Psalm 107–109

In Praise of God’s Goodness

107^*“Give thanks to the Lord,

because he is good;

his love is eternal!”

²Repeat 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

⁴Some wandered in the trackless desert

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

⁵They were hungry and thirsty

and had given up all hope.

⁶Then in their trouble they called to the Lord,

and he saved them from their distress.

⁷He led them by a straight road

to a city where they could live.

⁸They must thank the Lord for his constant love,

for the wonderful things he did for them.

⁹He satisfies those who are thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

¹⁰Some were living in gloom and darkness,

prisoners suffering in chains,

¹¹because they had rebelled against the commands of Almighty God

and had rejected his instructions.

¹²They were worn out from hard work;

they would fall down, and no one would help.

¹³Then in their trouble they called to the Lord,

and he saved them from their distress.

¹⁴He brought them out of their gloom and darkness

and broke their chains in pieces.

¹⁵They must thank the Lord for his constant love,

for the wonderful things he did for them.

¹⁶He breaks down doors of bronze

and smashes iron bars.

¹⁷Some were fools, suffering because of their sins

and because of their evil;

¹⁸they couldn’t stand the sight of food

and were close to death.

¹⁹Then in their trouble they called to the Lord,

and he saved them from their distress.

²⁰He healed them with his command

and saved them from the grave.

²¹They must thank the Lord for his constant love,

for the wonderful things he did for them.

²²They must thank him with sacrifices,

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

²³Some sailed over the ocean in ships,

earning their living on the seas.

²⁴They saw what the Lord can do,

his wonderful acts on the seas.

²⁵He commanded, and a mighty wind began to blow

and stirred up the waves.

²⁶The ships were lifted high in the air

and plunged down into the depths.

In such danger the sailors lost their courage;

²⁷they stumbled and staggered like drunken men—

all their skill was useless.

²⁸Then in their trouble they called to the Lord,

and he saved them from their distress.

²⁹He calmed the raging storm,

and the waves became quiet.

³⁰They were glad because of the calm,

and he brought them safe to the port they wanted.

³¹They must thank the Lord for his constant love,

for the wonderful things he did for them.

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

and praise him before the council of the leaders.

³³The Lord made rivers dry up completely

and stopped springs from flowing.

³⁴He made rich soil become a salty wilderness

because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

³⁵He changed deserts into pools of water

and dry land into flowing springs.

³⁶He let hungry people settle there,

and they built a city to live in.

³⁷They sowed the fields and planted grapevines

and reaped an abundant harvest.

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

he kept their herds of cattle from decreasing.

³⁹When God’s people were defeated and humiliated

by cruel oppression and suffering,

⁴⁰he showed contempt for their oppressors

and made them wander in trackless deserts.

⁴¹But he rescued the needy from their misery

and made their families increase like flocks.

⁴²The righteous see this and are glad,

but all the wicked are put to silence.

⁴³May those who are wise think about these things;

may they consider the Lord’s constant love.

A Prayer for Help against Enemies

^o

108 I have complete confidence, O God!

I will sing and praise you!

Wake up, my soul!

²Wake up, my harp and lyre!

I will wake up the sun.

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

I will praise you among the peoples.

⁴Your constant love reaches above the heavens;

your faithfulness touches the skies.

⁵Show your greatness in the sky, O God,

and your glory over all the earth.

⁶Save us by your might; answer my prayer,

so that the people you love may be rescued.

⁷From his sanctuary^p God has said,

“In triumph I will divide Shechem

and distribute the Valley of Sukkoth to my people.

⁸Gilead is mine, and Manasseh too;

Ephraim is my helmet

and Judah my royal sceptre.

⁹But 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.”

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

Who will lead me to Edom?

¹¹Have you really rejected us?

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

¹²Help us against the enemy;

human help is worthless.

¹³With God on our side we will win;

he will defeat our enemies.

The Complaint of a Man in Trouble^q

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

²Wicked people and liars have attacked me.

They tell lies about me

³and they say evil things about me,

attacking me for no reason.

⁴They oppose me, even though I love them

and have prayed for them.^r

⁵They pay me back evil for good

and hatred for love.

⁶Choose some corrupt judge to try my enemy,

and let one of his own enemies accuse him.

⁷May 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!

⁹May his children become orphans,

and his wife a widow!

¹⁰May his children be homeless beggars;

may they be driven from^s the ruins they live in!

¹¹May his creditors take away all his property,

and may strangers get everything he worked for.

¹²May no one ever be kind to him

or care for the orphans he leaves behind.

¹³May all his descendants die,

and may his name be forgotten in the next generation.

¹⁴May the Lord remember the evil of his ancestors

and never forgive his mother’s sins.

¹⁵May the Lord always remember their sins,

but may they themselves be completely forgotten!

¹⁶That man never thought of being kind;

he persecuted and killed

the poor, the needy, and the helpless.

¹⁷He loved to curse—may he be cursed!

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

¹⁸He cursed as naturally as he dressed himself;

may his own curses soak into his body like water

and into his bones like oil!

¹⁹May they cover him like clothes

and always be round him like a belt!

²⁰Lord, punish my enemies in that way—

those who say such evil things against me!

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

and rescue me because of the goodness of your love.

²²I am poor and needy;

I am hurt to the depths of my heart.

²³Like an evening shadow I am about to vanish;

I am blown away like an insect.

²⁴My 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.

²⁶Help me, O Lord my God;

because of your constant love, save me!

²⁷Make my enemies know

that you are the one who saves me.

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

May my persecutors be defeated,^t

and may I, your servant, be glad.

²⁹May my enemies be covered with disgrace;

may they wear their shame like a robe.

³⁰I will give loud thanks to the Lord;

I will praise him in the assembly of the people,

³¹because he defends the poor

and saves them from those who condemn them to death.