Psalm 106
International Children’s Bible
Israel’s Failure to Trust God
106 Praise the Lord!
Thank the Lord because he is good.
His love continues forever.
2 No one can tell all the mighty things the Lord has done.
No one can speak all his praise.
3 Happy are those people who are fair,
who do what is right at all times.
4 Lord, remember me when you are kind to your people.
Help me when you save them.
5 Let me see the good things you do for your chosen people.
Let me be happy along with your happy nation.
Let me join your own people in praising you.
6 We have sinned just as our ancestors did.
We have done wrong. We have done evil.
7 Our ancestors in Egypt
did not learn from your miracles.
They did not remember all your kindnesses.
So they turned against you at the Red Sea.
8 But the Lord saved them for his own sake,
to show his great power.
9 He commanded the Red Sea, and it dried up.
He led them through the deep sea as if it were a desert.
10 He saved them from those who hated them.
He saved them from their enemies.
11 And the water covered their enemies.
Not one of them escaped.
12 Then the people believed what the Lord said.
They sang praises to him.
13 But they quickly forgot what he had done.
They did not wait for his advice.
14 They became greedy for food in the desert.
And they tested God there.
15 So he gave them what they wanted.
But he also sent a terrible disease among them.
16 The people in the camp became jealous of Moses
and of Aaron, the holy priest of the Lord.
17 Then the ground opened up and swallowed Dathan.
It closed over Abiram’s group.
18 Then a fire burned among their followers.
Flames burned up the wicked people.
19 The people made a gold calf at Mount Sinai.
They worshiped a metal statue.
20 They exchanged their glorious God
for a statue of a bull, which eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who saved them,
who had done great things in Egypt.
22 He did miracles in Egypt.[a]
He did amazing things by the Red Sea.
23 So God said he would destroy them.
But Moses, his chosen one, stood before him.
He stopped God’s anger from destroying them.
24 Then they refused to go into the beautiful land of Canaan.
They did not believe what God promised.
25 They grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the Lord.
26 So he swore to them
that they would die in the desert.
27 He said their children would be killed by other nations
and that they would be scattered among other countries.
28 They joined in worshiping Baal at Peor.
They ate meat that had been sacrificed to lifeless statues.
29 They made the Lord angry by what they did.
So many people became sick with a terrible disease.
30 But Phinehas prayed to the Lord,
and the disease stopped.
31 The Lord will remember that Phinehas did what was right.
And God will remember this from now on.
32 The people also made the Lord angry at Meribah.
And Moses was in trouble because of them.
33 The people turned against the Spirit of God.
So Moses spoke without stopping to think.
34 The people did not destroy the other nations
as the Lord had told them to do.
35 Instead, they mixed with the other nations.
And they learned their customs.
36 They worshiped other nations’ idols.
And they were trapped by them.
37 They even killed their sons and daughters
as sacrifices to demons.
38 They killed innocent people.
They killed their own sons and daughters
as sacrifices to the idols of Canaan.
So the land was made unholy by their blood.
39 The people became unholy by their sins.
They were unfaithful to God in what they did.
40 So the Lord became angry with his people.
He hated his own children.
41 He let other nations defeat them.
He let their enemies rule over them.
42 Their enemies were cruel to them.
Their enemies kept them under their power.
43 The Lord saved his people many times.
But they continued to turn against him.
So they became even more wicked.
44 But God saw their misery.
He heard their cry.
45 He remembered his agreement with them.
And he felt sorry for them because of his great love.
46 He caused them to be pitied
by those who held them captive.
47 Lord our God, save us.
Bring us back from other nations.
Then we will thank you.
Then we will gladly praise you.
48 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel.
He always was and always will be.
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!
Footnotes
- 106:22 Egypt Literally, “the land of Ham.” The people in Egypt were descendants of Ham, one of Noah’s sons. See Genesis 10:6.
Psalm 106
Common English Bible
Psalm 106
106 Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his faithful love endures forever.
2 Who could possibly repeat all of the Lord’s mighty acts
or publicly recount all his praise?
3 The people who uphold justice,
who always do what is right, are truly happy!
4 Remember me, Lord, with the favor you show your people.
Visit me with your saving help
5 so I can experience the good things your chosen ones experience,
so I can rejoice in the joy of your nation,
so I can praise along with your possession.
6 We have sinned—right along with our ancestors.
We’ve done what is wrong.
We’ve acted wickedly.
7 Our ancestors in Egypt didn’t understand your wondrous works.
They didn’t remember how much faithful love you have.
So they rebelled by the sea—at the Reed Sea.[a]
8 But God saved them for the sake of his good name,
to make known his mighty power.
9 God scolded the Reed Sea, and it dried right up;
he led them through the deeps like they were a dry desert.
10 God saved them from hostile powers;
he redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11 But the waters covered over their foes—
not one of them survived!
12 So our ancestors trusted God’s words;
they sang God’s praise.
13 But how quickly they forgot what he had done!
They wouldn’t wait for his advice.
14 They were overcome with craving in the desert;
they tested God in the wastelands.
15 God gave them what they asked for;
he sent food[b] to satisfy their appetites.
16 But then they were jealous of Moses in the camp,
jealous too of Aaron, the Lord’s holy one.
17 So the earth opened up, swallowing Dathan,
and covering over Abiram’s crowd.
18 Fire blazed throughout that whole group;
flames burned up the wicked.
19 They made a calf at Horeb,
bowing down to a metal idol.
20 They traded their glorious God[c]
for an image of a bull that eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who saved them—
the one who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,
awesome deeds at the Reed Sea.
23 So God determined that he would destroy them—
except for the fact that Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the way, right in front of him,
and turned God’s destructive anger away.
24 But then they rejected the land that was so desirable.
They didn’t trust God’s promise.
25 They muttered in their tents
and wouldn’t listen to the Lord’s voice.
26 So God raised his hand against them,
making them fall in the desert,
27 scattering their offspring among the nations,
casting them across many lands.
28 They joined themselves to Baal-peor
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.
29 They made God angry by what they did,
so a plague broke out against them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and prayed,
and the plague was contained.
31 That’s why Phinehas is considered righteous,
generation after generation, forever.
32 But they angered God at Meribah’s waters,
and things went badly for Moses because of them,
33 because they made him bitter
so that he spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They didn’t destroy the nations
as the Lord had ordered them to do.
35 Instead, they got mixed up with the nations,
learning what they did
36 and serving those false gods,
which became a trap for them.
37 They sacrificed their own sons and daughters to demons!
38 They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their own sons and daughters—
the ones they sacrificed to Canaan’s false gods—
so the land was defiled by the bloodshed.
39 They made themselves unclean by what they did; they prostituted themselves by their actions.
40 So the Lord’s anger burned against his people;
he despised his own possession.
41 God handed them over to the nations;
people who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were humbled under their power.
43 God delivered them numerous times,
but they were determined to rebel,
and so they were brought down by their own sin.
44 But God saw their distress
when he heard their loud cries.
45 God remembered his covenant for their sake,
and because of how much faithful love he has,
God changed his mind.
46 God allowed them to receive compassion
from all their captors.
47 Lord our God, save us!
Gather us back together from among all the nations
so we can give thanks to your holy name
and rejoice in your praise!
48 Bless the Lord, the God of Israel,
from forever ago to forever from now!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!
Footnotes
- Psalm 106:7 Or Red Sea; also in 106:9, 22
- Psalm 106:15 LXX
- Psalm 106:20 Or their Glory
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible