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Psalm 114-118
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Psalm 114-118
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Psalm 114[a]
The Lord’s Wonders at the Exodus
1 When Israel came forth from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from an alien people,
2 Judah became God’s sanctuary,
Israel, God’s domain.(A)
3 [b]The sea saw and fled;
the Jordan turned back.(B)
4 The mountains skipped like rams;
the hills, like lambs.(C)
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you turned back?
6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
You hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, earth, before the Lord,(D)
before the God of Jacob,
8 [c]Who turned the rock into pools of water,
flint into a flowing spring.(E)
Psalm 115[d]
The Greatness of the True God
I
1 Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your mercy and faithfulness.(F)
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”[e](G)
3 Our God is in heaven
and does whatever he wills.(H)
II
4 Their idols are silver and gold,(I)
the work of human hands.(J)
5 They have mouths but do not speak,
eyes but do not see.
6 They have ears but do not hear,
noses but do not smell.
7 They have hands but do not feel,
feet but do not walk;
they produce no sound from their throats.
8 Their makers will be like them,
and anyone who trusts in them.
III
9 [f]The house of Israel trusts in the Lord,(K)
who is their help and shield.(L)
10 The house of Aaron trusts in the Lord,
who is their help and shield.
11 Those who fear the Lord trust in the Lord,
who is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us,
will bless the house of Israel,
will bless the house of Aaron,
13 Will bless those who fear the Lord,
small and great alike.
14 May the Lord increase your number,
yours and your descendants.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
maker of heaven and earth.
16 [g]The heavens belong to the Lord,
but he has given the earth to the children of Adam.(M)
17 [h]The dead do not praise the Lord,
not all those go down into silence.(N)
18 It is we who bless the Lord,
both now and forever.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 116[i]
Thanksgiving to God Who Saves from Death
I
1 I love the Lord, who listened
to my voice in supplication,
2 Who turned an ear to me
on the day I called.
3 I was caught by the cords of death;[j](O)
the snares of Sheol had seized me;
I felt agony and dread.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord,
“O Lord, save my life!”
II
5 Gracious is the Lord and righteous;
yes, our God is merciful.(P)
6 The Lord protects the simple;
I was helpless, but he saved me.
7 Return, my soul, to your rest;
the Lord has been very good to you.(Q)
8 For my soul has been freed from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.(R)
9 I shall walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.[k](S)
III
10 [l]I kept faith, even when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted!”(T)
11 I said in my alarm,
“All men are liars!”(U)
12 How can I repay the Lord
for all the great good done for me?
13 I will raise the cup of salvation[m]
and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 [n]Dear in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his devoted.(V)
16 Lord, I am your servant,
your servant, the child of your maidservant;(W)
you have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer a sacrifice of praise
and call on the name of the Lord.(X)
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord(Y)
in the presence of all his people,
19 In the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 117[o]
The Nations Called to Praise
1 Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!(Z)
2 His mercy for us is strong;
the faithfulness of the Lord is forever.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 118[p]
Hymn of Thanksgiving
I
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,(AA)
his mercy endures forever.
2 Let Israel say:
his mercy endures forever.
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
his mercy endures forever.
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,(AB)
his mercy endures forever.
II
5 In danger I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
6 The Lord is with me; I am not afraid;
what can mortals do against me?(AC)
7 The Lord is with me as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on my foes.
8 Better to take refuge in the Lord(AD)
than to put one’s trust in mortals.
9 Better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put one’s trust in princes.
III
10 All the nations surrounded me;
in the Lord’s name I cut them off.
11 They surrounded me on every side;
in the Lord’s name I cut them off.
12 They surrounded me like bees;(AE)
they burned up like fire among thorns;
in the Lord’s name I cut them off.
13 I was hard pressed and falling,
but the Lord came to my help.(AF)
14 The Lord, my strength and might,
has become my savior.(AG)
IV
15 The joyful shout of deliverance
is heard in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand works valiantly;
16 the Lord’s right hand is raised;
the Lord’s right hand works valiantly.”
17 I shall not die but live
and declare the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord chastised me harshly,
but did not hand me over to death.
V
19 Open the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and thank the Lord.(AH)
20 This is the Lord’s own gate,
through it the righteous enter.
21 I thank you for you answered me;
you have been my savior.
22 [q]The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.(AI)
23 By the Lord has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice in it and be glad.
25 Lord, grant salvation![r]
Lord, grant good fortune!
VI
26 Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.(AJ)
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God and has enlightened us.
Join in procession with leafy branches
up to the horns of the altar.
VII
28 You are my God, I give you thanks;
my God, I offer you praise.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
his mercy endures forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 114 A hymn celebrating Israel’s escape from Egypt, journey through the wilderness, and entry into the promised land, and the miracles of nature that bore witness to God’s presence in their midst. In the perspective of the Psalm, the people proceed directly from Egypt into the promised land (Ps 114:1–2). Sea and Jordan, which stood like soldiers barring the people from their land, flee before the mighty God as the earth recoils from the battle (Ps 114:3–4). The poet taunts the natural elements as one taunts defeated enemies (Ps 114:5–6).
- 114:3–4 Pairs of cosmic elements such as sea and rivers, mountains and hills, are sometimes mentioned in creation accounts. Personified here as warriors, the pairs tremble in fear before the Divine Warrior. The quaking also recalls the divine appearance in the storm at Sinai (Ex 19:16–19) and elsewhere (Jgs 5:4–5; Ps 18:7–15).
- 114:8 The miracles of giving drink to the people in the arid desert, cf. Ex 17:1–7; Is 41:17–18.
- Psalm 115 A response to the enemy taunt, “Where is your God?” This hymn to the glory of Israel’s God (Ps 115:1–3) ridicules the lifeless idols of the nations (Ps 115:4–8), expresses in a litany the trust of the various classes of the people in God (Ps 115:9–11), invokes God’s blessing on them as they invoke the divine name (Ps 115:12–15), and concludes as it began with praise of God. Ps 135:15–18 similarly mocks the Gentile gods and has a similar litany and hymn (Ps 135:19–21).
- 115:2 Where is their God?: implies that God cannot help them.
- 115:9–11 The house of Israel…the house of Aaron…those who fear the Lord: the laity of Israelite birth, the priests, and the converts to Judaism, cf. Ps 118:2–4; 135:19–21. In the New Testament likewise “those who fear the Lord” means converts to Judaism (cf. Acts 10:2, 22, 35; 13:16, 26).
- 115:16 The heavens: the Septuagint reads here “the heaven of heavens” or “the highest heavens,” i.e., above the firmament. See note on Ps 148:4.
- 115:17 See note on Ps 6:5.
- Psalm 116 A thanksgiving in which the psalmist responds to divine rescue from mortal danger (Ps 116:3–4) and from near despair (Ps 116:10–11) with vows and Temple sacrifices (Ps 116:13–14, 17–19). The Greek and Latin versions divide the Psalm into two parts: Ps 116:1–9 and Ps 116:10–19, corresponding to its two major divisions.
- 116:3 The cords of death: death is personified here; it attempts to capture the psalmist with snares and nets, cf. Ps 18:6.
- 116:9 The land of the living: the phrase elsewhere is an epithet of the Jerusalem Temple (cf. Ps 27:13; 52:5; Is 38:11). Hence the psalmist probably refers to being present to God in the Temple.
- 116:10 I kept faith, even when I said: even in the days of despair, the psalmist did not lose all hope.
- 116:13 The cup of salvation: probably the libation of wine poured out in gratitude for rescue, cf. Ex 25:29; Nm 15:5, 7, 10.
- 116:15 Dear in the eyes of the Lord: the meaning is that the death of God’s faithful is grievous to God, not that God is pleased with the death, cf. Ps 72:14. In Wis 3:5–6, God accepts the death of the righteous as a sacrificial burnt offering.
- Psalm 117 This shortest of hymns calls on the nations to acknowledge God’s supremacy. The supremacy of Israel’s God has been demonstrated to them by the people’s secure existence, which is owed entirely to God’s gracious fidelity.
- Psalm 118 A thanksgiving liturgy accompanying a procession of the king and the people into the Temple precincts. After an invocation in the form of a litany (Ps 118:1–4), the psalmist (very likely speaking in the name of the community) describes how the people confidently implored God’s help (Ps 118:5–9) when hostile peoples threatened its life (Ps 118:10–14); vividly God’s rescue is recounted (Ps 118:15–18). Then follows a possible dialogue at the Temple gates between the priests and the psalmist as the latter enters to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice (Ps 118:19–25). Finally, the priests impart their blessing (Ps 118:26–27), and the psalmist sings in gratitude (Ps 118:28–29).
- 118:22 The stone the builders rejected: a proverb: what is insignificant to human beings has become great through divine election. The “stone” may originally have meant the foundation stone or capstone of the Temple. The New Testament interpreted the verse as referring to the death and resurrection of Christ (Mt 21:42; Acts 4:11; cf. Is 28:16 and Rom 9:33; 1 Pt 2:7).
- 118:25 Grant salvation: the Hebrew for this cry has come into English as “Hosanna.” This cry and the words in Ps 118:26 were used in the gospels to welcome Jesus entering the Temple on Palm Sunday (Mk 11:9–10).
Psalm 114-118
New International Version
Psalm 114-118
New International Version
Psalm 114
1 When Israel came out of Egypt,(A)
Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2 Judah(B) became God’s sanctuary,(C)
Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled,(D)
the Jordan turned back;(E)
4 the mountains leaped(F) like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?(G)
Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
6 Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,
you hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, earth,(H) at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turned the rock into a pool,
the hard rock into springs of water.(I)
Psalm 115(J)
1 Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,(K)
because of your love and faithfulness.(L)
2 Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”(M)
3 Our God is in heaven;(N)
he does whatever pleases him.(O)
4 But their idols are silver and gold,(P)
made by human hands.(Q)
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,(R)
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
9 All you Israelites, trust(S) in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron,(T) trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him,(U) trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers(V) us and will bless us:(W)
He will bless his people Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear(X) the Lord—
small and great alike.
14 May the Lord cause you to flourish,(Y)
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven(Z) and earth.
16 The highest heavens belong to the Lord,(AA)
but the earth he has given(AB) to mankind.
17 It is not the dead(AC) who praise the Lord,
those who go down to the place of silence;
18 it is we who extol the Lord,(AD)
both now and forevermore.(AE)
Psalm 116
1 I love the Lord,(AG) for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry(AH) for mercy.(AI)
2 Because he turned his ear(AJ) to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death(AK) entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name(AL) of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!(AM)”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;(AN)
our God is full of compassion.(AO)
6 The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low,(AP) he saved me.(AQ)
8 For you, Lord, have delivered me(AT) from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord(AU)
in the land of the living.(AV)
10 I trusted(AW) in the Lord when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;(AX)
11 in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”(AY)
12 What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness(AZ) to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name(BA) of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows(BB) to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight(BC) of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.(BD)
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;(BE)
I serve you just as my mother did;(BF)
you have freed me from my chains.(BG)
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering(BH) to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows(BI) to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts(BJ) of the house of the Lord—
in your midst, Jerusalem.(BK)
Praise the Lord.[b]
Psalm 117
1 Praise the Lord,(BL) all you nations;(BM)
extol him, all you peoples.
2 For great is his love(BN) toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord(BO) endures forever.
Praise the Lord.[c]
Psalm 118
2 Let Israel say:(BS)
“His love endures forever.”(BT)
3 Let the house of Aaron say:(BU)
“His love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord(BV) say:
“His love endures forever.”
5 When hard pressed,(BW) I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.(BX)
6 The Lord is with me;(BY) I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?(BZ)
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.(CA)
I look in triumph on my enemies.(CB)
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord(CC)
than to trust in humans.(CD)
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.(CE)
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.(CF)
11 They surrounded me(CG) on every side,(CH)
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,(CI)
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;(CJ)
in the name of the Lord I cut them down.(CK)
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the Lord helped me.(CL)
14 The Lord is my strength(CM) and my defense[d];
he has become my salvation.(CN)
15 Shouts of joy(CO) and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand(CP) has done mighty things!(CQ)
16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die(CR) but live,
and will proclaim(CS) what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened(CT) me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.(CU)
19 Open for me the gates(CV) of the righteous;
I will enter(CW) and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord(CX)
through which the righteous may enter.(CY)
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;(CZ)
you have become my salvation.(DA)
22 The stone(DB) the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;(DC)
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous(DD) in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.(DE)
25 Lord, save us!(DF)
Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes(DG) in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.[e](DH)
27 The Lord is God,(DI)
and he has made his light shine(DJ) on us.
With boughs in hand,(DK) join in the festal procession
up[f] to the horns of the altar.(DL)
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 115:18 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
- Psalm 116:19 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
- Psalm 117:2 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
- Psalm 118:14 Or song
- Psalm 118:26 The Hebrew is plural.
- Psalm 118:27 Or Bind the festal sacrifice with ropes / and take it
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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