Psalms 106

1 Alleluia. Confess to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is with every generation.

Let the Lord be praised. O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

2 Who will declare the powers of the Lord? Who make a hearing for all his praises?

Who is able to give an account of the great acts of the Lord, or to make clear all his praise?

3 Blessed are those who keep judgment and who do justice at all times.

Happy are they whose decisions are upright, and he who does righteousness at all times.

4 Remember us, O Lord, with good will for your people. Visit us with your salvation,

Keep me in mind, O Lord, when you are good to your people; O let your salvation come to me;

5 so that we may see the goodness of your elect, so that we may rejoice in the joy of your nation, so that you may be praised along with your inheritance.

So that I may see the well-being of the people of your selection, and have a part in the joy of your nation, and take pride in your heritage.

6 We have sinned, as have our fathers. We have acted unjustly; we have wrought iniquity.

We are sinners like our fathers, we have done wrong, our acts are evil.

7 Our fathers did not understand your miracles in Egypt. They did not remember the multitude of your mercies. And they provoked you, while going up to the sea, even the Red Sea.

Our fathers did not give thought to your wonders in Egypt; they did not keep in memory the great number of your mercies, but gave you cause for wrath at the sea, even at the Red Sea.

8 And he saved them for the sake of his name, so that he might make known his power.

But he was their saviour because of his name, so that men might see his great power.

9 And he rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up. And he led them into the abyss, as if into a desert.

By his word the Red Sea was made dry: and he took them through the deep waters as through the waste land.

10 And he saved them from the hand of those who hated them. And he redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

And he took them safely out of the hands of their haters, and kept them from the attacks of those who were against them.

11 And the water covered those who troubled them. Not one of them remained.

And the waters went over their haters; all of them came to an end.

12 And they believed his words, and they sang his praises.

Then they had faith in his words; they gave him songs of praise.

13 As soon as they had finished, they forgot his works, and they would not endure his counsel.

But their memory of his works was short; not waiting to be guided by him,

14 And they coveted their desire in the desert, and they tempted God in a waterless place.

They gave way to their evil desires in the waste land, and put God to the test in the dry places.

15 And he granted to them their request, and he sent abundance into their souls.

And he gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease into their souls.

16 And they provoked Moses in the camp, and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.

They were full of envy against Moses among the tents, and against Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.

17 The earth opened and swallowed Dathan, and it covered the congregation of Abiram.

The earth opening put an end to Dathan, covering up Abiram and his band.

18 And a fire broke out in their congregation. A flame burned up the sinners.

And a fire was lighted among their tents; the sinners were burned up by the flames.

19 And they fashioned a calf at Horeb, and they adored a graven image.

They made a young ox in Horeb, and gave worship to an image of gold.

20 And they exchanged their glory for the likeness of a calf that eats hay.

And their glory was changed into the image of an ox, whose food is grass.

21 They forgot God, who saved them, who did great things in Egypt:

They had no memory of God their saviour, who had done great things in Egypt;

22 miracles in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea.

Works of wonder in the land of Ham, and things of fear by the Red Sea.

23 And he said that he would destroy them, yet Moses, his elect, stood firm before him in the breach, in order to avert his wrath, lest he destroy them.

And he was purposing to put an end to them if Moses, his special servant, had not gone up before him, between him and his people, turning back his wrath, to keep them from destruction.

24 And they held the desirable land to be nothing. They did not trust in his word.

They were disgusted with the good land; they had no belief in his word;

25 And they murmured in their tabernacles. They did not heed the voice of the Lord.

Talking against him secretly in their tents, they did not give ear to the voice of the Lord.

26 And he lifted up his hand over them, in order to prostrate them in the desert,

So he made an oath against them, to put an end to them in the waste land:

27 and in order to cast their offspring among the nations, and to scatter them among the regions.

That their children might be mixed among the nations, and sent away into other lands.

28 And they were initiated into Baal of Peor, and they ate the sacrifices of the dead.

And they were joined to Baal-peor, and took part in the offerings to the dead.

29 And they provoked him with their inventions, and ruination was multiplied in them.

So they made him angry by their behaviour; and he sent disease on them.

30 Then Phinehas stood up and placated him: and so the violent disturbance ceased.

Then Phinehas got up, and made prayer for them; and the disease went no farther.

31 And it was reputed to him unto justice, from generation to generation, even forever.

And all the generations coming after him kept the memory of his righteousness for ever.

32 And they provoked him at the Waters of Contradiction, and Moses was afflicted because of them,

They made God angry again at the waters of Meribah, so that Moses was troubled because of them;

33 for they exasperated his spirit. And so he divided them with his lips.

For they made his spirit bitter, and he said unwise things.

34 They did not destroy the nations, about which the Lord had spoken to them.

They did not put an end to the peoples, as the Lord had said;

35 And they were mixed among the Gentiles. And they learned their works,

But they were joined to the nations, learning their works.

36 and they served their graven images, and it became a scandal to them.

And they gave worship to images; which were a danger to them:

37 And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

They even made offerings of their sons and their daughters to evil spirits,

38 And they shed innocent blood: the blood of their sons and of their daughters, which they sacrificed to the graven images of Canaan. And the land was infected with bloodshed,

And gave the blood of their sons and their daughters who had done no wrong, offering them to the images of Canaan; and the land was made unclean with blood.

39 and was contaminated with their works. And they fornicated according to their own inventions.

So they became unclean through their works, going after their evil desires.

40 And the Lord became furiously angry with his people, and he abhorred his inheritance.

Then the wrath of the Lord was burning against his people, and he was angry with his heritage.

41 And he delivered them into the hands of the nations. And those who hated them became rulers over them.

And he gave them into the hands of the nations; and they were ruled by their haters.

42 And their enemies afflicted them, and they were humbled under their hands.

By them they were crushed, and made low under their hands.

43 Many times, he delivered them. Yet they provoked him with their counsel, and they were brought low by their iniquities.

Again and again he made them free; but their hearts were turned against his purpose, and they were overcome by their sins.

44 And he saw that they were in tribulation, and he heard their prayer.

But when their cry came to his ears, he had pity on their trouble:

45 And he was mindful of his covenant, and he repented according to the multitude of his mercies.

And kept in mind his agreement with them, and in his great mercy gave them forgiveness.

46 And he provided for them with mercies, in the sight of all those who had seized them.

He put pity into the hearts of those who made them prisoners.

47 Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, so that we may confess your holy name and glory in your praise.

Be our saviour, O Lord our God, and let us come back together from among the nations, so that we may give honour to your holy name, and have glory in your praise.

48 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, from ages past, even to all ages. And let all the people say: Amen. Amen.

Praise be to the Lord God of Israel for ever and for ever; and let all the people say, So be it. Give praise to the Lord.