It is ours to praise the Master of all
To bow before the King of Kings
Who set us apart from the peoples of earth
And gave us a song that heaven sings
Aleinu leshabe'ach la'adon hakol
Latet g'dulah leyotzer bereshit
It is ours to praise, to lift His name
To the One who was, is, and will reign
He made the heavens, He spread out the sky
The earth is the work of His hand
We bow and we bless, we honor His name
Forever His kingdom will stand
Aleinu leshabe'ach la'adon hakol
Latet g'dulah leyotzer bereshit
It is ours to praise, to lift His name
To the One who was, is, and will reign
And one day all hearts shall know
Every knee shall bow, every tongue will show
That You alone are God Most High
King of kings who sanctifies
Aleinu leshabe'ach la'adon hakol
Latet g'dulah leyotzer bereshit
It is ours to praise
“By Myself have I sworn, From My mouth has issued truth, A word that shall not turn back: To Me every knee shall bend, Every tongue swear loyalty.”
Read Isaiah 45:18-25 →Close Isaiah 45:18-25 ↑
18For thus said the LORD, The Creator of heaven who alone is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who alone established it— He did not create it a waste, But formed it for habitation: I am the LORD, and there is none else.
19I did not speak in secret, At a site in a land of darkness; I did not say to the stock of Jacob, “Seek Me out in a wasteland”— I the LORD, who foretell reliably, Who announce what is true.
20Come, gather together, Draw nigh, you remnants of the nations! No foreknowledge had they who carry their wooden images And pray to a god who cannot give success.
21Speak up, compare testimony— Let them even take counsel together! Who announced this aforetime, Foretold it of old? Was it not I the LORD? Then there is no god beside Me, No God exists beside Me Who foretells truly and grants success.
22Turn to Me and gain success, All the ends of earth! For I am God, and there is none else.
23By Myself have I sworn, From My mouth has issued truth, A word that shall not turn back: To Me every knee shall bend, Every tongue swear loyalty.
24They shall say: “Only through the LORD Can I find victory and might. When people trust in Him, All their adversaries are put to shame.
25It is through the LORD that all the offspring of Israel Have vindication and glory.”
Every week on Shabbat, we close the service by singing the Aleinu. It's a traditional prayer in Judaism and in Messianic Jewish circles. It began as a once-a-year prayer for Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), and over time it grew to conclude every daily service and every Shabbat.
At first the Hebrew feels a little foreign, but you can sense the passion in the words. As I began to understand what I was singing, I found this beautiful picture that I wanted to bring to people who don't understand Hebrew.
I love this song because it carries that passion and excitement to praise the King of the Universe while declaring how large and amazing He is. He stretched out the sky. He made the heavens. The earth is the work of His hands. The only response we can have before the King of Kings is to bow, to worship, and to praise Him for who He is and what He has done in this world and in our lives.