Psalm 115–116

Psalm 115

¹Not to us, O Lord, not to us,

but to your name goes all the glory

for your unfailing love and faithfulness.

²Why let the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

³Our God is in the heavens,

and he does as he wishes.

⁴Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,

shaped by human hands.

⁵They have mouths but cannot speak,

and eyes but cannot see.

⁶They have ears but cannot hear,

and mouths but cannot breathe.

⁷They have hands but cannot feel,

and feet but cannot walk,

and throats but cannot make a sound.

⁸And those who make idols are just like them,

as are all who trust in them.

⁹O Israel, trust the Lord!

He is your helper and your shield.

¹⁰O priests, descendants of Aaron, trust the Lord!

He is your helper and your shield.

¹¹All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord!

He is your helper and your shield.

¹²The Lord remembers us and will bless us.

He will bless the people of Israel

and bless the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

¹³He will bless those who fear the Lord,

both great and lowly.

¹⁴May the Lord richly bless

both you and your children.

¹⁵May you be blessed by the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

¹⁶The heavens belong to the Lord,

but he has given the earth to all humanity.

¹⁷The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord,

for they have gone into the silence of the grave.

¹⁸But we can praise the Lord

both now and forever!

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 116

¹I love the Lord because he hears my voice

and my prayer for mercy.

²Because he bends down to listen,

I will pray as long as I have breath!

³Death wrapped its ropes around me;

the terrors of the grave overtook me.

I saw only trouble and sorrow.

⁴Then I called on the name of the Lord:

“Please, Lord, save me!”

⁵How kind the Lord is! How good he is!

So merciful, this God of ours!

⁶The Lord protects those of childlike faith;

I was facing death, and he saved me.

⁷Let my soul be at rest again,

for the Lord has been good to me.

⁸He has saved me from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling.

⁹And so I walk in the Lord’s presence

as I live here on earth!

¹⁰I believed in you, so I said,

“I am deeply troubled, Lord.”

¹¹In my anxiety I cried out to you,

“These people are all liars!”

¹²What can I offer the Lord

for all he has done for me?

¹³I will lift up the cup of salvation

and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.

¹⁴I will keep my promises to the Lord

in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵The Lord cares deeply

when his loved ones die.

¹⁶O Lord, I am your servant;

yes, I am your servant, born into your household;

you have freed me from my chains.

¹⁷I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving

and call on the name of the Lord.

¹⁸I will fulfill my vows to the Lord

in the presence of all his people—

¹⁹in the house of the Lord

in the heart of Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!