Psalm 107:1–150:6

In Praise of God’s Goodness

107 * “Give thanks to the Lord,

because he is good;

his love is eternal!”

2 Repeat these words in praise to the Lord,

all you whom he has saved.

He has rescued you from your enemies 3and has brought you back from foreign countries,

from east and west, from north and south.n

4 Some wandered in the trackless desert

and could not find their way to a city to live in.

5 They were hungry and thirsty

and had given up all hope.

6 Then in their trouble they called to the Lord,

and he saved them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight road

to a city where they could live.

8 They must thank the Lord for his constant love,

for the wonderful things he did for them.

9 He satisfies those who are thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some were living in gloom and darkness,

prisoners suffering in chains,

11 because they had rebelled against the commands of Almighty God

and had rejected his instructions.

12 They were worn out from hard work;

they would fall down, and no one would help.

13 Then in their trouble they called to the Lord,

and he saved them from their distress.

14 He brought them out of their gloom and darkness

and broke their chains in pieces.

15 They must thank the Lord for his constant love,

for the wonderful things he did for them.

16 He breaks down doors of bronze

and smashes iron bars.

17 Some were fools, suffering because of their sins

and because of their evil;

18 they couldn’t stand the sight of food

and were close to death.

19 Then in their trouble they called to the Lord,

and he saved them from their distress.

20 He healed them with his command

and saved them from the grave.

21 They must thank the Lord for his constant love,

for the wonderful things he did for them.

22 They must thank him with sacrifices,

and with songs of joy must tell all that he has done.

23 Some sailed over the ocean in ships,

earning their living on the seas.

24 They saw what the Lord can do,

his wonderful acts on the seas.

25 He commanded, and a mighty wind began to blow

and stirred up the waves.

26 The ships were lifted high in the air

and plunged down into the depths.

In such danger the sailors lost their courage;

27 they stumbled and staggered like drunken men—

all their skill was useless.

28 Then in their trouble they called to the Lord,

and he saved them from their distress.

29 He calmed the raging storm,

and the waves became quiet.

30 They were glad because of the calm,

and he brought them safe to the port they wanted.

31 They must thank the Lord for his constant love,

for the wonderful things he did for them.

32 They must proclaim his greatness in the assembly of the people

and praise him before the council of the leaders.

33 The Lord made rivers dry up completely

and stopped springs from flowing.

34 He made rich soil become a salty wilderness

because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

35 He changed deserts into pools of water

and dry land into flowing springs.

36 He let hungry people settle there,

and they built a city to live in.

37 They sowed the fields and planted grapevines

and reaped an abundant harvest.

38 He blessed his people, and they had many children;

he kept their herds of cattle from decreasing.

39 When God’s people were defeated and humiliated

by cruel oppression and suffering,

40 he showed contempt for their oppressors

and made them wander in trackless deserts.

41 But he rescued the needy from their misery

and made their families increase like flocks.

42 The righteous see this and are glad,

but all the wicked are put to silence.

43 May those who are wise think about these things;

may they consider the Lord’s constant love.

A Prayer for Help against Enemies

(Ps 57:7–11; Ps 60:5–12)o

108 I have complete confidence, O God!

I will sing and praise you!

Wake up, my soul!

2 Wake up, my harp and lyre!

I will wake up the sun.

3 I will thank you, O Lord, among the nations.

I will praise you among the peoples.

4 Your constant love reaches above the heavens;

your faithfulness touches the skies.

5 Show your greatness in the sky, O God,

and your glory over all the earth.

6 Save us by your might; answer my prayer,

so that the people you love may be rescued.

7 From his sanctuaryp God has said,

“In triumph I will divide Shechem

and distribute the Valley of Sukkoth to my people.

8 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh too;

Ephraim is my helmet

and Judah my royal sceptre.

9 But I will use Moab as my washbasin

and I will throw my sandals on Edom,

as a sign that I own it.

I will shout in triumph over the Philistines.”

10 Who, O God, will take me into the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

11 Have you really rejected us?

Aren’t you going to march out with our armies?

12 Help us against the enemy;

human help is worthless.

13 With God on our side we will win;

he will defeat our enemies.

The Complaint of a Man in Troubleq

109 I praise you, God; don’t remain silent!

2 Wicked people and liars have attacked me.

They tell lies about me

3 and they say evil things about me,

attacking me for no reason.

4 They oppose me, even though I love them

and have prayed for them.r

5 They pay me back evil for good

and hatred for love.

6 Choose some corrupt judge to try my enemy,

and let one of his own enemies accuse him.

7 May he be tried and found guilty;

may even his prayer be considered a crime!

8* May his life soon be ended;

may someone else take his job!

9 May his children become orphans,

and his wife a widow!

10 May his children be homeless beggars;

may they be driven froms the ruins they live in!

11 May his creditors take away all his property,

and may strangers get everything he worked for.

12 May no one ever be kind to him

or care for the orphans he leaves behind.

13 May all his descendants die,

and may his name be forgotten in the next generation.

14 May the Lord remember the evil of his ancestors

and never forgive his mother’s sins.

15 May the Lord always remember their sins,

but may they themselves be completely forgotten!

16 That man never thought of being kind;

he persecuted and killed

the poor, the needy, and the helpless.

17 He loved to curse—may he be cursed!

He hated to give blessings—may no one bless him!

18 He cursed as naturally as he dressed himself;

may his own curses soak into his body like water

and into his bones like oil!

19 May they cover him like clothes

and always be round him like a belt!

20 Lord, punish my enemies in that way—

those who say such evil things against me!

21 But my Sovereign Lord, help me as you have promised,

and rescue me because of the goodness of your love.

22 I am poor and needy;

I am hurt to the depths of my heart.

23 Like an evening shadow I am about to vanish;

I am blown away like an insect.

24 My knees are weak from lack of food;

I am nothing but skin and bones.

25* When people see me, they laugh at me;

they shake their heads in scorn.

26 Help me, O Lord my God;

because of your constant love, save me!

27 Make my enemies know

that you are the one who saves me.

28 They may curse me, but you will bless me.

May my persecutors be defeated,t

and may I, your servant, be glad.

29 May my enemies be covered with disgrace;

may they wear their shame like a robe.

30 I will give loud thanks to the Lord;

I will praise him in the assembly of the people,

31 because he defends the poor

and saves them from those who condemn them to death.

The Lord and His chosen Kingu

110 * The Lord said to my lord,

“Sit here at my right

until I put your enemies under your feet.”

2 From Zion the Lord will extend your royal power.

“Rule over your enemies,” he says.

3 On the day you fight your enemies,

your people will volunteer.

Like the dew of early morning

your young men will come to you on the sacred hills.v

4* The Lord made a solemn promise and will not take it back:

“You will be a priest for ever

in the priestly order of Melchizedek.”w

5 The Lord is at your right side;

when he becomes angry, he will defeat kings.

6 He will pass judgement on the nations

and fill the battlefield with corpses;

he will defeat kings all over the earth.

7 The king will drink from the stream by the road,

and strengthened, he will stand victorious.

In Praise of the Lord

111 Praise the Lord!

With all my heart I will thank the Lord

in the assembly of his people.

2 How wonderful are the things the Lord does!

All who are delighted with them want to understand them.

3 All he does is full of honour and majesty;

his righteousness is eternal.

4 The Lord does not let us forget his wonderful actions;

he is kind and merciful.

5 He provides food for those who honour him;

he never forgets his covenant.

6 He has shown his power to his people

by giving them the lands of foreigners.

7 In all he does he is faithful and just;

all his commands are dependable.

8 They last for all time;

they were given in truth and righteousness.

9 He set his people free

and made an eternal covenant with them.

Holy and mighty is he!

10* The way to become wise is to honour the Lord;x

he gives sound judgement to all who obey his commands.

He is to be praised for ever.

The Happiness of a Good Person

112 Praise the Lord!

Happy is the person who honours the Lord,

who takes pleasure in obeying his commands.

2 The good man’s children will be powerful in the land;

his descendants will be blessed.

3 His family will be wealthy and rich,

and he will be prosperous for ever.

4 Light shines in the darkness for good people,

for those who are merciful, kind, and just.

5 Happy is the person who is generous with his loans,

who runs his business honestly.

6 A good person will never fail;

he will always be remembered.

7 He is not afraid of receiving bad news;

his faith is strong, and he trusts in the Lord.

8 He is not worried or afraid;

he is certain to see his enemies defeated.

9* He gives generously to the needy,

and his kindness never fails;

he will be powerful and respected.

10 The wicked see this and are angry;

they glare in hate and disappear;

their hopes are gone for ever.

In Praise of the Lord’s Goodness

113 Praise the Lord!

You servants of the Lord,

praise his name!

2 May his name be praised,

now and for ever.

3 From the east to the west

praise the name of the Lord! …