Psalm 106
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 106
A Confession of Israel’s Sins
1 Praise the Lord!
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.(A)
2 Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord
or declare all his praise?(B)
3 Happy are those who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times.(C)
4 Remember us,[a] O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
help us[b] when you deliver them,(D)
5 that we may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that we may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that we may glory in your heritage.(E)
6 Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.(F)
7 Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wonderful works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love
but rebelled against the Most High[c] at the Red Sea.[d](G)
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
so that he might make known his mighty power.(H)
9 He rebuked the Red Sea,[e] and it became dry;
he led them through the deep as through a desert.(I)
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe
and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.(J)
11 The waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them was left.(K)
12 Then they believed his words;
they sang his praise.(L)
13 But they soon forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel.(M)
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness
and put God to the test in the desert;(N)
15 he gave them what they asked
but sent a wasting disease among them.(O)
16 They were jealous of Moses in the camp
and of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.(P)
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan
and covered the faction of Abiram.(Q)
18 Fire also broke out in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.(R)
19 They made a calf at Horeb
and worshiped a cast image.(S)
20 They exchanged the glory of God[f]
for the image of an ox that eats grass.(T)
21 They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,(U)
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.[g](V)
23 Therefore he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.(W)
24 Then they despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his promise.(X)
25 They grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the voice of the Lord.(Y)
26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
that he would make them fall in the wilderness(Z)
27 and would disperse[h] their descendants among the nations,
scattering them over the lands.(AA)
28 Then they attached themselves to the Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;(AB)
29 they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and interceded,
and the plague was stopped.(AC)
31 And that has been reckoned to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever.(AD)
32 They angered the Lord[i] at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account,(AE)
33 for they made his spirit bitter,
and he spoke words that were rash.(AF)
34 They did not destroy the peoples,
as the Lord had commanded them,(AG)
35 but they mingled with the nations
and learned to do as they did.(AH)
36 They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.(AI)
37 They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons;(AJ)
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 polluted with blood.(AK)
39 Thus they became unclean by their acts
and prostituted themselves in their doings.(AL)
40 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
and he abhorred his heritage;(AM)
41 he gave them into the hand of the nations,
so that those who hated them ruled over them.(AN)
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their purposes
and were brought low through their iniquity.(AO)
44 Nevertheless, he regarded their distress
when he heard their cry.(AP)
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant
and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.(AQ)
46 He caused them to be pitied
by all who held them captive.(AR)
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 your praise.(AS)
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen.”
Praise the Lord!(AT)
Psalm 106
International Standard Version
The Unfaithfulness of God’s People
106 Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the Lord,
since he is good,
for his gracious love exists forever.
2 Who can fully describe the mighty acts of the Lord
or proclaim all his praises?
3 How happy are those who enforce justice,
who live righteously all the time.
4 Remember me, Lord,
when you show favor to your people.
Visit us with your deliverance,
5 to witness the prosperity of your chosen ones,
to rejoice in your nation’s joy,
to glory in your inheritance.
6 We have sinned, along with our ancestors;
we have committed iniquity and wickedness.
7 In Egypt, our ancestors neither comprehended your awesome deeds
nor remembered your abundant gracious love.
Instead, they rebelled beside the sea, the Reed[a] Sea.
8 He delivered for the sake of his name,[b]
to make his power known.
9 He shouted at the Reed[c] Sea and it dried up;
and led them through the sea as though through a desert.
10 He delivered them from the power of their foe;
redeeming them from the power of their enemy.
11 The water overwhelmed their enemies,
so that not one of them survived.[d]
12 Then they believed his word
and sung his praise.
13 But they quickly forgot his deeds
and did not wait for his counsel.
14 They were overwhelmed with craving in the wilderness,
so God tested them in the wasteland.
15 God granted them their request,
but sent leanness into their lives.
16 They were envious of Moses in the camp,
and of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.
17 The earth opened and swallowed Dathan,
closing over Abiram’s clan.
18 Then a fire burned among their company,
a flame that set the wicked ablaze.
19 They fashioned a calf at Horeb
and worshipped a carved image.
20 They exchanged their glory[e]
with the image of a grass-eating bull.
21 They forgot God their Savior,
who performed great things in Egypt—
22 awesome deeds in the land of Ham,[f]
astonishing deeds at the Reed[g] Sea.
23 He would have destroyed them
but for Moses, his chosen one,
who stood in the breach before him
to avert[h] his destructive wrath.
24 They rejected the desirable land,
and they didn’t trust his promise.
25 They murmured in their tents,
and didn’t listen to the voice of the Lord.
26 So he swore an oath concerning them—
that he would cause them to die in the wilderness,
27 to cause their children to perish among the nations
and be scattered among many[i] lands.
28 For they adopted the worship[j] of Baal Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.
29 They had provoked anger by their deeds,
so that a plague broke out against them.
30 But Phinehas intervened and prayed
so that the plague was restrained.
31 And it was credited to him as a righteous act,
from generation to generation—to eternity.
32 They provoked wrath at the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered[k] on account of them.
33 For they rebelled against him,[l]
so that he spoke thoughtlessly with his lips.
34 They never destroyed the people,
as the Lord had commanded them.
35 Instead, they mingled among the nations
and learned their ways.[m]
36 They worshipped[n] their idols,
and this became a trap for them.
37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.
38 They shed innocent blood—
the blood of their sons and daughters—
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
thereby polluting the land with blood.
39 Therefore, they became unclean because of what they did;
they have acted like whores by their evil deeds.
40 The Lord’s anger burned against his people,
so that he despised his own inheritance.
41 He turned them over to domination by nations
where those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
so that they were humiliated by their power.
43 He delivered them many times,
but they demonstrated rebellion by their evil plans;
therefore they sunk deep in their sins.
44 Yet when he saw their distress
and heard their cries for help,[o]
45 he remembered his covenant with them,
and so relented
according to the greatness of his gracious love.
46 He caused all their captors to show compassion toward them.
47 Deliver us, Lord our God,
gather us from among the nations
so we may praise your holy name
and rejoice in praising you.
48 Blessed are you, Lord God of Israel,
from eternity to eternity;
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Hallelujah!
Footnotes
- Psalm 106:7 So MT; LXX reads Red
- Psalm 106:8 Or reputation
- Psalm 106:9 So MT; LXX reads Red
- Psalm 106:11 Or remained
- Psalm 106:20 I.e. their God
- Psalm 106:22 I.e. Egypt
- Psalm 106:22 So MT; LXX reads Red
- Psalm 106:23 Or turn back
- Psalm 106:27 The Heb. lacks many
- Psalm 106:28 Lit. they attached themselves with Baal Peor
- Psalm 106:32 Lit. and it was evil for Moses
- Psalm 106:33 Lit. against his spirit
- Psalm 106:35 Lit. deeds
- Psalm 106:36 Lit. served
- Psalm 106:44 The Heb. lacks help
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