Psalms

The Psalter is Israel’s hymnbook: lament, praise, thanksgiving, royal psalms, and wisdom. It trains the heart to speak to God in trouble and in joy, and it points ahead to the Messiah.

Author: David and others
Date: c. 1400–400 BC
Theme: Prayers and songs for every season of the life of faith.
Key verses: Psalm 23; Psalm 51; Psalm 119:105
Catholic Public Domain Version

Psalms 123

1A Canticle in steps. If the Lord had not been with us, let Israel now say it: 2if the Lord had not been with us, when men rose up against us, 3perhaps they would have swallowed us alive. When their fury was enraged against us, 4perhaps the waters would have engulfed us. 5Our soul has passed through a torrent. Perhaps, our soul had even passed through intolerable water. 6Blessed is the Lord, who has not given us into the harm of their teeth. 7Our soul has been snatched away like a sparrow from the snare of the hunters. The snare has been broken, and we have been freed. 8Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

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