BOOK 5

The Lord Rescues People from Many Troubles.

107 (A)Give thanks to the Lord, for (B)He is good,
For His mercy is everlasting.
(C)The redeemed of the Lord shall say so,
Those whom He has (D)redeemed from the hand of the enemy
And (E)gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.

They (F)wandered in the wilderness in a [b]desert region;
They did not find a way to [c]an inhabited (G)city.
They were hungry [d]and thirsty;
Their (H)souls felt weak within them.
Then they (I)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
He also had them walk on a [e](J)straight way,
To go to [f](K)an inhabited city.
(L)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [g]wonders to the sons of mankind!
For He has (M)satisfied the [h]thirsty soul,
And He has filled the (N)hungry soul with what is good.

10 There were those who (O)lived in darkness and in [i]the shadow of death,
(P)Prisoners in misery and [j]chains,
11 Because they had (Q)rebelled against the words of God
And (R)rejected the (S)plan of the Most High.
12 Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was (T)no one to help.
13 Then they (U)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
14 He (V)brought them out of darkness and [k]the shadow of death
And (W)broke their bands apart.
15 (X)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [l]wonders to the sons of mankind!
16 For He has (Y)shattered gates of bronze
And cut off bars of iron.

17 Fools, because of [m]their rebellious way,
And (Z)because of their guilty deeds, were afflicted.
18 Their (AA)souls loathed all kinds of food,
And they (AB)came close to the (AC)gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
20 He (AD)sent His word and (AE)healed them,
And (AF)saved them from their [n]destruction.
21 (AG)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [o]wonders to the sons of mankind!
22 They shall also offer (AH)sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And (AI)tell of His works with joyful singing.

23 Those who (AJ)go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
24 They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His [p]wonders in the deep.
25 For He (AK)spoke and raised a (AL)stormy wind,
Which (AM)lifted the waves [q]of the sea.
26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul (AN)melted away in their misery.
27 They reeled and (AO)staggered like a drunken person,
And [r]were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29 He (AP)caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves [s]of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired harbor.
31 (AQ)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [t](AR)wonders to the sons of mankind!
32 They shall also (AS)exalt Him (AT)in the congregation of the people,
And (AU)praise Him at the seat of the elders.

33 He (AV)turns rivers into a [u]wilderness,
And springs of water into a thirsty ground;
34 And a (AW)fruitful land into a (AX)salt waste,
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35 He (AY)turns a [v]wilderness into a pool of water,
And a dry land into springs of water;
36 And He has the hungry live there,
So that they may establish [w](AZ)an inhabited city,
37 And sow fields and (BA)plant vineyards,
And [x]gather a fruitful harvest.
38 He also blesses them and they (BB)multiply greatly,
And He (BC)does not let their cattle decrease.

39 When they (BD)become few and (BE)lowly
Because of oppression, misery, and sorrow,
40 He (BF)pours contempt upon noblemen
And (BG)makes them wander (BH)in a pathless wasteland.
41 But He (BI)sets the needy [y]securely on high, away from affliction,
And (BJ)makes his families like a flock.
42 The (BK)upright see it and are glad;
But all (BL)injustice shuts its mouth.
43 Who is (BM)wise? He is to pay attention to these things,
And consider the (BN)mercy of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 107:3 Lit sea
  2. Psalm 107:4 Lit waste
  3. Psalm 107:4 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
  4. Psalm 107:5 Lit also
  5. Psalm 107:7 Or level
  6. Psalm 107:7 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
  7. Psalm 107:8 I.e., wonderful acts
  8. Psalm 107:9 Or parched
  9. Psalm 107:10 Or deep gloom
  10. Psalm 107:10 Lit irons
  11. Psalm 107:14 Or deep darkness
  12. Psalm 107:15 I.e., wonderful acts
  13. Psalm 107:17 Lit the way of their offense
  14. Psalm 107:20 Lit pits
  15. Psalm 107:21 I.e., wonderful acts
  16. Psalm 107:24 I.e., wonderful acts
  17. Psalm 107:25 Lit of it
  18. Psalm 107:27 Lit all their wisdom was swallowed up
  19. Psalm 107:29 Lit of it
  20. Psalm 107:31 I.e., wonderful acts
  21. Psalm 107:33 Or desert
  22. Psalm 107:35 Or desert
  23. Psalm 107:36 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
  24. Psalm 107:37 Lit acquire fruits of yield
  25. Psalm 107:41 Lit in an inaccessibly high place

Book five (Psalms 107–150)

Psalm 107

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
    His faithful love endures forever.
Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
    Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,
    from east and west,
    from north and south.[a]

Some wandered in the wilderness,
    lost and homeless.
Hungry and thirsty,
    they nearly died.
Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he rescued them from their distress.
He led them straight to safety,
    to a city where they could live.
Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
For he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,
    imprisoned in iron chains of misery.
11 They rebelled against the words of God,
    scorning the counsel of the Most High.
12 That is why he broke them with hard labor;
    they fell, and no one was there to help them.
13 Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;
    he snapped their chains.
15 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;
    he cut apart their bars of iron.

17 Some were fools; they rebelled
    and suffered for their sins.
18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food,
    and they were knocking on death’s door.
19 Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
    snatching them from the door of death.
21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
    and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

23 Some went off to sea in ships,
    plying the trade routes of the world.
24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action,
    his impressive works on the deepest seas.
25 He spoke, and the winds rose,
    stirring up the waves.
26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens
    and plunged again to the depths;
    the sailors cringed in terror.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards
    and were at their wits’ end.
28 Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
29 He calmed the storm to a whisper
    and stilled the waves.
30 What a blessing was that stillness
    as he brought them safely into harbor!
31 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation
    and before the leaders of the nation.

33 He changes rivers into deserts,
    and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.
34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,
    because of the wickedness of those who live there.
35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water,
    the dry land into springs of water.
36 He brings the hungry to settle there
    and to build their cities.
37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,
    and harvest their bumper crops.
38 How he blesses them!
    They raise large families there,
    and their herds of livestock increase.

39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished
    through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 the Lord pours contempt on their princes,
    causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.
41 But he rescues the poor from trouble
    and increases their families like flocks of sheep.
42 The godly will see these things and be glad,
    while the wicked are struck silent.
43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart;
    they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 107:3 Hebrew and sea.