Psalms 138
A psalm of praise for God's nearness to the lowly.
Psalm 138 begins as personal worship, "I will praise thee with my whole heart," recalling a day when the psalmist cried out and God "strengthenedst me with strength in my soul." It shifts the mood from the exile's grief in Psalms 137 back to confident praise.
I will give thee thanks with all my heart, Before the messengers of God, will I praise thee in song:
I will bow down towards thy holy temple, and thank thy Name, for thy lovingkindness and for thy faithfulness, For thou hast magnified, above all thy Name, thy word!
In the day I cried unto thee, then didst thou answer me, and didst excite me, in my soul, mightily.
All the kings of the earth, will thank thee, O Yahweh, when they have heard the sayings of thy mouth;
And they will sing of the ways of Yahweh, That great is the glory of Yahweh:
Though lofty is Yahweh, yet, the lowly, he regardeth, but, the haughty—afar off, doth he acknowledge.
Though I walk in the midst of distress, thou wilt give me life,—Because of the anger of my foes, thou wilt thrust forth thy hand, and thy right hand, will save me:
Yahweh, will carry through my cause,—O Yahweh! thy lovingkindness, is age-abiding, The works of thine own hands, do not thou desert.