Psalm 105
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 105[a]
God’s Faithfulness to the Covenant
1 [b]Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name;[c]
proclaim his deeds among the peoples.
2 Offer him honor with songs of praise;
recount all his marvelous deeds.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts[d] of those who seek the Lord exult.
4 Reflect on the Lord and his strength;
seek his face continually.
5 Remember the marvels he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments[e] he has set forth.
6 You are the offspring of his servant Abraham,
the children of Jacob, his chosen ones.[f]
7 He is the Lord, our God;
his judgments prevail all over the earth.
8 He is mindful of his covenant[g] forever,
the promise he laid down for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant he made with Abraham
and the oath he swore to Isaac.[h]
10 [i]He established it as a decree for Jacob,
and as an everlasting covenant for Israel,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion of your heritage.”
12 [j]When they were few in number,
an insignificant group of strangers in it,
13 they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
14 He permitted no one to oppress them,
and in their regard he warned kings:[k]
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones;
do no harm to my prophets.”[l]
16 Then he invoked a famine on the land
and destroyed their supply of bread.
17 But he had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.
18 They shackled his feet with fetters
and clamped an iron collar around his neck,
19 until what he had prophesied was fulfilled
and the word of the Lord proved him true.
20 The king ordered that he be released;
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21 He appointed him as master of his household
and as ruler of all his possessions.
22 He was to instruct[m] his princes as he deemed fit
and to impart wisdom to his elders.
23 Then Israel went down into Egypt;
Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.[n]
24 God greatly increased the number of his people
and made them too strong for their foes,
25 whose hearts he then turned[o] to hate his people
and to conspire against his servants.
26 He sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them
and worked wonders in the land of Ham.
28 [p]He sent darkness that enveloped the land,
but they rebelled against his warnings.
29 He turned their waters into blood,
and all their fish were destroyed.
30 Their land was saturated with frogs,
even in the royal chambers.
31 At his command there came hordes of flies
and gnats throughout their country.
32 He sent them hail instead of rain,
and flashes of lightning in all their land.
33 He struck down their vines and their fig trees
and demolished the trees of their country.
34 At his word the locusts came,
as well as grasshoppers beyond all count.
35 They gobbled up every green plant in the land
and devoured the produce of the soil.
36 He struck down all the firstborn of the land,
the firstfruits of their manhood.
37 Then he led out his people with silver and gold,
and there was not one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of Israel had overwhelmed them.
39 He spread a cloud over his people as a cover[q]
and a fire to give light by night.
40 At their request he supplied them with quail,
and he filled them with bread from heaven.[r]
41 He split open a rock and water gushed forth,
flowing through the wilderness like a river.[s]
42 For he remembered the sacred promise
that he had made to Abraham, his servant.
43 He led forth his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with exultation.[t]
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they inherited the fruit of other people’s toil,
45 so that they might keep his decrees
and observe his laws.
Alleluia.
Footnotes
- Psalm 105:1 The magnificent hymn in praise of God for creation (see Ps 104) does not suffice for believers. God is he who comes among human beings; hence, they proclaim God’s greatness in history by delivering the human race from slavery and leading it to salvation. In order to voice its joy and thanks, Israel loves to recall the events that marked the beginnings of its adventure: the promise made to Abraham and renewed to the patriarchs (vv. 8-15), the adventure of Joseph (vv. 16-23; see Gen 37–50), Moses and the plagues in Egypt (vv. 24-36; see Ex 1–13), the Exodus and the miracles in the wilderness (vv. 37-43; see Ex 14–15), and lastly the entrance into Canaan, the land promised as an inheritance (v. 44).
Contrary to the following psalm (Ps 106), the author is silent about Israel’s sins; he wishes to sing of nothing but the action of God. The Lord has always kept his word; he has multiplied wonders for his people, and his providence has guided their steps. Now he has a right to expect them to be faithful to him (v. 45).
This psalm becomes the song of the Church, a people chosen by God in Christ and saved by his Passover (see Eph 1). Since our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Mk 12:26), unchanged and also faithful, we can legitimately base our confidence in him on the promises and proofs he gave to our distant spiritual ancestors. Let us not forget, however, that these promises have received eminent confirmation in the life of Christ, whom God has led—through the dreadful detour of death—from this exile to the true Promised Land. This last proof constitutes the primary foundation of our enthusiasm and confidence.
The first fifteen verses of this psalm are found again in 1 Chr 16:8-22. - Psalm 105:1 These three verses can be regarded as a prelude, and they are counterbalanced by the conclusion comprising verses 44-45.
- Psalm 105:1 Name: see note on Ps 5:12. Proclaim his deeds among the peoples: see note on Ps 9:2.
- Psalm 105:3 Hearts: see note on Ps 4:8.
- Psalm 105:5 Judgments: see note on Ps 48:11.
- Psalm 105:6 Here begin the allusions to Genesis (Gen 22:17; see Isa 51:2). Children of Jacob, his chosen ones: most manuscripts read instead: “Children of Jacob, his chosen one,” which seems to fit better with the previous line.
- Psalm 105:8 Covenant: see Gen 15:9-21. This verse (and v. 9) are alluded to in Lk 1:72f.
- Psalm 105:9 The oath he swore to Isaac: another possible translation is “the oath concerning Isaac.”
- Psalm 105:10 These verses recall the promise (see Gen 15:18) on which rest the hopes of Israel (see Pss 47:5; 72:8; Deut 4:31, 40).
- Psalm 105:12 The psalmist recapitulates God’s saving acts for Israel from the making of the Covenant (see Gen 15:9-21) to its fulfillment (see Jos 21:43). In this connection, see the short summary of salvation prescribed to be said by the individual Israelite reaching the Promised Land (see Deut 26:1-11).
- Psalm 105:14 He warned kings: see Gen 12:11ff; 20:7; 26:7ff.
- Psalm 105:15 My anointed ones . . . my prophets: the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were in a sense anointed, that is, consecrated to God, and the recipients of his revelations.
- Psalm 105:22 Instruct: literally, “bind.” The one whose head had been shackled was now empowered to control the princes of Pharaoh as he wished and to impart wisdom to the counselors of Pharaoh, who were also delegates of the people. These elders most likely had the same function as the elders of Israel: arbitration (see Deut 22:13-19), military commands (see Jos 8:10), and counsel (see 1 Sam 4:3).
- Psalm 105:23 Land of Ham: i.e., Egypt.
- Psalm 105:25 Whose hearts he then turned: the ancients regarded every happening as coming from God, even evil (see Ex 4:21; 7:3; Jos 11:20; 2 Sam 24:1; Isa 10:5-7; 37:26f; Jer 34:22).
- Psalm 105:28 As in Ps 78:43-51, here also the plagues of Egypt are recalled with poetic license so that their order and number are different from Ex 7:14—12:30.
- Psalm 105:39 As a cover: the psalmist indicates that the cloud symbolizing God’s presence served as a protection for the people against the sun, somewhat like his shading wings (see note on Ps 17:8). Other functions of the cloud given are: to guide the people in the wilderness (see Ps 78:14; Ex 13:21; Num 9:17; Neh 9:12), to protect the people from the Egyptians as a cover of darkness (see Ex 14:19f), and to insulate them from the glorious manifestations of God’s overwhelming presence (see Ex 16:10; Num 11:25; Deut 31:15; 1 Ki 8:11).
- Psalm 105:40 Bread from heaven: the psalmist names it thusly because it was the immediate gift of the heavenly Father in contrast to the ordinary natural bread. See also note on Ps 78:25 and Christ’s use of this phrase in Jn 6:31.
- Psalm 105:41 The psalmist concludes his account of God’s saving deeds for Israel with one of the most admired of them: creating a river of water from a rock in the wilderness (see Ps 114:8; Isa 43:19f).
- Psalm 105:43 An allusion to the song of victory of Ex 15.
Psalm 105
EasyEnglish Bible
God takes care of his people[a]
105 Thank the Lord!
Make his name famous!
Tell people in all the nations
what he has done.
2 Sing songs and make music
to praise him!
Tell people about the miracles that he has done.
3 Boast about his holy name.[b]
Everybody who wants to worship the Lord
should be very happy!
4 Ask the Lord to help you.
Ask him to give you strength.
Always try to be near him
and worship him.
5 Remember the great things that he has done.
Remember his miracles,
and the commands that he has spoken.[c]
6 Remember that you are descendants of God's servant, Abraham.
You are Jacob's descendants,
and God has chosen you to be his people.
7 He is the Lord, our God.
He rules the whole earth with justice.
8 He will always remember the covenant
that he made with us.
He made that promise to continue for ever.
9 That is the promise that he made to Abraham,
and that he also made to Isaac.
10 He repeated it to Jacob as a law.
It was a covenant with Israel's people
that would continue for ever.[d]
11 He promised Jacob,
‘I will give to you the land of Canaan.
It will belong to you,
and to your descendants.’
12 At one time, God's people were only a few.
They lived in Canaan as strangers.
13 They travelled among different nations
and different kingdoms.
14 But the Lord did not let anyone hurt them.
He punished kings to keep his people safe.
15 He said, ‘Do not even touch the people that I have chosen to be mine.
Do not hurt my prophets.’
16 The Lord sent a famine to the land of Canaan,
so that his people had no food left to eat.
17 But he sent Joseph to Egypt
before they went there to get food.[e]
Joseph's brothers sold him as a slave.
18 In Egypt the chains on his feet hurt him.
He had a heavy piece of iron round his neck.
19 He remained a slave
until what he said would happen really happened.
Then the Lord showed that Joseph was right.
20 The powerful king of Egypt sent someone
to let Joseph go free out of prison.
21 The king made Joseph master of his palace.
Joseph took care of everything that belonged to the king.
22 The king gave him authority over his officers.
He could teach the king's leaders,
so that they would know what to do.
23 Then Jacob's family came into Egypt.
They lived as strangers in the land of Ham's descendants.[f]
24 The Lord gave to his people many children.
They became more powerful than their enemies.
25 So the Egyptians began to hate God's people.
They did cruel things to the Lord's people.
26 The Lord sent his servant Moses
to help his people in Egypt.
He also chose Aaron to help them.
27 Moses and Aaron did many miracles in Egypt,
where Ham's descendants lived.
They showed the Lord's great power to the Egyptians.
28 God made all the land become dark.
But the Egyptians did not obey God's command.
29 God caused their rivers to become blood,
and he killed their fish.
30 Frogs covered all their land.
They even went into the bedrooms of the palace!
31 The Lord commanded flies and gnats
to cover the whole country.
32 He sent hail with the rain,
and there was lightning everywhere.
33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees.
He knocked down the trees everywhere in their country.
34 He commanded many locusts to come.
There were too many locusts to count!
35 They ate all the plants in their land,
and all the crops in their fields.
36 Then the Lord killed all the firstborn sons in Egypt.
He killed the oldest son in each family.
37 So the Lord led his people out from Egypt.
They took with them valuable silver and gold things.
Nobody among the Israelite people was too weak to go.
38 The Egyptians were happy when they went,
because they were afraid of the Israelites.[g]
39 The Lord made a cloud to cover them
and a fire to give them light at night.
40 When they asked him for food,
he gave them quails to eat.
He fed them with bread from the sky.
41 He broke a rock,
so that water poured out from it.
It ran as a river through the dry places.
42 Yes, the Lord remembered the holy promise
that he had made to his servant, Abraham.
43 So he led his people out from Egypt,
and they were very happy!
They were the people that he had chosen for himself,
and they shouted with joy!
44 The Lord gave to them
the land of other nations.
They enjoyed the good things
that other people had worked to get.
45 Then God's people could obey his commands
and his laws.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
Footnotes
- 105:1 The writer of this psalm tells God's people to thank God because he does what he has promised to do. The writer remembers that God promised to give Abraham many descendants. God also promised to use Abraham's descendants to bless the whole world.
- 105:3 We can boast about God's name because he is completely good.
- 105:5 The miracles in this psalm are the things that God did in Egypt, and later in the wilderness, to rescue his people.
- 105:10 See Genesis 28:13-14 (Isaac's son, Jacob). Israel is another name for Jacob. Israel's people, the Israelites, are Jacob's family.
- 105:17 See Genesis 42:1-5.
- 105:23 See Genesis 46:1-27. The Egyptian people were descendants of Noah's son, Ham.
- 105:38 The Egyptian people were so happy when the Israelites went that they gave them gifts. These gifts were valuable things made from silver and gold. The Egyptians were afraid of the Israelites because the Lord had made them very many. The Egyptians also saw God's power in the miracles that Moses and Aaron did.
诗篇 105
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified)
颂美耶和华所行之奇事异能
105 你们要称谢耶和华，求告他的名，在万民中传扬他的作为！
2 要向他唱诗歌颂，谈论他一切奇妙的作为！
3 要以他的圣名夸耀，寻求耶和华的人心中应当欢喜！
4 要寻求耶和华与他的能力，时常寻求他的面！
5 他仆人亚伯拉罕的后裔，他所拣选雅各的子孙哪，你们要记念他奇妙的作为和他的奇事，并他口中的判语。
7 他是耶和华我们的神，全地都有他的判断。
8 他记念他的约直到永远，他所吩咐的话直到千代，
9 就是与亚伯拉罕所立的约，向以撒所起的誓。
10 他又将这约向雅各定为律例，向以色列定为永远的约，
11 说：“我必将迦南地赐给你，做你产业的份。”
12 当时他们人丁有限，数目稀少，并且在那地为寄居的。
13 他们从这邦游到那邦，从这国行到那国。
14 他不容什么人欺负他们，为他们的缘故责备君王，
15 说：“不可难为我受膏的人，也不可恶待我的先知。”
16 他命饥荒降在那地上，将所倚靠的粮食全行断绝。
17 在他们以先打发一个人去，约瑟被卖为奴仆。
18 人用脚镣伤他的脚，他被铁链捆拘。
19 耶和华的话试炼他，直等到他所说的应验了。
20 王打发人把他解开，就是治理众民的，把他释放，
21 立他做王家之主，掌管他一切所有的，
22 使他随意捆绑他的臣宰，将智慧教导他的长老。
23 以色列也到了埃及，雅各在含地寄居。
24 耶和华使他的百姓生养众多，使他们比敌人强盛，
25 使敌人的心转去恨他的百姓，并用诡计待他的仆人。
借摩西亚伦显著神迹
26 他打发他的仆人摩西和他所拣选的亚伦，
27 在敌人中间显他的神迹，在含地显他的奇事。
28 他命黑暗，就有黑暗，没有违背他话的。
29 他叫埃及的水变为血，叫他们的鱼死了。
30 在他们的地上以及王宫的内室，青蛙多多滋生。
31 他说一声，苍蝇就成群而来，并有虱子进入他们四境。
32 他给他们降下冰雹为雨，在他们的地上降下火焰。
33 他也击打他们的葡萄树和无花果树，毁坏他们境内的树木。
34 他说一声，就有蝗虫蚂蚱上来，不计其数，
35 吃尽了他们地上各样的菜蔬和田地的出产。
36 他又击杀他们国内一切的长子，就是他们强壮时头生的。
37 他领自己的百姓带银子金子出来，他支派中没有一个软弱的。
38 他们出来的时候，埃及人便欢喜，原来埃及人惧怕他们。
39 他铺张云彩当遮盖，夜间使火光照。
由天赐粮由磐出水
40 他们一求，他就使鹌鹑飞来，并用天上的粮食叫他们饱足。
41 他打开磐石，水就涌出，在干旱之处水流成河。
42 这都因他记念他的圣言和他的仆人亚伯拉罕。
43 他带领百姓欢乐而出，带领选民欢呼前往。
44 他将列国的地赐给他们，他们便承受众民劳碌得来的，
45 好使他们遵他的律例，守他的律法。你们要赞美耶和华！
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Global Bible Initiative