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Praise to Yahweh for His Faithfulness in Israel’s History

106 Praise Yah.[a] Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,
for his loyal love is forever.
Who can utter the mighty deeds of Yahweh,
or proclaim all his praise?
Blessed are those who observe justice,
he who does righteousness at all times.
Remember me, O Yahweh, when you show favor to your people.
Look after me when you deliver,
that I may see the good done your chosen ones,
to be glad in the joy of your nation,
to glory together with your inheritance.
We have sinned along with our ancestors.[b]
We have committed iniquity; we have incurred guilt.
Our ancestors[c] in Egypt did not understand your wonderful works.
They did not remember your many acts of loyal love,
and so they rebelled by the sea at the Red Sea.[d]
Yet he saved them for the sake of his name,
to make known his might.
So he rebuked the Red Sea,[e] and it dried up,
and he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 Thus he saved them from the hand of the hater
and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 But waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them survived.
12 Then they believed his words;
they sang his praise.
13 They quickly forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel.
14 And they craved intensely[f] in the wilderness,
and tested God in the desert.
15 So he gave to them their request,
but he sent leanness into their souls.[g]
16 And they were jealous of Moses in the camp,
and of Aaron, the holy one of Yahweh.
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
and it covered over the gang of Abiram.
18 Also fire burned in their assembly;
the flame devoured the wicked.
19 They made a calf at Horeb
and bowed down to a cast image.
20 And so they exchanged their glory
for an image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wonders in the land of Ham,
awesome deeds by the Red Sea.[h]
23 So he said he would exterminate them,
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to reverse his wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they refused the desirable land;
they did not believe his word,
25 but grumbled in their tents.
They did not obey the voice of Yahweh.
26 So he made an oath[i] against them,
to make them drop in the wilderness,
27 and to disperse[j] their descendants[k] among the nations
and to scatter them among the lands.
28 They also attached themselves to Baal of Peor,
and they ate sacrifices offered to the dead.[l]
29 Thus they provoked to anger by their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and so the plague was stopped,
31 and it was reckoned to him as righteousness
throughout all generations.[m]
32 They also angered God at the waters of Meribah,
and it went badly for Moses on account of them,
33 because they rebelled against his Spirit,[n]
and he spoke thoughtlessly with his lips.
34 They did not exterminate the peoples,
as Yahweh had commanded them, [o]
35 but they mingled with the nations
and learned their works,
36 and served their idols,
which became[p] a snare to them.
37 They even sacrificed their sons and daughters
to the demons,
38 and they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and so the land was defiled with the blood.[q]
39 And they became unclean by their works,
and were unfaithful in their deeds.
40 So Yahweh’s anger burned against his people,
and he abhorred his inheritance.
41 Then he gave them into the hand of the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
42 And their enemies oppressed them,
and they were subdued under their hand.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they rebelled in their counsel,
and were brought low by their iniquity.
44 Yet he looked upon their distress
when he heard their cry.
45 And he remembered his covenant with them,
and relented based on the abundance of his loyal love.
46 And he let them find compassion[r]
before all their captors.
47 Save us, O Yahweh our God,
and gather us from the nations,
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and boast in your praise.
48 Blessed is Yahweh, the God of Israel,
from everlasting and to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise Yah.[s]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 106:1 Hebrew hallelujah
  2. Psalm 106:6 Or “fathers”
  3. Psalm 106:7 Or “fathers”
  4. Psalm 106:7 Literally “sea of reed”
  5. Psalm 106:9 Literally “sea of reed”
  6. Psalm 106:14 Literally “craved a craving”
  7. Psalm 106:15 Hebrew “soul” or “inner self”
  8. Psalm 106:22 Literally “sea of reed”
  9. Psalm 106:26 Literally “he lifted his hand,” an act accompanying an oath
  10. Psalm 106:27 Or “let drop”
  11. Psalm 106:27 Literally “seed”
  12. Psalm 106:28 Hebrew “sacrifices of dead”
  13. Psalm 106:31 Literally “for a generation and a generation”
  14. Psalm 106:33 A slightly different verbal form yields “they embittered his spirit”
  15. Psalm 106:34 Hebrew “said to them”
  16. Psalm 106:36 Hebrew “and they became”
  17. Psalm 106:38 Hebrew “bloods,” that is, bloodshed
  18. Psalm 106:46 Literally “gave them to have mercies”
  19. Psalm 106:48 Hebrew hallelujah

Psalm 106

106 Praise the Lord!
    Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
    because his faithful love endures forever.
Who could possibly repeat all of the Lord’s mighty acts
    or publicly recount all his praise?

The people who uphold justice,
    who always do what is right, are truly happy!
Remember me, Lord, with the favor you show your people.
    Visit me with your saving help
        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.

We have sinned—right along with our ancestors.
    We’ve done what is wrong.
    We’ve acted wickedly.
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]
But God saved them for the sake of his good name,
    to make known his mighty power.
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

  1. Psalm 106:7 Or Red Sea; also in 106:9, 22
  2. Psalm 106:15 LXX
  3. Psalm 106:20 Or their Glory