A Psalm, a song for the inauguration of the Temple, by Dovid.¹ I will exalt You, Adonoy, for You have upheld me,² and not let my foes rejoice over me. Adonoy, my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me. Adonoy, You have raised my soul from the lower world. You have kept me alive, lest I descend to the Pit. Sing to Adonoy, [you,] His pious ones, and give thanks to His Holy Name.³ For His anger lasts only a moment,⁴ but there is [long] life, in His conciliation. In the evening, one retires weeping, but in the morning there is [a cry of] joy! I said, in my serenity, I would never be moved. [But,] Adonoy, it was Your will [alone] that established my mountain as a stronghold. When You concealed Your Presence, I was terrified. To You, Adonoy, I called, and my Master I beseeched. What gain is there in [the shedding of] my blood? In my going down to destruction? Will the dust acknowledge You? Will it proclaim Your truth? Hear [me] Adonoy, and be gracious to me, Adonoy, be a help to me. You have turned my mourning into dancing, You have loosened my sackcloth and supported me with joy. In order that my soul⁵ might sing to You and not be stilled, Adonoy, my God, forever will I thank You.

footnotes: ¹ Since it was Shlomo who built the Temple, why is its inauguration attributed to Dovid? Rashi explains: Dovid composed the song which would be sung at the inauguration later, in Shlomo’s days. ² Radak writes that the Hebrew word דִלִיתָנִי is an expression used to describe either a downtrodden or an uplifted state. The downtrodden state of the Jewish people is actually part of their uplifting says the Sfas Emes, as it is said, “when I was brought low, He delivered me” (Tehillim 116:6). “My downtrodden state was the cause of my salvation,” proclaims Dovid, just as when one lowers a bucket (דְלִי) into a well in order to bring up the water. ³ The literal translation of זֵכֶר קָדְשׁו is His ‘holy remembrance,’ but it refers to His Name; for the titles we bestow upon Him are our means of remembering Him.—Radak ⁴ A moment is a measure of time. Hashem’s anger is limited to time (be it long or short) but Hashem’s favor is unlimited.—Sfas Emes ⁵ The literal translation of כָבוד is glory. Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz explained that the soul is called כָבוד because its only function is to give glory to Hashem.