Psalms 107

1 “Give thanks to YHWH, For [He is] good, for His kindness [is] for all time”:

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

2 Let the redeemed of YHWH say [so], Whom He redeemed from the hand of an adversary.

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 And has gathered them from the lands, From east and from west, From 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 in a wilderness, in a desert by the way, They have not found a city of habitation.

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

5 Hungry—indeed—thirsty, Their soul becomes feeble in them,

Their souls became feeble for need of food and drink.

6 And they cry to YHWH in their adversity, He delivers 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;

7 And causes them to tread in a right way, To go to a city of habitation.

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

8 They confess to YHWH His kindness, And His wonders 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 a longing soul, And has filled a hungry soul [with] goodness.

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

10 Inhabitants of dark places and death-shade, Prisoners of affliction and of iron,

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

11 Because they changed the saying of God, And despised the counsel 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 He humbles their heart with labor, They have been feeble, and there is no helper.

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

13 And they cry to YHWH in their adversity, He saves them from their distresses.

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

14 He brings them out from the dark place, And death-shade, And He draws away their bands.

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

15 They confess to YHWH His kindness, And His wonders 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 broken doors of bronze, And He has cut bars of iron.

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

17 Fools, by means of their transgression, And by their iniquities, afflict themselves.

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

18 Their soul detests all food, And they come near to the gates of death,

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

19 And cry to YHWH in their adversity, He saves them from their distresses,

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

20 He sends His word and heals them, And delivers [them] from their destructions.

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

21 They confess to YHWH His kindness, And His wonders 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 they sacrifice sacrifices of thanksgiving, And recount His works with singing.

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

23 Those going down [to] the sea in ships, Doing business in many waters,

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

24 They have seen the works of YHWH, And His wonders in the deep.

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

25 And He commands, and appoints a storm, And it lifts up its billows,

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

26 They go up [to] the heavens, they go down [to] the depths, Their soul is melted in evil.

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

27 They reel to and fro, and move as a drunkard, And all their wisdom is swallowed up.

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 cry to YHWH in their adversity, And He brings them out from their distresses.

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

29 He calms a whirlwind, And their billows are hushed.

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

30 And they rejoice because they are quiet, And He leads them to the haven of their desire.

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

31 They confess to YHWH His kindness, And His wonders 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 they exalt Him in [the] assembly of [the] people, And praise Him in [the] seat of [the] elderly.

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

33 He makes rivers become a wilderness, And fountains of waters become dry land.

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

34 A fruitful land becomes a barren place, For the wickedness of its inhabitants.

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

35 He makes a wilderness become a pool of water, And a dry land become fountains of waters.

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

36 And He causes the hungry to dwell there, And they prepare a city of habitation.

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

37 And they sow fields, and plant vineyards, And they make fruits of increase.

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

38 And He blesses them, and they multiply exceedingly, And He does not diminish their livestock.

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

39 And they are diminished, and bow down, By restraint, evil, and sorrow.

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

40 He is pouring contempt on nobles, And causes them to wander in vacancy—no 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 sets the needy on high from affliction, And places families as a flock.

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

42 The upright see and rejoice, And all perversity has shut her mouth.

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

43 Who [is] wise, and observes these? They understand the kind acts of YHWH!

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