Psalm 107–108

Book Five (Psalms 107–150)

Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!

Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.

3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,

from east and west,

from north and south.*

4 Some wandered in the wilderness,

lost and homeless.

5 Hungry and thirsty,

they nearly died.

6 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he rescued them from their distress.

7 He led them straight to safety,

to a city where they could live.

8 Let them praise the Lord for his great love

and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

9 For he satisfies the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,

imprisoned in iron chains of misery.

11 They rebelled against the words of God,

scorning the counsel of the Most High.

12 That is why he broke them with hard labor;

they fell, and no one was there to help them.

13 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;

he snapped their chains.

15 Let them praise the Lord for his great love

and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;

he cut apart their bars of iron.

17 Some were fools; they rebelled

and suffered for their sins.

18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food,

and they were knocking on death’s door.

19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

20 He sent out his word and healed them,

snatching them from the door of death.

21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love

and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving

and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

23 Some went off to sea in ships,

plying the trade routes of the world.

24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action,

his impressive works on the deepest seas.

25 He spoke, and the winds rose,

stirring up the waves.

26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens

and plunged again to the depths;

the sailors cringed in terror.

27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards

and were at their wits’ end.

28 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

29 He calmed the storm to a whisper

and stilled the waves.

30 What a blessing was that stillness

as he brought them safely into harbor!

31 Let them praise the Lord for his great love

and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation

and before the leaders of the nation.

33 He changes rivers into deserts,

and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.

34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,

because of the wickedness of those who live there.

35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water,

the dry land into springs of water.

36 He brings the hungry to settle there

and to build their cities.

37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,

and harvest their bumper crops.

38 How he blesses them!

They raise large families there,

and their herds of livestock increase.

39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished

through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,

40 the Lord pours contempt on their princes,

causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.

41 But he rescues the poor from trouble

and increases their families like flocks of sheep.

42 The godly will see these things and be glad,

while the wicked are struck silent.

43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart;

they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

Psalm 108

A song. A psalm of David.

1 My heart is confident in you, O God;

no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!

2 Wake up, lyre and harp!

I will wake the dawn with my song.

3 I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.

I will sing your praises among the nations.

4 For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens.

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.

May your glory shine over all the earth.

6 Now rescue your beloved people.

Answer and save us by your power.

7 God has promised this by his holiness* :

“I will divide up Shechem with joy.

I will measure out the valley of Succoth.

8 Gilead is mine,

and Manasseh, too.

Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors,

and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings.

9 But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant,

and I will wipe my feet on Edom

and shout in triumph over Philistia.”

10 Who will bring me into the fortified city?

Who will bring me victory over Edom?

11 Have you rejected us, O God?

Will you no longer march with our armies?

12 Oh, please help us against our enemies,

for all human help is useless.

13 With God’s help we will do mighty things,

for he will trample down our foes.