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Book Five

The Lord Rescues People from Many Troubles.

107 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His compassion and lovingkindness endure forever!

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,

And gathered them from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.


They wandered in the wilderness in a [solitary] desert region;
And did not find a way to an inhabited city.

Hungry and thirsty,
They fainted.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He rescued them from their distresses.

He led them by the straight way,
To an inhabited city [where they could establish their homes].

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!

For He satisfies the parched throat,
And fills the hungry appetite with what is good.

10 
Some dwelt in darkness and in the deep (deathly) darkness,
Prisoners [bound] in misery and chains,(A)
11 
Because they had rebelled against the precepts of God
And spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 
Therefore He humbled their heart with hard labor;
They stumbled and there was no one to help.
13 
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them from their distresses.
14 
He brought them out of darkness and the deep (deathly) darkness
And broke their bonds apart.(B)
15 
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!
16 
For He has shattered the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron apart.

17 
Fools, because of their rebellious way,
And because of their sins, were afflicted.
18 
They detested all kinds of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
19 
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them from their distresses.
20 
He sent His word and healed them,
And rescued them from their destruction.(C)
21 
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!(D)
22 
And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And speak of His deeds with shouts of joy!

23 
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
24 
They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
25 
For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
Which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 
They went up toward the heavens [on the crest of the wave], they went down again to the depths [of the watery trough];
Their courage melted away in their misery.
27 
They staggered and trembled like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end [all their wisdom was useless].
28 
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29 
He hushed the storm to a gentle whisper,
So that the waves of the sea were still.(E)
30 
Then they were glad because of the calm,
And He guided them to their desired haven (harbor).
31 
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!
32 
Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people,
And praise Him at the seat of the elders.

33 
He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And springs of water into a thirsty ground;(F)
34 
A productive land into a [barren] salt waste,
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.(G)
35 
He turns a wilderness into a pool of water
And a dry land into springs of water;(H)
36 
And there He has the hungry dwell,
So that they may establish an inhabited city,
37 
And sow fields and plant vineyards,
And produce an abundant harvest.
38 
Also He blesses them so that they multiply greatly,
And He does not let [the number of] their cattle decrease.

39 
When they are diminished and bowed down (humbled)
Through oppression, misery, and sorrow,
40 
He pours contempt on princes
And makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.
41 
Yet He sets the needy securely on high, away from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
42 
The upright see it and rejoice;
But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.
43 
Who is wise? Let him observe and heed these things;
And [thoughtfully] consider the lovingkindness of the Lord.

Praise and Supplication to God for Victory.

A Song. A Psalm of David.

108 O God, my heart is steadfast [with confident faith];
I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul.

Awake, harp and lyre;
I will awaken the dawn!

I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the people;
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.

For Your lovingkindness is great and higher than the heavens;
Your truth reaches to the skies.(I)

Be exalted [in majesty], O God, above the heavens,
And Your glory above all the earth.

That Your beloved [ones] may be rescued,
Save with Your right hand, and answer me!


God has spoken in His [b]holiness:
“I will rejoice, I will portion out Shechem [as I divide Canaan among My people],
And measure out the Valley of Succoth.

“Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the helmet of My head [My stronghold, My defense];
Judah is My [c]scepter.(J)

“Moab is My washbowl;
Over Edom I will throw My shoe [to show Edom is Mine];
Over Philistia I will shout [in triumph].”

10 
Who will bring me into the fortified city [of Petra]?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 
Have You not rejected us, O God?
And will You not go out, O God, with our armies?
12 
Give us help against the adversary,
For deliverance by man is in vain [a worthless hope].
13 
[d]With God we will do valiantly,
For it is He who will trample down our enemies.(K)

Vengeance Invoked upon Adversaries.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

109 O God of my praise!
Do not keep silent,

For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And have fought against me without a cause.

In return for my love, they attack me,
But I am in prayer.

They have repaid me evil for good,
And hatred for my love.


Appoint a wicked man against him,
And let an attacker stand at his right hand [to kill him].

When he enters into dispute, let wickedness come about.
Let his prayer [for help] result [only] in sin.

Let his days be few;
And let another take his office.(L)

Let his children be fatherless
And his wife a widow.
10 
Let his children wander and beg;
Let them seek their food and be driven far from their ruined homes.(M)
11 
Let the creditor seize all that he has,
And let strangers plunder the product of his labor.
12 
Let there be no one to extend kindness to him,
Nor let anyone be gracious to his fatherless children.
13 
Let his descendants be cut off,
And in the following generation let their name be blotted out.

14 
Let the wickedness of his fathers be remembered by the Lord;
And do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 
Let them be before the Lord continually,
That He may cut off their memory from the earth;
16 
Because the man did not remember to show kindness,
But persecuted the suffering and needy man,
And the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
17 
He also loved cursing, and it came [back] to him;
He did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 
He clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
And it seeped into his inner self like water
And like [anointing] oil into his bones.
19 
Let it be to him as a robe with which he covers himself,
And as a sash with which he is constantly bound.
20 
Let this be the reward of my attackers from the Lord,
And of those who speak evil against my life.

21 
But You, O God, the Lord, show kindness to me, for Your name’s sake;
Because Your lovingkindness (faithfulness, compassion) is good, O rescue me;
22 
For I am suffering and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
23 
I am vanishing like a shadow when it lengthens and fades;
I am shaken off like the locust.
24 
My knees are unsteady from fasting;
And my flesh is gaunt and without fatness.
25 
I also have become a reproach and an object of taunting to others;
When they see me, they shake their heads [in derision].(N)

26 
Help me, O Lord my God;
Save me according to Your lovingkindness—
27 
And let them know that this is Your hand;
You, Lord, have done it.
28 
Let them curse, but You bless.
When adversaries arise, let them be ashamed,
But let Your servant rejoice.
29 
Let my attackers be clothed with dishonor,
And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

30 
I will give great praise and thanks to the Lord with my mouth;
And in the midst of many I will praise Him.
31 
For He will stand at the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who judge his soul.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 107:3 Lit sea.
  2. Psalm 108:7 Or sanctuary.
  3. Psalm 108:8 Or lawgiver.
  4. Psalm 108:13 Or In or Through.

Servants of Christ

So then, let us [who minister] be regarded as servants of Christ and stewards (trustees, administrators) of the mysteries of God [that He chooses to reveal]. In this case, moreover, it is required [as essential and demanded] of stewards that one be found faithful and trustworthy. But [as for me personally] it matters very little to me that I may be judged by you or any human court [on this point]; in fact, I do not even judge myself. I am aware of nothing against myself and I feel blameless, but I am not by this acquitted [before God]. It is the Lord who judges me. So do not go on passing judgment before the appointed time, but wait until the Lord comes, for He will both bring to light the [secret] things that are hidden in darkness and disclose the motives of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

Now I have applied these things [that is, the analogies about factions] to myself and Apollos for your benefit, believers, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written [in Scripture], so that none of you will become arrogant and boast in favor of one [minister or teacher] against the other. For who regards you as superior or what sets you apart as special? What do you have that you did not receive [from another]? And if in fact you received it [from God or someone else], why do you boast as if you had not received it [but had gained it by yourself]?

[You behave as if] you are already filled [with spiritual wisdom and in need of nothing more]. Already you have become rich [in spiritual gifts]! You [in your conceit] have ascended your thrones and become kings without us; and how I wish [that it were true and] that you did reign as kings, so that we might reign with you. For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles at the end of the line, like men sentenced to death [and paraded as prisoners in a procession], because we have become a spectacle to the world [a show in the world’s amphitheater], both to angels and to men. 10 We are [regarded as] fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are highly esteemed, but we are dishonored. 11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are continually poorly dressed, and we are roughly treated, and wander homeless. 12 We work [for our living], working hard with our own hands. When we are reviled and verbally abused, we bless. When we are persecuted, we take it patiently and endure. 13 When we are slandered, we try to be conciliatory and answer softly. We have become like the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

14 I do not write these things to shame you, but to warn and advise you as my beloved children. 15 For even if you were to have ten thousand teachers [to guide you] in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers [who led you to Christ and assumed responsibility for you], for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the good news [of salvation]. 16 So I urge you, be imitators of me [just as a child imitates his father]. 17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my way of life in Christ [my conduct and my precepts for godly living], just as I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Now some of you have become arrogant and pretentious, as though I were not coming to see you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I will find out not just the talk of these arrogant people, but [evaluate] their [spiritual] power [whether they live up to their own claims]. 20 For the kingdom of God is not based on talk but on power. 21 Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod [of discipline and correction], or with love and a gentle spirit?

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