Psalm 105:12-109:28

English Standard Version

¹² When they were ^(A)few in number,
    of little account, and ^(B)sojourners in it,
¹³ wandering from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another people,
¹⁴ he ^(C)allowed no one to oppress them;
    he ^(D)rebuked kings on their account,
¹⁵ saying, ^(E)“Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my prophets no harm!”

¹⁶ When he ^(F)summoned a famine on the land
    and ^(G)broke all supply^[a] of bread,
¹⁷ he had ^(H)sent a man ahead of them,
    Joseph, who was ^(I)sold as a slave.
¹⁸ His ^(J)feet were hurt with fetters;
    his neck was put in a collar of iron;
¹⁹ until ^(K)what he had said came to pass,
    the word of the Lord ^(L)tested him.
^20 (M)The king sent and ^(N)released him;
    the ruler of the peoples set him free;
²¹ he ^(O)made him lord of his house
    and ruler of all his possessions,
²² to bind^[b] his princes at his pleasure
    and to teach his elders wisdom.

²³ Then ^(P)Israel came to Egypt;
    Jacob ^(Q)sojourned in ^(R)the land of Ham.
²⁴ And the Lord ^(S)made his people very fruitful
    and made them stronger than their foes.
²⁵ He ^(T)turned their hearts to hate his people,
    to ^(U)deal craftily with his servants.

²⁶ He ^(V)sent Moses, his servant,
    and Aaron, ^(W)whom he had chosen.
^27 (X)They performed his signs among them
    and miracles in ^(Y)the land of Ham.
²⁸ He ^(Z)sent darkness, and made the land dark;
    they ^(AA)did not rebel^[c] against his words.
²⁹ He turned their waters into blood
    and ^(AB)caused their fish to die.
³⁰ Their land swarmed with frogs,
    even in ^(AC)the chambers of their kings.
³¹ He spoke, and there came ^(AD)swarms of flies,
    ^(AE)and gnats throughout their country.
³² He gave them hail for rain,
    and fiery ^(AF)lightning bolts through their land.
³³ He struck down their vines and fig trees,
    and ^(AG)shattered the trees of their country.
³⁴ He spoke, and the ^(AH)locusts came,
    young locusts without number,
³⁵ which devoured all the vegetation in their land
    and ate up the fruit of their ground.
³⁶ He ^(AI)struck down all the firstborn in their land,
    ^(AJ)the firstfruits of all their strength.

³⁷ Then he brought out Israel with ^(AK)silver and gold,
    and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
^38 (AL)Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for ^(AM)dread of them had fallen upon it.

³⁹ He ^(AN)spread a cloud for a covering,
    and fire to give light by night.
^40 (AO)They asked, and he ^(AP)brought quail,
    and gave them ^(AQ)bread from heaven in abundance.
⁴¹ He opened the rock, and ^(AR)water gushed out;
    it flowed through ^(AS)the desert like a river.
⁴² For he ^(AT)remembered his holy promise,
    and ^(AU)Abraham, his servant.

⁴³ So he brought his people out with joy,
    his ^(AV)chosen ones with ^(AW)singing.
⁴⁴ And he ^(AX)gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' toil,
⁴⁵ that they might ^(AY)keep his statutes
    and ^(AZ)observe his laws.
^(BA)Praise the Lord!

^4 (BG)Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
    help me when you save them,^[d]
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your ^(BH)chosen ones,
    that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
    that I may glory with your inheritance.

^6 (BI)Both we and ^(BJ)our fathers have sinned;
    we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
⁷ Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
    did not consider your wondrous works;
they ^(BK)did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
    but ^(BL)rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
⁸ Yet he saved them ^(BM)for his name's sake,
    ^(BN)that he might make known his mighty power.
⁹ He ^(BO)rebuked the Red Sea, and it ^(BP)became dry,
    and he ^(BQ)led them through the deep as through a desert.
¹⁰ So he ^(BR)saved them from the hand of the foe
    and ^(BS)redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
¹¹ And ^(BT)the waters covered their adversaries;
    not one of them was left.
¹² Then ^(BU)they believed his words;
    they ^(BV)sang his praise.

¹³ But they soon ^(BW)forgot his works;
    they did not wait for ^(BX)his counsel.
¹⁴ But they had ^(BY)a wanton craving in the wilderness,
    and ^(BZ)put God to the test in the desert;
¹⁵ he ^(CA)gave them what they asked,
    but sent ^(CB)a wasting disease among them.

¹⁶ When men in the camp ^(CC)were jealous of Moses
    and Aaron, ^(CD)the holy one of the Lord,
^17 (CE)the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
    and covered the company of Abiram.
^18 (CF)Fire also broke out in their company;
    the flame burned up the wicked.

¹⁹ They ^(CG)made a calf in Horeb
    and worshiped a metal image.
²⁰ They ^(CH)exchanged the glory of God^[e]
    for the image of an ox that eats grass.
²¹ They ^(CI)forgot God, their Savior,
    who had done great things in Egypt,
²² wondrous works in ^(CJ)the land of Ham,
    and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
²³ Therefore ^(CK)he said he would destroy them—
    had not Moses, his ^(CL)chosen one,
^(CM)stood in the breach before him,
    to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

²⁴ Then they ^(CN)despised ^(CO)the pleasant land,
    having ^(CP)no faith in his promise.
²⁵ They ^(CQ)murmured in their tents,
    and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
²⁶ Therefore he ^(CR)raised his hand and swore to them
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
²⁷ and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
    ^(CS)scattering them among the lands.

²⁸ Then they ^(CT)yoked themselves to the ^(CU)Baal of Peor,
    and ate sacrifices offered to ^(CV)the dead;
²⁹ they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
    and a plague broke out among them.
³⁰ Then ^(CW)Phinehas stood up and intervened,
    and the plague was stayed.
³¹ And that was ^(CX)counted to him as righteousness
    from generation to generation forever.

³² They ^(CY)angered him at the waters of Meribah,
    and it went ill with Moses on their account,
³³ for they ^(CZ)made his spirit bitter,^[f]
    and he ^(DA)spoke rashly with his lips.

³⁴ They did not ^(DB)destroy the peoples,
    ^(DC)as the Lord commanded them,
³⁵ but they ^(DD)mixed with the nations
    and learned to do as they did.
³⁶ They served their idols,
    which became ^(DE)a snare to them.
³⁷ They ^(DF)sacrificed their sons
    and their daughters to ^(DG)the demons;
³⁸ they poured out innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was ^(DH)polluted with blood.
³⁹ Thus they ^(DI)became unclean by their acts,
    and ^(DJ)played the whore in their deeds.

⁴⁰ Then ^(DK)the anger of the Lord was kindled against ^(DL)his people,
    and he abhorred his ^(DM)heritage;
⁴¹ he ^(DN)gave them into the hand of the nations,
    so that those who hated them ruled over them.
⁴² Their enemies ^(DO)oppressed them,
    and they were brought into subjection under their power.
^43 (DP)Many times he delivered them,
    but they were rebellious in their ^(DQ)purposes
    and were ^(DR)brought low through their iniquity.

⁴⁴ Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
    when he ^(DS)heard their cry.
⁴⁵ For their sake he ^(DT)remembered his covenant,
    and ^(DU)relented according to ^(DV)the abundance of his steadfast love.
⁴⁶ He caused them to be ^(DW)pitied
    by all those who held them captive.

^47 (DX)Save us, O Lord our God,
    and ^(DY)gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.

^48 (DZ)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
^(EA)And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    ^(EB)Praise the Lord!

⁴ Some ^(EH)wandered in desert wastes,
    finding no way ^(EI)to a city to dwell in;
⁵ hungry and thirsty,
    their soul ^(EJ)fainted within them.
⁶ Then they ^(EK)cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
⁷ He led them by ^(EL)a straight way
    till they reached ^(EM)a city to dwell in.
^8 (EN)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
⁹ For he ^(EO)satisfies the longing soul,
    ^(EP)and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

^10 (EQ)Some sat in darkness and in ^(ER)the shadow of death,
    prisoners in ^(ES)affliction and in irons,
¹¹ for they ^(ET)had rebelled against the words of God,
    and ^(EU)spurned the counsel of the Most High.
¹² So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
    they fell down, ^(EV)with none to help.
^13 (EW)Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
¹⁴ He brought them out of ^(EX)darkness and the shadow of death,
    and ^(EY)burst their bonds apart.
^15 (EZ)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
¹⁶ For he ^(FA)shatters the doors of bronze
    and cuts in two the bars of iron.

¹⁷ Some were ^(FB)fools through their sinful ways,
    and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
^18 (FC)they loathed any kind of food,
    and they ^(FD)drew near to ^(FE)the gates of death.
^19 (FF)Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
²⁰ He ^(FG)sent out his word and ^(FH)healed them,
    and ^(FI)delivered them from their destruction.
^21 (FJ)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
²² And let them ^(FK)offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
    and ^(FL)tell of his deeds in ^(FM)songs of joy!

²³ Some ^(FN)went down to the sea in ships,
    doing business on the great waters;
²⁴ they saw the deeds of the Lord,
    his wondrous works in the deep.
²⁵ For he ^(FO)commanded and ^(FP)raised the stormy wind,
    which lifted up the waves of the sea.
²⁶ They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
    their courage ^(FQ)melted away in their evil plight;
²⁷ they reeled and ^(FR)staggered like drunken men
    and ^(FS)were at their wits' end.^[h]
28 (FT)Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
²⁹ He ^(FU)made the storm be still,
    and the waves of the sea were hushed.
³⁰ Then they were glad that the waters^[i] were quiet,
    and he brought them to their desired haven.
^31 (FV)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
³² Let them ^(FW)extol him in ^(FX)the congregation of the people,
    and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

³³ He ^(FY)turns rivers into a desert,
    springs of water into thirsty ground,
^34 (FZ)a fruitful land into a salty waste,
    because of the evil of its inhabitants.
³⁵ He ^(GA)turns a desert into pools of water,
    ^(GB)a parched land into springs of water.
³⁶ And there he lets the hungry dwell,
    and they establish ^(GC)a city to live in;
³⁷ they sow fields and plant vineyards
    and get a fruitful yield.
^38 (GD)By his blessing they multiply greatly,
    and he does not let their livestock diminish.

³⁹ When they are diminished and brought low
    through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
^40 (GE)he pours contempt on princes
    and ^(GF)makes them wander ^(GG)in trackless wastes;
⁴¹ but ^(GH)he raises up the needy out of affliction
    and ^(GI)makes their families like flocks.
^42 (GJ)The upright see it and are glad,
    and ^(GK)all wickedness shuts its mouth.

^43 (GL)Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
    let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!
^6 (GO)That your beloved ones may be delivered,
    give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

⁷ God has promised in his holiness:^[k]
    “With exultation I will divide up Shechem
    and portion out the Valley of Succoth.
⁸ Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet,
    Judah my scepter.
⁹ Moab is my washbasin;
    upon Edom I cast my shoe;
    ^(GP)over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

¹⁰ Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
¹¹ Have you not rejected us, O God?
    You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
¹² Oh grant us help against the foe,
    for vain is the salvation of man!
¹³ With God we shall do valiantly;
    it is he who will tread down our foes.

^6 (GX)Appoint a wicked man ^(GY)against him;
    let an accuser stand ^(GZ)at his right hand.
⁷ When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
    let his ^(HA)prayer be counted as sin!
⁸ May his ^(HB)days be few;
    may ^(HC)another take his ^(HD)office!
⁹ May his ^(HE)children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow!
¹⁰ May his children ^(HF)wander about and beg,
    ^(HG)seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
¹¹ May ^(HH)the creditor seize all that he has;
    may ^(HI)strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
¹² Let there be none to ^(HJ)extend kindness to him,
    nor any to ^(HK)pity his fatherless children!
¹³ May his ^(HL)posterity be cut off;
    may his ^(HM)name be blotted out in the second generation!
¹⁴ May ^(HN)the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
    and let not the sin of his mother be ^(HO)blotted out!
^15 (HP)Let them be before the Lord continually,
    that he may ^(HQ)cut off the memory of them from the earth!

¹⁶ For he did not remember to show kindness,
    but pursued ^(HR)the poor and needy
    and ^(HS)the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
^17 (HT)He loved to curse; let curses come^[m] upon him!
    He did not delight in blessing; may it be far^[n] from him!
¹⁸ He ^(HU)clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
    may it ^(HV)soak^[o] into his body like water,
    like oil into his bones!
¹⁹ May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
    like a belt that he puts on every day!
²⁰ May this be the reward of my ^(HW)accusers from the Lord,
    of those who speak evil against my life!

²¹ But you, O God my Lord,
    deal on my behalf ^(HX)for your name's sake;
    because your ^(HY)steadfast love is good, deliver me!
²² For I am ^(HZ)poor and needy,
    and my heart is stricken within me.
²³ I am gone like ^(IA)a shadow at evening;
    I am ^(IB)shaken off like a locust.
²⁴ My knees are weak ^(IC)through fasting;
    my ^(ID)body has become gaunt, with no fat.
²⁵ I am ^(IE)an object of scorn to my accusers;
    when they see me, they ^(IF)wag their heads.

^26 (IG)Help me, O Lord my God!
    Save me according to your steadfast love!
²⁷ Let them ^(IH)know that this is your hand;
    you, O Lord, have done it!
^28 (II)Let them curse, but you will bless!
    They arise and are put to shame, but ^(IJ)your servant will be glad!