Psalm 107
New American Standard Bible
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.
2 (C)The redeemed of the Lord shall say so,
Those whom He has (D)redeemed from the hand of the enemy
3 And (E)gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.
4 They (F)wandered in the wilderness in a [b]desert region;
They did not find a way to [c]an inhabited (G)city.
5 They were hungry [d]and thirsty;
Their (H)souls felt weak within them.
6 Then they (I)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
7 He also had them walk on a [e](J)straight way,
To go to [f](K)an inhabited city.
8 (L)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [g]wonders to the sons of mankind!
9 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
- Psalm 107:3 Lit sea
- Psalm 107:4 Lit waste
- Psalm 107:4 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
- Psalm 107:5 Lit also
- Psalm 107:7 Or level
- Psalm 107:7 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
- Psalm 107:8 I.e., wonderful acts
- Psalm 107:9 Or parched
- Psalm 107:10 Or deep gloom
- Psalm 107:10 Lit irons
- Psalm 107:14 Or deep darkness
- Psalm 107:15 I.e., wonderful acts
- Psalm 107:17 Lit the way of their offense
- Psalm 107:20 Lit pits
- Psalm 107:21 I.e., wonderful acts
- Psalm 107:24 I.e., wonderful acts
- Psalm 107:25 Lit of it
- Psalm 107:27 Lit all their wisdom was swallowed up
- Psalm 107:29 Lit of it
- Psalm 107:31 I.e., wonderful acts
- Psalm 107:33 Or desert
- Psalm 107:35 Or desert
- Psalm 107:36 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
- Psalm 107:37 Lit acquire fruits of yield
- Psalm 107:41 Lit in an inaccessibly high place
Psalm 107
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Fifth Book—Psalms 107–150
Psalm 107[a]
God the Savior of Those in Distress
1 “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
his mercy endures forever!”(A)
2 Let that be the prayer of the Lord’s redeemed,
those redeemed from the hand of the foe,(B)
3 Those gathered from foreign lands,
from east and west, from north and south.(C)
I
4 Some had lost their way in a barren desert;
found no path toward a city to live in.
5 They were hungry and thirsty;
their life was ebbing away.(D)
6 In their distress they cried to the Lord,
who rescued them in their peril,
7 (E)Guided them by a direct path
so they reached a city to live in.(F)
8 Let them thank the Lord for his mercy,
such wondrous deeds for the children of Adam.
9 For he satisfied the thirsty,
filled the hungry with good things.(G)
II
10 Some lived in darkness and gloom,
imprisoned in misery and chains.
11 Because they rebelled against God’s word,
and scorned the counsel of the Most High,(H)
12 He humbled their hearts through hardship;
they stumbled with no one to help.(I)
13 In their distress they cried to the Lord,
who saved them in their peril;
14 He brought them forth from darkness and the shadow of death
and broke their chains asunder.(J)
15 Let them thank the Lord for his mercy,
such wondrous deeds for the children of Adam.
16 For he broke down the gates of bronze
and snapped the bars of iron.
III
17 Some fell sick from their wicked ways,
afflicted because of their sins.
18 They loathed all manner of food;(K)
they were at the gates of death.
19 In their distress they cried to the Lord,
who saved them in their peril,
20 Sent forth his word to heal them,(L)
and snatched them from the grave.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his mercy,
such wondrous deeds for the children of Adam.
22 Let them offer a sacrifice in thanks,
recount his works with shouts of joy.
IV
23 Some went off to sea in ships,
plied their trade on the deep waters.(M)
24 They saw the works of the Lord,
the wonders of God in the deep.
25 He commanded and roused a storm wind;
it tossed the waves on high.(N)
26 They rose up to the heavens, sank to the depths;
their hearts trembled at the danger.
27 They reeled, staggered like drunkards;
their skill was of no avail.(O)
28 In their distress they cried to the Lord,
who brought them out of their peril;
29 He hushed the storm to silence,
the waves of the sea were stilled.(P)
30 They rejoiced that the sea grew calm,
that God brought them to the harbor they longed for.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his mercy,
such wondrous deeds for the children of Adam.
32 Let them extol him in the assembly of the people,
and praise him in the council of the elders.
V
33 [b]God changed rivers into desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,(Q)
34 Fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its people.(R)
35 He changed the desert into pools of water,
arid land into springs of water,(S)
36 And settled the hungry there;
they built a city to live in.(T)
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards,
brought in an abundant harvest.(U)
38 (V)God blessed them, and they increased greatly,
and their livestock did not decrease.(W)
39 But he poured out contempt on princes,
made them wander trackless wastes,
40 Where they were diminished and brought low
through misery and cruel oppression.
41 While he released the poor man from affliction,
and increased their families like flocks.(X)
42 The upright saw this and rejoiced;(Y)
all wickedness shut its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise will take note of these things,(Z)
and ponder the merciful deeds of the Lord.
Footnotes
- Psalm 107 A hymn inviting those who have been rescued by God to give praise (Ps 107:1–3). Four archetypal divine rescues are described, each ending in thanksgiving: from the sterile desert (Ps 107:4–9), from imprisonment in gloom (Ps 107:10–16), from mortal illness (Ps 107:17–22), and from the angry sea (Ps 107:23–32). The number four connotes totality, all the possible varieties of rescue. The same saving activity of God is shown in Israel’s history (Ps 107:33–41); whenever the people were endangered God rescued them. The last verses invite people to ponder the persistent saving acts of God (Ps 107:42–43).
- 107:33–41 God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah in Gn 18–19, which the Psalm sees as the destruction of the wicked inhabitants of Canaan to prepare the way for Israel (Ps 107:33–34). God then led Israel through the desert to give them a fertile land (Ps 107:35–38) and protected them from every danger (Ps 107:39–41).
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