Psalm 107–109

Thanksgiving to Yahweh for His of Deliverance

107Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

for his loyal love is forever.

²Let the redeemed of Yahweh declare^a it,

those whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy

³and gathered from the lands,

from east and from west, from north and from south.^b

⁴They wandered in the wilderness, in a desert.

They could find no way^c to a city to inhabit.

⁵Hungry and thirsty,

their soul grew faint within them.

⁶Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble.

He delivered them from their distresses

⁷and led them by a straight way

to get to a city to inhabit.

⁸Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love,

and his wonderful deeds for the children of humankind,

⁹for he satisfies the longing soul,^d

and the hungry soul he fills with good.

¹⁰Those who sat in darkness and gloom,

prisoners of misery and iron—

¹¹because they rebelled against the words of God

and spurned the counsel of the Most High,

¹²he therefore humbled their heart with trouble.

They stumbled and there was no helper.

¹³Then they called to Yahweh for help in their trouble;

he saved them from their distresses.

¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and gloom,

and tore off their bonds.

¹⁵Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love

and his wonderful deeds for the children of humankind,

¹⁶for he shatters the doors of bronze,

and cuts through the bars of iron.

¹⁷Fools, because of their rebellious way

and their iniquities, were afflicted.

¹⁸Their soul abhorred all food,

and they approached the gates of death.

¹⁹Then they called to Yahweh for help in their trouble.

He saved them from their distresses.

²⁰He sent his word and healed them,

and he delivered them from their pits.^e

²¹Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love,

and his wonderful deeds for the children of humankind,

²²and let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,

and tell of his works with rejoicing.

²³Those who went down to the sea in ships,

doing business on the high seas;^f

²⁴they saw the works of Yahweh,

and his wonderful deeds in the deep.

²⁵For he spoke and raised up a stormy wind,

and it whipped up its waves.

²⁶They rose to the heavens; they plunged to the depths.

Their soul melted in their calamity.

²⁷They reeled and staggered like a drunkard,

and they were at their wits’ end.^g

²⁸Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distresses.

²⁹He made the storm be still

and their waves became calm.

³⁰Then they were glad because they grew silent,

so he guided them to their desired harbor.

³¹Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love

and his wonderful deeds for the children of humankind,

³²and let them exalt him in the congregation of the people,

and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

³³He turns rivers into a wilderness

and springs of water into thirsty ground,

³⁴a fruitful land into a salty place,

because of the evil of its inhabitants.

³⁵He turns a wilderness into a pool of water

and a dry land into springs of water.

³⁶And he settles the hungry there,

so that they may establish a city to inhabit,

³⁷and sow fields and plant vineyards,

that they may yield fruit at harvest.^h

³⁸And he blesses them and they multiply greatly,

and he does not let their cattle become few.

³⁹When they become few and they are bent down

from the oppression of calamity and grief,

⁴⁰he pours contempt on princes

and causes them to wander in a trackless waste.

⁴¹But he protectsⁱ the needy from misery,

and he makes their families like a flock.

⁴²The upright see it and are glad,

and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

⁴³Whoever is wise, then let him observe these things,

and let them consider Yahweh’s acts of loyal love.

Prayer to Yahweh for Victory over Enemies

108A song. A psalm of David.^a

¹My heart is steadfast, O God.

I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.^b

²Awake, harp and lyre.

I will awake the dawn.^c

³I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Yahweh;

I will give you praise among the nations,

⁴because your loyal love is great above the heavens,

and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

⁵Be exalted above the heavens, O God,

and let your glory be above all the earth,

⁶so that your beloved ones may be rescued.

Save by your right hand and answer me.

⁷God has spoken in his holiness,

“I will exult, I will divide up Shechem,

and portion out the valley of Succoth.

⁸Gilead is mine. Manasseh is mine.

And Ephraim is the helmet for^d my head.

Judah is my scepter;^e

⁹Moab is my washing pot.

Over Edom I will cast my sandal;

Over Philistia I will shout in triumph.”

¹⁰Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

¹¹Have you not rejected us, O God,

and not gone out with our armies, O God?

¹²Give us help against the enemy,

for the help of humankind is futile.

¹³Through God we will do valiantly,^f

and it is he who will tread down our enemies.

A Prayer for Help against Enemies

109For the music director. A psalm of David.^a

¹O God of my praise, do not keep silent,

²for wicked and deceitful mouths^b

have opened against me.

They speak to me with a lying tongue.

³They also surround me with words of hate,

and fight me without cause.

⁴In return for my love they accuse me,

though I am in prayer.^c

⁵So they inflicted evil against me in return for good

and hatred in return for my love.

⁶Appoint over him a wicked man,

and let an accuser stand at his right hand.

⁷When he is judged, let him come out guilty,

and let his prayer^d become as sin.

⁸Let his days be few;

let another take his office.

⁹Let his children be orphans,

and his wife a widow,

¹⁰and let his children wander aimlessly and beg,

and let them plead from their ruins.

¹¹Let the creditor seize all that is his,

and let strangers plunder his property.

¹²Let there be none who extend to him loyal love,

nor any who pities his orphans.

¹³Let his descendants^e be cut off.

Let their name be blotted out in the next generation.

¹⁴Let the iniquity of his ancestors^f be remembered before Yahweh,

and let the sin of his mother not be blotted out.

¹⁵Let them be before Yahweh continually,

that he may cut off their^g memory from the earth,

¹⁶because he did not remember to show loyal love,

but he pursued anyone,^h poor or needy

or brokenhearted, to slay them.

¹⁷Because he loved cursing, let it come upon him.

Because he did not delight in blessing,

let it be far from him.

¹⁸Because he wore a curse as his robe,

let it enter his bodyⁱ like water,

and into his bones like oil.

¹⁹May it be for him like a garment in which he wraps,

and a belt he continually wears.^j

²⁰Let this be the punishment for my accusers from Yahweh,

even those who speak evil against my life.

²¹But you, O Yahweh my Lord,

deal with me for your name’s sake.

Because your loyal love is good, deliver me,

²²for I am poor and needy,

and my heart is wounded within me.

²³Like a lengthening shadow I am passing away;

I am shaken off like a locust.

²⁴My knees buckle^k from fasting,

and my body grows lean without fat.

²⁵And so I am a disgrace to them;

when they see me, they shake their heads.^l

²⁶Help me, O Yahweh my God;

save me according to your loyal love,

²⁷that they may know that this is your hand,

that you, O Yahweh, you have done it.

²⁸Let them curse, but you bless.

When they arise, let them be put to shame,

that your servant may be glad.

²⁹Let my accusers put on disgrace,

and let them cover themselves with their shame as with a robe.

³⁰I will give thanks to Yahweh exceedingly with my mouth,

and in the midst of many I will praise him,

³¹for he stands at the right hand of the needy,

to save him from those judging his life.^m