Praise to God for His Loyal Love
118 Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good,
for his loyal love is forever.
2 Let Israel say,
“His loyal love is forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His loyal love is forever.”
4 Let those who fear Yahweh say,
“His loyal love is forever.”
5 Out of my distress I called to Yah.[a]
Yah answered me, setting me in a broad place.
6 Yahweh is for me; I do not fear.
What can mere humans[b] do to me?
7 Yahweh is for me as my helper,
and so I will look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in Yahweh
than to trust in humans.[c]
9 It is better to take refuge in Yahweh
than to trust princes.
10 All nations surrounded me.
In the name of Yahweh I opposed them indeed.
11 They surrounded me; yes, they surrounded me.
In the name of Yahweh I opposed them indeed.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
they were extinguished like a fire of thorns.
In the name of Yahweh I opposed them indeed.
13 You pushed me hard[d] to make me fall,
but Yahweh helped me.
14 Yah[e] is my strength and my song,[f]
and he has become my salvation.[g]
15 The sound of rejoicing and salvation[h]
is in the tents of the righteous;
the right hand of Yahweh has done valiantly.
16 The right hand of Yahweh has exalted;
the right hand of Yahweh has done valiantly.
17 I will not die but live,
and tell of the works of Yah.[i]
18 Yah has disciplined me severely,
but he did not consign[j] me to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to Yah.[k]
20 This is the gate of Yahweh,
through which the righteous will enter.
21 I will give thanks to you for you have answered me,
and you have become my salvation.[l]
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is from Yahweh;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
24 This is the day Yahweh has worked;[m]
let us rejoice and be glad in him.[n]
25 O Yahweh, please save;
O Yahweh, please grant success.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh.
We bless you[o] from the house[p] of Yahweh.
27 Yahweh is God, and he has given us light.[q]
Bind the festal sacrifice[r] with cords[s]
to the horns[t] of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you.
You are my God; I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good,
for his loyal love is forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 118:5 A shortened form of “Yahweh”
- Psalm 118:6 Or “humankind”
- Psalm 118:8 Or “humankind”
- Psalm 118:13 Hebrew intensive “pushing, you pushed me”
- Psalm 118:14 A shortened form of “Yahweh”
- Psalm 118:14 Or “my might”
- Psalm 118:14 Or “victory”
- Psalm 118:15 Or “victory”
- Psalm 118:17 A shortened form of “Yahweh”
- Psalm 118:18 Hebrew “give”
- Psalm 118:19 A shortened form of “Yahweh”
- Psalm 118:21 Or “victory”
- Psalm 118:24 Or “made”
- Psalm 118:24 Or “in it”
- Psalm 118:26 Hebrew plural
- Psalm 118:26 Or “temple”
- Psalm 118:27 Or “made his light to shine upon to us”
- Psalm 118:27 Or “festal procession”
- Psalm 118:27 Or “branches”
- Psalm 118:27 Or “and lead up to the horns”