Psalm 115-118

GOD’S WORD Translation

115 Don’t give glory to us, O Lord.
Don’t give glory to us.
Instead, give glory to your name
because of your mercy and faithfulness.
² Why should other nations say, “Where is their God?”
³ Our God is in heaven.
He does whatever he wants.
⁴ Their idols are made of silver and gold.
They were made by human hands.^[a]
5 They have mouths, but they cannot speak.
They have eyes, but they cannot see.
⁶ They have ears, but they cannot hear.
They have noses, but they cannot smell.
⁷ They have hands, but they cannot feel.
They have feet, but they cannot walk.
They cannot ⌞even⌟ make a sound with their throats.
⁸ Those who make idols end up like them.
So does everyone who trusts them.

⁹ Israel, trust the Lord.
He is your helper and your shield.
¹⁰ Descendants of Aaron, trust the Lord.
He is your helper and your shield.
¹¹ If you fear the Lord, trust the Lord.
He is your helper and your shield.

¹² The Lord, who is ⌞always⌟ thinking about us, will bless us.
He will bless the descendants of Israel.
He will bless the descendants of Aaron.
¹³ He will bless those who fear the Lord,
from the least important to the most important.
¹⁴ May the Lord continue to bless you and your children.
¹⁵ You will be blessed by the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
¹⁶ The highest heaven belongs to the Lord,
but he has given the earth to the descendants of Adam.
¹⁷ Those who are dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do those who go into the silence ⌞of the grave⌟.
¹⁸ But we will thank the Lord now and forever.

Hallelujah!

116 I love the Lord because he hears my voice, my pleas for mercy.
² I will call on him as long as I live
because he turns his ear toward me.
³ The ropes of death became tangled around me.
The horrors of the grave took hold of me.
I experienced pain and agony.
⁴ But I kept calling on the name of the Lord:
“Please, Lord, rescue me!”

⁵ The Lord is merciful and righteous.
Our God is compassionate.
⁶ The Lord protects defenseless people.
When I was weak, he saved me.
⁷ Be at peace again, my soul,
because the Lord has been good to you.

⁸ You saved me from death.
You saved my eyes from tears ⌞and⌟ my feet from stumbling.
⁹ I will walk in the Lord’s presence in this world of the living.
¹⁰ I kept my faith even when I said,
“I am suffering terribly.”
¹¹ I also said when I was panic-stricken,
“Everyone is undependable.”
¹² How can I repay the Lord
for all the good that he has done for me?
¹³ I will take the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁴ I will keep my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful ones.
¹⁶ O Lord, I am indeed your servant.
I am your servant,
the son of your female servant.
You have freed me from my chains.
¹⁷ I will bring a song of thanksgiving to you as a sacrifice.
I will call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸ I will keep my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
¹⁹ in the courtyards of the Lord’s house,
in the middle of Jerusalem.

Hallelujah!

117 Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Praise him, all you people of the world!
² His mercy toward us is powerful.
The Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.

Hallelujah!

118 Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his mercy endures forever.
² Israel should say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
³ The descendants of Aaron should say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
⁴ Those who fear the Lord should say,
“His mercy endures forever.”

⁵ During times of trouble I called on the Lord.
The Lord answered me ⌞and⌟ set me free ⌞from all of them⌟.
⁶ The Lord is on my side.
I am not afraid.
What can mortals do to me?
⁷ The Lord is on my side as my helper.
I will see ⌞the defeat of⌟ those who hate me.
⁸ It is better to depend on the Lord
than to trust mortals.
⁹ It is better to depend on the Lord
than to trust influential people.

¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me,
⌞but armed⌟ with the name of the Lord, I defeated them.
¹¹ They surrounded me. Yes, they surrounded me,
⌞but armed⌟ with the name of the Lord, I defeated them.
¹² They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were extinguished like burning thornbushes.
⌞So armed⌟ with the name of the Lord, I defeated them.
¹³ They pushed hard to make me fall,
but the Lord helped me.
¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my song.
He is my savior.

¹⁵ The sound of joyful singing and victory is heard
in the tents of righteous people.
The right hand of the Lord displays strength.
¹⁶ The right hand of the Lord is held high.
The right hand of the Lord displays strength.
¹⁷ I will not die,
but I will live and tell what the Lord has done.
¹⁸ The Lord disciplined me severely,
but he did not allow me to be killed.

¹⁹ Open the gates of righteousness for me.
I will go through them ⌞and⌟ give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
through which righteous people will enter.

²¹ I give thanks to you,
because you have answered me.
You are my savior.
²² The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
²³ The Lord is responsible for this,
and it is amazing for us to see.
²⁴ This is the day the Lord has made.
Let’s rejoice and be glad today!
²⁵ We beg you, O Lord, save us!
We beg you, O Lord, give us success!
²⁶ Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the Lord’s house.
²⁷ The Lord is God, and he has given us light.
March in a festival procession
with branches to the horns of the altar.
²⁸ You are my God, and I give thanks to you.
My God, I honor you highly.

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his mercy endures forever.