Psalm 115–116

The One True God

115To you alone, O Lord, to you alone,

and not to us, must glory be given

because of your constant love and faithfulness.

²Why should the nations ask us,

“Where is your God?”

³Our God is in heaven;

he does whatever he wishes.

^4*Their gods are made of silver and gold,

formed by human hands.

^5*They have mouths, but cannot speak,

and eyes, but cannot see.

^6*They have ears, but cannot hear,

and noses, but cannot smell.

^7*They have hands, but cannot feel,

and feet, but cannot walk;

they cannot make a sound.

^8*May all who made them and who trust in them

become^y like the idols they have made.

⁹Trust in the Lord, you people of Israel.

He helps you and protects you.

¹⁰Trust in the Lord, you priests of God.

He helps you and protects you.

¹¹Trust in the Lord, all you that worship him.

He helps you and protects you.

¹²The Lord remembers us and will bless us;

he will bless the people of Israel

and all the priests of God.

^13*He will bless everyone who honours him,

the great and the small alike.

¹⁴May the Lord give you children—

you and your descendants!

¹⁵May you be blessed by the Lord,

who made heaven and earth!

¹⁶Heaven belongs to the Lord alone,

but he gave the earth to the human race.

¹⁷The Lord is not praised by the dead,

by any who go down to the land of silence.^z

¹⁸But we, the living, will give thanks to him

now and for ever.

Praise the Lord!

A Man Saved from Death Praises God

116I love the Lord, because he hears me;

he listens to my prayers.

²He listens to me

every time I call to him.

³The danger of death was all round me;

the horrors of the grave closed in on me;

I was filled with fear and anxiety.

⁴Then I called to the Lord,

“I beg you, Lord, save me!”

⁵The Lord is merciful and good;

our God is compassionate.

⁶The Lord protects the helpless;

when I was in danger, he saved me.

⁷Be confident, my heart,

because the Lord has been good to me.

⁸The Lord saved me from death;

he stopped my tears

and kept me from defeat.

⁹And so I walk in the presence of the Lord

in the world of the living.

^10*I kept on believing, even when I said,

“I am completely crushed,”

¹¹even when I was afraid and said,

“No one can be trusted.”

¹²What can I offer the Lord

for all his goodness to me?

¹³I will bring a wine offering to the Lord,

to thank him for saving me.

¹⁴In the assembly of all his people

I will give him what I have promised.

¹⁵How painful it is to the Lord

when one of his people dies!

¹⁶I am your servant, Lord;

I serve you, just as my mother did.

You have saved me from death.

¹⁷I will give you a sacrifice of thanksgiving

and offer my prayer to you.

^18–19In the assembly of all your people,

in the sanctuary of your Temple in Jerusalem,

I will give you what I have promised.

Praise the Lord!