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BOOK V

(Psalms 107–150)

The Lord Is Good to His People

(A) Shout praises to the Lord!
He is good to us,
    and his love never fails.
Everyone the Lord has rescued
from trouble
    should praise him,
everyone he has brought
from the east and the west,
    the north and the south.[a]

Some of you were lost
in the scorching desert,
    far from a town.
You were hungry and thirsty
    and about to give up.
You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
    and he rescued you.
At once he brought you
    to a town.
You should praise the Lord
    for his love
and for the wonderful things
    he does for all of us.
To everyone who is thirsty,
    he gives something to drink;
to everyone who is hungry,
    he gives good things to eat.

10 Some of you were prisoners
suffering in deepest darkness
    and bound by chains,
11 because you had rebelled
against God Most High
    and refused his advice.
12 You were worn out
from working like slaves,
    and no one came to help.
13 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
    and he rescued you.
14 He brought you out
of the deepest darkness
    and broke your chains.

15 You should praise the Lord
    for his love
and for the wonderful things
    he does for all of us.
16 He breaks down bronze gates
    and shatters iron locks.

17 Some of you had foolishly
committed a lot of sins
    and were in terrible pain.
18 The very thought of food
was disgusting to you,
    and you were almost dead.
19 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
    and he rescued you.
20 By the power of his own word,
he healed you and saved you
    from destruction.

21 You should praise the Lord
    for his love
and for the wonderful things
    he does for all of us.
22 You should celebrate
    by offering sacrifices
and singing joyful songs
    to tell what he has done.

23 Some of you made a living
    by sailing the mighty sea,
24 and you saw the miracles
    the Lord performed there.
25 At his command a storm arose,
    and waves covered the sea.
26 You were tossed to the sky
    and to the ocean depths,
until things looked so bad
    that you lost your courage.
27 You staggered like drunkards
    and gave up all hope.
28 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
    and he rescued you.
29 He made the storm stop
    and the sea be quiet.
30 You were happy because of this,
and he brought you to the port
    where you wanted to go.

31 You should praise the Lord
    for his love
and for the wonderful things
    he does for all of us.
32 Honor the Lord
when you and your leaders
    meet to worship.

33 If you start doing wrong,
the Lord will turn rivers
    into deserts,
34 (B) flowing streams
    into scorched land,
and fruitful fields
    into beds of salt.

35 But the Lord can also turn
    deserts into lakes
and scorched land
    into flowing streams.
36 If you are hungry,
you can settle there
    and build a town.
37 You can plant fields
and vineyards that produce
    a good harvest.
38 The Lord will bless you
with many children
    and with herds of cattle.

39 Sometimes you may be crushed
    by troubles and sorrows,
until only a few of you
    are left to survive.
40 But the Lord will take revenge
    on those who conquer you,
and he will make them wander
    across desert sands.
41 When you are suffering
    and in need,
he will come to your rescue,
and your families will grow
    as fast as a herd of sheep.
42 You will see this because
    you obey the Lord,
but everyone who is wicked
    will be silenced.

43 Be wise! Remember this
and think about the kindness
    of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 107.3 south: The Hebrew text has “sea,” probably referring to the Mediterranean Sea.

BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107

Give thanks to the Lord,(A) for he is good;(B)
    his love endures forever.

Let the redeemed(C) of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered(D) from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.[a]

Some wandered in desert(E) wastelands,
    finding no way to a city(F) where they could settle.
They were hungry(G) and thirsty,(H)
    and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out(I) to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way(J)
    to a city(K) where they could settle.
Let them give thanks(L) to the Lord for his unfailing love(M)
    and his wonderful deeds(N) for mankind,
for he satisfies(O) the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.(P)

10 Some sat in darkness,(Q) in utter darkness,
    prisoners suffering(R) in iron chains,(S)
11 because they rebelled(T) against God’s commands
    and despised(U) the plans(V) of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
    they stumbled, and there was no one to help.(W)
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them(X) from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness,(Y) the utter darkness,(Z)
    and broke away their chains.(AA)
15 Let them give thanks(AB) to the Lord for his unfailing love(AC)
    and his wonderful deeds(AD) for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
    and cuts through bars of iron.

17 Some became fools(AE) through their rebellious ways(AF)
    and suffered affliction(AG) because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food(AH)
    and drew near the gates of death.(AI)
19 Then they cried(AJ) to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them(AK) from their distress.
20 He sent out his word(AL) and healed them;(AM)
    he rescued(AN) them from the grave.(AO)
21 Let them give thanks(AP) to the Lord for his unfailing love(AQ)
    and his wonderful deeds(AR) for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings(AS)
    and tell of his works(AT) with songs of joy.(AU)

23 Some went out on the sea(AV) in ships;(AW)
    they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,(AX)
    his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke(AY) and stirred up a tempest(AZ)
    that lifted high the waves.(BA)
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
    in their peril(BB) their courage melted(BC) away.
27 They reeled(BD) and staggered like drunkards;
    they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried(BE) out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he brought them out of their distress.(BF)
29 He stilled the storm(BG) to a whisper;
    the waves(BH) of the sea[b] were hushed.(BI)
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
    and he guided them(BJ) to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks(BK) to the Lord for his unfailing love(BL)
    and his wonderful deeds(BM) for mankind.
32 Let them exalt(BN) him in the assembly(BO) of the people
    and praise him in the council of the elders.

33 He turned rivers into a desert,(BP)
    flowing springs(BQ) into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,(BR)
    because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water(BS)
    and the parched ground into flowing springs;(BT)
36 there he brought the hungry to live,
    and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards(BU)
    that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,(BV)
    and he did not let their herds diminish.(BW)

39 Then their numbers decreased,(BX) and they were humbled(BY)
    by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles(BZ)
    made them wander in a trackless waste.(CA)
41 But he lifted the needy(CB) out of their affliction
    and increased their families like flocks.(CC)
42 The upright see and rejoice,(CD)
    but all the wicked shut their mouths.(CE)

43 Let the one who is wise(CF) heed these things
    and ponder the loving deeds(CG) of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 107:3 Hebrew north and the sea
  2. Psalm 107:29 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / their waves