Psalm 106–107

Psalm 106

¹Hallelujah! 

Give thanks to the Lord because he is good, 

because his mercy endures forever. 

²Who can speak about all the mighty things the Lord has done? 

Who can announce all the things for which he is worthy of praise? 

³Blessed are those who defend justice 

and do what is right at all times. 

⁴Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people. 

Come to help me with your salvation 

⁵so that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, 

find joy in our people’s happiness, 

and brag with the people who belong to you. 

⁶We have sinned, and so did our ancestors. 

We have done wrong. 

We are guilty. 

⁷When our ancestors were in Egypt, 

they gave no thought to your miracles. 

They did not remember your numerous acts of mercy, 

so they rebelled at the sea, the Red Sea. 

⁸He saved them because of his reputation 

so that he could make his mighty power known. 

⁹He angrily commanded the Red Sea, and it dried up. 

He led them through deep water as though it were a desert. 

¹⁰He rescued them from the power of the one who hated them. 

He rescued them from the enemy. 

¹¹Water covered their adversaries. 

Not one Egyptian survived. 

¹²Then our ancestors believed what he said. 

They sang his praise. 

¹³They quickly forgot what he did. 

They did not wait for his advice. 

¹⁴They had an unreasonable desire ⸤for food⸥ in the wilderness. 

In the desert they tested God. 

¹⁵He gave them what they asked for. 

He ⸤also⸥ gave them a degenerative disease. 

¹⁶In the camp certain men became envious of Moses. 

They also became envious of Aaron, the Lord’s holy one. 

¹⁷The ground split open and swallowed Dathan. 

It buried Abiram’s followers. 

¹⁸A fire broke out among their followers. 

Flames burned up wicked people. 

¹⁹At Mount Horeb they made ⸤a statue of⸥ a calf. 

They worshiped an idol made of metal. 

²⁰They traded their glorious God^a

for the statue of a bull that eats grass. 

²¹They forgot God, their savior, 

the one who did spectacular things in Egypt, 

²²miracles in the land of Ham, 

and terrifying things at the Red Sea. 

²³God said he was going to destroy them, 

but Moses, his chosen one, stood in his way 

to prevent him from exterminating them. 

²⁴They refused ⸤to enter⸥ the pleasant land. 

They did not believe what he said. 

²⁵They complained in their tents. 

They did not obey the Lord. 

²⁶Raising his hand, he swore 

that he would kill them in the wilderness, 

²⁷kill their descendants among the nations, 

and scatter them throughout various lands. 

²⁸They joined in worshiping the god Baal while they were at Peor, 

and they ate what was sacrificed to the dead. 

²⁹They infuriated God by what they did, 

and a plague broke out among them. 

³⁰Then Phinehas stood between God and the people, 

and the plague was stopped. 

³¹Because of this, Phinehas was considered righteous forever, 

throughout every generation. 

³²They made God angry by the water at Meribah. 

Things turned out badly for Moses because of what they did, 

³³since they made him bitter so that he spoke recklessly. 

³⁴They did not destroy the people as the Lord had told them. 

³⁵Instead, they intermarried with other nations. 

They learned to do what other nations did, 

³⁶and they worshiped their idols, 

which became a trap for them. 

³⁷They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. 

³⁸They shed innocent blood, 

the blood of their own sons and daughters 

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. 

The land became polluted with blood. 

³⁹They became filthy because of what they did. 

They behaved like prostitutes. 

⁴⁰The Lord burned with anger against his own people. 

He was disgusted with those who belonged to him. 

⁴¹He handed them over to other nations, 

and those who hated them ruled them. 

⁴²Their enemies oppressed them 

and made them subject to their power. 

⁴³He rescued them many times, 

but they continued to plot rebellion against him 

and to sink deeper because of their sin. 

⁴⁴He saw that they were suffering 

when he heard their cry for help. 

⁴⁵He remembered his promise^bto them. 

In keeping with his rich mercy, he changed his plans. 

⁴⁶He let them find compassion 

from all those who held them captive. 

⁴⁷Rescue us, O Lord our God, and gather us from the nations 

so that we may give thanks to your holy name 

and make your praise our glory. 

⁴⁸Thanks be to the Lord God of Israel 

from everlasting to everlasting. 

Let all the people say amen. 

Hallelujah!

BOOK FIVE

(Psalms 107–150)

Psalm 107

¹Give thanks to the Lord because he is good, 

because his mercy endures forever. 

²Let the people the Lord defended repeat these words. 

They are the people he defended from the power of their enemies 

³and gathered from other countries, 

from the east and from the west, 

from the north and from the south. 

⁴They wandered around the desert on a deserted road 

without finding an inhabited city. 

⁵They were hungry and thirsty. 

They began to lose hope. 

⁶In their distress they cried out to the Lord. 

He rescued them from their troubles. 

⁷He led them on a road that went straight to an inhabited city. 

⁸Let them give thanks to the Lord because of his mercy. 

He performed his miracles for Adam’s descendants. 

⁹He gave plenty to drink to those who were thirsty. 

He filled those who were hungry with good food. 

¹⁰Those who lived in the dark, in death’s shadow 

were prisoners in misery. 

They were held in iron chains 

¹¹because they had rebelled against God’s words 

and had despised the advice given by the Most High. 

¹²So he humbled them with hard work. 

They fell down, but no one was there to help them. 

¹³In their distress they cried out to the Lord. 

He saved them from their troubles. 

¹⁴He brought them out of the dark, out of death’s shadow. 

He broke apart their chains. 

¹⁵Let them give thanks to the Lord because of his mercy. 

He performed his miracles for Adam’s descendants. 

¹⁶He shattered bronze gates 

and cut iron bars in two. 

¹⁷Fools suffered because of their disobedience 

and because of their crimes. 

¹⁸All food was disgusting to them, 

and they came near death’s gates. 

¹⁹In their distress they cried out to the Lord. 

He saved them from their troubles. 

²⁰He sent his message and healed them. 

He rescued them from the grave. 

²¹Let them give thanks to the Lord because of his mercy. 

He performed his miracles for Adam’s descendants. 

²²Let them bring songs of thanksgiving as their sacrifice. 

Let them tell in joyful songs what he has done. 

²³Those who sail on the sea in ships, 

who do business on the high seas, 

²⁴have seen what the Lord can do, 

the miracles he performed in the depths of the sea. 

²⁵He spoke, and a storm began to blow, 

and it made the waves rise high. 

²⁶The sailors aboard ship rose toward the sky. 

They plunged into the depths. 

Their courage melted in ⸤the face of⸥ disaster. 

²⁷They reeled and staggered like drunks, 

and all their skills as sailors became useless. 

²⁸In their distress they cried out to the Lord. 

He led them from their troubles. 

²⁹He made the storm calm down, 

and the waves became still. 

³⁰The sailors were glad that the storm was quiet. 

He guided them to the harbor they had longed for. 

³¹Let them give thanks to the Lord because of his mercy. 

He performed his miracles for Adam’s descendants. 

³²Let them glorify him when the people are gathered for worship. 

Let them praise him in the company of respected leaders. 

³³He changes rivers into a desert, 

springs into thirsty ground, 

³⁴and fertile ground into a layer of salt 

because of the wickedness of the people living there. 

³⁵He changes deserts into lakes 

and dry ground into springs. 

³⁶There he settles those who are hungry, 

and they build cities to live in. 

³⁷They plant in fields and vineyards 

that produce crops. 

³⁸He blesses them, and their numbers multiply, 

and he does not allow a shortage of cattle. 

³⁹They became few in number and were humiliated 

because of oppression, disaster, and sorrow. 

⁴⁰He poured contempt on their influential people 

and made them stumble around in a pathless desert. 

⁴¹But now he lifts needy people high above suffering 

and makes their families like flocks. 

⁴²Decent people will see this and rejoice, 

but all the wicked people will shut their mouths. 

⁴³Let those who ⸤think⸥ they are wise 

pay attention to these things 

so that they may understand the Lord’s blessings.