Psalms 113:1--118:29

Psalm 113

113:1 Praise the Lord!

Praise, you servants of the Lord,

praise the name of the Lord!

113:2 May the Lord’s name be praised

now and forevermore!

113:3 From east to west

the Lord’s name is deserving of praise.

113:4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations;

his splendor reaches beyond the sky.

113:5 Who can compare to the Lord our God,

who sits on a high throne?

113:6 He bends down to look

at the sky and the earth.

113:7 He raises the poor from the dirt,

and lifts up the needy from the garbage pile,

113:8 that he might seat him with princes,

with the princes of his people.

113:9 He makes the barren woman of the family

a happy mother of children.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 114

114:1 When Israel left Egypt,

when the family of Jacob left a foreign nation behind,

114:2 Judah became his sanctuary,

Israel his kingdom.

114:3 The sea looked and fled;

the Jordan River turned back.

114:4 The mountains skipped like rams,

the hills like lambs.

114:5 Why do you flee, O sea?

Why do you turn back, O Jordan River?

114:6 Why do you skip like rams, O mountains,

like lambs, O hills?

114:7 Tremble, O earth, before the Lord –

before the God of Jacob,

114:8 who turned a rock into a pool of water,

a hard rock into springs of water!

Psalm 115

115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us!

But to your name bring honor,

for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness.

115:2 Why should the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

115:3 Our God is in heaven!

He does whatever he pleases!

115:4 Their idols are made of silver and gold –

they are man-made.

115:5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but cannot see,

115:6 ears, but cannot hear,

noses, but cannot smell,

115:7 hands, but cannot touch,

feet, but cannot walk.

They cannot even clear their throats.

115:8 Those who make them will end up like them,

as will everyone who trusts in them.

115:9 O Israel, trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer and protector.

115:10 O family of Aaron, trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer and protector.

115:11 You loyal followers of the Lord, trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer and protector.

115:12 The Lord takes notice of us, he will bless –

he will bless the family of Israel,

he will bless the family of Aaron.

115:13 He will bless his loyal followers,

both young and old.

115:14 May he increase your numbers,

yours and your children’s!

115:15 May you be blessed by the Lord,

the creator of heaven and earth!

115:16 The heavens belong to the Lord,

but the earth he has given to mankind.

115:17 The dead do not praise the Lord,

nor do any of those who descend into the silence of death.

115:18 But we will praise the Lord

now and forevermore.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 116

116:1 I love the Lord

because he heard my plea for mercy,

116:2 and listened to me.

As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help.

116:3 The ropes of death tightened around me,

the snares of Sheol confronted me.

I was confronted with trouble and sorrow.

116:4 I called on the name of the Lord,

“Please Lord, rescue my life!”

116:5 The Lord is merciful and fair;

our God is compassionate.

116:6 The Lord protects the untrained;

I was in serious trouble and he delivered me.

116:7 Rest once more, my soul,

for the Lord has vindicated you.

116:8 Yes, Lord, you rescued my life from death,

and kept my feet from stumbling.

116:9 I will serve the Lord

in the land of the living.

116:10 I had faith when I said,

“I am severely oppressed.”

116:11 I rashly declared,

“All men are liars.”

116:12 How can I repay the Lord

for all his acts of kindness to me?

116:13 I will celebrate my deliverance,

and call on the name of the Lord.

116:14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord

before all his people.

116:15 The Lord values

the lives of his faithful followers.

116:16 Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;

I am your lowest slave.

You saved me from death.

116:17 I will present a thank offering to you,

and call on the name of the Lord.

116:18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord

before all his people,

116:19 in the courts of the Lord’s temple,

in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 117

117:1 Praise the Lord, all you nations!

Applaud him, all you foreigners!

117:2 For his loyal love towers over us,

and the Lord’s faithfulness endures.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 118

118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good

and his loyal love endures!

118:2 Let Israel say,

“Yes, his loyal love endures!”

118:3 Let the family of Aaron say,

“Yes, his loyal love endures!”

118:4 Let the loyal followers of the Lord say,

“Yes, his loyal love endures!”

118:5 In my distress I cried out to the Lord.

The Lord answered me and put me in a wide open place.

118:6 The Lord is on my side, I am not afraid!

What can people do to me?

118:7 The Lord is on my side as my helper.

I look in triumph on those who hate me.

118:8 It is better to take shelter in the Lord

than to trust in people.

118:9 It is better to take shelter in the Lord

than to trust in princes.

118:10 All the nations surrounded me.

Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.

118:11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me.

Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.

118:12 They surrounded me like bees.

But they disappeared as quickly as a fire among thorns.

Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.

118:13 “You aggressively attacked me and tried to knock me down,

but the Lord helped me.

118:14 The Lord gives me strength and protects me;

he has become my deliverer.”

118:15 They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly.

The Lord’s right hand conquers,

118:16 the Lord’s right hand gives victory,

the Lord’s right hand conquers.

118:17 I will not die, but live,

and I will proclaim what the Lord has done.

118:18 The Lord severely punished me,

but he did not hand me over to death.

118:19 Open for me the gates of the just king’s temple!

I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

118:20 This is the Lord’s gate –

the godly enter through it.

118:21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me,

and have become my deliverer.

118:22 The stone which the builders discarded

has become the cornerstone.

118:23 This is the Lord’s work.

We consider it amazing!

118:24 This is the day the Lord has brought about.

We will be happy and rejoice in it.

118:25 Please Lord, deliver!

Please Lord, grant us success!

118:26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord be blessed!

We will pronounce blessings on you in the Lord’s temple.

118:27 The Lord is God and he has delivered us.

Tie the offering with ropes

to the horns of the altar!

118:28 You are my God and I will give you thanks!

You are my God and I will praise you!

118:29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good

and his loyal love endures!