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.