⁷ He is the Lord our God.
    His justice is seen throughout the land.
⁸ He always stands by his covenant—
    the commitment he made to a thousand generations.
⁹ This is the covenant he made with Abraham
    and the oath he swore to Isaac.
¹⁰ He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
    and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:
¹¹ “I will give you the land of Canaan
    as your special possession.”

¹² He said this when they were few in number,
    a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
¹³ They wandered from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another.
¹⁴ Yet he did not let anyone oppress them.
    He warned kings on their behalf:
¹⁵ “Do not touch my chosen people,
    and do not hurt my prophets.”

¹⁶ He called for a famine on the land of Canaan,
    cutting off its food supply.
¹⁷ Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them—
    Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
¹⁸ They bruised his feet with fetters
    and placed his neck in an iron collar.
¹⁹ Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,^[a]
    the Lord tested Joseph’s character.
²⁰ Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free;
    the ruler of the nation opened his prison door.
²¹ Joseph was put in charge of all the king’s household;
    he became ruler over all the king’s possessions.
²² He could instruct^[b] the king’s aides as he pleased
    and teach the king’s advisers.

²³ Then Israel arrived in Egypt;
    Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
²⁴ And the Lord multiplied the people of Israel
    until they became too mighty for their enemies.
²⁵ Then he turned the Egyptians against the Israelites,
    and they plotted against the Lord’s servants.

²⁶ But the Lord sent his servant Moses,
    along with Aaron, whom he had chosen.
²⁷ They performed miraculous signs among the Egyptians,
    and wonders in the land of Ham.
²⁸ The Lord blanketed Egypt in darkness,
    for they had defied^[c] his commands to let his people go.
²⁹ He turned their water into blood,
    poisoning all the fish.
³⁰ Then frogs overran the land
    and even invaded the king’s bedrooms.
³¹ When the Lord spoke, flies descended on the Egyptians,
    and gnats swarmed across Egypt.
³² He sent them hail instead of rain,
    and lightning flashed over the land.
³³ He ruined their grapevines and fig trees
    and shattered all the trees.
³⁴ He spoke, and hordes of locusts came—
    young locusts beyond number.
³⁵ They ate up everything green in the land,
    destroying all the crops in their fields.
³⁶ Then he killed the oldest son in each Egyptian home,
    the pride and joy of each family.

³⁷ The Lord brought his people out of Egypt, loaded with silver and gold;
    and not one among the tribes of Israel even stumbled.
³⁸ Egypt was glad when they were gone,
    for they feared them greatly.
³⁹ The Lord spread a cloud above them as a covering
    and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.
⁴⁰ They asked for meat, and he sent them quail;
    he satisfied their hunger with manna—bread from heaven.
⁴¹ He split open a rock, and water gushed out
    to form a river through the dry wasteland.
⁴² For he remembered his sacred promise
    to his servant Abraham.
⁴³ So he brought his people out of Egypt with joy,
    his chosen ones with rejoicing.
⁴⁴ He gave his people the lands of pagan nations,
    and they harvested crops that others had planted.
⁴⁵ All this happened so they would follow his decrees
    and obey his instructions.

Praise the Lord!

⁸ He destroyed the firstborn in each Egyptian home,
    both people and animals.

¹ I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
² I will be filled with joy because of you.
    I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

³ My enemies retreated;
    they staggered and died when you appeared.
⁴ For you have judged in my favor;
    from your throne you have judged with fairness.
⁵ You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
    you have erased their names forever.
⁶ The enemy is finished, in endless ruins;
    the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.

⁷ But the Lord reigns forever,
    executing judgment from his throne.
⁸ He will judge the world with justice
    and rule the nations with fairness.
⁹ The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed,
    a refuge in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

¹¹ Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem.^[a]
    Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
¹² For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.
    He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.

¹³ Lord, have mercy on me.
    See how my enemies torment me.
    Snatch me back from the jaws of death.
¹⁴ Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,
    so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.

¹⁵ The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.
    Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.
¹⁶ The Lord is known for his justice.
    The wicked are trapped by their own deeds. Quiet Interlude^[b]

¹⁷ The wicked will go down to the grave.^[c]
    This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.
¹⁸ But the needy will not be ignored forever;
    the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

¹⁹ Arise, O Lord!
    Do not let mere mortals defy you!
    Judge the nations!
²⁰ Make them tremble in fear, O Lord.
    Let the nations know they are merely human. Interlude