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BOOK 5

107 Give thanks to Yahweh,[a] for he is good,
    for his loving kindness endures forever.
Let the redeemed by Yahweh say so,
    whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
    and gathered out of the lands,
    from the east and from the west,
    from the north and from the south.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way.
    They found no city to live in.
Hungry and thirsty,
    their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble,
    and he delivered them out of their distresses,
he led them also by a straight way,
    that they might go to a city to live in.
Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness,
    for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!

For he satisfies the longing soul.
    He fills the hungry soul with good.

10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    being bound in affliction and iron,
11     because they rebelled against the words of God,[b]
    and condemned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labor.
    They fell down, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble,
    and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
    and broke away their chains.
15 Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness,
    for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!

16 For he has broken the gates of bronze,
    and cut through bars of iron.

17 Fools are afflicted because of their disobedience,
    and because of their iniquities.
18 Their soul abhors all kinds of food.
    They draw near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cry to Yahweh in their trouble,
    he saves them out of their distresses.
20 He sends his word, and heals them,
    and delivers them from their graves.
21 Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness,
    for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!

22 Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
    and declare his deeds with singing.

23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,
    who do business in great waters;
24     These see Yahweh’s deeds,
    and his wonders in the deep.
25 For he commands, and raises the stormy wind,
    which lifts up its waves.
26 They mount up to the sky; they go down again to the depths.
    Their soul melts away because of trouble.
27 They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man,
    and are at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cry to Yahweh in their trouble,
    and he brings them out of their distress.
29 He makes the storm a calm,
    so that its waves are still.
30 Then they are glad because it is calm,
    so he brings them to their desired haven.
31 Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness,
    for his wonderful deeds for the children of men!

32 Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people,
    and praise him in the seat of the elders.

33 He turns rivers into a desert,
    water springs into a thirsty ground,
34     and a fruitful land into a salt waste,
    for the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35 He turns a desert into a pool of water,
    and a dry land into water springs.
36 There he makes the hungry live,
    that they may prepare a city to live in,
37     sow fields, plant vineyards,
    and reap the fruits of increase.
38 He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly.
    He doesn’t allow their livestock to decrease.
39 Again, they are diminished and bowed down
    through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.
40 He pours contempt on princes,
    and causes them to wander in a trackless waste.
41 Yet he lifts the needy out of their affliction,
    and increases their families like a flock.
42 The upright will see it, and be glad.
    All the wicked will shut their mouths.
43 Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things.
    They will consider the loving kindnesses of Yahweh.

Footnotes

  1. 107:1 “Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations.
  2. 107:11 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).

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.