Psalm 106

Israel’s Unfaithfulness to God

Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.(A)
Who can declare the Lord’s mighty acts
or proclaim all the praise due him?(B)
How happy are those who uphold justice,
who practice righteousness at all times.(C)

Remember me, Lord,
when you show favor to your people.(D)
Come to me with your salvation
so that I may enjoy the prosperity
of your chosen ones,
rejoice in the joy of your nation,
and boast about your heritage.(E)

Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have done wrong and have acted wickedly.(F)
Our ancestors in Egypt did not grasp
the significance of your wondrous works
or remember your many acts of faithful love;
instead, they rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.(G)
Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
to make his power known.(H)
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
he led them through the depths as through a desert.(I)
10 He saved them from the power of the adversary;
he redeemed them from the power of the enemy.(J)
11 Water covered their foes;
not one of them remained.(K)
12 Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise.(L)

13 They soon forgot his works
and would not wait for his counsel.(M)
14 They were seized with craving in the wilderness
and tested God in the desert.(N)
15 He gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease among them.(O)

16 In the camp they were envious of Moses
and of Aaron, the Lord’s holy one.(P)
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it covered the assembly of Abiram.(Q)
18 Fire blazed throughout their assembly;
flames consumed the wicked.(R)

19 At Horeb they made a calf
and worshiped the cast metal image.(S)
20 They exchanged their glory[a][b]
for the image of a grass-eating ox.(T)
21 They forgot God their Savior,
who did great things in Egypt,(U)
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,[c]
awe-inspiring acts at the Red Sea.(V)
23 So he said he would have destroyed them—
if Moses his chosen one
had not stood before him in the breach
to turn his wrath away from destroying them.(W)

24 They despised the pleasant land
and did not believe his promise.(X)
25 They grumbled in their tents
and did not listen to the Lord.(Y)
26 So he raised his hand against them with an oath
that he would make them fall in the desert(Z)
27 and would disperse their descendants[d]
among the nations,
scattering them throughout the lands.(AA)

28 They aligned themselves with Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.[e](AB)
29 They angered the Lord with their deeds,
and a plague broke out against them.(AC)
30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stopped.(AD)
31 It was credited to him as righteousness
throughout all generations to come.(AE)

32 They angered the Lord at the Waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered[f] because of them,(AF)
33 for they embittered his spirit,[g]
and he spoke rashly with his lips.(AG)

34 They did not destroy the peoples
as the Lord had commanded them(AH)
35 but mingled with the nations
and adopted their ways.(AI)
36 They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.(AJ)
37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.(AK)
38 They shed innocent blood—
the blood of their sons and daughters
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
so the land became polluted with blood.(AL)
39 They defiled themselves by their actions
and prostituted themselves by their deeds.(AM)

40 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against his people,
and he abhorred his own inheritance.(AN)
41 He handed them over to the nations;
those who hated them ruled over them.(AO)
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were subdued under their power.(AP)
43 He rescued them many times,
but they continued to rebel deliberately
and were beaten down by their iniquity.(AQ)

44 When he heard their cry,
he took note of their distress,(AR)
45 remembered his covenant with them,
and relented according to the abundance
of his faithful love.(AS)
46 He caused them to be pitied
before all their captors.(AT)

47 Save us, Lord our God,
and gather us from the nations,
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and rejoice in your praise.(AU)

48 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.(AV)
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Hallelujah!(AW)

Footnotes

  1. 106:20 Alt Hb tradition reads his glory, or my glory
  2. 106:20 = God
  3. 106:22 = Egypt
  4. 106:27 Syr; MT reads would make their descendants fall
  5. 106:28 Lit sacrifices for dead ones
  6. 106:32 Lit and it was evil for Moses
  7. 106:33 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Jer; other Hb mss read they rebelled against his Spirit

Psalm 106

106 Praise the Lord!
    Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
    because his faithful love endures forever.
Who could possibly repeat all of the Lord’s mighty acts
    or publicly recount all his praise?

The people who uphold justice,
    who always do what is right, are truly happy!
Remember me, Lord, with the favor you show your people.
    Visit me with your saving help
        so I can experience the good things your chosen ones experience,
        so I can rejoice in the joy of your nation,
        so I can praise along with your possession.

We have sinned—right along with our ancestors.
    We’ve done what is wrong.
    We’ve acted wickedly.
Our ancestors in Egypt didn’t understand your wondrous works.
    They didn’t remember how much faithful love you have.
    So they rebelled by the sea—at the Reed Sea.[a]
But God saved them for the sake of his good name,
    to make known his mighty power.
God scolded the Reed Sea, and it dried right up;
    he led them through the deeps like they were a dry desert.
10 God saved them from hostile powers;
    he redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11 But the waters covered over their foes—
    not one of them survived!
12 So our ancestors trusted God’s words;
    they sang God’s praise.

13 But how quickly they forgot what he had done!
    They wouldn’t wait for his advice.
14 They were overcome with craving in the desert;
    they tested God in the wastelands.
15 God gave them what they asked for;
    he sent food[b] to satisfy their appetites.

16 But then they were jealous of Moses in the camp,
    jealous too of Aaron, the Lord’s holy one.
17 So the earth opened up, swallowing Dathan,
    and covering over Abiram’s crowd.
18 Fire blazed throughout that whole group;
    flames burned up the wicked.

19 They made a calf at Horeb,
    bowing down to a metal idol.
20 They traded their glorious God[c]
    for an image of a bull that eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who saved them—
    the one who had done great things in Egypt,
22     wondrous works in the land of Ham,
    awesome deeds at the Reed Sea.
23 So God determined that he would destroy them—
    except for the fact that Moses, his chosen one,
    stood in the way, right in front of him,
    and turned God’s destructive anger away.

24 But then they rejected the land that was so desirable.
    They didn’t trust God’s promise.
25 They muttered in their tents
    and wouldn’t listen to the Lord’s voice.
26 So God raised his hand against them,
    making them fall in the desert,
27     scattering their offspring among the nations,
    casting them across many lands.

28 They joined themselves to Baal-peor
    and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.
29 They made God angry by what they did,
    so a plague broke out against them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and prayed,
    and the plague was contained.
31 That’s why Phinehas is considered righteous,
    generation after generation, forever.

32 But they angered God at Meribah’s waters,
    and things went badly for Moses because of them,
33     because they made him bitter
    so that he spoke rashly with his lips.

34 They didn’t destroy the nations
    as the Lord had ordered them to do.
35 Instead, they got mixed up with the nations,
    learning what they did
36     and serving those false gods,
    which became a trap for them.
37 They sacrificed their own sons and daughters to demons!
38 They shed innocent blood,
        the blood of their own sons and daughters—
    the ones they sacrificed to Canaan’s false gods—
        so the land was defiled by the bloodshed.
39 They made themselves unclean by what they did; they prostituted themselves by their actions.

40 So the Lord’s anger burned against his people;
    he despised his own possession.
41 God handed them over to the nations;
    people who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
    and they were humbled under their power.
43 God delivered them numerous times,
    but they were determined to rebel,
    and so they were brought down by their own sin.
44 But God saw their distress
    when he heard their loud cries.
45 God remembered his covenant for their sake,
    and because of how much faithful love he has,
    God changed his mind.
46 God allowed them to receive compassion
    from all their captors.

47 Lord our God, save us!
    Gather us back together from among all the nations
        so we can give thanks to your holy name
        and rejoice in your praise!

48 Bless the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from forever ago to forever from now!
    And let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 106:7 Or Red Sea; also in 106:9, 22
  2. Psalm 106:15 LXX
  3. Psalm 106:20 Or their Glory