The Psalms of Praise (Psalms 113-118) are below as responsive readings, taken from a seder book, a book which follows the order of the ritual Passover meal. These Psalms are especially important to Passover because they were read by the Israelites during the three yearly festivals that necessitated a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. These holidays were Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot.
PSALMS OF PRAISE 113–115
(page 32–34 Messianic Family Haggadah)
Leader: Praise the LORD. Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.
All: Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore.
Leader: From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.
All: The LORD is exalted over all the nations, His glory above the heavens.
Leader: Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,
All: Who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
Leader: He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
All: He seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.
Leader: He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD.
All: When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
Leader: Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
All: The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back;
Leader: The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
All: Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,
Leader: You mountains, that you skipped like rams, you hills, like lambs?
All: Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
Leader: Who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.
All: Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness.
Leader: Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?”
All: Our God is in heaven;He does whatever pleases him.
Leader: But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
All: They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;
Leader: They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell;
All: They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Leader: Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
All: O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—He is your help and shield.
Leader: O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—He is your help and shield.
All: You who fear Him, trust in the LORD— He is your help and shield.
Leader: The LORD remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of Aaron,
All: He will bless those who fear the LORD— small and great alike.
Leader: May the LORD make you increase, both you and your children.
All: May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Leader: The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to man.
All: It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to silence;
Leader: It is we who extol the LORD, both now and forevermore. Praise the LORD.
PSALMS OF PRAISE 116–118
(page 47-50 Messianic Family Haggadah)
Leader: I love the LORD, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy.
All: Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.
Leader: The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
All: Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, save me!”
Leader: The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
All: The LORD protects the simple hearted; when I was in great need, He saved me.
Leader: Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
All: For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
Leader: That I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
All: I believed, therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”
Leader: And in my dismay I said, “All men are liars.”
All: How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?
Leader: I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
All: I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.
Leader: Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
All: O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.
Leader: I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.
All: I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the house of the LORD—in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.
Leader: Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples.
All: For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.
Leader: Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”
All: Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.”
Leader: Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.”
All: In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and He answered by setting me free.
Leader: The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
All: The LORD is with me; He is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
Leader: It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
All: All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
Leader: They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
All: They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
Leader: I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me.
All: The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Leader: Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!
All: The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’S right hand has done mighty things!”
Leader: I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
All: The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death.
Leader: Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.
All: This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.
Leader: I will give You thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation.
All: The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
Leader: The LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
All: This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Leader: O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success.
All: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless You.
Leader: The LORD is God, and He has made His light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
All: You are my God, and I will give You thanks; You are my God, and I will exalt You. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.
