Psalm 106

1 Praise the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.

His faithful love continues forever.

2 Who can speak enough about the mighty acts of the Lord?

Who can praise him as much as he should be praised?

3 Blessed are those who always do what is fair.

Blessed are those who keep doing what is right.

4 Lord, remember me when you show favor to your people.

Help me when you save them.

5 Then I will enjoy the good things you give your chosen ones.

I will be joyful together with your people.

I will join them when they praise you.

6 We have sinned, just as our people of long ago did.

We too have done what is evil and wrong.

7 When our people were in Egypt,

they forgot about the Lord’s miracles.

They didn’t remember his many kind acts.

At the Red Sea they refused to obey him.

8 But he saved them for the honor of his name.

He did it to make his mighty power known.

9 He ordered the Red Sea to dry up, and it did.

He led his people through it as if it were a desert.

10 He saved them from the power of their enemies.

He set them free from their control.

11 The waters covered their enemies.

Not one of them escaped alive.

12 Then his people believed his promises

and sang praise to him.

13 But they soon forgot what he had done.

They didn’t wait for his advice.

14 In the desert they longed for food.

In that dry and empty land they put God to the test.

15 So he gave them what they asked for.

But he also sent a sickness that killed many of them.

16 In their camp some of them became jealous of Moses.

They were also jealous of Aaron. He had been set apart to serve the Lord.

17 The ground opened up and swallowed Dathan.

It buried Abiram and his followers.

18 Fire blazed among all of them.

Flames destroyed those evil people.

19 At Mount Horeb they made a metal statue of a bull calf.

They worshiped that statue of a god.

20 They traded their glorious God

for a statue of a bull that eats grass.

21 They forgot the God who saved them.

They forgot the One who had done great things in Egypt.

22 They forgot the miracles he did in the land of Ham.

They forgot the wonderful things he did by the Red Sea.

23 So he said he would destroy them.

But Moses, his chosen one,

stood up for them.

He kept God’s anger from destroying them.

24 Later on, they refused to enter the pleasant land of Canaan.

They didn’t believe God’s promise.

25 In their tents they told the Lord how unhappy they were.

They didn’t obey him.

26 So he lifted up his hand and promised with an oath

that he would make them die in the desert.

27 He promised he would scatter their children’s children among the nations.

He would make them die in other lands.

28 They joined in worshiping the Baal that was worshiped at Peor.

They ate food that had been offered to gods that aren’t even alive.

29 Their evil ways made the Lord angry.

So a plague broke out among them.

30 But Phinehas stood up and took action.

Then the plague stopped.

31 What Phinehas did made him right with the Lord.

It will be remembered for all time to come.

32 By the waters of Meribah the Lord’s people made him angry.

Moses got in trouble because of them.

33 They refused to obey the Spirit of God.

So Moses spoke without thinking.

34 They didn’t destroy the nations in Canaan

as the Lord had commanded them.

35 Instead, they mixed with those nations

and adopted their ways.

36 They worshiped statues of their gods.

That became a trap for them.

37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters

as offerings to demons.

38 They killed those who weren’t guilty of doing anything wrong.

They killed their own sons and daughters.

They sacrificed them as offerings to statues of the gods of Canaan.

The land became “unclean” because of the blood of their children.

39 The people polluted themselves by what they had done.

They weren’t faithful to the Lord.

40 So the Lord became angry with his people.

He turned away from his own children.

41 He handed them over to the nations.

Their enemies ruled over them.

42 They beat them down

and kept them under their power.

43 Many times the Lord saved them.

But they refused to obey him.

So he destroyed them because of their sins.

44 But he heard them when they cried out.

He paid special attention to their suffering.

45 Because they were his people, he remembered his covenant.

Because of his great love, he felt sorry for them.

46 He made all those who held them as prisoners

show concern for them.

47 Lord our God, save us.

Bring us back from among the nations.

Then we will give thanks to you, because your name is holy.

We will celebrate by praising you.

48 Give praise to the Lord, the God of Israel,

for ever and ever.

Let all of the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord.

BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.

His faithful love continues forever.

2 That’s what those who have been set free by the Lord should say.

He set them free from the power of the enemy.

3 He brought them back from other lands.

He brought them back from east and west, from north and south.

4 Some of them wandered in deserts that were dry and empty.

They couldn’t find their way to a city where they could settle down.

5 They were hungry and thirsty.

Their lives were slipping away.

6 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.

And he saved them from their troubles.

7 He led them straight

to a city where they could settle down.

8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.

Let them give thanks for the miracles he does for his people.

9 He gives those who are thirsty all of the water they want.

He gives those who are hungry all of the good food they can eat.

10 Others lived in the deepest darkness.

They suffered as prisoners in iron chains.

11 That’s because they hadn’t obeyed the words of God.

They had refused to follow the advice of the Most High God.

12 So he made them do work that was hard and bitter.

They tripped and fell, and there was no one to help them.

13 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.

And he saved them from their troubles.

14 He brought them out of the deepest darkness.

He broke their chains off.

15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.

Let them give thanks for the miracles he does for his people.

16 He breaks down gates that are made of bronze.

He cuts through bars that are made of iron.

17 Others were foolish. They suffered because of their sins.

They suffered because they wouldn’t obey the Lord.

18 They refused to eat anything.

They came close to passing through the gates of death.

19 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.

And he saved them from their troubles.

20 He gave his command and healed them.

He saved them from the grave.

21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.

Let them give thanks for the miracles he does for his people.

22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings.

Let them talk about what he has done as they sing with joy.

23 Others sailed out on the ocean in ships.

They traded goods on the mighty waters.

24 They saw the works of the Lord.

They saw the miracles he did on the ocean.

25 He spoke and stirred up a storm.

It lifted the waves high.

26 They rose up to the heavens. Then they went down deep into the ocean.

In that kind of danger the people’s boldness melted away.

27 They were unsteady like those who get drunk.

They didn’t know what to do.

28 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.

And he brought them out of their troubles.

29 He made the storm as quiet as a whisper.

The waves of the ocean calmed down.

30 The people were glad when the ocean became calm.

Then he guided them to the harbor they were looking for.

31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.

Let them give thanks for the miracles he does for his people.

32 Let them honor him among his people who gather for worship.

Let them praise him in the meeting of the elders.

33 He turned rivers into a desert.

He turned flowing springs into thirsty ground.

34 He turned land that produced crops into a salty land where nothing could grow.

He did it because the people who lived there were evil.

35 He turned the desert into pools of water.

He turned the dry and cracked ground into flowing springs.

36 He brought hungry people there to live.

They built a city where they could settle down.

37 They planted fields and vineyards

that produced large crops.

38 He blessed the people, and they greatly increased their numbers.

He kept their herds from getting smaller.

39 Then the number of God’s people got smaller.

They were brought low by trouble, suffering and sorrow.

40 The One who looks down on proud nobles

made them wander in a desert where no one lives.

41 But he lifted needy people out of their suffering.

He made their families increase like flocks of sheep.

42 Honest people see it and are filled with joy.

But no one who is evil has anything to say.

43 Let those who are wise pay attention to these things.

Let them think about the Lord’s great love.

Psalm 108

A song. A psalm of David.

1 God, my heart feels secure.

I will sing and make music to you with all my heart.

2 Harp and lyre, wake up!

I want to sing and make music before the sun rises.

3 Lord, I will praise you among the nations.

I will sing about you among the people of the earth.

4 Great is your love. It is higher than the heavens.

Your truth reaches to the skies.

5 God, may you be honored above the heavens.

Let your glory be over the whole earth.

6 Save us. Help us with your powerful right hand,

so that those you love may be saved.

7 God has spoken from his temple.

He has said, “I will win the battle.

Then I will divide up the land around Shechem.

I will divide up the Valley of Succoth.

8 Gilead belongs to me. So does the land of Manasseh.

Ephraim is the strongest tribe. It is like a helmet for my head.

Judah is the royal tribe. It is like a ruler’s staff.

9 Moab serves me like one who washes my feet.

I toss my sandal on Edom to show that I own it.

I shout to Philistia that I have won the battle.”

10 Who will bring me to the city that has high walls around it?

Who will lead me to the land of Edom?

11 God, isn’t it you, even though you have now turned away from us?

Isn’t it you, even though you don’t lead our armies into battle anymore?

12 Help us against our enemies.

The help people give doesn’t amount to anything.

13 With your help we will win the battle.

You will walk all over our enemies.

Psalm 109

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 God, I praise you.

Don’t remain silent.

2 Sinful people who lie and cheat have spoken against me.

They have used their tongues to tell lies about me.

3 They gather all around me with their words of hatred.

They attack me without any reason.

4 They bring charges against me,

even though I love them

and pray for them.

5 They pay me back with evil for the good things I do.

They pay back my love with hatred.

6 Appoint an evil person to take my enemies to court.

Let him stand at their right hand and bring charges against them.

7 When they are tried, let them be found guilty.

May even their prayers judge them.

8 May their days be few.

Let others take their places as leaders.

9 May their children’s fathers die.

May their wives become widows.

10 May their children be driven from their destroyed homes.

May they wander around like beggars.

11 May everything those people own be taken away to pay for what they owe.

May strangers rob them of everything they’ve worked for.

12 May no one be kind to them

or take pity on the children they leave behind.

13 May their family line come to an end.

May their names be forgotten by those who live after them.

14 May the Lord remember the evil things their fathers have done.

May he never erase the sins of their mothers.

15 May the Lord never forget their sins.

Then he won’t let people remember those sinners anymore.

16 They never thought about doing anything kind.

Instead, they drove those who were poor and needy to their deaths.

They did the same thing to those whose hearts were broken.

17 They loved to call down curses on others.

May their curses come back on them.

They didn’t find any pleasure in giving anyone their blessing.

May no blessing ever come to them.

18 They called down curses on others as easily as they put on clothes.

Cursing was as natural to them as getting a drink of water

or putting olive oil on their bodies.

19 May their curses cover them like coats.

May their curses be wrapped around them like a belt forever.

20 May that be the Lord’s way of paying back

those who bring charges against me.

May it happen to those who say

evil things about me.

21 But Lord and King,

be true to your name. Treat me well.

Because your love is so good, save me.

22 I am poor and needy.

My heart is wounded deep down inside me.

23 I fade away like an evening shadow.

I’m like a locust that someone brushes off.

24 My knees are weak because I’ve gone without food.

My body is very thin.

25 Those who bring charges against me laugh at me.

When they see me, they shake their heads at me.

26 Lord my God, help me.

Save me because you love me.

27 Lord, let my enemies know that you yourself have saved me.

You have done it with your own hand.

28 They may call down a curse on me.

But you will give me your blessing.

When they attack me, they will be put to shame.

But I will be filled with joy.

29 Those who bring charges against me will be clothed with dishonor.

They will be wrapped in shame as if it were a coat.

30 With my mouth I will continually praise the Lord.

I will praise him when all of his people gather for worship.

31 He stands ready to help those who need it.

He saves them from those who have sentenced them to death.