¹¹ Come, children, listen to me.
    Let me teach you how to honor the Lord:
¹² Do you love life;
    do you relish the chance to enjoy good things?
¹³     Then you must keep your tongue from evil
        and keep your lips from speaking lies!
¹⁴ Turn away from evil! Do good!
    Seek peace and go after it!

¹⁵ The Lord’s eyes watch the righteous,
    his ears listen to their cries for help.
¹⁶ But the Lord’s face is set against those who do evil,
    to eliminate even the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷ When the righteous cry out, the Lord listens;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
    he saves those whose spirits are crushed.

¹⁹ The righteous have many problems,
    but the Lord delivers them from every one.
²⁰ He protects all their bones;
    not even one will be broken.
²¹ But just one problem will kill the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be held responsible.
²² The Lord saves his servants’ lives;
    all those who take refuge in him
    won’t be held responsible for anything.

⁴ Some of the redeemed had wandered into the desert, into the wasteland.
    They couldn’t find their way to a city or town.
⁵ They were hungry and thirsty;
    their lives were slipping away.
⁶ So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
    and God delivered them from their desperate circumstances.
⁷     God led them straight to human habitation.
⁸ Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
    and his wondrous works for all people,
⁹     because God satisfied the one who was parched with thirst,
    and he filled up the hungry with good things!

¹⁰ Some of the redeemed had been sitting in darkness and deep gloom;
    they were prisoners suffering in chains
¹¹     because they had disobeyed God’s instructions
    and rejected the Most High’s plans.
¹² So God humbled them with hard work.
    They stumbled, and there was no one to help them.
¹³ So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
    and God saved them from their desperate circumstances.
¹⁴ God brought them out from the darkness and deep gloom;
    he shattered their chains.
¹⁵ Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
    and his wondrous works for all people,
¹⁶     because God has shattered bronze doors
    and split iron bars in two!

¹⁷ Some of the redeemed were fools because of their sinful ways.
    They suffered because of their wickedness.
¹⁸ They had absolutely no appetite for food;
    they had arrived at death’s gates.
¹⁹ So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
    and God saved them from their desperate circumstances.
²⁰ God gave the order and healed them;
    he rescued them from their pit.
²¹ Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
    and his wondrous works for all people.
²² Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices
    and declare what God has done in songs of joy!

²³ Some of the redeemed had gone out on the ocean in ships,
    making their living on the high seas.
²⁴ They saw what the Lord had made;
    they saw his wondrous works in the depths of the sea.
²⁵ God spoke and stirred up a storm
    that brought the waves up high.
²⁶ The waves went as high as the sky;
    they crashed down to the depths.
The sailors’ courage melted at this terrible situation.
²⁷     They staggered and stumbled around like they were drunk.
    None of their skill was of any help.
²⁸ So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
    and God brought them out safe from their desperate circumstances.
²⁹ God quieted the storm to a whisper;
    the sea’s waves were hushed.
³⁰ So they rejoiced because the waves had calmed down;
    then God led them to the harbor they were hoping for.
³¹ Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
    and his wondrous works for all people.
³² Let them exalt God in the congregation of the people
    and praise God in the assembly of the elders.

³³ God turns rivers into desert,
    watery springs into thirsty ground,
³⁴     fruitful land into unproductive dirt,
        when its inhabitants are wicked.
³⁵ But God can also turn the desert into watery pools,
    thirsty ground into watery springs,
³⁶     where he settles the hungry.
They even build a city and live there!
³⁷     They plant fields and vineyards
    and obtain a fruitful harvest.
³⁸ God blesses them, and they become many.
    God won’t even let their cattle diminish.
³⁹ But when they do diminish—
    when they’re brought down by oppression, trouble, and grief—
⁴⁰     God pours contempt on their leaders,
        making them wander aimlessly in the wastelands.
⁴¹ But God raises the needy from their suffering;
    he makes their families as numerous as sheep!

⁴² Those who do right see it and celebrate,
    but every wicked person shuts their mouth.
⁴³ Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things,
    carefully considering the Lord’s faithful love.

⁵ The Lord is merciful and righteous;
    our God is compassionate.
⁶ The Lord protects simple folk;
    he saves me whenever I am brought down.
⁷ I tell myself, You can be at peace again,
    because the Lord has been good to you.
⁸ You, God, have delivered me from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    and my foot from stumbling,
⁹     so I’ll walk before the Lord
    in the land of the living.
¹⁰ I have remained faithful, even when I said,
    “I am suffering so badly!”
¹¹     even when I said, out of fear,
    “Everyone is a liar!”

¹² What can I give back to the Lord
    for all the good things he has done for me?
¹³ I’ll lift up the cup of salvation.
    I’ll call on the Lord’s name.
¹⁴ I’ll keep the promises I made to the Lord
    in the presence of all God’s people.
¹⁵ The death of the Lord’s faithful
    is a costly loss in his eyes.

¹⁶ Oh yes, Lord, I am definitely your servant!
    I am your servant and the son of your female servant—
    you’ve freed me from my chains.
¹⁷ So I’ll offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to you,
    and I’ll call on the Lord’s name.
¹⁸ I’ll keep the promises I made to the Lord
    in the presence of all God’s people,
¹⁹     in the courtyards of the Lord’s house,
        which is in the center of Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

⁴ Let all the earth’s rulers give thanks to you, Lord,
    when they hear what you say.
⁵ Let them sing about the Lord’s ways
    because the Lord’s glory is so great!
⁶ Even though the Lord is high,
    he can still see the lowly,
    but God keeps his distance from the arrogant.

⁷ Whenever I am in deep trouble,
    you make me live again;
    you send your power against my enemies’ wrath;
    you save me with your strong hand.
⁸ The Lord will do all this for my sake.

Your faithful love lasts forever, Lord!
    Don’t let go of what your hands
    have made.