Psalm 115–116

PSALM 115

Heathen Idols Contrasted with the Lord.

^1aNot to us, O Lord, not to us,

But ^bto Your name give glory

Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your ¹truth.

^2aWhy should the nations say,

“^bWhere, now, is their God?”

³But our ^aGod is in the heavens;

He ^bdoes whatever He pleases.

⁴Their ^aidols are silver and gold,

The ^bwork of man’s hands.

⁵They have mouths, but they ^acannot speak;

They have eyes, but they cannot see;

⁶They have ears, but they cannot hear;

They have noses, but they cannot smell;

⁷¹They have hands, but they cannot feel;

²They have feet, but they cannot walk;

They cannot make a sound with their throat.

^8aThose who make them ¹will become like them,

Everyone who trusts in them.

⁹O ^aIsrael, ^btrust in the Lord;

He is their ^chelp and their shield.

¹⁰O house of ^aAaron, trust in the Lord;

He is their help and their shield.

¹¹You who ^1afear the Lord, trust in the Lord;

He is their help and their shield.

¹²The Lord ^ahas been mindful of us; He will bless us;

He will bless the house of Israel;

He will bless the house of Aaron.

¹³He will ^abless those who ¹fear the Lord,

^bThe small together with the great.

¹⁴May the Lord ^agive you increase,

You and your children.

¹⁵May you be blessed of the Lord,

^aMaker of heaven and earth.

¹⁶The heavens are ^athe heavens of the Lord,

But ^bthe earth He has given to the sons of men.

¹⁷The ^adead do not praise ¹the Lord,

Nor do any who go down into ^bsilence;

¹⁸But as for us, we will ^abless ¹the Lord

From this time forth and forever.

²Praise the Lord!

PSALM 116

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.

^1aI love the Lord, because He ^bhears

My voice and my supplications.

²Because He has ^ainclined His ear to me,

Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.

³The ^acords of death encompassed me

And the ¹terrors of ²Sheol ³came upon me;

I found distress and sorrow.

⁴Then ^aI called upon the name of the Lord:

“O Lord, I beseech You, ^1bsave my life!”

^5aGracious is the Lord, and ^brighteous;

Yes, our God is ^ccompassionate.

⁶The Lord preserves ^athe simple;

I was ^bbrought low, and He saved me.

⁷Return to your ^arest, O my soul,

For the Lord has ^bdealt bountifully with you.

⁸For You have ^arescued my soul from death,

My eyes from tears,

My feet from stumbling.

⁹I shall walk before the Lord

In the ^1aland of the living.

¹⁰I ^abelieved when I said,

“I am ^bgreatly afflicted.”

¹¹I ^asaid in my alarm,

“^bAll men are liars.”

¹²What shall I ^arender to the Lord

For all His ^bbenefits ¹toward me?

¹³I shall lift up the ^acup of salvation

And ^bcall upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁴I shall ^apay my vows to the Lord,

Oh may it be ^bin the presence of all His people.

^15aPrecious in the sight of the Lord

Is the death of His godly ones.

¹⁶O Lord, ¹surely I am ^aYour servant,

I am Your servant, the ^bson of Your handmaid,

You have ^cloosed my bonds.

¹⁷To You I shall offer ^aa sacrifice of thanksgiving,

And ^bcall upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁸I shall ^apay my vows to the Lord,

Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,

¹⁹In the ^acourts of the Lord’s house,

In the midst of you, O ^bJerusalem.

¹Praise ²the Lord!