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Book 5: Psalms 107–150

God Saves from Many Dangers

107 Thank the Lord because he is good.
    His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.
That is what those whom the Lord has ·saved [redeemed] should say.
    He has ·saved [redeemed] them from the ·enemy [foe]
and has gathered them from other lands,
    from east and west, north and south [Is. 51:11; C perhaps after the Babylonian exile].

Some people had wandered in the ·desert lands [L wilderness, wasteland].
    They found no way to a city in which to live.
They were hungry and thirsty,
    and they were ·discouraged [faint].
In their ·misery [distress] they cried out to the Lord,
    and he ·saved [rescued; protected] them from their troubles [vv. 13, 19, 28].
He led them on a straight road
    to a city where they could live.
Let them ·give thanks to [praise] the Lord for his ·love [loyalty]
    and for the ·miracles [wonderful works] he does for people [vv. 15, 21, 31].
He satisfies the thirsty
    and fills ·up [L with good things] the hungry [Is. 58:10–11; Jer. 31:25; Luke 1:53].

10 Some sat in ·gloom [darkness] and ·darkness [deep darkness];
    they were prisoners ·suffering [afflicted] in ·chains [irons].
11 They had ·turned [rebelled] against the words of God
    and had ·refused [rejected] the advice of God Most High.
12 So he ·broke their pride by [L made their hearts cower with] hard work.
    They stumbled, and no one helped.
13 In their ·misery [distress] they cried out to the Lord,
    and he ·saved them from [gave them victory over] their troubles [vv. 6, 19, 28].
14 He brought them out of their ·gloom [darkness] and ·darkness [deep darkness]
    and ·broke [burst] their chains.
15 Let them ·give thanks to [praise] the Lord for his ·love [loyalty]
    and for the ·miracles [wonderful works] he does for people [vv. 8, 21, 31].
16 He ·breaks down [shatters] bronze gates
    and cuts apart iron bars.

17 Some ·fools turned against God [L became fools in the way of transgression]
    and ·suffered [were afflicted] ·for the evil they did [L because of their guilt].
18 ·They refused to eat anything [L Their appetite loathed any food],
    so they ·almost died [L approached the gates of death].
19 In their ·misery [distress] they cried out to the Lord,
    and he ·saved them [gave them victory] from their troubles [vv. 6, 13, 28].
20 God ·gave the command [L sent forth his word] and healed them,
    so they were ·saved [rescued] from ·dying [destruction; or their pits].
21 Let them ·give thanks to [praise] the Lord for his ·love [loyalty]
    and for the ·miracles [wonderful works] he does for people [vv. 8, 15, 31].
22 Let them offer ·sacrifices to thank him [thanksgiving offerings].
    With joy they should ·tell [recount] what he has done.

23 Others went out to sea in ships
    and did ·business [work] on the ·great oceans [L many waters].
24 They saw what the Lord could do,
    the ·miracles [worderful works] he did in the deep oceans.
25 He spoke, and a ·storm [L stormy wind] ·came [L stood] up,
    which ·blew [raised] up high waves.
26 ·The ships [L They] ·were tossed as high as [L went up to] the ·sky [heavens] and fell low to the depths.
    ·The storm was so bad that they lost their courage [L Their life/soul melted in evil/trouble].
27 They ·stumbled [reeled; leapt] and ·fell [tottered; staggered] like people who were drunk.
    ·They did not know what to do [L All their wisdom was confused].
28 In their ·misery [distress] they cried out to the Lord,
    and he ·saved [L brought them out] them from their troubles [vv. 6, 13, 19].
29 He ·stilled [quieted] the storm
    and ·calmed [hushed] the waves.
30 They were happy that it was quiet,
    and God guided them to the ·port [harbor] they wanted.
31 Let them ·give thanks to [praise] the Lord for his ·love [loyalty]
    and for the ·miracles [wonderful works] he does for people [vv. 8, 15, 21].
32 Let them ·praise his greatness [exalt him] in the ·meeting [assembly] of the people;
    let them praise him in the meeting of the elders.

33 He ·changed [turned; L set] rivers into a ·desert [wilderness]
    and springs of water into ·dry [parched; thirsty] ground.
34 He made ·fertile [fruitful] land salty
    because the people there did evil [Gen. 19].
35 He ·changed [turned; L set] the ·desert [wilderness] into pools of water
    and ·dry [parched] ground into springs of water.
36 He had the hungry settle there
    so they could ·build [establish] a city in which to live.
37 They ·planted seeds in the fields and vineyards [L sowed fields and planted vineyards],
    and they had a ·good harvest [fruitful crop].
38 God blessed them, and they ·grew in number [multiplied greatly].
    Their cattle did not ·become fewer [diminish].

39 Because of ·disaster [oppression], ·troubles [evil], and sadness,
    ·their families [L they] ·grew smaller [diminished] and ·weaker [were brought low].
40 He ·showed he was displeased with [L poured contempt on] their ·leaders [princes]
    and made them wander in a pathless ·desert [waste].
41 But he lifted the ·poor [needy] out of their suffering
    and ·made their families grow [L set their clans] like flocks of sheep.
42 ·Good people [The upright/virtuous] see this and are happy,
    but the wicked ·say nothing [L shuts their mouths].

43 Whoever is wise will ·remember [keep; guard] these things
and will ·think about [consider] the ·love [loyalty] of the Lord.

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