BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the Lord,f for he is good;g

his love endures forever.

2 Let the redeemedh of the Lord tell their story—

those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

3 those he gatheredi from the lands,

from east and west, from north and south.a

4 Some wandered in desertj wastelands,

finding no way to a cityk where they could settle.

5 They were hungryl and thirsty,m

and their lives ebbed away.

6 Then they cried outn to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight wayo

to a cityp where they could settle.

8 Let them give thanksq to the Lord for his unfailing lover

and his wonderful deedss for mankind,

9 for he satisfiest the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.u

10 Some sat in darkness,v in utter darkness,

prisoners sufferingw in iron chains,x

11 because they rebelledy against God’s commands

and despisedz the plansa of the Most High.

12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;

they stumbled, and there was no one to help.b

13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he saved themc from their distress.

14 He brought them out of darkness,d the utter darkness,e

and broke away their chains.f

15 Let them give thanksg to the Lord for his unfailing loveh

and his wonderful deedsi for mankind,

16 for he breaks down gates of bronze

and cuts through bars of iron.

17 Some became foolsj through their rebellious waysk

and suffered afflictionl because of their iniquities.

18 They loathed all foodm

and drew near the gates of death.n

19 Then they criedo to the Lord in their trouble,

and he saved themp from their distress.

20 He sent out his wordq and healed them;r

he rescueds them from the grave.t

21 Let them give thanksu to the Lord for his unfailing lovev

and his wonderful deedsw for mankind.

22 Let them sacrifice thank offeringsx

and tell of his worksy with songs of joy.z

23 Some went out on the seaa in ships;b

they were merchants on the mighty waters.

24 They saw the works of the Lord,c

his wonderful deeds in the deep.

25 For he spoked and stirred up a tempeste

that lifted high the waves.f

26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;

in their perilg their courage meltedh away.

27 They reeledi and staggered like drunkards;

they were at their wits’ end.

28 Then they criedj out to the Lord in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distress.k

29 He stilled the storml to a whisper;

the wavesm of the seab were hushed.n

30 They were glad when it grew calm,

and he guided themo to their desired haven.

31 Let them give thanksp to the Lord for his unfailing loveq

and his wonderful deedsr for mankind.

32 Let them exalts him in the assemblyt of the people

and praise him in the council of the elders.

33 He turned rivers into a desert,u

flowing springsv into thirsty ground,

34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,w

because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

35 He turned the desert into pools of waterx

and the parched ground into flowing springs;y

36 there he brought the hungry to live,

and they founded a city where they could settle.

37 They sowed fields and planted vineyardsz

that yielded a fruitful harvest;

38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,a

and he did not let their herds diminish.b

39 Then their numbers decreased,c and they were humbledd

by oppression, calamity and sorrow;

40 he who pours contempt on noblese

made them wander in a trackless waste.f

41 But he lifted the needyg out of their affliction

and increased their families like flocks.h

42 The upright see and rejoice,i

but all the wicked shut their mouths.j

43 Let the one who is wisek heed these things

and ponder the loving deedsl of the Lord.

Psalm 108a

108:1–5pp—Ps 57:7–11
108:6–13pp—Ps 60:5–12

A song. A psalm of David.

1 My heart, O God, is steadfast;m

I will singn and make music with all my soul.

2 Awake, harp and lyre!o

I will awaken the dawn.

3 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

4 For great is your love,p higher than the heavens;

your faithfulnessq reaches to the skies.r

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;s

let your glory be over all the earth.t

6 Save us and help us with your right hand,u

that those you love may be delivered.

7 God has spokenv from his sanctuary:w

“In triumph I will parcel out Shechemx

and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.y

8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim is my helmet,

Judahz is my scepter.

9 Moaba is my washbasin,

on Edomb I toss my sandal;

over Philistiac I shout in triumph.”

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

11 Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us

and no longer go out with our armies?d

12 Give us aid against the enemy,

for human help is worthless.e

13 With God we will gain the victory,

and he will trample downf our enemies.

Psalm 109

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1 My God, whom I praise,g

do not remain silent,h

2 for people who are wicked and deceitfuli

have opened their mouths against me;

they have spoken against me with lying tongues.j

3 With words of hatredk they surround me;

they attack me without cause.l

4 In return for my friendship they accuse me,

but I am a man of prayer.m

5 They repay me evil for good,n

and hatred for my friendship.

6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;

let an accusero stand at his right hand.

7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,p

and may his prayers condemnq him.

8 May his days be few;r

may another take his places of leadership.

9 May his children be fatherless

and his wife a widow.t

10 May his children be wandering beggars;u

may they be drivena from their ruined homes.

11 May a creditorv seize all he has;

may strangers plunderw the fruits of his labor.x

12 May no one extend kindness to him

or take pityy on his fatherless children.

13 May his descendants be cut off,z

their names blotted outa from the next generation.

14 May the iniquity of his fathersb be remembered before the Lord;

may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.

15 May their sins always remain beforec the Lord,

that he may blot out their named from the earth.

16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,

but hounded to death the poor

and the needye and the brokenhearted.f

17 He loved to pronounce a curse—

may it come back on him.g

He found no pleasure in blessing—

may it be far from him.

18 He wore cursingh as his garment;

it entered into his body like water,i

into his bones like oil.

19 May it be like a cloak wrappedj about him,

like a belt tied forever around him.

20 May this be the Lord’s paymentk to my accusers,

to those who speak evill of me.

21 But you, Sovereign Lord,

help me for your name’s sake;m

out of the goodness of your love,n deliver me.o

22 For I am poor and needy,

and my heart is wounded within me.

23 I fade away like an evening shadow;p

I am shaken off like a locust.

24 My knees giveq way from fasting;r

my body is thin and gaunt.s

25 I am an object of scornt to my accusers;

when they see me, they shake their heads.u

26 Help me,v Lord my God;

save me according to your unfailing love.

27 Let them knoww that it is your hand,

that you, Lord, have done it.

28 While they curse,x may you bless;

may those who attack me be put to shame,

but may your servant rejoice.y

29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace

and wrapped in shamez as in a cloak.

30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;

in the great thronga of worshipers I will praise him.

31 For he stands at the right handb of the needy,

to save their lives from those who would condemn them.