118
Thanksgiving for the Loʀᴅ’s Saving Goodness.
O give thanks to the Loʀᴅ, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness endures forever.
Oh let Israel say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
Oh let those who [reverently] fear the Loʀᴅ, say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
 
Out of my distress I called on the Loʀᴅ;
The Loʀᴅ answered me and set me free.
The Loʀᴅ is on my side; I will not fear.
What can [mere] man do to me? [Heb 13:6]
The Loʀᴅ is on my side, He is among those who help me;
Therefore I will look [in triumph] on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Loʀᴅ
Than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Loʀᴅ
Than to trust in princes.
 
10 All nations encompassed me;
In the name of the Loʀᴅ I will surely cut them off.
11 They encompassed me, yes, they surrounded me [on every side];
In the name of the Loʀᴅ I will cut them off.
12 They swarmed around me like bees;
They flare up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns;
In the name of the Loʀᴅ I will surely cut them off. [Deut 1:44]
13 You [my enemy] pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the Loʀᴅ helped me.
14 The Loʀᴅ is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
 
15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous:
The right hand of the Loʀᴅ does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Loʀᴅ is exalted;
The right hand of the Loʀᴅ does valiantly.
17 I will not die, but live,
And declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Loʀᴅ.
18 The Loʀᴅ has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death. [2 Cor 6:9]
 
19 Open to me the [temple] gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Loʀᴅ.
20 This is the gate of the Loʀᴅ;
The righteous will enter through it. [Ps 24:7]
21 I will give thanks to You, for You have heard and answered me;
And You have become my salvation [my Rescuer, my Savior].
 
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the *chief corner stone.
23 This is from the Loʀᴅ and is His doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes. [Matt 21:42; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:7]
24 This [day in which God has saved me] is the day which the Loʀᴅ has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O Loʀᴅ, save now, we beseech You;
O Loʀᴅ, we beseech You, send now prosperity and give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Loʀᴅ;
We have blessed you from the house of the Loʀᴅ [you who come into His sanctuary under His guardianship]. [Mark 11:9, 10]
27 The Loʀᴅ is God, and He has given us light [illuminating us with His grace and freedom and joy].
Bind the festival sacrifices with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
[You are] my God, I extol You.
29 O give thanks to the Loʀᴅ, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness endures forever.
* 118:22 This refers either to the prominent stone at the top of a corner tower, or perhaps more likely to the stone at the foundation of a corner, the first stone laid for a structure (cf Eph 2:20). The special significance of the latter is that the shape of its sides determined how the walls were laid out. The verse refers prophetically to Jesus the Messiah (see Matt 21:42 etc.), but the ancient rabbis interpreted it as a reference to David, who started as a humble shepherd, not the background one would expect for a king. Some prophetic passages refer to an event in the past that is a precursor or foreshadowing of the future prophetic event. 118:27 Lit branches. In Jewish tradition this is interpreted as a ritual for the Feast of Booths. The term “festival” is understood as a reference to the lulav, several branches bound together and later placed against the altar so that they reach to the top of the horns and bend over the altar.