Psalms 107

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

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

2 Let those who have been redeemed by the Lord say so: those whom he redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered from the regions,

Let those whose cause the Lord has taken up say so, his people whom he has taken out of the hands of their haters;

3 from the rising of the sun and its setting, from the north and from the sea.

Making them come together out of all the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

4 They wandered into solitude in a waterless place. They did not find the way of the city to be their dwelling place.

They were wandering in the waste places; they saw no way to a resting-place.

5 They were hungry, and they were thirsty. Their soul fainted within them.

Their souls became feeble for need of food and drink.

6 And they cried out to the Lord in tribulation, and he rescued them in their necessity.

Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles;

7 And he led them in the right way, so that they might go forth to a city of habitation.

Guiding them in the right way, so that they might come into the town of their resting-place.

8 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!

9 For he has satisfied the empty soul, and he has satisfied the hungry soul with good things:

He gives its desire to the unresting soul, so that it is full of good things.

10 those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, shackled by extreme poverty and by iron.

Those who were in the dark, in the black night, in chains of sorrow and iron;

11 For they exasperated the eloquence of God, and they irritated the deliberation of the Most High.

Because they went against the words of God, and gave no thought to the laws of the Most High:

12 And their heart was brought low with hardships. They were weakened, and there was no one to help them.

So that he made their hearts weighted down with grief; they were falling, and had no helper.

13 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, and he freed them from their distress.

Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles.

14 And he led them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and he broke apart their chains.

He took them out of the dark and the black night, and all their chains were broken.

15 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!

16 For he has crushed the gates of brass and broken the iron bars.

The doors of brass are broken by his arm, and the bands of iron are cut in two.

17 He has taken them up, from the way of their iniquity. For they were brought low, because of their injustices.

Foolish men, because of their sins, and because of their wrongdoing, are troubled;

18 Their soul abhorred all food, and they drew near even to the gates of death.

They are disgusted by all food, and they come near to the doors of death.

19 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, and he delivered them in their necessity.

Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles.

20 He sent his word, and he healed them, and he rescued them from their utter destruction.

He sent his word and made them well, and kept them safe from the underworld.

21 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!

22 And let them offer sacrifice with the sacrifice of praise, and let them announce his works in exultation.

Let them make offerings of praise, giving news of his works with cries of joy.

23 Those who descend to the sea in ships, making their livelihood in the great waters:

Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in the great waters;

24 these have seen the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep.

They see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

25 He spoke: and a windstorm stood up, and its waves were exalted.

For at his word comes up the storm-wind, lifting high the waves.

26 They ascend even to the heavens, and they descend even to the abyss. Their soul will waste away in distress.

The sailors go up to heaven, and down into the deep; their souls are wasted because of their trouble.

27 They were troubled, and they moved like a drunkard, and all their wisdom was consumed.

They are turned here and there, rolling like a man who is full of wine; and all their wisdom comes to nothing.

28 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, and he led them out of their distress.

Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles.

29 And he replaced the storm with a breeze, and its waves were stilled.

He makes the storm into a calm, so that the waves are at peace.

30 And they were joyful that it was stilled, and he led them into the haven that they desired.

Then they are glad, because the sea is quiet, and he takes them to the harbour of their desire.

31 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!

32 And let them exalt him in the Church of the people, and praise him in the chair of the elders.

Let them give glory to him in the meeting of the people, and praise among the chiefs.

33 He has placed rivers in the desert and sources of water in dry places,

He makes rivers into waste places, and springs of water into a dry land;

34 a fruit-bearing land in the midst of brine, before the malice of those who dwell in it.

He makes a fertile country into a salt waste, because of the sins of those who are living there.

35 He has placed a desert in the midst of pools of waters, and a land without water in the midst of sources of water.

He makes a waste land into a place of water, and a dry land into water-springs.

36 And he has gathered the hungry together there, and they constructed a city of habitation.

And there he gives the poor a resting-place, so that they may make themselves a town;

37 And they sowed fields and planted vineyards, and they produced the fruit of nativity.

And put seed in the fields and make vine-gardens, to give them fruit.

38 And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly. And he did not diminish their beasts of burden.

He gives them his blessing so that they are increased greatly, and their cattle do not become less.

39 And they became few, and they were afflicted by the tribulation of evils and of sorrow.

And when they are made low, and crushed by trouble and sorrow,

40 Contempt was poured over their leaders, and he caused them to wander in an impassable place, and not on the way.

He puts an end to the pride of kings, and sends them wandering in the waste lands where there is no way.

41 And he helped the poor out of destitution, and he stationed families like sheep.

But he puts the poor man on high from his troubles, and gives him families like a flock.

42 The upright will see, and they will rejoice. And every iniquity will block its mouth.

The upright see it and are glad: the mouth of the sinner is stopped.

43 Who is wise and will keep these things? And who will understand the mercies of the Lord?

Let the wise give thought to these things, and see the mercies of the Lord.