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!

BOOK 5

The Lord Rescues People from Many Troubles.

107 (CG)Give thanks to the Lord, for (CH)He is good,
For His mercy is everlasting.
(CI)The redeemed of the Lord shall say so,
Those whom He has (CJ)redeemed from the hand of the enemy
And (CK)gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [ah]south.

They (CL)wandered in the wilderness in a [ai]desert region;
They did not find a way to [aj]an inhabited (CM)city.
They were hungry [ak]and thirsty;
Their (CN)souls felt weak within them.
Then they (CO)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
He also had them walk on a [al](CP)straight way,
To go to [am](CQ)an inhabited city.
(CR)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [an]wonders to the sons of mankind!
For He has (CS)satisfied the [ao]thirsty soul,
And He has filled the (CT)hungry soul with what is good.

10 There were those who (CU)lived in darkness and in [ap]the shadow of death,
(CV)Prisoners in misery and [aq]chains,
11 Because they had (CW)rebelled against the words of God
And (CX)rejected the (CY)plan of the Most High.
12 Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was (CZ)no one to help.
13 Then they (DA)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
14 He (DB)brought them out of darkness and [ar]the shadow of death
And (DC)broke their bands apart.
15 (DD)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [as]wonders to the sons of mankind!
16 For He has (DE)shattered gates of bronze
And cut off bars of iron.

17 Fools, because of [at]their rebellious way,
And (DF)because of their guilty deeds, were afflicted.
18 Their (DG)souls loathed all kinds of food,
And they (DH)came close to the (DI)gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
20 He (DJ)sent His word and (DK)healed them,
And (DL)saved them from their [au]destruction.
21 (DM)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [av]wonders to the sons of mankind!
22 They shall also offer (DN)sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And (DO)tell of His works with joyful singing.

23 Those who (DP)go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
24 They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His [aw]wonders in the deep.
25 For He (DQ)spoke and raised a (DR)stormy wind,
Which (DS)lifted the waves [ax]of the sea.
26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul (DT)melted away in their misery.
27 They reeled and (DU)staggered like a drunken person,
And [ay]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 (DV)caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves [az]of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired harbor.
31 (DW)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [ba](DX)wonders to the sons of mankind!
32 They shall also (DY)exalt Him (DZ)in the congregation of the people,
And (EA)praise Him at the seat of the elders.

33 He (EB)turns rivers into a [bb]wilderness,
And springs of water into a thirsty ground;
34 And a (EC)fruitful land into a (ED)salt waste,
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35 He (EE)turns a [bc]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 [bd](EF)an inhabited city,
37 And sow fields and (EG)plant vineyards,
And [be]gather a fruitful harvest.
38 He also blesses them and they (EH)multiply greatly,
And He (EI)does not let their cattle decrease.

39 When they (EJ)become few and (EK)lowly
Because of oppression, misery, and sorrow,
40 He (EL)pours contempt upon noblemen
And (EM)makes them wander (EN)in a pathless wasteland.
41 But He (EO)sets the needy [bf]securely on high, away from affliction,
And (EP)makes his families like a flock.
42 The (EQ)upright see it and are glad;
But all (ER)injustice shuts its mouth.
43 Who is (ES)wise? He is to pay attention to these things,
And consider the (ET)mercy of 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
  34. Psalm 107:3 Lit sea
  35. Psalm 107:4 Lit waste
  36. Psalm 107:4 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
  37. Psalm 107:5 Lit also
  38. Psalm 107:7 Or level
  39. Psalm 107:7 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
  40. Psalm 107:8 I.e., wonderful acts
  41. Psalm 107:9 Or parched
  42. Psalm 107:10 Or deep gloom
  43. Psalm 107:10 Lit irons
  44. Psalm 107:14 Or deep darkness
  45. Psalm 107:15 I.e., wonderful acts
  46. Psalm 107:17 Lit the way of their offense
  47. Psalm 107:20 Lit pits
  48. Psalm 107:21 I.e., wonderful acts
  49. Psalm 107:24 I.e., wonderful acts
  50. Psalm 107:25 Lit of it
  51. Psalm 107:27 Lit all their wisdom was swallowed up
  52. Psalm 107:29 Lit of it
  53. Psalm 107:31 I.e., wonderful acts
  54. Psalm 107:33 Or desert
  55. Psalm 107:35 Or desert
  56. Psalm 107:36 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
  57. Psalm 107:37 Lit acquire fruits of yield
  58. Psalm 107:41 Lit in an inaccessibly high place

Psalm 106

Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
    His faithful love endures forever.
Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?
    Who can ever praise him enough?
There is joy for those who deal justly with others
    and always do what is right.

Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people;
    come near and rescue me.
Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones.
    Let me rejoice in the joy of your people;
    let me praise you with those who are your heritage.

Like our ancestors, we have sinned.
    We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!
Our ancestors in Egypt
    were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds.
They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them.
    Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.[a]
Even so, he saved them—
    to defend the honor of his name
    and to demonstrate his mighty power.
He commanded the Red Sea[b] to dry up.
    He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert.
10 So he rescued them from their enemies
    and redeemed them from their foes.
11 Then the water returned and covered their enemies;
    not one of them survived.
12 Then his people believed his promises.
    Then they sang his praise.

13 Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done!
    They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!
14 In the wilderness their desires ran wild,
    testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland.
15 So he gave them what they asked for,
    but he sent a plague along with it.
16 The people in the camp were jealous of Moses
    and envious of Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest.
17 Because of this, the earth opened up;
    it swallowed Dathan
    and buried Abiram and the other rebels.
18 Fire fell upon their followers;
    a flame consumed the wicked.

19 The people made a calf at Mount Sinai[c];
    they bowed before an image made of gold.
20 They traded their glorious God
    for a statue of a grass-eating bull.
21 They forgot God, their savior,
    who had done such great things in Egypt—
22 such wonderful things in the land of Ham,
    such awesome deeds at the Red Sea.
23 So he declared he would destroy them.
    But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people.
    He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.

24 The people refused to enter the pleasant land,
    for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.
25 Instead, they grumbled in their tents
    and refused to obey the Lord.
26 Therefore, he solemnly swore
    that he would kill them in the wilderness,
27 that he would scatter their descendants[d] among the nations,
    exiling them to distant lands.

28 Then our ancestors joined in the worship of Baal at Peor;
    they even ate sacrifices offered to the dead!
29 They angered the Lord with all these things,
    so a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas had the courage to intervene,
    and the plague was stopped.
31 So he has been regarded as a righteous man
    ever since that time.

32 At Meribah, too, they angered the Lord,
    causing Moses serious trouble.
33 They made Moses angry,[e]
    and he spoke foolishly.

34 Israel failed to destroy the nations in the land,
    as the Lord had commanded them.
35 Instead, they mingled among the pagans
    and adopted their evil customs.
36 They worshiped their idols,
    which led to their downfall.
37 They even sacrificed their sons
    and their daughters to the demons.
38 They shed innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons and daughters.
By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan,
    they polluted the land with murder.
39 They defiled themselves by their evil deeds,
    and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight.

40 That is why the Lord’s anger burned against his people,
    and he abhorred his own special possession.
41 He handed them over to pagan nations,
    and they were ruled by those who hated them.
42 Their enemies crushed them
    and brought them under their cruel power.
43 Again and again he rescued them,
    but they chose to rebel against him,
    and they were finally destroyed by their sin.
44 Even so, he pitied them in their distress
    and listened to their cries.
45 He remembered his covenant with them
    and relented because of his unfailing love.
46 He even caused their captors
    to treat them with kindness.

47 Save us, O Lord our God!
    Gather us back from among the nations,
so we can thank your holy name
    and rejoice and praise you.

48 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who lives from everlasting to everlasting!
Let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord!

Book five (Psalms 107–150)

Psalm 107

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
    His faithful love endures forever.
Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
    Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,
    from east and west,
    from north and south.[f]

Some wandered in the wilderness,
    lost and homeless.
Hungry and thirsty,
    they nearly died.
Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he rescued them from their distress.
He led them straight to safety,
    to a city where they could live.
Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
For he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,
    imprisoned in iron chains of misery.
11 They rebelled against the words of God,
    scorning the counsel of the Most High.
12 That is why he broke them with hard labor;
    they fell, and no one was there to help them.
13 Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;
    he snapped their chains.
15 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;
    he cut apart their bars of iron.

17 Some were fools; they rebelled
    and suffered for their sins.
18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food,
    and they were knocking on death’s door.
19 Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
    snatching them from the door of death.
21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
    and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

23 Some went off to sea in ships,
    plying the trade routes of the world.
24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action,
    his impressive works on the deepest seas.
25 He spoke, and the winds rose,
    stirring up the waves.
26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens
    and plunged again to the depths;
    the sailors cringed in terror.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards
    and were at their wits’ end.
28 Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
29 He calmed the storm to a whisper
    and stilled the waves.
30 What a blessing was that stillness
    as he brought them safely into harbor!
31 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation
    and before the leaders of the nation.

33 He changes rivers into deserts,
    and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.
34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,
    because of the wickedness of those who live there.
35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water,
    the dry land into springs of water.
36 He brings the hungry to settle there
    and to build their cities.
37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,
    and harvest their bumper crops.
38 How he blesses them!
    They raise large families there,
    and their herds of livestock increase.

39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished
    through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 the Lord pours contempt on their princes,
    causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.
41 But he rescues the poor from trouble
    and increases their families like flocks of sheep.
42 The godly will see these things and be glad,
    while the wicked are struck silent.
43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart;
    they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 106:7 Hebrew at the sea, the sea of reeds.
  2. 106:9 Hebrew sea of reeds; also in 106:22.
  3. 106:19 Hebrew at Horeb, another name for Sinai.
  4. 106:27 As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads he would cause their descendants to fall.
  5. 106:33 Hebrew They embittered his spirit.
  6. 107:3 Hebrew and sea.