Psalm 105

God’s Faithfulness to His People

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;
proclaim his deeds among the peoples.(A)
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell about all his wondrous works!(B)
Boast in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.(C)
Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.(D)
Remember the wondrous works he has done,
his wonders, and the judgments he has pronounced,[a](E)
you offspring of Abraham his servant,
Jacob’s descendants—his chosen ones.(F)

He is the Lord our God;
his judgments govern the whole earth.(G)
He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he ordained
for a thousand generations(H)
the covenant he made with Abraham,
swore[b] to Isaac,(I)
10 and confirmed to Jacob as a decree
and to Israel as a permanent covenant:(J)
11 “I will give the land of Canaan to you
as your inherited portion.”(K)

12 When they were few in number,
very few indeed,
and resident aliens in Canaan,(L)
13 wandering from nation to nation
and from one kingdom to another,(M)
14 he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their behalf:(N)
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones,(O)
or harm my prophets.”(P)

16 He called down famine against the land
and destroyed the entire food supply.(Q)
17 He had sent a man ahead of them—
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.(R)
18 They hurt his feet with shackles;
his neck was put in an iron collar.(S)
19 Until the time his prediction came true,
the word of the Lord tested him.(T)
20 The king sent for him and released him;
the ruler of peoples set him free.(U)
21 He made him master of his household,
ruler over all his possessions(V)
22 binding[c] his officials at will
and instructing his elders.(W)

23 Then Israel went to Egypt;
Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.[d](X)
24 The Lord[e] made his people very fruitful;
he made them more numerous than their foes,(Y)
25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people
and to deal deceptively with his servants.(Z)
26 He sent Moses his servant,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.(AA)
27 They performed his miraculous signs among them
and wonders in the land of Ham.(AB)
28 He sent darkness, and it became dark—
for did they not defy his commands?(AC)
29 He turned their water into blood
and caused their fish to die.(AD)
30 Their land was overrun with frogs,
even in their royal chambers.(AE)
31 He spoke, and insects came(AF)
gnats throughout their country.(AG)
32 He gave them hail for rain,
and lightning throughout their land.(AH)
33 He struck their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their territory.(AI)
34 He spoke, and locusts came—
young locusts without number.
35 They devoured all the vegetation in their land
and consumed the produce of their land.(AJ)
36 He struck all the firstborn in their land,
all their first progeny.(AK)

37 Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and no one among his tribes stumbled.(AL)
38 Egypt was glad when they left,
for the dread of Israel[f] had fallen on them.(AM)
39 He spread a cloud as a covering
and gave a fire to light up the night.(AN)
40 They asked, and he brought quail
and satisfied them with bread from heaven.(AO)
41 He opened a rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a stream in the desert.(AP)
42 For he remembered his holy promise
to Abraham his servant.(AQ)
43 He brought his people out with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy.(AR)
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they inherited
what other peoples had worked for.(AS)

45 All this happened
so that they might keep his statutes
and obey his instructions.(AT)
Hallelujah!

Footnotes

  1. 105:5 Lit judgments of his mouth
  2. 105:9 Lit and his oath
  3. 105:22 LXX, Syr, Vg read teaching
  4. 105:23 = Egypt, also in v. 27
  5. 105:24 Lit He
  6. 105:38 Lit them

Psalm 105

105 Give thanks to the Lord;
    call upon his name;
    make his deeds known to all people!
Sing to God;
    sing praises to the Lord;
    dwell on all his wondrous works!
Give praise to God’s holy name!
    Let the hearts rejoice of all those seeking the Lord!
Pursue the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always!
Remember the wondrous works he has done,
    all his marvelous works, and the justice he declared—
    you who are the offspring of Abraham, his servant,
        and the children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

The Lord—he is our God.
    His justice is everywhere throughout the whole world.
God remembers his covenant forever,
    the word he commanded to a thousand generations,
        which he made with Abraham,
        the solemn pledge he swore to Isaac.
10 God set it up as binding law for Jacob,
    as an eternal covenant for Israel,
11     promising, “I hereby give you the land of Canaan
    as your allotted inheritance.”

12 When they were few in number—
        insignificant, just immigrants—
13         wandering from nation to nation,
        from one kingdom to the next,
14     God didn’t let anyone oppress them.
    God punished kings for their sake:
15     “Don’t touch my anointed ones;
    don’t harm my prophets!”

16 When God called for a famine in the land,
    destroying every source of food,
17         he sent a man ahead of them,
            who was sold as a slave: it was Joseph.
18 Joseph’s feet hurt in his shackles;
        his neck was in an iron collar,
19     until what he predicted actually happened,
        until what the Lord had said proved him true.[a]
20 The king sent for Joseph and set him free;
    the ruler of many people released him.
21 The king made Joseph master of his house and ruler over everything he owned,
22     to make sure his princes acted according to his will,
    and to teach wisdom to his advisors.
23 That’s how Israel came to Egypt,
    how Jacob became an immigrant in the land of Ham.

24 God made his people very fruitful,
    more powerful than their enemies,
25     whose hearts God changed so they hated his people
    and dealt shrewdly with his servants.
26 God sent Moses his servant
    and the one he chose, Aaron.
27 They put God’s signs on Egypt,[b]
    his marvelous works on the land of Ham.
28 God sent darkness, and it became dark,
    but the Egyptians rejected his word.
29 God turned their waters into blood
    and killed their fish.
30 God made their land swarm with frogs[c]
    even in the bedrooms of their king!
31 God spoke, and the insects came—
    gnats throughout their whole country!
32 God turned their rain into hail
    along with lightning flashes throughout their land.
33 God destroyed their vines and their fig trees;
    shattered the trees of their countryside.
34 God spoke, and the locusts came—
    countless grasshoppers came!
35     They devoured all the plants in their land;
        they devoured the fruit of their soil.
36 God struck down all the oldest sons throughout their land;
    struck down their very pride and joy.
37 Then God brought Israel out, filled with silver and gold;
    not one of its tribes stumbled.
38 Egypt celebrated when they left,
    because the dread of Israel had come upon them.

39 God spread out clouds as a covering;
    gave lightning to provide light at night.
40 The people asked, and God brought quail;
    God filled them full with food from heaven.
41 God opened the rock and out gushed water—
    flowing like a river through the desert!
42 Because God remembered his holy promise
    to Abraham his servant,
43     God brought his people out with rejoicing,
    his chosen ones with songs of joy.
44 God gave them the lands of other nations;
    they inherited the wealth of many peoples—
45         all so that they would keep his laws
        and observe his instructions.

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 105:19 Heb uncertain
  2. Psalm 105:27 Correction; MT they put on them the words of God’s signs
  3. Psalm 105:30 Correction; DSS (11QPsa) their land swarmed with frogs