Psalms 118

1 'O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever.'

Thank the Lord, for he is good! His trustworthy love lasts forever.

2 So let Israel now say, for His mercy endureth for ever,

Let all Israel say, “His trustworthy love lasts forever.”

3 So let the house of Aaron now say, for His mercy endureth for ever.

Let Aaron's descendants say, “His trustworthy love lasts forever.”

4 So let them now that fear the LORD say, for His mercy endureth for ever.

Let those who honor the Lord say, “His trustworthy love lasts forever.”

5 Out of my straits I called upon the LORD; He answered me with great enlargement.

I was suffering badly, so I cried out to the Lord for help. He answered me and set me free from my pain.

6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear; what can man do unto me?

The Lord is with me, so I have nothing to fear. No one can harm me.

7 The LORD is for me as my helper; and I shall gaze upon them that hate me.

The Lord is with me, he will help me. I will see those who hate me defeated.

8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

It's better to rely on the Lord than to trust in people.

9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

It's better to rely on the Lord than to trust in the rich and powerful.

10 All nations compass me about; verily, in the name of the LORD I will cut them off.

Even though all the heathen nations surrounded me, I defeated them with the help of the Lord.

11 They compass me about, yea, they compass me about; verily, in the name of the LORD I will cut them off.

They completely surrounded me, but even so I defeated them with the help of the Lord.

12 They compass me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns; verily, in the name of the LORD I will cut them off.

Like a swarm of bees they attacked, but their attack died out as quickly as burning thorn twigs. I defeated them with the help of the Lord.

13 Thou didst thrust sore at me that I might fall; but the LORD helped me.

They tried as hard as they could to kill me, but the Lord helped me.

14 The LORD is my strength and song; and He is become my salvation.

The Lord is my strength, and the one I sing about. He is the one who saves me.

15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.

Songs of celebration and victory come from the tents of the faithful. The Lord's powerful hand has done amazing things!

16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted; the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.

The Lord raises his powerful hand in victory! The Lord's powerful hand has done amazing things!

17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.

I'm not going to die. In fact I'm going to live, and let people know what the Lord has done.

18 The LORD hath chastened me sore; but He hath not given me over unto death.

Even though the Lord punished me severely, he did not let me die.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto the LORD.

Open the gates of the faithful for me so I can go in and thank the Lord.

20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter into it.

These are the gates of the Lord where God's faithful people enter.

21 I will give thanks unto Thee, for Thou hast answered me, and art become my salvation.

I want to thank you for answering me and for being the one who saves me.

22 The stone which the builders rejected is become the chief corner-stone.

The stone rejected by the builders has turned out to be the chief cornerstone.

23 This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

The Lord has done this, and it looks wonderful to us!

24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

The Lord made this day happen! We will celebrate and be happy for it!

25 We beseech Thee, O LORD, save now! We beseech Thee, O LORD, make us now to prosper!

Lord, please save us! Lord, please make us successful!

26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD; we bless you out of the house of the LORD.

May the one who comes in the power of the Lord by blessed! We bless you from the house of the Lord!

27 The LORD is God, and hath given us light; order the festival procession with boughs, even unto the horns of the altar.

The Lord is God, and his goodness shines on us. Branches in hand, start the procession up towards the altar.

28 Thou art my God, and I will give thanks unto Thee; Thou art my God, I will exalt Thee.

You are my God, and I will thank you! You are my God, and I will praise you!

29 O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever.

Thank the Lord, for he is good! His trustworthy love lasts forever!