Joy in Forgiveness of Israel’s Sins

106 Praise[a] the Lord!

(A)Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.

Who can [b]utter the mighty acts of the Lord?
Who can declare all His praise?
Blessed are those who keep justice,
And [c]he who (B)does righteousness at (C)all times!

(D)Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You have toward Your people.
Oh, visit me with Your salvation,
That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
That I may glory with [d]Your inheritance.

(E)We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity,
We have done wickedly.
Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;
They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies,
(F)But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.

Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,
(G)That He might make His mighty power known.
(H)He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up;
So (I)He led them through the depths,
As through the wilderness.
10 He (J)saved them from the hand of him who hated them,
And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 (K)The waters covered their enemies;
There was not one of them left.
12 (L)Then they believed His words;
They sang His praise.

13 (M)They soon forgot His works;
They did not wait for His counsel,
14 (N)But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tested God in the desert.
15 (O)And He gave them their request,
But (P)sent leanness into their soul.

16 When (Q)they envied Moses in the camp,
And Aaron the saint of the Lord,
17 (R)The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan,
And covered the faction of Abiram.
18 (S)A fire was kindled in their company;
The flame burned up the wicked.

19 (T)They made a calf in Horeb,
And worshiped the molded image.
20 Thus (U)they changed their glory
Into the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God their Savior,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
Awesome things by the Red Sea.
23 (V)Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
Had not Moses His chosen one (W)stood before Him in the breach,
To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them.

24 Then they despised (X)the pleasant land;
They (Y)did not believe His word,
25 (Z)But complained in their tents,
And did not heed the voice of the Lord.
26 (AA)Therefore He raised His hand in an oath against them,
(AB)To [e]overthrow them in the wilderness,
27 (AC)To [f]overthrow their descendants among the [g]nations,
And to scatter them in the lands.

28 (AD)They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor,
And ate sacrifices [h]made to the dead.
29 Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds,
And the plague broke out among them.
30 (AE)Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
And the plague was stopped.
31 And that was accounted to him (AF)for righteousness
To all generations forevermore.

32 (AG)They angered Him also at the waters of [i]strife,
(AH)So that it went ill with Moses on account of them;
33 (AI)Because they rebelled against His Spirit,
So that he spoke rashly with his lips.

34 (AJ)They did not destroy the peoples,
(AK)Concerning whom the Lord had commanded them,
35 (AL)But they mingled with the Gentiles
And learned their works;
36 (AM)They served their idols,
(AN)Which became a snare to them.
37 (AO)They even sacrificed their sons
And their daughters to (AP)demons,
38 And shed innocent blood,
The blood of their sons and daughters,
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And (AQ)the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus they [j]were (AR)defiled by their own works,
And (AS)played[k] the harlot by their own deeds.

40 Therefore (AT)the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people,
So that He abhorred (AU)His own inheritance.
41 And (AV)He gave them into the hand of the Gentiles,
And those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were brought into subjection under their hand.
43 (AW)Many times He delivered them;
But they rebelled in their counsel,
And were brought low for their iniquity.

44 Nevertheless He regarded their affliction,
When (AX)He heard their cry;
45 (AY)And for their sake He remembered His covenant,
And (AZ)relented (BA)according to the multitude of His mercies.
46 (BB)He also made them to be pitied
By all those who carried them away captive.

47 (BC)Save us, O Lord our God,
And gather us from among the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.

48 (BD)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”

[l]Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 106:1 Heb. Hallelujah
  2. Psalm 106:2 express
  3. Psalm 106:3 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. those who do
  4. Psalm 106:5 The people of Your inheritance
  5. Psalm 106:26 make them fall
  6. Psalm 106:27 make their descendants fall also
  7. Psalm 106:27 Gentiles
  8. Psalm 106:28 offered
  9. Psalm 106:32 Or Meribah
  10. Psalm 106:39 became unclean
  11. Psalm 106:39 Were unfaithful
  12. Psalm 106:48 Heb. Hallelujah

Israel’s Rebelliousness and the Lords Help.

106 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
Oh (A)give thanks to the Lord, for He (B)is good;
For (C)His mercy is everlasting.
Who can speak of the (D)mighty deeds of the Lord,
Or can proclaim all His praise?
How blessed are those who maintain [c]justice,
[d]Who (E)practice righteousness at all times!

Remember me, Lord, in Your (F)favor [e]toward Your people.
Visit me with Your salvation,
So that I may see the (G)prosperity of Your chosen ones,
That I may (H)rejoice in the joy of Your nation,
That I may (I)boast with Your [f]inheritance.

(J)We have sinned [g](K)like our fathers,
We have gone astray, we have behaved wickedly.
Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your [h]wonders;
They (L)did not remember [i]Your abundant kindnesses,
But (M)rebelled by the sea, at the [j]Red Sea.
Nevertheless He saved them (N)for the sake of His name,
So that He might (O)make His power known.
So He (P)rebuked the [k]Red Sea and it (Q)dried up,
And He (R)led them through the mighty waters, as through the wilderness.
10 So He (S)saved them from the [l]hand of one who hated them,
And (T)redeemed them from the [m]hand of the enemy.
11 (U)The waters covered their adversaries;
Not one of them was left.
12 Then they (V)believed His words;
They (W)sang His praise.

13 They quickly (X)forgot His works;
They (Y)did not wait for His plan,
14 But (Z)became lustfully greedy in the wilderness,
And (AA)put God to the test in the desert.
15 So He (AB)gave them their request,
But (AC)sent a [n]wasting disease among them.

16 When they became (AD)envious of Moses in the camp,
And of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,
17 The (AE)earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
And engulfed the [o]company of Abiram.
18 And a (AF)fire blazed up in their [p]company;
The flame consumed the wicked.

19 They (AG)made a calf in Horeb,
And worshiped a cast metal image.
20 So they (AH)exchanged their glory
For the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They (AI)forgot God their Savior,
Who had done (AJ)great things in Egypt,
22 [q](AK)Wonders in the land of Ham,
And awesome things by the [r]Red Sea.
23 Therefore (AL)He said that He would destroy them,
If (AM)Moses, His chosen one, had not stood in the gap before Him,
To turn away His wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they (AN)rejected the (AO)pleasant land;
They (AP)did not believe His word,
25 But (AQ)grumbled in their tents;
They did not listen to the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore He [s](AR)swore to them
That He would have them fall in the wilderness,
27 And that He would (AS)bring down their [t]descendants among the nations,
And (AT)scatter them in the lands.

28 They also (AU)followed [u]Baal-peor,
And ate (AV)sacrifices offered to the dead.
29 So they (AW)provoked Him to anger with their deeds,
And a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas (AX)stood up and [v]intervened,
And so the (AY)plague was brought to a halt.
31 And it was (AZ)credited to him as righteousness,
To all generations forever.

32 They also (BA)provoked Him to wrath at the waters of [w]Meribah,
So that it (BB)went badly for Moses on their account.
33 Because they (BC)were rebellious against [x]His Spirit,
He spoke rashly with his lips.

34 They (BD)did not destroy the peoples,
As (BE)the Lord had commanded them,
35 But (BF)they got involved with the nations
And learned their [y]practices,
36 And (BG)served their idols,
(BH)Which became a snare to them.
37 They even (BI)sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the (BJ)demons,
38 And shed (BK)innocent blood,
The blood of their (BL)sons and their daughters
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was (BM)defiled with the blood.
39 So they became (BN)unclean in their [z]practices,
And [aa](BO)were unfaithful in their deeds.

40 Therefore the (BP)anger of the Lord was kindled against His people,
And He (BQ)loathed His [ab](BR)inheritance.
41 So (BS)He handed them over to the [ac]nations,
And those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies also (BT)oppressed them,
And they were subdued under their [ad]power.
43 Many times He would (BU)rescue them;
They, however, were rebellious in their (BV)plan,
And they (BW)sank down into their guilt.

44 Nevertheless He looked at their distress
When He (BX)heard their cry;
45 And He (BY)remembered His covenant for their sake,
And [ae](BZ)relented (CA)according to the greatness of His mercy.
46 He also made them (CB)objects of compassion
In the presence of all their captors.

47 (CC)Save us, Lord our God,
And (CD)gather us from the nations,
To give thanks to Your holy name
And (CE)glory in Your praise.
48 (CF)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting.
And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
[af]Praise [ag]the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 106:1 Or Hallelujah!
  2. Psalm 106:1 Heb Yah
  3. Psalm 106:3 Or judgment
  4. Psalm 106:3 Many Heb mss The one who performs
  5. Psalm 106:4 Lit of
  6. Psalm 106:5 I.e., people
  7. Psalm 106:6 Lit with
  8. Psalm 106:7 I.e., wonderful acts
  9. Psalm 106:7 Lit the multitude of Your kindnesses
  10. Psalm 106:7 Lit Sea of Reeds
  11. Psalm 106:9 Lit Sea of Reeds
  12. Psalm 106:10 Or power
  13. Psalm 106:10 Or power
  14. Psalm 106:15 Or leanness into their soul
  15. Psalm 106:17 Or assembly, band
  16. Psalm 106:18 Or assembly, band
  17. Psalm 106:22 I.e., Wonderful acts
  18. Psalm 106:22 Lit Sea of Reeds
  19. Psalm 106:26 Lit lifted up His hand
  20. Psalm 106:27 Lit seed
  21. Psalm 106:28 Or Baal of Peor
  22. Psalm 106:30 Or pronounced judgment
  23. Psalm 106:32 Lit strife
  24. Psalm 106:33 Or his spirit
  25. Psalm 106:35 Lit works
  26. Psalm 106:39 Lit works
  27. Psalm 106:39 Or prostituted themselves
  28. Psalm 106:40 I.e., people
  29. Psalm 106:41 Or Gentiles
  30. Psalm 106:42 Lit hand
  31. Psalm 106:45 Lit was sorry
  32. Psalm 106:48 Or Hallelujah!
  33. Psalm 106:48 Heb Yah

Israel’s Rebelliousness and the Lord’s Deliverances.

106 Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever!(A)

Who can put into words the mighty deeds of the Lord?
Or who can proclaim all His praise [that is due Him]?

Blessed are those who observe justice [by honoring God’s precepts],
Who practice righteousness at all times.


Remember me, O Lord, when You favor Your people.
Visit me with Your salvation [when You rescue them],

That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
That I may glory with Your inheritance.


We have sinned like our fathers;
We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.(B)

Our fathers in Egypt did not understand nor appreciate Your miracles;
They did not remember the abundance of Your mercies nor imprint Your lovingkindnesses on their hearts,
But they were rebellious at the sea, at the [a]Red Sea.(C)

Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,
That He might make His [supreme] power known.

He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
And He led them through the depths as through a pasture.(D)
10 
So He saved them from the hand of the one that hated them,
And redeemed them from the hand of the [Egyptian] enemy.(E)
11 
And the waters covered their adversaries;
Not one of them was left.(F)
12 
Then Israel believed in [the validity of] His words;
They sang His praise.

13 
But they quickly forgot His works;
They did not [patiently] wait for His counsel and purpose [to be revealed regarding them],
14 
But lusted intensely in the wilderness
And tempted God [with their insistent desires] in the desert.(G)
15 
So He gave them their request,
But sent a wasting disease among them.(H)

16 
They envied Moses in the camp,
And Aaron [the high priest], the holy one of the Lord,(I)
17 
Therefore the earth opened and swallowed Dathan,
And engulfed the company of Abiram.(J)
18 
And a fire broke out in their company;
The flame consumed the wicked.(K)

19 
They made a calf in Horeb (Sinai)
And worshiped a cast image.(L)
20 
Thus they exchanged [the true God who was] their glory
For the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 
They forgot God their Savior,
Who had done such great things in Egypt,
22 
Wonders in the land of Ham,
Awesome things at the Red Sea.
23 
Therefore He said He would destroy them,
[And He would have done so] had not Moses, His chosen one, stepped into the gap before Him,
To turn away His wrath from destroying them.(M)
24 
Then they despised the pleasant land [of Canaan];
They did not believe in His word nor rely on it,
25 
But they sulked and complained in their tents;
They did not listen to the voice of the Lord.
26 
Therefore He lifted up His hand [swearing] to them,
That He would cause them to fall in the wilderness,
27 
And that He would cast out their descendants among the nations
And scatter them in the lands [of the earth].

28 
They joined themselves also to [the idol] Baal of Peor,
And ate sacrifices offered to the dead.
29 
Thus they provoked Him to anger with their practices,
And a plague broke out among them.
30 
Then Phinehas [the priest] stood up and [b]interceded,
And so the plague was halted.(N)
31 
And that was credited to him for righteousness,
To all generations forever.

32 
They provoked Him to anger at the waters of [c]Meribah,
So that it went hard with Moses on their account;(O)
33 
Because they were rebellious against His Spirit,
Moses spoke recklessly with his lips.

34 
They did not destroy the [pagan] peoples [in Canaan],
As the Lord commanded them,
35 
But they mingled with the [idolatrous] nations
And learned their ways,
36 
And served their idols,
Which became a [dreadful] snare to them.
37 
They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons(P)
38 
And shed innocent blood,
Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters,
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was polluted with their blood.
39 
In this way they became unclean in their practices;
They played the prostitute in their own deeds [by giving their worship, which belongs to God alone, to other “gods”].

40 
Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people
And He detested His own [d]inheritance.(Q)
41 
He gave them into the hands of the nations,
And those who hated them ruled over them.
42 
Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were subdued under the [powerful] hand of their enemies.
43 
Many times He rescued them;
But they were rebellious in their counsel,
And sank down in their wickedness.

44 
Nevertheless He looked [sympathetically] at their distress
When He heard their cry;
45 
And He remembered His covenant for their sake,
And relented [rescinding their sentence] according to the greatness of His lovingkindness [when they cried out to Him],
46 
He also made them objects of compassion
Among those who had carried them away captive.(R)

47 
Save us, O Lord our God,
And gather us from among the nations,
That we may give thanks to Your holy name
And glory in praising You.
48 
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen.”
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)(S)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 106:7 Lit Sea of Reeds; and so throughout.
  2. Psalm 106:30 The exact meaning of the Hebrew here has been debated since ancient times. The term interceded probably is best because it could refer to Phinehas’ intervention by executing the guilty couple (Num 25:7f), or to his interceding through prayer in behalf of Israel. No such prayer is recorded, but it is certainly possible that Phinehas prayed for relief before or after the execution. The ancient rabbis mostly understood the intercession as a prayer, but some of them took the meaning of the Hebrew to be that Phinehas interceded essentially by arguing with God as to whether it was fair to destroy so many people for the sins of two.
  3. Psalm 106:32 Lit strife.
  4. Psalm 106:40 I.e. people.

Psalm 106(A)

Praise the Lord.[a](B)

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;(C)
    his love endures forever.(D)

Who can proclaim the mighty acts(E) of the Lord
    or fully declare his praise?
Blessed are those who act justly,(F)
    who always do what is right.(G)

Remember me,(H) Lord, when you show favor(I) to your people,
    come to my aid(J) when you save them,
that I may enjoy the prosperity(K) of your chosen ones,(L)
    that I may share in the joy(M) of your nation
    and join your inheritance(N) in giving praise.

We have sinned,(O) even as our ancestors(P) did;
    we have done wrong and acted wickedly.(Q)
When our ancestors were in Egypt,
    they gave no thought(R) to your miracles;
they did not remember(S) your many kindnesses,
    and they rebelled by the sea,(T) the Red Sea.[b]
Yet he saved them(U) for his name’s sake,(V)
    to make his mighty power(W) known.
He rebuked(X) the Red Sea, and it dried up;(Y)
    he led them through(Z) the depths as through a desert.
10 He saved them(AA) from the hand of the foe;(AB)
    from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.(AC)
11 The waters covered(AD) their adversaries;
    not one of them survived.
12 Then they believed his promises
    and sang his praise.(AE)

13 But they soon forgot(AF) what he had done
    and did not wait for his plan to unfold.(AG)
14 In the desert(AH) they gave in to their craving;
    in the wilderness(AI) they put God to the test.(AJ)
15 So he gave them(AK) what they asked for,
    but sent a wasting disease(AL) among them.

16 In the camp they grew envious(AM) of Moses
    and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.
17 The earth opened(AN) up and swallowed Dathan;(AO)
    it buried the company of Abiram.(AP)
18 Fire blazed(AQ) among their followers;
    a flame consumed the wicked.
19 At Horeb they made a calf(AR)
    and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
20 They exchanged their glorious God(AS)
    for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
21 They forgot the God(AT) who saved them,
    who had done great things(AU) in Egypt,
22 miracles in the land of Ham(AV)
    and awesome deeds(AW) by the Red Sea.
23 So he said he would destroy(AX) them—
    had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach(AY) before him
    to keep his wrath from destroying them.

24 Then they despised(AZ) the pleasant land;(BA)
    they did not believe(BB) his promise.
25 They grumbled(BC) in their tents
    and did not obey the Lord.
26 So he swore(BD) to them with uplifted hand
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,(BE)
27 make their descendants fall among the nations
    and scatter(BF) them throughout the lands.

28 They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor(BG)
    and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
29 they aroused the Lord’s anger(BH) by their wicked deeds,(BI)
    and a plague(BJ) broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas(BK) stood up and intervened,
    and the plague was checked.(BL)
31 This was credited to him(BM) as righteousness
    for endless generations(BN) to come.
32 By the waters of Meribah(BO) they angered the Lord,
    and trouble came to Moses because of them;
33 for they rebelled(BP) against the Spirit(BQ) of God,
    and rash words came from Moses’ lips.[c](BR)

34 They did not destroy(BS) the peoples
    as the Lord had commanded(BT) them,
35 but they mingled(BU) with the nations
    and adopted their customs.
36 They worshiped their idols,(BV)
    which became a snare(BW) to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons(BX)
    and their daughters to false gods.(BY)
38 They shed innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons(BZ) and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39 They defiled themselves(CA) by what they did;
    by their deeds they prostituted(CB) themselves.

40 Therefore the Lord was angry(CC) with his people
    and abhorred his inheritance.(CD)
41 He gave them into the hands(CE) of the nations,
    and their foes ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed(CF) them
    and subjected them to their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,(CG)
    but they were bent on rebellion(CH)
    and they wasted away in their sin.
44 Yet he took note of their distress
    when he heard their cry;(CI)
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant(CJ)
    and out of his great love(CK) he relented.(CL)
46 He caused all who held them captive
    to show them mercy.(CM)

47 Save us,(CN) Lord our God,
    and gather us(CO) from the nations,
that we may give thanks(CP) to your holy name(CQ)
    and glory in your praise.

48 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”(CR)

Praise the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 106:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 48
  2. Psalm 106:7 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verses 9 and 22
  3. Psalm 106:33 Or against his spirit, / and rash words came from his lips