים והארץ השמש והירח:
5To Him Who made the heavens with understanding, for His kindness is eternal.   הלְעֹשֵׂ֣ה הַ֖שָּׁמַיִם בִּתְבוּנָ֑ה כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
6To Him Who spread out the earth over the water, for His kindness is eternal.   ולְרֹקַ֣ע הָ֖אָרֶץ עַל־הַמָּ֑יִם כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
7To Him Who made great luminaries, for His kindness is eternal.   זלְעֹשֵׂה אוֹרִ֣ים גְּדֹלִ֑ים כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
8The sun to rule by day, for His kindness is eternal.   חאֶת־הַ֖שֶּׁמֶשׁ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת בַּיּ֑וֹם כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
9The moon and stars to rule at night, for His kindness is eternal.   טאֶת־הַיָּרֵ֣חַ וְ֖כֽוֹכָבִים לְמֶמְשְׁל֣וֹת בַּלָּ֑יְלָה כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
10To Him Who smote the Egyptians with their firstborn, for His kindness is eternal.   ילְמַכֵּ֣ה מִ֖צְרַיִם בִּבְכוֹרֵיהֶ֑ם כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
To Him Who smote the Egyptians with their firstborn. It does not say, “their firstborn,” but “with their firstborn.” The firstborn arose and beat their fathers’ legs because they detained Israel, when they heard about the tenth plague from Moses.   למכה מצרים בבכוריהם.  בכוריהם לא נאמר אלא בבכוריהם עמדו בכורים וקפחו שוקן של אביהם המעכבי' בישראל כששמעו נגע עשירי מפי משה:
11And He took Israel from their midst, for His kindness is eternal.   יאוַיּוֹצֵ֣א יִ֖שְׂרָאֵל מִתּוֹכָ֑ם כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
12With a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, for His kindness is eternal.   יבבְּיָ֣ד חֲ֖זָקָה וּבִזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֑ה כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
13To Him Who cut the Sea of Reeds asunder, for His kindness is eternal.   יגלְגֹזֵ֣ר יַם־ס֖וּף לִגְזָרִ֑ים כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
asunder. In twelve pieces for the twelve tribes.   לגזרים.  י"ב קרעים לי"ב שבטים:
14And caused Israel to cross in its midst, for His kindness is eternal.   ידוְהֶֽעֱבִ֣יר יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל בְּתוֹכ֑וֹ כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
15And He threw Pharaoh and his host into the Sea of Reeds, for His kindness is eternal.   טווְנִ֘עֵ֚ר פַּרְעֹ֣ה וְחֵיל֣וֹ בְיַם־ס֑וּף כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
16To Him Who led His people in the desert, for His kindness is eternal.   טזלְמוֹלִ֣יךְ עַ֖מּוֹ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
17To Him Who smote great kings, for His kindness is eternal.   יזלְמַכֵּה מְלָכִ֣ים גְּדֹלִ֑ים כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
great kings. Here he alluded to the thirty- one kings, and he compared for them Pharaoh and his host and the plagues of Egypt to mighty kings, harsher than they. Sihon was equal to all of them, [and Og was equal to all of them (Machzor Vitry)], each one individually, and so did he explain above (135:11): “Sihon the king of the Amorites and Og the king of Bashan and all the kingdoms of Canaan.” So it is in the Aggadah.   מלכים גדולים.  כאן רמז ל"א מלכים והשוה להם פרעה וחילו ומכת מצרים למלכים אדירים קשים מהם שקול סיחון כנגד כלם כל אחד לעצמו וכן פירש למעלה לסיחון מלך האמרי ולעוג מלך הבשן ולכל ממלכות כנען, כן באגדה:
18And slew mighty kings, for His kindness is eternal.   יחוַיַּֽהֲרֹג מְלָכִ֣ים אַדִּירִ֑ים כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
19Sihon the king of the Amorites, for His kindness is eternal.   יטלְסִיחוֹן מֶ֣לֶךְ הָֽאֱמֹרִ֑י כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
20And Og the king of Bashan, for His kindness is eternal.   כוּלְעוֹג מֶ֣לֶךְ הַבָּשָׁ֑ן כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
21And He gave their land as an inheritance, for His kindness is eternal.   כאוְנָתַ֣ן אַרְצָ֣ם לְנַֽחֲלָ֑ה כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
22An inheritance to Israel His servant, for His kindness is eternal.   כבנַֽחֲלָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל עַבְדּ֑וֹ כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
23Who remembered us in our humble state, for His kindness is eternal.   כגשֶׁבְּשִׁפְלֵ֥נוּ זָֽכַר־לָ֑נוּ כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
Who remembered us in our humble state. In Egypt, He remembered us.   שבשפלנו זכר לנו.  במצרי' זכר לנו:
24And He rescued us from our adversaries, for His kindness is eternal.   כדוַיִּפְרְקֵ֥נוּ מִצָּרֵ֑ינוּ כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
And He rescued us. from their midst and performed all these wonders for us.   ויפרקנו.  מתוכם והפליא לנו כל זה:
25Who gives bread to all flesh, for His kindness is eternal.   כהנֹתֵ֣ן לֶ֖חֶם לְכָל־בָּשָׂ֑ר כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
Who gives bread. He alludes here to kindness (to all creatures).   נותן לחם.  רמז כאן חסד (כל המעשים):
26Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His kindness is eternal.   כוהוֹדוּ לְאֵ֣ל הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:
Gives thanks to the God of heaven. Who prepares therein food for every creature. The expression, “for His kindness is eternal,” appears twenty-six times in this psalm, corresponding to the twenty-six generations that the world was without Torah and existed through the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He.   הודו לאל השמים.  המכין בהם מזון לכל בריה, עשרים וששה כי לעולם חסדו נאמרו במזמור זה כנגד עשרים וששה דורות שהיה העול' בלא תורה ונתקיים בחסדו של הקב"ה: