The absorption oscillator strength of the xenon 147-nm resonance transition is measured to be 0.264+0.016. This value is from direct absorption measurements with equivalent widths from =1 to =10 cm. This f-value measurement is compared to others in the literature and is used in Monte Carlo simulations of trapped decay rates. The simulations include an angle-dependent partial frequency redistribution. The simulation results are compared to trapped decay rates in the literature.