< Psalms 107 >

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, and his covenant faithfulness endures forever.
Alleluia. Confess to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is with every generation.
2 Let the redeemed of Yahweh speak out, those he has rescued from the hand of the enemy.
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,
3 He has gathered them out of foreign lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
from the rising of the sun and its setting, from the north and from the sea.
4 They wandered in the wilderness on a desert road and found no city in which to live.
They wandered into solitude in a waterless place. They did not find the way of the city to be their dwelling place.
5 Because they were hungry and thirsty, they fainted from exhaustion.
They were hungry, and they were thirsty. Their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble, and he rescued them out of their distress.
And they cried out to the Lord in tribulation, and he rescued them in their necessity.
7 He led them by a direct path so that they would go to a city to live in.
And he led them in the right way, so that they might go forth to a city of habitation.
8 Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!
Let his mercies confess to the Lord, and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.
9 For he satisfies the longings of those who are thirsty, and the desires of those who are hungry he fills up with good things.
For he has satisfied the empty soul, and he has satisfied the hungry soul with good things:
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in affliction and chains.
those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, shackled by extreme poverty and by iron.
11 This was because they had rebelled against God's word and rejected the instruction of the Most High.
For they exasperated the eloquence of God, and they irritated the deliberation of the Most High.
12 He humbled their hearts through hardship; they stumbled and there was no one to help them up.
And their heart was brought low with hardships. They were weakened, and there was no one to help them.
13 Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, and he freed them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and gloom and broke their bonds.
And he led them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and he broke apart their chains.
15 Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!
Let his mercies confess to the Lord, and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.
16 For he has broken the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.
For he has crushed the gates of brass and broken the iron bars.
17 They were foolish in their rebellious ways and afflicted because of their sins.
He has taken them up, from the way of their iniquity. For they were brought low, because of their injustices.
18 They lost their desire to eat any food, and they came close to the gates of death.
Their soul abhorred all food, and they drew near even to the gates of death.
19 Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, and he delivered them in their necessity.
20 He sent his word and healed them, and he rescued them from their destruction.
He sent his word, and he healed them, and he rescued them from their utter destruction.
21 Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!
Let his mercies confess to the Lord, and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.
22 Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving and proclaim his deeds in singing.
And let them offer sacrifice with the sacrifice of praise, and let them announce his works in exultation.
23 Some travel on the sea in ships and do business overseas.
Those who descend to the sea in ships, making their livelihood in the great waters:
24 These saw the deeds of Yahweh and his wonders on the seas.
these have seen the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep.
25 For he commanded and aroused the windstorm that stirs up the seas.
He spoke: and a windstorm stood up, and its waves were exalted.
26 They reached up to the sky; they went down to the depths. Their lives melted away in distress.
They ascend even to the heavens, and they descend even to the abyss. Their soul will waste away in distress.
27 They swayed and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits' end.
They were troubled, and they moved like a drunkard, and all their wisdom was consumed.
28 Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, and he led them out of their distress.
29 He calmed the storm, and the waves were stilled.
And he replaced the storm with a breeze, and its waves were stilled.
30 Then they rejoiced because the sea was calm, and he brought them to their desired harbor.
And they were joyful that it was stilled, and he led them into the haven that they desired.
31 Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!
Let his mercies confess to the Lord, and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.
And let them exalt him in the Church of the people, and praise him in the chair of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a wilderness, springs of water into dry land,
He has placed rivers in the desert and sources of water in dry places,
34 and a fruitful land into a barren place because of the wickedness of its people.
a fruit-bearing land in the midst of brine, before the malice of those who dwell in it.
35 He turns the wilderness into a pool of water and dry land into springs of water.
He has placed a desert in the midst of pools of waters, and a land without water in the midst of sources of water.
36 He settles the hungry there, and they build a city to live in.
And he has gathered the hungry together there, and they constructed a city of habitation.
37 They build a city to plant fields in, to plant vineyards, and to bring in an abundant harvest.
And they sowed fields and planted vineyards, and they produced the fruit of nativity.
38 He blesses them so they are very numerous. He does not let their cattle decrease in number.
And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly. And he did not diminish their beasts of burden.
39 They were diminished and brought low by painful distress and suffering.
And they became few, and they were afflicted by the tribulation of evils and of sorrow.
40 He pours contempt on the leaders and causes them to wander in the wilderness, where there are no roads.
Contempt was poured over their leaders, and he caused them to wander in an impassable place, and not on the way.
41 But he protects the needy from affliction and cares for his families like a flock.
And he helped the poor out of destitution, and he stationed families like sheep.
42 The upright will see this and rejoice, and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
The upright will see, and they will rejoice. And every iniquity will block its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise should take note of these things and meditate on Yahweh's acts of covenant faithfulness.
Who is wise and will keep these things? And who will understand the mercies of the Lord?

< Psalms 107 >